Field Theory by Hadyn Green

I bought 2ltr of the Rex Attitude at Regional Wines & Spirits fill-yer-own on the basis that I was in a hurry and had vaguely heard people mention it as worth trying. Too late, I discovered that this was invariably followed by the caveat "but only a little at a time". A pint later, I was going "bloody hell" and wondering how I was going to work my way through the rest of it. Then my wife tried it, loved it, and has quietly knocked off a glass or two per night. I would certainly recommend it as an antidote to the jaded palate.

All proceeds from this beer go to Christchurch and Queensland flood charities

That sounds as good as reason as any and better than most to crack open a brew

I dread to think what the class taste enforcement squad over at the Standard are going to make of this.

We have a couple of bottles of Rex Attitude in the fridge waiting for the right moment (which from what I've heard is "after dinner and only if you're sure").

Isabel - I'd actually say that isn't the way to try your first Rex Attitude. It's strong, unique, and certainly challenging, and I found that drinking it after experiencing other flavours made it very difficult.

My recommendation is to drink it cool (or, even cold, though Stu McKinlay would probably slap me for saying so), and as your first drink - on a clear, clean palate, untouched as yet by hops or any other strong flavours.

As for the Hop Zombie, I thought I loved it when drinking it at the Wellington launch. The first, so round, fruity, bitter yet sweet was amazing. The second was a bit harsher, a bit rougher as the hops wore away at my tongue. Then Luke bought me a third and, yeah, couldn't finish it. TOO hoppy for my poor taste buds - couldn't taste anything the next day at all!

I've tried the Hop Zombie since then, and I think it just goes a bit too much in one direction; one for the 'hop zombies' for sure, but I prefer a bit more rounded maltiness myself.

Scott - After dinner as in "not just before I want to taste a bunch of other stuff" rather than "directly after lots of other of complex flavours" but thanks for the tips.

We have a couple of bottles of Rex Attitude in the fridge

FRIDGE????
How dare you, this beer is for tasting, not freezing the throat.
Snap Scott A.
Fascinating thought on the oils in the hops masking the bitterness.... must try one soon.
Armageddon tired of pale ale ;-)

The other thing about hops is their soporific effect, more of a mellow buzz than "pissed"

I dread to think what the class taste enforcement squad over at the Standard are going to make of this.

All good bro, I was on the good socialist fill yer own, using my reusable bottle, drinking good working class brown ale, rather than one of those fancy middle-class pre-bottled beers.

A good trick is to follow the twitter feeds of good bars and pubs, and the craft breweries, to know where and when the more limited beers are being served. This however can be quite painful for those of us living in brandwashed Auckland where options are more limited...but are slowly getting better.

The Hop Zombie was the first time I've ever used "passionfruit" to describe the smell of a beer. I found it delicious, but was splitting a bottle. We then moved on to Emerson's Bird Dog Alpha Male, which is also a pretty hoppy little number, but a little less extreme hop than the previous Bird Dog, which I'd prefer as a hoppy zenith to Hop Zombie.
In contrast to the wonders of the little guys, the best thing I can say about Monteith's Source is that it smells like Wanaka Beerworks when they are cooking mash. It's a cute idea, but I'd rather just buy an actual craft beer.

James: I can only but agree with you that Emerson's Bird Dog is a better example of hoppy amazement; it has more character, more depth, as well as the hops to make you mouth go numb and your senses to swirl.

Thanks for the link to the craft beer tv channel