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.

Since the earliest days, humans have craved awards and trophies which recognise their achievements in life. From the winner’s olive wreath at the ancient Olympics through to the kind of gold Olympic medals today, people understandably enjoy being recognised for their talent, work and/or genius.

It is Accepted Beer Wisdom (ABW) that every fundamental problem facing the world can be solved at the pub if people just drink beer and talk about the issue very loudly and for a duration usually in inverse proportion to the participant’s knowledge of the subject matter. Here are some real world examples from Malthouse: