Aotearoa Mata Brown-Boy

Brewed by Aotearoa Breweries
Style: Amber Ale
Kawerau, New Zealand

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Dark red/brown in colour with offwhite head. Roasted malt flavours. Smooth mouthfeel, slight peppery finish.

Tap @ Galbraith’s. Clear amber pour with a brief, off-white head leaving minimal lace. Malty and coffee nose with a hint of citrus hops. Initial mouth feel is great due to the complexity and fine carbonation, but then it thins out to almost watery. The flavors in this ale are very interesting: dark-roast malt (coffee, burnt caramel), nutmeg, peanuts, earth and...brown. I can’t describe it any better than that. This ale tastes brown! Body is notably absent and the major weakness of this otherwise fascinating offering from Mata/Aotearoa. Finish is dry, peppery and bitter.

Yes, it is reddish brown, but I’m not terribly sure about striking it is as the head was gone and forgotten within seconds leaving a few small patches of bubbles here and there. Doughy, earthy aromas with caramel, toffee brittle malt aromas, but very little in the way of hop aroma. That’s not to say I didn’t like the smell, because I did. Sweetness is to the fore in the form of caramalt, light bitterness and silky mouthfeel. Not bad, but not memorable, certainly quaffable.

330ml bottle. POurs a clear copperish red colour with a deep fluffy light brown head. Malt aroma is sweet and pleasant and the smooth flavour has a bit of fizz to it. Mildly bitterwhich is nice and sits on the tongue.

Bottle. I approach a New Zeland amber with some trepidation but this one is decent. Amber colour, clear with off-white foam, and fizzy like NZ beer tends to be. Aroma has caramel and typically fruity NZ hops - hints of passionfruit. The taste is caramel, toasted grain, a fruit salad of subtle hops with passionfruit, melon and peach. There is a firm bitterness and an almost astringent taste which may be the (totally unnecessary) horopito. Some sweetness on the front of the tongue. Overall a decent but not outstanding amber ale.

Pleasantly surprised by this. Poured from a tap at Gothenburg in Hamilton. The colour is fantastic and the taste is a step above the rest of the Mata range. Some nice hops, caramel and a spicy finish. Good beer.

UPDATED: JUL 1, 2010 Bottle. Love the reddish copper colour. The rich malty nose and palate is all caramel. The hops are slightly herbaceous and that pepper strikes a note of difference. Magic alright!