The first beer book I ever owned was the Great Beer Guide: 500 Classic Brews by legendary British drinks scribe Michael Jackson, known to many as the “Beer Hunter”. Published in 2000, Jackson listed alphabetically the 500 best beers he had tried from around the world.

Croucher Brewing Company was allegedly formed when Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory had simultaneous mid-life crises and decided to make beer for a living. I find that rather hard to believe, party because they are both very together guys and partly because I’m still not convinced that Paul is a day over 25… He looked about 18 when the Croucher Brewing started.

When Coasters propose that their beloved province secede from New Zealand, they are usually only half joking.

The rather unusual nature of my job as a beer writer means I get a very imprecise and not entirely representative view of a city I’m visiting for work purposes.

Way back in April last year I made an application to take Monday 8 April 2013 off work. Despite my undoubted value to the company, the request was promptly approved by the human resources department and the senior management team.

One of my earliest regular watering holes was the kind-of infamous Loaded Hog on Bond Street in Wellington.  I was attending Victoria University at the time and had yet to discover the joys of craft beer.