It is just over a week until the 2017 General Election in New Zealand. To say this campaign has been a rollercoaster is to deeply misunderestimate rollercoasters. It has been more akin to Richard Hammond trying to parallel park a rocket car while high on LSD. Let’s recap for those who have not been following events as closely as this political tragic 

Malthouse is hosting an impromptu mini tap takeover this weekend (8 and 9 September 2017). The Featured Brewery is the highly decorated Siren Craft Beer from Berkshire. Actually, it is hard to know exactly how “impromptu” this tap takeover really is given the beers had to come all the way from the United Kingdom and there is already a Facebook event page. Still, the beers are well worth checking out on their own merits.

While stars, celebrities and politicians are constantly showered with accolades – some of which may even be deserved - there are many unsung heroes out there doing fantastic work out of the limelight.

Ah, Beervana. A two day craft beer festival preceded by a week packed with beer and food events now known around the world as the Road to Beervana. I attempted to be moderate but – as the famous saying allegedly goes – “moderation in all things, including moderation.”

I have taken my first steps on the Road to Beervana - they were glorious and smelled like bacon. Last night I had the privilege to run the second Baconation event at Fork & Brewer, Malthouse’s sister establishment. The concept is simple yet fiendish. [1]

At the risk of unacceptable misunderstatement, it has been a tumultuous 36 hours in New Zealand politics. So tumultuous that President Donald Trump has been knocked off the front page and relegated to only (negative) articles on page 2, page 4, page 7, three letters on page 9, a cartoon on page 10, two articles on page 14 and, somehow, at least one derogatory reference in the rugby section.