New Zealand boasts some fine dark ales - and they're helping the UK to catch up
New Zealanders are behind a lot of the interesting food and drink stuff happening in the UK at the moment
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Dark beers are more suited to cold months, so the thinking goes, but in one part of the world they're always popular. "Lots of breweries in New Zealand have got stouts and porters among their best sellers," says Stu McKinlay, one half of the duo behind Wellington brewing company Yeastie Boys. "Our Pot Kettle Black porter is a big seller – almost our biggest seller, actually."
It's good stuff, too, which is excellent news not just for New Zealanders but also for us. There's a lot more Kiwi beer over here at the moment. McKinlay recently swapped Wellington for west Kent in order to launch Yeastie Boys in the UK, and he's joined forces with four other breweries (8 Wired, Renaissance, Three Boys, Tuatara) as part of the New Zealand Craft Beer Collective, to promote his country's finest over here.
It's not a surprise that Kiwis make excellent beer; they know their stuff when it comes to flavour. If you look closely enough, New Zealanders – and their noisier cousins from across the Tasman Sea – are behind a lot of the interesting food and drink stuff happening in the UK at the moment. The country's geographical isolation has bred a refusal to be left behind.
Now they're helping us to catch up. Britain's beer scene is one of the most interesting in Europe, but it still has its ragged edges – a bit like our national rugby sides, actually. I wonder if the All Blacks might consider giving them a bit of a helping hand?
Three to try
Slurp
Slurp Three Boys Oyster Stout (£5.10 for 500ml, 6.5%, honestbrew.co.uk)
Smooth and supple, this beauty is made with New Zealand's Bluff oysters.
Sip
Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black (2.99 for 330ml, 6 %, beersofeurope.co.uk)
Initially boldly hop-accented, Pot Kettle Black develops and mellows with time.
Share
8 Wired iStout (£6.80 for 500ml, 10%, honestbrew.co.uk)
Don't worry about the strength – well, not too much. This is complex, espresso-inclined and delicious.
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