Ashton BrownIt’s a hard road to tread but ASHTON BROWN is prepared to suffer for his passion and today he’s checking out six delicious beers from Waiheke Island’s treasured Alibi.
Alibi is a microbrewery that was founded in 2016 and is housed on the Tantalus Estate, an epic-sounding winery in Onetangi, Waiheke Island. The brewery and its Brewers Lounge are tucked away under the winery’s restaurant and look like a sexy little speakeasy, perfect for tucking into some awesome beer and having a good yarn about how terrible Aucklanders are, before heading back to the mainland on a ferry and reminding yourself that you are one yourself.
I was sent a range of six beers from Alibi before Christmas 2024 and as I go to finalise this write-up, I note that a new head brewer has just taken over at Alibi named Jody Thomas who has an impressive resume. I am interested to see the direction Jody takes the brewery over the coming months.
Ruru Hazy Pale Ale
5.3%
Oh boy, you can smell the pineapple in this gloriously scented beer which shimmers in the glass with its thick hazy colouration. Certainly inviting for the eyes and the nose, my tongue was eager to get in on the action for good reason. Matching the aroma, Ruru offers very fruity notes when it first hits and then is followed up with a slightly dank hop aftertaste which leaves it tasting like it’s stronger in alcohol than it actually is, making it a great beer for those who like that heavy hop taste but with a more sessionable ABV.
There’s something unique about it that I can’t quite put my finger on, while still being in the wheelhouse of what you’d expect from the style. Citrus, pineapple and tangy fruit flavours burst forth thanks to its mix of hops. Citra, talus, Idaho 7 AND Nectaron are all dancing on a bed of ale wheat and oats giving this a powerful taste and a slightly different hazy experience than you might be expecting. Worth chucking your ears, nose and tongue into. Or ya know, just drink it like a normal person.
Bavarian Helles Bier
5%
Look, I don’t like this style of beer so I will keep this one brief because I’m sure it’s very on point for the style, but it doesn’t do anything for this picky millennial.
It has a very bitter taste and lacks a distinct hop flavour (again – that’s the style).
I shared this one with my old man and he liked it – keep in mind he finds most craft beers I like too strong in hops and is usually seen drinking an Asahi or Peroni, so you decide whether you trust his beer flavour instincts or not.
As I got used to it, I can admit it’s decent for the style, but I personally feel that the target market is unlikely to buy this in a more expensive large can when they could get a similar taste for cheaper in a six or 12 pack.
Into the Myst
6.5%
Summerfruit, gooseberry, redberry hop goodness on a bed of ale, wheat and oats for a silky finish.
The first thing I got from this hazy IPA was a strong orange taste, so imagine my confusion when the fruits listed in the flavour profile are summer fruits and gooseberries. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Hazys often remind me of orange juice. Then I thought, maybe oranges are categorised as summer fruit. They aren’t. They are winter fruits. Every day we learn something!
I was surprised at my overall reaction to this one given it’s one of my preferred styles and has a pretty positive response on the online beer forums, but for me, it’s a one-and-done kinda beer. I certainly didn’t dislike it but in terms of a hazy it’s not scratching the itch I usually like a hazy to scratch and I can’t seem to articulate why (slightly problematic for a guy whose job is to articulate why). I can’t help but feel one of the hops, possibly the Nectaron, is overpowering the brew here and leaving it as a strong-tasting but slightly one-dimensional beer.
Bohemian pilsner
5.2%
I was surprised at how wheaty I found this pilsner. It didn’t seem overly clear for a pilsner either. In fact, I would argue that it tastes more like a wheat beer than a pilsner and how it looked seemed to back up my reaction to the flavour (which makes sense given both styles came from similar origins). It’s really lovely, even though I usually find pilsners to be a lot crisper, but that’s not to say it’s not refreshing. It has a strong bitter note so lovers of bitter beer will no doubt enjoy this as a pilsner option with a difference.
It had no real hop flavour and was very malt-forward, reminding me more of German pils in flavour than a Czech-style bohemian. Refreshing and not strong on the palate, very sessionable and great for those who want to down a few without consequential tastebud damage.
Oatrageous Fortune
Oat Cream IPA
6.7%
Creamy oats, residual lactose, juicy tropical salad aroma.
I didn’t think I’d like this. The words “oat” and “cream” made me feel like I was about to get my fizzy porridge virginity popped. Fortunately, the only thing that ‘popped’ was the can when I opened it. Even the description put me off – creamy oats, residual lactose (which sounds like a breastfeeding term to this uneducated swine) and a juicy tropical salad aroma. Um… why? Well, I’ll tell you why Ashton, because the good people at Alibi know what they are doing – this is an oddly delightful beer.
It feels like a dark beer the way it moves into your mouth as in it’s got a slight weight to it, almost as though the oats offer a slight texture. It first tasted pleasantly bitter but this soon made way for a tropical blast of flavour that honestly just works. It almost feels like and tastes like drinking creaming soda and it’s really odd but I really like it.
I feel like this is the kind of beer you’d get at an ice cream parlour in the ’50s, and if you’re wondering what I mean by that I’d politely tell you that I’m not really sure either.
Well worth a try – the stronger alcohol content is subtle in the flavour as it’s more about the thickness and the aftermath of Tropicana.
Mosaic
Pale Ale
5.5%
Again, a fruity-smelling concoction from Alibi. Interesting taste. Not immediately sold on the flavour.
It has a milder hop taste, but the fruit profile is clear if a bit busy. It’s again, a stronger flavoured beer for the percentage. The kick you often get with these beers is usually suggested by a higher alcoholic content but in this instance, it’s an overload of fruit. It’s an elevated pale ale – often a milder expression from the brewer is a pale ale, but this is fruit-packed. Blueberry medley, juicy fruit, candied lollies, and mango lassi.
I don’t know what qualifies this as a pale ale. I have never had a beer like this describe itself as a pale ale. But it’s delicious. When when you reach for PA, however, this is not what you are expecting. A surprising beer but certainly not a disappointing one
