Bar/fly: Richard Emerson's tips for the travelling beer drinker

Photo / Pawel Kadysz

Richard Emerson, of Emerson's Brewery in Dunedin, takes you around the world in six beers.

Export Dunkel from Klosterbrauerei Andechs (Germany)
A delightful brewery in the grounds of a monastery atop a hill overlooking Lake Herrsching outside Munich. As a young beer fan in 1990, I took the suburban train there from Munich, armed with my Michael Jackson's Pocket Beer Guide to find this Export Dunkel, which Jackson rated well. I walked up the hill, peered through the windows and saw parts of the brewing plant. Eventually I found the taproom, where I had to use mime to purchase a mass (1l ) of Dunkel matched with the cheese they make — nobody spoke English but the beer and cheese said everything.

Watermelon Warhead from Feral Brewery (Western Australia)
Visiting Perth in 2009, we called in to catch up with brewer Brendan Varis for a yarn and a few beers in a lovely rural brewpub in the Swan Valley. It was great sharing experiences about dealing with growing pains in the brewing industry. After tasting his beers, one brew stood out and it left me drooling for another. Feral Watermelon Warhead, a Berliner Weisse infused with watermelon. So enjoyable at 2.9 per cent abv that it was easy to have a few more.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewery (USA)
I've always wanted to model Emerson's to be "the Sierra Nevada of New Zealand". I loved the iconic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Bigfoot Barley Wine. Eventually I got my chance in 2014 to visit the Chico brewery with beer writer Geoff Griggs, who was leading a beer tour. The place was massive with interesting innovations such a solar panels, hop distilling, hop vine composting and a microbrewery testing laboratory. I really enjoyed the quality control testing of those new brews in the tasting room — such hard work well done.

Landlord from Timothy Taylor (England)
I recall sitting in an Edinburgh pub back in 1990, staring at the pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord in my hand. I was dumbfounded, gobsmacked and amazed with the simple complexity; the marriage of the yeast flavour with English malt and hops. The natural carbonation of the cask ale and the perfect temperature only made the imbibing experience more enjoyable. I looked up from my empty pint at the barman: "Another pint please … "

Bookoo from Anvil Brewery (South Africa)
Over the past decade we regularly visited Dullstroom in South Africa, a sleepy hamlet in the foothills of the Drakenberg, some 3½ hours drive from Pretoria. There you'll find a lovely two-storey stone brewpub and beer garden. I got to know the owner/brewer, Theo de Beer, over several visits and emails. It was interesting to learn the difficulties South African craft brewers faced sourcing malt and hops and that explained why many brewers think outside the square when it comes to adding flavour to their beers. Dullstroom created a masterpiece by infusing a lovely malty ale with the wild buchu herb found only in the Cape area. This beer blew me away. The balance of the pungent herb and the malt left me wanting more of this South African beer.

Pilsner Urquell from Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic)
For many years I have admired this fabled pale lager. That delicious spicy Saaz hops, the subtle water complexity which bring forth mineral saltiness, and the creamy malt mouthfeel. It was a pure delight when a friend was kind enough to bring back a fresh bottle a few years ago. Sitting on the veranda taking in the aroma, relishing every drop…I was in beer heaven. Damn it …That's where I'm going next.

Richard Emerson: The Hopfather, by Michael Donaldson.

Richard Emerson's biography, The Hopfather, by Michael Donaldson is released today (August 6). RRP: $45