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