DAME Kiri Te Kanawa, Neil Finn, Russell Crowe (*quickly checks that Russell Crowe was really born in New Zealand*, yep), your boys took one hell of a beating.
Ireland's win over the All Blacks was obviously worth toasting, but even if their rugby players were below par last weekend, New Zealand is emerging as a big player on the craft beer stage.
Although they might be on the verge of summer on the other side of the globe, the nights are getting chilly here and so the chance to sample a smoked porter from New Zealand couldn't be passed up.
A bottle of The Big Smoke from Kiwi brewers 8 Wired kindly found its way to us thanks to Prohibition Drinks and it was an intriguing drink. Smoked porter may sound like a musical two-piece you'd find playing in provincial lounge bar on a Sunday evening, but it is actually a nice take on a old world style.
It was the Germans who were regular smokers of beers a few centuries ago, and the folks at 8 Wired have paid homage to the practice by including a fair amount of rauchmalz (beechwood smoked malt) in the Big Smoke.
This New Zealand beer pours all black with a tan-coloured head. As expected, there's a strong smokey aroma, but there's also hints of raisin in there too. The smokey flavour hits your tastebuds immediately, but after a few quick sips, it does fade a little.
Give it a minute, revisit it and the smokey taste does pop up again. But once you get past that, there's a lot else going on. The smokiness gives it a savoury edge, but there is hint of sourness to it as well, burnt toast notes and a slight hint of woodland honey in the finish. Throw in the kind of bitter chocolate and coffee flavour you'd expect from a porter, and this one runs the full gambit of the flavour spectrum.
The savoury nature of the beer makes a great accompaniment to barbecue food. This would go well with some slow-cooked ribs and would also balance out strong and soft cheese too.
New Zealand doing porter, Ireland doing world class rugby – who would have thought it?
