Twisted Hop Beach Bum

With a searing gale-force nor'wester blowing across the Canterbury Plains, you might think a beer drinker would head to the Dux in Christchurch to quaff their strong ale of the same name. Sadly, however, like a number of other craft brew-pubs in New Zealand, all of their beers are served by gas dispense, losing in taste, aroma and temperature, and gaining only in fizziness.

Instead, a trip to the Twisted Hop is in order to sample their Beach Bum summer ale which debuted last night. This is a very drinkable 4.2% beer which, as a starting point, is similar in taste to the weaker Golding Bitter, although it uses different hops, namely Cascade and Simcoe. It is a clear light brown colour and enjoys a mild hoppy aroma with a dry hoppy finish. There are hints of peach and citrus fruit on the tongue.

As well as the usual range of Golding Bitter, Challenger and Twisted Ankle, the seasonal India Pale Ale (IPA) is still on one of the six handpumps at the moment. The IPA is a 6.4% mid-brown strong ale with a touch of haziness, more akin to the aforementioned Nor'Wester than the Beach Bum summer ale. The IPA has a full malty flavour with a hint of bitterness in the finish, contrasting with the powerful initial sweetness in the mouth.