New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for July is The Brewery, Cassels & Sons Brewery at The Tannery, Woolston, Christchurch.
It was as recently at May that I lamented the fact that no establishment in New Zealand would be challenging Galbraith's supremacy in serving proper beer in the foreseeable future. Then along comes a new brewery in earthquake-battered Christchurch, and all that changes. Cassels have been brewing and distributing bottled beer via the local farmers' market over the last year and a half, during which time they have perfected their recipes and brewing process. They have shown enormous resilience over recent months, overcoming one obstacle after another as a result of the earthquakes. Since opening their bar less than three weeks ago, local word-of-mouth has brought in the punters in extraordinary numbers. They are struggling to keep up with the demand for their beer, since they can only fire up their wood-fired kettle for a brew once per day. To alleviate the pressure, ESB (usually bottle-conditioned) is also being served on handpump at the moment. The Woolston Bitter is a perfect session beer; wonderfully fresh and subtle. The Best Bitter has a far more intense hoppy, fruity aroma to it. Perhaps best of all is the gloriously sweet, creamy Milk Stout. Night-after-night since opening, these beers have been in spectacular form. Barrels are stored in a temperature-controlled room behind the bar, from where the pipes feed through to the six handpumps. The beer is consistently served at a perfect 12 °C, with a gloriously fresh bite to it and, in almost every case, beautifully clear. High quality, good value real ale is proving extremely popular in Christchurch at the moment. Other bars should take note.
