Billboard of the Week

New Brighton. August. 2008. Ajr.

An Export Gold Beer Billboard

Spotted at New Brighton Beach

Christchurch

Meet the People - 23

Neil Miller at Mussel Inn, Golden Bay, Nelson. Photo supplied.

Another in the Series Meet the People – Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things - When people ask acclaimed Wellington-based beer critic Neil Miller how he became a beer writer, he says he was simply an enthusiastic amateur lucky enough to turn professional. He says that while he had learnt how to research during six years at Parliament and how to speak through university debating, he hadn’t always appreciated good beer. “My beer drinking career got off to a rough start with a slightly warm six-pack of Rheineck – an unpleasant experience put my beer appreciation back several years,” he says. Suffice to say, he recovered. “My first allegiance was to Lion Brown then Tui. For me at that time, Tui suited every social occasion and matched every type of food. The Tui team were probably using me as a case study of the perfect consumer.” Then things changed. For years, a very good friend had been trying to tempt Neil away from his favoured “East India Pale Ale (yeah right) with a range of fine local and international beers. “While everyone around him sported the generic lager de jour, he would have a veritable cornucopia of pilsners, extra special bitters and barley wine. He always tempted me to “try a bit of this, sir, instead of your bog standard New Zealand lager. Thanks to his efforts, whole new vistas of beer opened up and I’ve been frolicking happily in them ever since.” Neil says the development of his beer taste has paralleled the welcome development of a real beer culture in New Zealand. He’s gone from a single-brand mainstream drinker to one who appreciates a wide variety of beers. “The craft beer scene in New Zealand is going from strength to strength and exciting new imports seem to be arriving daily. And with an Epic Pale Ale in my hand, I know which lifestyle I prefer."http://realbeer.co.nz/alefiles/beer_writers/neil_miller/ and http://www.beerandbrewer.com

Pub Crawl

Clockwise from top left: Cunnamulla, Southwest Queensland; Daylesford, Victoria; Castlemaine, Victoria; Adelaide, South Australia.

2007-2008.Ajr.

When Australian chef and brewer, Scott Watkins-Sully decided to embark on a journey around Australia, travelling from pub to pub, everyone he knew threatened to quit their jobs and join him. Watkins-Sully had hit upon the dream job. He shut down his own brewing operation and hit the road with his wife and two young kids. Over “25,000 kilometres, 300 counter meals and 200 tantrums” later, he could be forgiven for having imbibed more than his share of cold beers. He should also be applauded for producing “The Australian Crawl” (Piccadilly Books), a comprehensive guide to Australia’s regional pubs that shows the Aussies love nothing better than a few cold beers and a good yarn down at the pub. From an architectural and sociological point of view the grand old Aussie pub is about as iconic as it gets. I love them and every time I go to Australia I add to my collection of photos. The embellished corner establishments (and they’re almost always on corners), have been written into Australian culture and whether you’re roaming the sun-baked outback, cruising through small-town Australia or city suburbs, you’ll find a pub with a great story.