Categories
Tasting

Kaimai Brewing Co – Golden Rye Ale

Honey on the nose, cloudy, rye comes through malt back bone, slightly bitter finish.

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Categories
Tasting

Epic Zythos

Passion fruit or stonefruit on the nose, carbonation high, full initial taste with a lingering, not over hopped finish.

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Categories
Smoked

Smoke Pohutakawa Grain

Rehydrated uncrushed 1kg Maris otter malt in 400g 70c water for 2 hours.
Pull coals forward and put grain over sawdust and chips. Smoked for 20 mins.

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Categories
Pizza Oven

Morrocan Lamb

Rosemary, green pepper corns, turmeric, fennel, cardamom, lemon zest and juice, 3 small chillis, salt rub.

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Categories
Cooking

The Tong Master

Check out this video on YouTube:

The Tong-Master Griff was at the barbecue and Joel was at the barbecue and I was at the barbecue; three men standing around a barbecue, sipping beer, staring at sausages, rolling them backwards and forwards, never leaving them alone. We didn’t know why we were at the barbecue; we were just drawn there like moths to a flame. The barbecue was a powerful gravitational force, a man-magnet.
Joel said the thin ones could use a turn, I said yeah I reckon the thin ones could use a turn, Griff said yeah they really need a turn it was a unanimous turning decision. Griff was the Tong-Master, a true artist, he gave a couple of practice snaps of his long silver tongs, SNAP SNAP, before moving in, prodding, teasing, and with an elegant flick of his wrist, rolling them onto their little backs. A lesser tong-man would’ve flicked too hard; the sausages would’ve gone full circle, back to where they started. Nice, I said. The others went yeah.
Kevin was passing us, he heard the siren-song—sizzle of the snags, the barbecue was calling, beckoning, Kevinnnnn . . . come. He stuck his head in and said any room? We said yeah and began the barbecue shuffle; Griff shuffled to the left, Joel shuffled to the left, I shuffled to the left, Kevin slipped in beside me, we sipped our beer. Now there were four of us staring at sausages, and Griff gave me the nod, my cue. I was second-in-command, and I had to take the raw sausages out of the plastic bag and lay them on the barbecue; not too close together, not too far apart, curl them into each other’s bodies like lovers — fat ones, thin ones, herbed and continental. The chipolatas were tiny, they could easily slip down between the grill, falling into the molten hot-bead-netherworld below. Carefully I laid them sideways ACROSS the grill, clever thinking. Griff snapped his tongs with approval; there was no greater barbecue honour.
P.J. came along, he said looking good, looking good — the irresistible lure of the barbecue had pulled him in too. We said yeah and did the shuffle, left, left, left, left, he slipped in beside Kevin, we sipped our beer. Five men, lots of sausages.
Joel was the Fork-pronger; he had the fork that pronged the tough hides of the Bavarian bratwursts and he showed a lot of promise. Stabbing away eagerly, leaving perfect little vampire holes up and down the casing. P.J. was shaking his head, he said I reckon they cook better if you don’t poke them.
There was a long silence, you could have heard a chipolata drop, and this newcomer was a rabble-rouser, bringing in his crazy ideas from outside. He didn’t understand the hierarchy; first the Tong-master, then the Sausage-layer, then the Fork-pronger — and everyone below was just a watcher. Maybe eventually they’ll move up the ladder, but for now—don’t rock the Weber.
Dianne popped her head in; hmmm, smells good, she said. She was trying to jostle into the circle; we closed ranks, pulling our heads down and our shoulders in, mumbling yeah yeah yeah, but making no room for her. She was keen, going round to the far side of the barbecue, heading for the only available space . . . the gap in the circle where all the smoke and ashes blew. Nobody could survive the gap; Dianne was going to try. She stood there stubbornly, smoke blinding her eyes, ashes filling her nostrils, sausage fat spattering all over her arms and face. Until she couldn’t take it any more, she gave up, backed off. Kevin waited till she was gone and sipped his beer. We sipped our beer, yeah.
Griff handed me his tongs. I looked at him and he nodded. I knew what was happening, I’ waited a long time for this moment—the abdication. The tongs weighed heavy in my hands, firm in my grip. Was I ready for the responsibility?
Yes, I was. I held them up high and they glinted in the sun. Don’t forget to turn the thin ones Griff said as he walked away from the barbecue, disappearing toward the house. Yeah I called back, I will, I will. I snapped them twice,
SNAP SNAP, before moving in, prodding, teasing, and with an elegant flick of my wrist, rolling them back onto their little bellies. I was a natural, I was the TONG-MASTER. But only until Griff got back from the toilet.

Categories
Uncategorized

Waimea Dmash (Double malt and Single Hop)

Single hop with Gladfield Malts, with 8 hop editions the new Waimea hops (grandaughter of Pacific Jade) – 67IBU!

As used by Epic’s – first batch nzipa

Waimea Dmash

26 litres
All Grain
1.054~OG→1.015~FG→5.2%ABV 67 IBU 8.0°L SRM
Yeasts
5 grams
S-33 – Safbrew S-33
Fermentis (Ale)
5 grams
Fermentables
6.5 kilograms
Gladfield Ale
35ppg, 5°L
4.6 kilograms
71%
Gladfield Vienna
34ppg, 7°L
1.9 kilograms
29%
Hops
0.1 kilograms
Waimea
15%, Pellet
0.1 kilograms
100%
Miscellaneous
2 grams
koppa Flock
Fining
2 grams
100%
Boil
1 hour, 29.64 litres
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
60 minutes (+0)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
50 minutes (+10)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
40 minutes (+20)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
30 minutes (+30)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
20 minutes (+40)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
15 minutes (+45)
koppa Flock
Fining
2 grams
15 minutes (+45)
Add wort chiller 15 minutes (+45)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
10 minutes (+50)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
10 grams
5 minutes (+55)
Waimea hops
15%, Pellet
20 grams
0 minutes (+60)
Ferment
14 days @ 17°C

9 Feb

1.002 fg


 

Categories
Review

Speights triple hop pilsner (draught)

Low carbonation, mouth feel lacking, honey tones, hops low. Pretty ordinary.

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Categories
Tasting

The Sawmill Brewing Company

Clear and crisp, full mouthfeel carbonation forward, slight honey notes, finishing with a hop bite.

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Categories
Review

Yeastie Boys – Pot Kettle Black

Roast chocolate on the nose, full mouth feel, with a hoppy finish.
Too cold, will let it warm up for flavours to develop.

Warmer now – more vanilla flavor mid palette.

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Categories
Review

Tuatara Double Trouble Extra-Dimensional APA

Citrus on the nose, cloudy amber with low carbonation and low head. Carbonation feel more in mouth, mid palate does not feel strong, lingering hoppy finish.

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Initially too cold, as it has warmed up the mid pallet is fuller, the finish more intense hops.