End of Year Reflections
It seems that this time of year every body is clamouring over themselves to get some kind of list out, Top Ten cat fails, Top Ten viral videos etc, we ony have interest in tap lists down here at Hashigo Zake, read on to see our current and NYE special tap lists.
But this quiet period between Christmas and New Year celebrations does provide us an opportunity to reflect on the past year and, perhaps more importantly, look ahead to all the 2018 has to offer.
Join us, Kristopher King Kreabsley and John Sting Rae and a tap list of fanstastic beers as we say farewell to 2017 and welcome 2018.
Also RIP Paddles Ardern-Gayford.
But this quiet period between Christmas and New Year celebrations does provide us an opportunity to reflect on the past year and, perhaps more importantly, look ahead to all the 2018 has to offer.
Join us, Kristopher King Kreabsley and John Sting Rae and a tap list of fanstastic beers as we say farewell to 2017 and welcome 2018.
Also RIP Paddles Ardern-Gayford.
Q. Guess What? A. Rock The Cash Bar Is Back!
Hashigo Zake's Music Quiz is coming back in the new year!
From Blondie to Bach; Dusty to Daft Punk; Chris Knox to Chris de Burgh; Rock the Cash Bar is a quiz that'll stretch your musical knowledge to the limit.
There'll be loads of questions on the usual stuff like lyrics, albums, artists but also about music's wider place in the world. Who starred in the movie that featured this song on the soundtrack? Why was this album cover banned? The river mentioned in this song stretches between which two countries?
Hosted by beer writer, trivia nerd, macdaddy & Daddymac Hadyn Greensmith
He'll make you jump (jump)
Monday 15 January 2018 6:30pm – 9:00pm. Lock it in people
Holiday Shenanigans #2 - The Shenaniganing
In 2012 Hancocks got the attention of the Society of Beer Advocates when they applied for a trademark for the term growler. (Growler being a popular term in the US, and to a lesser extent here, for a flagon.) Hancocks were shamed into withdrawing that application, but only after attempting to paint themselves as white knights in the trademarking malarkey, as described in this exchange.
Then in May 2013 Renaissance Brewery won big at the Australian International Beer Awards, particularly for their great Barley Wine called Tribute. Later the same month, Hancocks applied to trademark Tribute. That application was quietly withdrawn within a week. The fact that Renaissance were alerted to Hancocks' application and initiated their own might have had something to do with the withdrawal.
Coincidentally, we have Renaissance's original 2011 batch of Tribute on tap right now! Just the thing for a wintry evening.
Hancocks have been relatively quiet on the Intellectual Property front since 2013. But last Friday (the last working day before Christmas) they snuck in an application for a trademark for "Day of the Dead". This has to be one of their strangest applications yet because Day Of The Dead is already trademarked. For once, even IPONZ should figure this one out without any help.
Beer Of The Month
"We love Brettanomyces! This wild yeast, also known as “Brett,” brings out a wide range of flavors and aromas in beer, from exotic fruits to earthy funk. We added a dozen different Brett strains to our dry-hopped Saison Dolores, then aged it in white wine barrels for several months. The result is an intricate farmhouse ale with the kind of nuance and depth that only Brett can create. Serve alongside soft funky cheeses or as a tangy counterpoint to rich charcuterie."$25 drink in or $20 take away.
On Tap Now
- Ritterguts - Gose
- To Øl - Black Baal IIIPA with Coffee
- Baird Brewing - Wabi Sabi Japan Pale Ale
- 8 Wired - Dealers Choice IPA
- Oskar Blues - Blood Orange Spesh-ale Apeel Belgian Wit
- Hallertau - No.6 Session IPA
- Hallertau - No.5 Pilsnah
- Beer Baroness- Bearded Lady Stout
- Renaissance - Tribute 2011 Barleywine
- Pasteur Street - Foolish Destroyer Barleywine (is life)
- 8 Wired - Flat White (Nitro)
- Horse Box. - Storm Hopper APA (Handpull)
- Graphic Brewing - My City Is On Fire Smoked Porter (Handpull)
For those of you unaware we can now download our custom designed app from the Windows, Google Play and App store
New Year, New Beer
New Release Tuesday will be taking a well deserved break next week. But fear not, we will be updating our entire tap line up with some of our favourite beers and a few surprises, as with the limited nature of some of these kegs some will run out during the night but we have a few more surprises tucked up our sleeves. From midday we are SUPER happy to be pouring
- Garage Project - Pils 'n' Thrills
- Ballast Point - Victory At Sea
- Crooked Concept - Oatmeal Pale
- Renaissance - Voyager IPA
- 8 Wired - Farmhouse Pale Ale
- Ballast Point - Habanero Sculpin
- To Øl - Shameless Santa
- Garage Project - White Mischief
- 8 Wired - Tropidelic *nitro*
- Eddies - Apple Cider
- Pasteur Street - Passion Fruit Wheat
- North End - Yellow Eye Anglo IPA (Handpull)
- Horse Box - Black Stallion Milk Stout (handpull)
After a (too) long absence (covered rather eloquently here) Ballast Point made a rather spectacular return to Hashigo Zake on Spetember 1st this year where we unleashed the entire range on Wellington. we managed to squirrel away a couple of our favourites in the shape of Victory At Sea (yes we will have ice cream available for floats) and Habanero Sculpin.
Crooked Concept is the latest in Wellingtons latest wave of upstart Brewing Companies, not letting a lack of stainless steel hold them back, this is the VERY FIRST time their beer has been on tap any where. Call it a world exclusive, they're calling it an Oatmeal Pale ale.
Renaissance have had a tough year, but we are pleased to see them slowly but surely getting back to where, we believe, they should be. Producing excellent, enlightening beers, so it was kind of a no brainer when a small batch of their brilliant Voyager IPA recently became available.
Formerly employed by Renaissance, Søren Eriksen has since gone on to, some would say, bigger and better things with his own Warkworth based brewery, 8wired. Regarded world wide as some of the finest examples of the New Zealand brewing scene, we are always excited to have 8 wired on tap and the two beers we have procured for NYE are no exception,
To Øl are a slow burning success story both for themselves and our sister company Beer Without Borders. Firmly camped in the Left Field, To Øl is the free wheeling, rule bending gypsy brewery of two danish highscool mates Tobias Emil Jensen and Tore Gynther who just so happen to study under the watchful eye of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø who happened to be a pretty alright brewer himself. The duo produce irreverent and eclectic beers with a shopping list of juxtaposed ingredients but somehow make it work. They constantly question what beer can be.
Eddies Cider Company is a new kid on the block in Wellington, we dont profess to know much about cider down here at Hashigo, but we know what we like and Eddies Cider is crisp and refreshing, not too sweet not too dry.
Pasteur Street exploded on to the NZ beer scene after some low level rumblings of beer geeks coming back from Vietnam and saying it's not all Bia Hanoi and bags of Chang. Debuting at PBE17 with no fewer than 6 beers, we reckon the pick of the bunch was the Passion Fruit Wheat so immediately secured a keg for NYE.
North End don't really need an introduction to any body familiar with the Wellington beer scene we're fan of pretty much all of Keirans beers it was kinda hard to pick just one, we got to try some upcoming releases at the brewery a few weeks back, and lets just say 2018 is going to be a GREAT year for North End.
Horse Box aren't seen that much up on tap on the North Island which is kind of a shame, their flavourful beers are always remarkably sessionable and easy to drink. they describe themselves as " Two mates having a bash at something we love" and it shows.
Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 2018
"The party don't stop just because it ain't midnight no mo'"
-James Brown
"Quotes in weekly E-mails are easily made up, nobody reads them anyway"
- Abraham Lincoln
Just like James Brown said, Hashigo will continue to bring the party on a Bi-weekly basis in 2018, here are some dates for those shiny new diaries Santa brought you :
Jan 13th The Jazz Robots - Groove-based jazz inspired by all sorts of styles and greats like The Head Hunters, Jeff Beck, John Coltrane, Steve Coleman, Jimi Hendrix and The Miles Davis Quintet.
Jan 27th Darren Watson & The Dangerous Experts - Internationally renowned Rhythm & Blues guitar legend Darren Watson returns with his new band
Feb 10th Chocolate Thunder - A sensuous jazz, funk, soul and fusion maelstrom that strikes without mercy where you least expect it. Sheer groove manship to make your body move and your flowers blossom. Gird your loins, people!
