Neil Miller - NZ

Organisers of the Taranaki Bride of the Year competition have seriously demanded that a regional newspaper apologise for publishing a picture of contestant Katrina Hayman drinking a beer while waiting to be judged. Co-convenor Lynn Gilbert-Smith wrote a letter requesting the Taranaki Daily News “apologise to all involved. As I am sure many would have preferred to have seen a photo on the front page of the winning bride of the year, rather than a free commercial for Tui."  more info

Whenever I visited Christchurch – my home town from age 6 to 12 – there were two pubs I would always go to: The Dux de Lux and The Twisted Hop. Those two were very different in many ways but both were superb brewpubs with fine food and a great vibe. Even though I was only an occasional visitor, I always instantly felt at home as soon as I walked through the doors. Heck, the Dux did not serve meat and I still went there. For the record, the Twisted Hop had some of the finest pork pies in the land – and I know my pies. more info

It is no real secret that my favourite style of beer is American Pale Ale – generally the hoppier the better.  On 1 May 2012, Tuatara Brewing Company will have four APAs on sale, beating their previous best of two.  They will have American Pale Ale, Aotearoa Pale Ale, Green-Hopped APA and Double APA available.   more info

One of the best on-line guides to the New Zealand craft beer scene is the Beer Tourist website.  It provides printable maps of breweries, craft beer bars and bottle stores throughout the country.  There are also links and contact details for most of the outlets featured.  Beer Tourist is put together by the good people at the Moutere Inn (a fine bar in its own right) and is a free resource.   more info

As craft beer becomes increasingly popular, it becomes harder to think up new ideas for promotions and publicity.  One group of professional who should be particularly good at the creative side of proceedings are advertising companies.  The Wellington branch of Clemenger BBDO seems to be onto a good thing with their inaugural Wellington In A Pint competition.  It is an interactive beer event which involves the general public, home brewers, professional brewers and then the general public again. 
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Award-winning brewer Kelly Ryan has confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in New Zealand by confirming he is indeed into his last week working at Epic Brewing Company.  As is the norm these days, his impending departure to work in a new Hamilton brewpub was announced officially on his blog and on his Twitter account.  Kelly has worked at Epic for an extremely busy thirteen months after earlier stints at Thornbridge, Fyne Ales and DB Breweries.  Yes, the man who has made Hop Zombie IIPA and Jaipur IPA started his career making Tui “East India Pale Ale”.
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I had very little idea of what I wanted to do for a career when I was studying at university.  There were some thoughts of becoming a lecturer or maybe a historian but it took a long while for me to eventually get to beer writer.  Matt Kristofski and Matt Warner, students at my alma mater Victoria University of Wellington, knew exactly what they wanted to do.  They wanted to make beer and sell it commercially.   more info

Alert readers will recall the ‘Radler Incident’ in New Zealand when DB managed to successfully trademark the name of a traditional beer style.  Despite not being a classical Radler by any stretch of the imagination, Monteith’s Radler (a full strength lager flavoured with lemon and lime) is now the only beer allowed to be described as a Radler here.  Kiwi brewers, local beer fans and even a number of German brewers were  rightly outraged.  If anyone thought that was the last beer trademark debacle they were wrong.  Now, a bottle store chain is trying to lock up the term “growler”. more info