Road to Russia anyone? So some great rugby, some good football and then, later, some great beer.
It was purely coincidental I chose to indulge in some of Tuatara's Sauvinova - a single hop pale ale made with Sauvin hops from Nelson. It's a brewing triumph.
When I came back to work on Monday morning I caught up on my Aaron Smith and despaired at the spelling graveyard that is Twitter (a University of Virginia Professor tweeted 'black lives matter is the biggest rasist organisation since the clan', following Tyson Fury's crack at the 'medea' last week), before coming across the news Tuatara Brewing was named New Zealand's first two-time Champion Brewery at the Brewers Guild NZ 2016 Beer Awards.
Their story, like many of the boutique breweries we're blessed with, is a top little yarn.
Founded by Carl Vasta on his farm in the hills of Reikorangi above Waikanae in 2000 and, again like so many, borne of frustration at the lack of variety available and knowledge of what beer is like in other parts of the world, Vasta turned his hand to brewing his own.
From 1,000 litre batches in the beginning to now being able to produce 8,000 litres two to three times a day, Tuatara has literally become iconic.
I interviewed him in the wake of this latest accolade. He was understated in that classic rural Kiwi way, although I did detect a certain amount of pride in this award, widely regarded as the best we have.
He contemplated the future and promised to keep making great beer no matter how far down the road they travel from that point where his business partner Fraser McInnes saw all those tuatara's staring up at him on the back of scores of five cent pieces when he was literally counting his pennies.
Tuatara now exports it wares to Australia, Britain, Ireland, Scotland, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia and is becoming a major international player.
I'm quietly delighted yet mildly disgruntled at the individual award for the Sauvinova, judged the nation's best pale ale; my palette is obviously on point, but like the discovery of a great book or a song I thought it's as though the secret is now out...
I keep getting interrupted by email alerts from Facebook; Aaron Smith is back on the agenda. This time the amateur filmmaker is apologising for causing so much pain to all and sundry, especially himself.
Outraged responses flood in and people vent in a manner that casts a bleak shadow over the nation's English curriculum. I wonder if they'll blame the rasist medea?
The All Whites play soon; I think I'll sit down with a beer and watch. Cheers Carl.
