Ashton BrownIf it’s got hops in it, ASHTON BROWN will hop-hop-along to it and this time it’s the turn of Auckland brewery/venue Brothers Beer.
I remember visiting Brothers Beer in its early days when it was but a little venue in central Auckland at City Works Depot. Ten years later and it’s one of the coolest venues in Auckland, if not the country.
Nestled in Akiraho Street in Mt Eden, it’s impressive to see just how far the little brewery has come along. Founded by friends Andy and Ant, Brothers Beer is a testimony to their love of all things craft beer. And despite the massive financial challenges that the majority of the industry has been fighting against over the past few years, it now stands tall and proud as one of NZ’s top breweries.
Dylan Adams, once a brewer at the excellent Deep Creek, is now the proud head brewer at Brothers Beer, who kindly took a few hours out of his day to talk and drink beer with me.
Before I give you a quick rundown of the beers we tasted, I want to encourage you all to get along to Brothers Beer & Juke Joint in Mt Eden. It’s a superb venue with a relaxed vibe, an amazing range of beer and some of the best grub I’d had in months. It’s a venue that, combined with the brewery itself, provides an awesome backdrop to your wining and dining experience (or should I say beering and caring?)
Dylan is a man who is passionate about beer. As all good brewers are, he is an artist who spends his life perfecting a range of beers and styles like some sort of mad scientist who enjoys drinking beer as much as he loves making it.
The first beer we tried was a pale ale called Akiraho – a Riwaka hop forward beer. At 5.2%, this is an absolute banger of a pale ale, exceptionally well balanced, sessionable and refreshing, with an aftertaste that lingers long enough to encourage the next sip. And the next one.
We followed up this delightful beer with a 5% pilsner called Peacenik, a refreshing pilsner with a clear reliance on lager yeast but enough hops to keep me happy. I can see the appeal of this pilsner, and it’s friendly enough without being boring. It’s got the hops as a backdrop to give it a bit of life, but they aren’t overbearing for more casual hop goers. Great for a BBQ and a chat.
Back In Black was our next experience, a black lager. A combination of two beer styles that I usually have no interest in – but much to my surprise, it was really good. I mention to Dylan that I’m not much of a lager guy and he insists it’s because I haven’t found the right lager yet – perhaps he’s right and while Back In Black isn’t the one that’s going to change my opinion on the style, it’s absolutely the best one I’ve had. Sessionable and unique.
Now we headed into Nirvana, both figuratively and literally. Nirvana is a hazy triple IPA at a stonking 10%. To quote the notes I took directly: “OMG. Fuck me.” A triple that puts you on your ass without tasting like it’s going to. As palatable and sessionable as it is dangerous. I want to be buried in this hoppy soup.
Step Brothers calmed things down a little bit – a nice 6.5% hazy. Cloudy and with the orange juice vibes that a lot of hazys present. Comet (American Hop) moutere, rako – less common hops but clearly underrated ones, as this was a delight.
Dylan rightly ordered us some food next, from Juke Joint, which is part of the Brothers Beer venue. He ordered us a platter of some of the finest BBQ meats I’ve ever had. Melt in your mouth tender with aioli that must have had crack in it because I can’t stop thinking about it. I think I’m in love. With a condiment. Tell my wife I’m sorry.
Finally, we finished our session with a Belgian Dark Strong crossed Pokeno Whisky – they age it in the old Whisky Barrels – at least that’s what I think they do. By this point, I was feeling si relaxed that the notes I took called this a Pokémon Whisky. Blame autocorrect. 8.6% but so smooth, so caramely, so easy to drink. The Belgian yeast drives the flavour, but the cuddly afterglow from the whisky is what makes you feel safe and protected. Good lord. What an experience.
My time at Brothers Beer was delightful. The food was exceptional, the beer was incredible, and the company was flawless. Go check it out when you can.
