Green Man Krystal Weiss

Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a very small off white head.

Nose: Banana, clove and hints of lemon.

Taste: Banana and clove lead the way followed by peach and a small amount of cherries trailing off to a cranberry like bitterness.

A Bavarian style beer made by Green Man’s German Brewmaster, how can it not be good? Fruity and effervescent weissbiers are my favourite style of beer, and after this one they could be yours too.

5 out of 5

Green Man Premium Pils

Appearance: Pale gold with a slight hazy look and thinning head.

Nose: A biscuit sweet malt and citrus notes.

Taste: Strong citrus notes, hints of mango and passion fruit. A rich floral hop finish

Pilsners have been around since the mid 19^th century and some of the world’s most famous beers fall under the banner (Stella Artois, Becks, Heineken) but it was the Czech’s in the town of Plzen that did it first with Pilsner Urquell. Green Man’s Premium Pils is clean and crisp with a light mouth feel and drinkable enough to make the people of Plzen proud.

4 out of 5

McCashin Stoke Amber

Appearance: Beautiful deep amber colour with nice off white head.

Nose: Stone fruit and heavy malt.

Taste: Notes of honey and nectarine with biscuit tinged malt and strong floral hops finishing clean and dry with really smooth mouth feel.

Surprisingly enough this beers name came from its glorious colour. It’s similar in style to an IPA and extremely drinkable. Made according to the Bavarian purity law using water from an underground source (that’s 14,000 years old), organic Nelson hops, bespoke yeast and premium malts. It is all brought together in a place named after my home town (Rochdale Cider factory) how could I not like it?

4 out of 5

McCashin Stoke Gold

Appearance: Crisp golden colour, thinning bright white head.

Nose: Sweet and floral slight malty finish

Taste: Apricot, honey maybe a touch of passion fruit. Mellow floral hop finish.

Clean and crisp this is a really nice golden ale that goes down perhaps a little too easy. Great for a sunny afternoon barbeque and beer session. Thankfully it’s made in the Rochdale Cider Factory in Nelson and not in my home town of Rochdale as if it were made in the latter there wouldn’t be any sunny days to enjoy it properly!

4 out of 5

Monteiths NZ Lager

Appearance: Pale gold, good carbonation and a thinning head.

Nose: Fresh bread quite yeasty with some light citrus notes.

Taste: Fresh bread, biscuit hints of pear and apples, with nice floral hop finish.

Fans of this beer should stock up as it has recently been announced that Monteiths will not be continuing production, which is a shame because it’s a great beer really drinkable and refreshing on a spring afternoon.

4 out of 5

Monteiths Radler

Appearance: Bright amber, fluffy white head that rapidly dissipates.

Nose: Lemon and lime cordial.

Taste: Lemon and lime lollies a little zesty but not in a hoppy way, very little if any malt.

To give this beer a wider audience Monteiths have given the tame 2.5%ABV usually associated to the style the boot and instead given it a healthy 5%ABV. Doing this has given one of my least favourite styles of beer a bit more guts and made it that much more enjoyable. Now let’s see if I can stay on my bike! A legal battle between DB and The Society of Beer Advocates (S.O.B.A) over the use of the word Radler is currently pending.

2.5 Out of 5
p.s
My original review of this beer was a little more critical, but because I'm doing these reviews for work and don't want to ruin the relationship between store and brewery I changed it. My personal opinion is that a style of beer should not be copyrighted. How can the general population learn more about beer if they cannot knowingly compare variations of that style? Especially when Monteiths Radler isn't even true to the original Radler first created almost 100 years ago. I wish S.O.B.A the best of luck in their on going battle with DB

Monteiths Black

Appearance: Black with slight red hue and a well laced tan head.

Nose: Dark chocolate, coffee and roasted malt.

Taste: Dark chocolate, hints of vanilla and a heavy coffee kick.

Trophy winner of the European lager styles at this year’s Brew NZ awards. This beer has a smooth velvety mouth feel. One of the lightest dark beers I’ve tried, which makes it really drinkable and approachable for people who don’t usually drink this style.

5 out of 5

Monteiths Winter Ale

Appearance: Deep red with a creamy thick head

Nose: Sweet and malty hints of dark chocolate and oats.

Taste: Heavy malts, chocolate some fruit cake and a little coffee.

Not surprisingly this is a great beer for the winter months it warms you up really well. It has a really smooth mouth feel with good carbonation. Best enjoyed high in the mountains in front of a roaring fire. Not really that hard to imagine looking out of my window at the snow covered peaks of Queenstown!

4 Out of 5

Monteiths Golden

Appearance: Pale gold decent sized well laced head.

Nose: Sweet malt, cereal and honey.

Taste: Honey, cereal and nuts, with light malts and a very light hop finish.

DB’s winning form at this year’s Brew NZ awards unfortunately didn’t stretch to include Golden, which is unfortunate as it’s a tasty brew, some flavours could be a bit more pronounced which is probably why it missed out. It has a light to medium mouth feel and a refreshing carbonation. Who needs medals when Gold is written all over it!

3 out of 5

Monteiths Pilsner

Appearance: Light golden straw colour, well laced small head

Nose: Yeasty with good floral notes.

Taste: Some slight hints of stone fruit, fresh bread and citrus notes with a moderately hopped finish.

Another great Kiwi made Pilsner, this one doesn’t quite have the hoppy tang you expect but the all round flavour and mouth feel certainly impress. With all the great pilsners coming out of this country maybe it’s time to rename New Zealand, I suggest New Plzen!

4 Out of 5

Monteiths Celtic Beer

Appearance: Deep copper, off white head with good lacing.

Nose: Light aroma of roast malts and toffee.

Taste: Roasted chocolate malts with hints of raisins and a very light hop finish.

Winner of a Silver medal at this year’s Brew NZ awards the Celtic Red has a surprisingly light mouth feel and enough carbonation for me to start doing the Riverdance! No wonder so many Irish people come to visit New Zealand!

4 out of 5

Monteiths Original Ale

Appearance: Dark amber off white head.

Nose: A buttery malt with hints of grassy hops.

Taste: Caramel, slight berry notes, a little chocolate and a nice hoppy finish.

Winner of a Bronze medal at this year’s Brew NZ awards this is a great beer with a medium mouth feel. A really good interpretation of the style. Monteiths have been making this beer to the same family recipe since 1868 making it one of New Zealand’s original beers. Originality has always impressed me!

4 out of 5

Green Man 2010 Whisky Bock

Appearance: Deep amber very little carbonation and no head.

Nose: Whisky, roasted malts.

Taste: Whisky, roasted malts, rich chocolate notes with a very light bitter hop finish

“Will age well” is not phrase you often hear in the beer world so you should expect something a little different. A heavy almost thick mouth feel. Match it with something gamey such as venison or better yet wild pork belly (the strength of the beer will be complemented by the fat content of the pork) and you’ll be on to a winner. Will be best after a year or so of storage so I’ll give an update next year.

4 out of 5

Green Man Cyclist

Appearance: A clean hay colour with small fluffy white head.

Nose: A slightly malty lemonade.

Taste: A hint of malt followed by a massive hit of lemon and lime soda and a slightly bitter finish

This style of beer is globally known as Radler, which is German for cyclist. However in NZ Dominion Breweries copyrighted the name Radler for the Monteiths version of the style, much to the dismay of beer aficionados. However at 2.4% ABV Green Man’s is more in keeping to that style. In 1920’s Bavaria a publican running low on beer and expecting an influx of cyclists and hikers added lemonade to his beer so that it would go further telling his customers that it would be just as refreshing and stop them from falling off their bikes. The idea caught on and now Radler’s are made all over the world.

3 out of 5

Green Man Ginger Beer

Appearance: Cloudy amber colour with a thick foamy head

Nose: Straight ginger beer, perhaps a little fruitier

Taste: Not too overpowering or spicey

A surprisingly pleasant brew. I’m not usually a fan of alcoholic ginger beers they tend to be a bit too spicey, I can handle spice in my food but not in my beer. This one however has found a nice balance, not too spicey but still plenty of great ginger flavour and aroma. It tastes just like it’s non-alcaholic brother only a little more dangerous! Perfect for unwinding in front of a roaring fire.

3 out of 5

Green Man Tequila Beer

Appearance: Golden colour with a light fizz and small head

Nose: Light malt with a hint of lime

Taste: Clean and crisp, sweet malt with a hoppy bitterness to balance out, a subtle tequila tang and again a hint of lime to finish.

Made using the Premium Pils, 10ml’s of tequila and a splash of lime, this is going to be a great summer beer. I like how they’ve decided to use the Pils for this beer, it’s a really good base for something a little special such as this. Green Man Tequila Beer,  a step up from the Corona and Sol drinkers, and in 500ml bottles and at 6% ABV it’s really going to separate the men from the boys.

Salud!!

4 out of 5

Green Man Strong

Appearance: Deep amber in colour, small dissipating head.

Nose: Heavy malt and a little whisky

Taste: A perfect mix of malt and hops with whisky and vanilla notes

A combination of Green Man’s Best Bitter and Whisky Bock, this is a great brew that warms the soul. A full bodied feel with a drying finish. Fans of English bitters and ales will love it

3.5 out of 5

Green Man Best Bitter

Appearance: Copper in colour with a well retaining dense white head.

Nose: Sweet and malty with a small amount of peach and grapefruit.

Taste: Stone fruit and toffee make way for a lightly roasted malt and earthy hop finish.

Another great English beer style from the guys at Green Man. When I lived in England Bitter was my beer of choice, always a great selection and each with plenty of flavour. Now I have a Kiwi version to turn to when I start feeling homesick.

3.5 Out of 5

Green Man Keller

Appearance: A cloudy light straw colour.

Nose: Slightly musty with hints of citrus

Taste: Citrus and banana dominate, with an effervescent hoppy tang and long dry finish.

Kellerbier dates back to medieval Germany, yet I hadn’t heard of it until I saw this one. Which is a shame because that means I’ve been missing out. A fantastic beer that’s really easy drinking, the flavours seem to leap from the glass in the constant stream of light bubbles. Being unfiltered and un-pasteurized means it’s full of vitamins and minerals making it not only really tasty but good for you too!

5 out of 5

Green Man I.P.A

Appearance: Deep amber with thick white head.

Nose: Roasted malts and caramel.

Taste: Sweet caramel with notes of citrus and stone fruit. A very light coffee note then drying off to heavy hop punch.

One of England’s finest beer styles given a Kiwi workout. A surprisingly light bodied beer making it a little too easy to drink! It packs enough hops to get to India and back again, which gives you time for seconds.

4.5 Out of 5

Green Man Lager

Appearance: Golden hay in colour thick bright white head.

Nose: Malty with a slight fresh bread aroma, some lemon and pear.

Taste: Citrus and floral notes and malt to start followed by a light bodied bitter finish.

Lager is beer for the masses and Green Man’s version is no exception. Incredibly drinkable and refreshing. Using Hallertau hops, Czech pilsner yeast and brewed to the German beer purity law of 1516, this is how a lager should be made.

4 Out of 5

Founders Tall Blonde

Appearance: Golden colour, finger sized head which trails off nicely.

Nose: Sweet and malty

Taste: Hints of passion fruit finished with a nice hop bitterness.

A blend of 3 different malts and 3 different hops this is a refreshing full bodied lager, that’s empty before you know it. Maybe blondes do have more fun!!

3.5 out of 5

Founders Red Head

Appearance: Deep copper with thick frothy head.

Nose: A weak malty aroma.

Taste: A well balanced bitter to sweet taste that’s not in the face.

A Vienna style lager with a medium body and slightly toasted character. I really enjoyed this beer but felt a little let down by the lack of aroma. Thankfully the flavours made up for it. Clean and really drinkable.

3 out of 5

Stu's Brew Reviews

Welcome to my first blog! From here I will be posting Kiwi Beer reviews. That is i'll be reviewing Kiwi made beers so that you know what to expect should you want to step out of your beer drinking comfort zone. There is alot more to the kiwi beer world than Speights after all.