"You're probably not going to like this mate," was what I was told by my beer guru when we sat down to try Liberty Brewing's recently released Haterade.
Initially I agreed, but I hadn't even tasted it, so that was totally unfair.
"Let's try it, it can't be that bad," I said.
And try it we did. Three bottles between us to be precise.
It wasn't bad either - it was great!
Just don't stand up too quickly cause this baby's a cool 8.5 per cent and packs a mean punch.
So, it's a soured Imperial Indian Pale Ale made in the West Coast (USA) style, very hoppy and citrus fruity - I tasted pineapple fru-ju and marmalade - hoppy, sour and bitter all in one glass.
I'm not sure how it happened, but the conversation turned to missing out on the good things in life and a story I'd heard about one of the greatest scientists to have walked the Earth, Isaac Newton.
By the time he was 24 Newton had formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation and had invented calculus. He spent the rest of his life mucking about trying to discover the Philosopher's Stone and writing Biblical mumbo jumbo. He died at age 84, still a virgin.
With craft beer it's best to give anything a try, you never know what you'll end up liking.
I may even try a full-on stout at some stage. Maybe.
- Beer kindly supplied by Brew Craft Beer Pub on Eat Streat Rotorua and The Strand Tauranga.
A BoP woman stumbled upon two giant mushrooms while on her daily walk.