Scott's Vienna Lager
I went for a beer and hot chips with the wife and the boy this afternoon, and the cafe only had beer by this little brewery I've never heard of from a South Island town a know very little about - Oamaru. A quick look at Scott's Brewery website tells me Oamaru has more brothels and taverns than anywhere else in NZ, and that Scott's make the only gluten free beer in NZ (although I think I saw a few gluten free beers at New World the other day, so maybe that statement is outdated).
My first choice was a Vienna Lager, mainly because it's a style I like (crisp clean lager that's very malt heavy, slightly heavier perhaps than a Bavarian Helles), and it's not a style that many NZ breweries delve into. I rarely comment on the head of the beer, but despite a fairly vigorous pour, it gave me no head (which in Vienna would be enough to probably send the beer back in disgust). But the negatives stop there.
Beautiful clear golden colour, smelt like beer, and tasted... well like beer. A fairy subdued bitterness, with minimal hop aroma, and a big malty smell and taste. Manages to be heavy and light at the same time, being clear, crisp and easily drinkable, but packing a good Vienna malt heaviness. Maybe it's heavy in a way that is quite different to the typical NZ craft beer (which packs big hops and if any maltiness usually chewy caramel type malts).
Overall I really liked it.
Brewery: Scott's Brewery
Region: Oamaru
Style: Vienna Lager
Wife check: "I don't really like it."
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