Beerly Writing for Early August

The three articles today were all published in Salient, the Victoria University weekly newspaper.

The first previews the Monteith's Beer and Wild Food Challenge in Wellington:

Most people are basically familiar with the rudimentary concepts of wine matching. At a primal level, we generally know that white wine goes with fish, red wine goes with game. This may even be true – I have no idea. Even those who genuinely have no clue tend to believe they can bluff it and come up with an elaborate explanation of why their warm cask of Chateau le Hutt is, in fact, a perfect match for the reheated remains of last night’s Kebab of Shame.

The next covers my favorite National Day after St Andrews Day, Nationale Feestdag:

More than just a chance to toast the Belgian monarchy, Nationale Feestdag is an excuse to settle down and sample some of the very best beers from the land sometimes called “the paradise of beer.” The 120 Belgian breweries use traditional craft techniques to produce beers of exceptional quality from centuries-old brewing recipes. New Zealanders have developed quite a taste for Belgian beer and we consume more than our fair share.

Finally, a hard-hitting expose of my trip to the West Coast as Monteith's Turns 140:

This week, I’d like to focus on two new beers from the good people at Monteith’s. Now, I have to stress that the fact they flew me to the West Coast to enjoy two days of their most generous hospitality has absolutely not influenced my feelings towards these simply marvelous libations.