HB&B Blog — New Zealand

I remember the good old days, when beers were beers. I’m talking about 2012 of course, and trying iStout – the revered imperial stout from New Zealand’s 8 Wired – in a quaint Shoreditch bar that is now part of a large chain owned by a well-known Scottish multinational brewery. This was an imperial stout of stature. One that roared with malty molasses and rambunctiously bitter hops. It may have been very expensive at the time, but shared among friends it was a real treat. We’ve always been lucky to have a small shipment of 8 Wired beers arrive in...

  Craft beer, for me at least, is about a few key points. Creating something exceptional, something delicious is among the most important. Innovating, whether that means pioneering a genuinely new idea or creating something special from the history books – or perhaps a hybrid of the two – is another. For a brewer like Kim Sturdavant of California’s Social Kitchen & Brewery, his creation of the Brut IPA in 2018 should have been one of those culture defining moments. By using the enzyme amyloglucosidase to chew through complex sugars yeast weren’t interested in, he created an ultra-dry, spritzy take...

Duck salad has long been one of my go-to speedy dinners. Typically, I pair pan-fried duck breast with spinach, caramelised onions, and cherry tomatoes, but it’s an almost infinitely customisable recipe. In this cold-weather iteration, for instance, I opted instead to use vibrant purple radicchio, blood orange segments, balsamic-roasted shallots, andlemony sorrel (the latter an early signifier of spring).  What you get is a salad of enormous punch and vigour. The radicchio brings a bass note of bitterness, the blood oranges a dose of acid, the shallots a burnt caramel sweetness and then, of course, the centrepiece duck, crispy of...

Glenn and I were lucky enough to undertake a little Down Under beer odyssey in January, when we returned to the country where we spent our formative years. The New Zealand beer scene is going from strength to strength and we've felt extremely privileged to have been able to play a part in its quest for world domination. In the few years since we moved back to the UK, the NZ scene has exploded, so our trip was a journey of discovery in many ways. We were fortunate to meet with nine of the top Kiwi brewers during our travels (plus...

Last week we held our inaugural No More Heroes live tasting and it was a real hoot. We worked our way through some fantastic yet criminally underrated beers, some which we’ve already featured here, and raised more than £500 for Mind the mental health charity. In the end it wasn’t just about raising the money or flipping the bird at big beer, it was about the coming together of people in a great space and enjoying some great beers. One of the surprises on the night came in the form of a scotch ale all the way from New Zealand. It would be criminal...