Week of discovery brews at festival
BY GEOFF GRIGGS
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Beer
At the end of this month, Wellington will once again play host to BrewNZ, the country's annual celebration of the brewer's craft.
This year, a week of beer-related activities will kick off with the BrewNZ Beer Awards, New Zealand's annual international beer competition, and end with Beervana, a two-day beer-tasting event for the public.
Latest reports suggest this year's BrewNZ Beer Awards have attracted about 350 entries, almost double last year's total. In addition to beers from New Zealand and Australia, entries have been shipped in from across Europe and America.
Judging will take place over three days and the results will be announced at an awards dinner at the Duxton Hotel on Thursday, August 27.
Tickets to the awards dinner are available to the public and those attending can look forward to a lavish three-course meal matched with fine craft beers as well as the opportunity to mix with the brewers and share their excitement as the winning beers are revealed by celebrity MC and beer lover Paul Mercurio.
Beer-minded visitors to Wellington can also enjoy various BrewNZ events around the city.
Beer and Chefs sees top chefs competing in a beer and food matching challenge that demands a dish cooked with fresh local ingredients and paired with a Kiwi-brewed craft beer.
Meanwhile, Round the Bars is an opportunity to taste selected beers at 21 city-centre outlets and collect stamps in a BrewNZ "beer passport".
Those collecting all the stamps can enter a draw to win a holiday for two in Melbourne, including flights and accommodation.
The BrewNZ week culminates with Beervana, the public beer-tasting event.
Held over four sessions on August 28 and 29 at the Wellington Town Hall, it will feature about forty brewers from as far afield as Auckland, Invercargill and even Australia.
Not just a chance to sample from a range of about 120 beers while rubbing shoulders with some of Australasia's leading craft brewers, Beervana is an opportunity to taste new, limited release, festival beers that have been brewed especially for BrewNZ.
The theme for this year is "Wheat it's not just for bakers", so it's reasonable to assume there'll be all manner of wheat-based delights, from spicy, golden quaffers to silky winter warmers.
Aside from tasting beers, there will be plenty of other attractions on offer at Beervana.
Wellington chef Martin Bosley, assisted by beer writer Neil Miller, will be cooking up food matches for beer, while Derek Walsh, a Dutch beer judge, will present beer and cheese matching sessions.
Those with a passion for chocolate will no doubt be interested in a demonstration by a chocolatier on how to match it with beer.
Meanwhile, in a seminar designed for women, some of the country's top female brewers will be talking about their love of beer and dispelling some of the myths associated with its enjoyment.
And for the more technically minded, Australian beer aficionado Charles Coll will be showing how to select the appropriate glassware for different beer styles, while BioGro New Zealand will explain how brewers achieve organic accreditation.
But most of all, Beervana is about having a great time sampling new beers in the company of like-minded beer lovers.
For details, including ticketing, go to www.beervana.co.nz Hope to see you there.
Cheers!
- The Marlborough Express
