Moa – Sip and Sample tasting and the big prize

On a recent trip to NZ, this correspondent discovered an absolute cracking NZ craft beer brewer – Moa Brewing Company. The Moa Original variety was given a rave review during said NZ trip.

I came back to Oz declaring “this is the most amazing craft beer I have ever had”. Much to my disappointment, there are very few places in Oz that stock Moa. How are these guys going to allow my Aussie friends to indulge in their amazing beers?

This is no longer an unanswered question.  Just like the 30,000 NZers who arrive to live in Australia every year, Moa has arrived on these shores.  Kiwisinoz was fortunate enough to attend the Moa – Sip and Sample tasting afternoon run by Beer Cartel on Feb 11^th. This was an unforgettable afternoon let me tell you folks!

Devon Tong from Moa was in attendance to explain the intricate details of each variety to the fortunate group of 20 people who were lucky enough to secure a ticket.

Five Moa varieties were tasted as we learnt about the journey of Moa in its short life to date. Interestingly the founder is Josh Scott, son of the very famous (in NZ!) Allan Scott. Allan Scott is a very popular Marlborough winery. You can imagine the tension between father and son when son declared his intention to open a brewery in NZ’s most famous wine growing region………

The five varieties tasted were:

–          Moa Original

–          Moa Pale Ale

–          Moa Methode

–          Moa Blanc

–          Moa Noir

This correspondent had a huge session the night before so decided to drive to the tasting – SHOCKING ERROR OF JUDGEMENT!

I could only sample each one with a quarter of a glass. Each and every one of the five were sensational. They were each accompanied by the most appropriate food to complement the drop. Personal favourite was the dark beer – Moa Noir. The strong chocolate taste and aroma made this a sensational teaser. It went down a treat with the chocolate brownie. This would be a great finisher after a big meal.

It would not be appropriate to review each and every one of the five Moa beers here, I need to have more than a couple of sips to fully embrace these beers. So I purchased a mixed 6 pack to enjoy.

At the end of the tasting, a raffle was drawn with the winner taking home a 1500ml bottle of Moa Methode. And the lucky winner is……..kiwisinoz. Yes, I am now the proud owner of this monstrous bottle. I’d need a rather large brown paper bag to sneak this one past the officials on the ferry – could look dodgy.

Moa has been fortunate to secure the latest Local Taphouse “Tap Takeover”. This will be held in Sydney on 21 March and Melbourne on the 20^th March. Be sure to get your Moa fix at these sessions.

Moa, the giant bird has been extinct for hundreds of year, but the beer has just begun its life, and now it’s available in Oz.

http://www.kiwisinoz.com.au/