From Fresh, The West Australian, March 26

Two of New Zealand’s most successful craft breweries are aiming to win a slice of the Australian market. One is a relative newcomer, founded in the 1980s, the other an established brand with origins in Scottish settlement.

Mac’s started when farmer and publican Terry McCashin, a former All Black rugby player from Picton, NZ, couldn’t find a beer he wanted to drink, let alone to serve in his pub. Told that he would have to take what the brewery offered, he rebelled and set out to make his own beer.

Six months of red tape followed, during which time local sources of beer bottles mysteriously dried up. But Mr McCashin acquired the old Nelson cider factory for his brewery, and utilised its original cider bottles complete with ring-pull rip-top caps. In 1981, Mac’s Beers came to life - in cider packaging. The bottles still set the brand apart, along with tongue-in-cheek humour and two trophies at last year’s Australasian Beer Awards.

Monteith’s has a longer history. Brewing became a necessity in the mid-19th century as 30,000 gold prospectors flocked to the NZ rugged West Coast. From a humble charcoal-fired operation, William Monteith’s Phoenix brewery led West Coast breweries to prosperity. Changing demands led a group of them to merge as the Westland Brewing Company in 1927, and in 1969 it became part of the Auckland-based DB Breweries group.

Monteith’s has since been voted the Best Australasian Brewery at the AIBA and won Grande Gold for Monteith’s Original Ale at the Monde Brewing Awards in Brussels. Its six core beers and seasonals are widely distributed in Australia.

THE BEERS

MAC’S GOLD (4 per cent)

Mac’s reputation was founded on this all-malt, gold-topped, golden lager. It has citrus and sweet malt flavours up front, middle hoppy bitterness then caramel sweetness with a crisp, clean, refreshing finish. Tastier than standard session lagers, it matches fish and chips, subtle chicken dishes, smoked salmon, sweet chilli, sour cream on crusty bread.

MAC’S HOP ROCKER (5 per cent)

A pleasant lager bolstered with crystal added to standard pale lager malt to balance a heftier than standard dose of hops in the boil. The hop varieties are the acclaimed Nelson Sauvin and NZ Cascade, combining in citrus aromas from the boisterous head and somewhat astringent pilsner-like bitter notes. Suitable with spicy or oily food, samosas, sushi and rich tomato dishes.

MAC’S SPRING TIDE (4.5 per cent)

A low-carb lager made with organic ingredients including a dash of roasted malt among the pale malt giving a brassy colour. A faint European pear and bubblegum aroma comes from special yeast and a raft of organic hops support distant malt tastes in a fairly dry, smooth middle, finishing with short aftertaste hinting at hops. In fact there’s only a slight anything in this “delicate” beer. That’s why, perhaps, it’s recommended to match mild fish and chicken dishes, salads and creamy pasta.

MONTEITH’S SUMMER ALE (5 per cent)

The label calls this beer “enlivening”, a fair description of the initial, brief, lemon citrus hit on a fizzy palate. The label also calls Summer Ale “honey-spiced”: the rata honey content perhaps explains the sweetness if not the flavour, but the “spice” comes through as almost overwhelming ginger. It’s a recipe for success – this is Monteith’s biggest seller. A mother who took a bottle to a picnic just loved this sunshine drink.

MONTEITH’S CELTIC RED (4.4per cent)

Roasted and “chocolate” malts give the Irish-style dry-kilned ale its colour, fine head, firm body and flavours including caramel and plummy, rich, fruit. Distinctive yeast and hops are in evidence through leafy, lightly spiced fruity aromas and a balancing, if faint, bitterness.

MONTEITH’S BLACK BEER (5.2 per cent)

The colour is as black as the name and label, the dense off-white head looks as rich as it smells – mocha and malt – and the beer drinks smooth yet crisp, sweet yet savoury, with dark choc notes before a sooty, bitter finish. This old-style porter-stout cross stands out in the Monteith’s range as the one serious beer drinkers relish.

MONTEITH’S ORIGINAL ALE (4 per cent)

The staple brew in New Zealand’s settlement days was – as in Australia – English-style pale ale. This example, evolved from the West Coast brewer’s mid-1800s original, looks fairly dark for modern pale ale, and drinks with solid malt character, caramel, ale-yeast fruitiness and hoppy, slightly bitter aftertaste.

MONTEITH’S PILSNER (5 per cent)

Not quite Bohemian-style through use of reddish Vienna crystal malts, this nevertheless is a bold break from universal style sweet lager through lavish hopping with an antique NZ variety. It balances European malt richness with floral aromas and smooth, clean bitterness.

MONTEITH’S RADLER (4.5 per cent)

This German shandy style has become fashionable and Monteith’s gold-coloured version – a lager brewed to full strength before natural lemon juice is added – was a trend-setter. Apart from a touch of malt in the sweetness and some herbal notes, it’s probably too lemonade-like for many straight-beer lovers. A novelty tipple for after you mow the lawn.

By Vic Crossland