Beer Staves Brewery Vienna Lager & Brut IPA

Staves installed a couple of double-sized fermenters in summer 2018/19, which doubled the brewpub's capacity. Since these bigger tanks can now take some of the pressure off the core range, the other fermenters have been freed up for more rotating of styles, old and new, across the taps.

If you’re after a more traditional beer, the Vienna Lager is a fine example of the style. You can tell everything you need to know about it just by looking at it: when you see the dark gold brew shot through with copper, you get a comforting feeling of warm toast with a light spread of golden syrup, and that’s exactly what you get. It’s smooth and creamy, and complex enough to be interesting, yet refreshingly easy to drink.

The Brut IPA, on the other hand, will have you sniffing, tasting, thinking, and discussing it with those around you. The high carbonation launches the aroma out of the glass – Galaxy, Citra and Riwaka come together to hit you in the face with lemons, limes and passionfruit, but there’s also a complement of fruity esters making themselves known. The signature dryness is there, but the addition of wheat takes the edge off to keep it from feeling thin.

Mick Wust