Hastings cider maker Paul Paynter has tasted silver success at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards but came away with one regret.
"I did not enter the dry," he said.
Of the two varieties he has begun producing, he only entered the Paynters Cider, believing the dry variety was not quite at the ready stage in terms of a little more aging in the bottle - although in hindsight he reckons it may have hit the mark with the judges.
"I deeply regret that now," he said, but added that picking up a first-time silver medal in the Cider and Perry Styles class was a thrill.
"Yes, pretty happy with that - it's a reasonably solid performance for a first up operator."