Thursday, January 26, 2012

January 26, 2012

Subscriptions... Waitangi Bowl... Upcoming Releases... Our First Dinner of 2012... On Tap Soon...

Subscriptions

In the last few weeks we've had a flurry of new subscriptions to this email, and we warmly welcome those people.

A few people seem to have ended up in the purgatory that is having a "pending subscription" - they've signed up but not responded to the confirmation email that our service provider insists on to distinguish us from the spammers. If you suspect that someone you know intended signing up for this email but somehow still doesn't seem to be au fait with its contents each week, please suggest they check their email (or spam folder) for the confirmation email.

Waitangi Bowl

As mentioned previously, the NFL have contrived to schedule the 2012 Super Bowl (aka Super Bowl XLVI) for Waitangi Day, New Zealand time, meaning those who aren't taking part in or observing acts of protest, reconciliation or commemoration can spend their holiday watching the Super Bowl in glorious high definition.

To make the whole prospect even more appetising, we'll start late the night before and prepare not one but two big rich chillies. One will be a relatively conventional American one, with beef, kidney beans, and an authentic cocktail of hot and aromatic spices. The other will be a New Zealand reinterpretation, with lamb, manuka smoked chipotles and any another fitting, locally raised agricultural product we stumble over.

We understand that kick-off in this quaint event will be at 12:30pm.

This time of year is also when another sporting event that should excite us happens to come around. Unfortunately as much as we love the sporting spectacle that is the Wellington 7s, the event's effect on Hashigo Zake as a business are modest. So please join us in treating February 3 and 4 as business as usual.

Upcoming Releases

Judging by what was popular in our recent customer survey, the next two new releases should create some excitement. First up, next Tuesday, is the newest beer from the new local heroes ParrotDog. It's a golden ale made with "English malts and an array of aromatic hops". And predictably it's going to be known as FlaxenFeather.

It's possible that we'll come to an arrangement with the Matts that will let us be somewhat over-generous with samples of this beer. It's also possible that the lads will want to let some other news about their plans slip out during the evening.

A week later, on February 7, we have a new release from brewer of the year (tied with 8 Wired) - Liberty. It's an American Red Ale, made with a complex mix of grains and a tasty blend of US and New Zealand hops. And it will be known as Yakima Scarlet.

Joe has plans for this to become a regular beer but for the time being there will be very limited supplies of Yakima Scarlet.

Our First Dinner Of 2012

Among the highlights of last year for us was a series of dinners, matched with beers, staged by our resident occasional chefs, Shiggy and Sam. Shiggy has put his hand up to begin a new series of similar events in 2012, with a dinner of five dishes from different Asian cuisines on February 12. This is a Sunday, which is a departure from our practice of the last couple of years. We hope it's convenient for plenty of you - feedback is welcome.

The size of our kitchen means that places have to be strictly limited. We're taking bookings here.

On Tap Soon

As always there are treats in store for anyone coming down over the next few days. Look out for:

  • Golden Eagle Coalface Stout.
  • Yeastie Boys Digital IPA.
  • Invercargill Boysenbeery.
  • Renaissance Tribute Barley Wine.
  • .. and finally, if everything else is consumed... Hallertau Beastwars IPA - our second instalment of the hottest new New Zealand IPA.

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