Hawkes Bay Independent Brewery Reviews

jbruner	3.2 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Pours a clear golden yellow from the bottle with bubbly white foam that leaves light lace. Aroma of grassy hops and cracker grains, light lager yeast. Taste is moderately sweet from the malt, lightly bitter from the hops, a touch of bubblegum. Not a bad pilsner, but nothing crazy. Wednesday, March 20, 2024
TrappistRates36	3.5 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale 620 ml bottle for $ 8.99 from Balclutha Liquorland (27/11/20) , 5.0 % alcohol : Copper coloured beer , clear , good beads rising & head ... toasty toffee caramel aroma ... rich malty taste , crisp , clean , toffee ... nice ... Tuesday, January 30, 2024
TrappistRates36	3 Hawkes Bay Pilsner $ 4.50 for 330 ml bottle from Regional Wines online (11/05/20) : Light yellow , small bead , small head ... light honey melon aroma , hoppy ... crisp & clean , refreshing , sour , yeasty .... finishes sour . Tuesday, January 30, 2024
TrappistRates36	3 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter $ 4.99 for 500 ml bottle from Countdown , Rangiora (22/12/18) : Deep amber red colour , clear , smallish head ... toffee caramel , roasty malt nose ... thin mouthfeel , watery , roasty malt ... quaffable , session beer . Tuesday, January 30, 2024
joe19612	3.1 Hawkes Bay IPA Bottle. Pours a dark orange colour with a tight white head, plenty of hops and fruit especially orange in the aroma, the taste is medium bitterness with a dry bitter finish. Saturday, December 30, 2023
bedti	3.3 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Monday, February 1, 2021
bedti	3.5 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Sunday, January 31, 2021
bedti	2.6 Hawkes Bay Pure Brewed Lager Sunday, January 31, 2021
KiwiSwe	3 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale Sunday, January 10, 2021
KiwiSwe	2.8 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Sunday, January 10, 2021
DylansDad	3.6 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale Aroma of fresh uncut citrus, malt and a bit of grass. Very soft and rounded mouthfeel. Taste is of a good traditional malty beer with delicious citrus overtones. Not a sparkly, brash show pony, but a very nice beer. Tuesday, July 28, 2020
DylansDad	3.1 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Really liked the aroma: very grainy and yeasty with hints of a barn full of hay bales. Taste is slightly fruity, maybe a tinge of orange and peach, but not obnoxiously fruity. Decent medium bitterness. Hint of copper in the aftertaste. Sessionable. Wednesday, July 15, 2020
AnonUser54728	4.2 Hawkes Bay Ginger Fusion Aroma: High ginger. Medium citrus, mandarin. Appearance: Hazy, gray straw body, No head. Flavour: Medium ginger, mandarin, floral. Medium bitterness. Medium-light fruity, mandarin sweetness. Dry finish with a hint of sweetness and a light burn Mouthfeel: Medium body, Medium carbonation. Overall: The flavour presents ginger up front, but then the mandarin comes in, sweet and balancing. The beer ends with a combination of the two, with a light ginger burn. The burn builds slightly on each following sip. Bloody Beautiful! 330 ml bottle, poured. Thank Tanja! Sunday, June 28, 2020
BreweryRater42	5 Hawkes Bay Ginger Fusion Very nice. I enjoyed it. Monday, January 13, 2020
TedE	2.9 Kingston Original Schooner on tap at Szimpla near Auckland Airport. With ice (not requested). Nose is stewed apples. A touch savoury. Amber cider with the odd bubble ascending. Some lacing. Semi sweet apple taste. Finish is lingering and tart. Not bad. Sunday, September 8, 2019
TedE	3.1 Hawkes Bay Amber Ale Schooner on tap at Szimpla near Auckland Airport. Very faint nose of grainy bread. Clear red/brown beer with a thin white head. Light carbonation. Good lacing. Slight zing, caramel toffee taste. Finish is drier with a sweet smoky tang. Easy to drink. Not complicated but pretty tasty. Sunday, September 8, 2019
TedE	3 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Schooner on tap at Szimpla near Auckland Airport. Pours a clear flat amber with a thin white head. Good lacing. Grainy nose, sweet malt taste. Finish is dry and grainy. Basically a sweet Pils. Smashable. Sunday, September 8, 2019
Samtzu	3 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Tap pour. Pours a light straw with hints of fluffy white head. Medium body with a bit of fruit at the front and low yeast presence. Rather smashable but lacks the crispness I would want in this style. Thursday, May 23, 2019
Ngaire233	5 Hawkes Bay IPA Beautiful, refreshing and hoppy! Thursday, February 28, 2019
Skarecrow	3.9 Hawkes Bay Ginger Fusion 330ml bottle Hazy yellow brown with no head. Gingery aroma. Sweet with just the right level of spice. Friday, February 1, 2019
mkel07	4.2 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale Bottle from Portofino Restaurant in Napier on 15 November 2018. Poured a copper red colour with a big head of tan foam that clung to the side of the glass. Nutty and biscuity with loads of maltiness in both the flavour and the aroma. Wednesday, January 9, 2019
SeeJade	3 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Monday, November 5, 2018
MaltChief23	2 Hawkes Bay Fat Ass Scrumpy Thursday, August 23, 2018
Maakun	2.8 Hawkes Bay Pure Brewed Lager Tap at Verona as All Malt Lager. Clear light golden with white head. Bready malts, pils malts, lots of wet grains, soft grassy hops, soft doughy. Under medium sweet and bitter. Just medium bodied. Thursday, August 23, 2018
Maakun	3.2 Hawkes Bay IPA Tap at Verona. Clear dark golden with off white head. Light caramel malts, soft pils malts, grassy, light herbs and a bit of citrus peel, light tea. Medium sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with slight dry finish. More a UK or German style IPA, but not bad. Thursday, August 23, 2018
Maakun	3.2 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Tap at Verona. Clear pale golden with white head. Clean pils malts, soft creamy grains, grassy, some fresh apricot. Under medium sweet and medium bitter. Just medium bodied with slight dry crisp finish. Thursday, August 23, 2018
Maakun	3.4 Kingston Original Tap at Verona. Clear golden with lasting but small fizzy white head. Dry apple, tart apple, soft pear, light lime, green apples, light sour peach. Medium sour and just medium sweet. Under medium bodied with sparkly carbonation. Thursday, August 23, 2018
joe19612	2.7 Hawkes Bay Pure Brewed Lager Bottle. Pours a bright gold colour with a tight white head, light hop aroma, the taste is light and fruity with a dry crisp bitter finish. Sunday, April 22, 2018
joe19612	3.1 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale Bottle. Pours a mid brown colour with a thin white head, light hop aroma aroma with some citrus notes, the taste is medium bitterness and with a dry bitter finish. Sunday, April 22, 2018
FoamRespek9	5 Hawkes Bay Fat Ass Scrumpy Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Skarecrow	3 Hawkes Bay Passionfruit Cider 330ml bottle Clear cider color with good carbonation. Sweet tropical fruit aroma. Sweet (but not too much) with fruity taste and slight thin dry finish. Reminded me of 80's Wine cooler. Perfectly refreshing on a summers day. Friday, September 8, 2017
Skarecrow	3 Hawkes Bay American Pale Ale 330ml bottle Dark amber brown color with OK head. Sweet malty aroma. Mild bitterness, malty but not much hop action going on. Drinkable but I've had much better APA than this. Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Skarecrow	3 Hawkes Bay IPA 330ml bottle Amber pour with decent head. Aroma is grainy, bread - not much hoppiness. Mild bitterness, malt but not much hop action. Passable but not really up to the true IPA mantle. Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Skarecrow	2 Hawkes Bay Pure Brewed Lager 330ml bottle Very pale straw color (cider like) with decent head. Aroma is grainy, bread and slight lemon. Very slight bitterness, but thin and bland with a slight honey note at the back. Ok with the curry I was eating at the time. Otherwise, uninspiring. Monday, September 4, 2017
mountdad	2.5 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Bottle 330ml Ibis Auckland hotel bar. Pours very dark brown with mahogany colour to the light, small white head that fades quickly. Fancy bottle like mini brandy type. Mild aroma, well carbonated and tastes clean, malty with little hops. Little of the promised chocolate coffee or toffee. By the end of the glass it seems like an inoffensive Porter but in no way memorable. Barely adequate or barely inadequate. There are definitely better NZ Porters out there. Sunday, August 20, 2017
Skarecrow	2.4 Hawkes Bay Pilsner 330ml bottle Golden color with good head. Aroma is dusty grain, bread, sawdust, slight spice. Mild bitterness with thin grainy palate. Nothing special. Cool bottle though. Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Skarecrow	3 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter 500ml bottle from Liquorland Napier. Black color with slight head. Roasted malt aroma. Mild bitterness with roasted malt palate. OK porter. Wednesday, April 19, 2017
ljthiessen	2.2 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Bottle, shared by a friend just back from NZ. Definitely my least favourite beer in a while. Very macro lager character, a touch skunky, very light in body, aroma and flavour. Saturday, February 18, 2017
Skarecrow	3.2 Hawkes Bay Sparkling Pear Cider 330ml bottle (nice looking) Very light straw with no head but plenty of carbonation. Pear aroma. Slightly dry to start with then a pleasant sweet finish without being cloying. Went down very easily on a hot Auckland day. Wednesday, February 1, 2017
DuffMan	2.9 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Bottle. Clear, deep mahogany hue, finely bubbled light brown head. Aroma is brown bread and cocoa. The palate delivers the same in flavours, with predominant cola sweetness, and underlying dough and nut notes. Tannic peanut skin dryness in the finish. Thin mouthfeel. A bit odd for a porter, as it lacks both body and roast. I must comment on the bottle-- it is really quite striking in design, with a handsome etched glass emblem at the base of the neck. If only the quality of the beer held up to the quality of the packaging. Earlier Rating: 8/10/2009 Total Score: 2.8 Bottle. Looks great-- deep ruby red, thick brown head. Initially the aroma is very chocolatey, then after resting, some notes of breadcrusts and nuts. Mouthfeel is thin and fizzy. Flavours are chocolate and brown bread, hints of roast. Quite sweet, with low bitterness in the finish. Not terrible, just lacking body really. Sunday, January 22, 2017
reebtogi	3.1 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter 330ml bottle pours almost black in color with a finger of tan head that leaves some spotted lacing on the glass. Aroma is light toasted grains with chocolate and herbal notes. Taste is a herbal hop bitterness with a caramel and chocolate malty sweetness. Light bodied with average carbonation. Overall, this brew is too light bodied and lacks the bold flavours associated with this style. Mediocre porter at best. Friday, September 2, 2016
reebtogi	3.1 Hawkes Bay Amber Ale 330ml bottle pours a pale amber color with 2 fingers of off-white head that leaves some spotted lacing on the glass. Aroma is perfume at first followed up with some citrus and caramel. Taste is a citrus hop bitterness with a light fruity and caramel malty sweetness. Light bodied with decent enough carbonation. Overall, this brew is quite tasty and well crafted despite the low ABV. Getting a little bit of a rough time on here. Friday, September 2, 2016
reebtogi	2.9 Hawkes Bay Pilsner 330ml bottle pours a clear golden color with a finger and a half of white head that dissipates quickly leaving only a few spots of lacing on the glass. Aroma is grassy with some hints of citrus and malts. Taste is a light grassy and citrus hop bitterness with a malty sweetness. Light bodied with decent carbonation. Overall, not quite there for the style, needs a little more of the spicy hops. Friday, August 26, 2016
GoufCustom	2.6 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter 330ml green bottle bought at YATA in MOKO, Mong Kok. Clear blackish brown colour; Three-quarter finger head with beige foam which fades in 40 seconds; Very good sticky lacing with active slight carbonation; Fragrant and sweet aroma of dark malt, with fair roastyness, strong toffee, caramel, strong cream, coffee, light chocolate, sugar, faint dark fruits, yeast and faint grass; Close to light sweet taste of dark malt, with fair roastyness, caramel, light toffee, Cola, very light chocolate, Molasses notes, light bread, yeast, faint lemon, very light bitter hops and very light grass; Close to light body. Slick palate; Mouth Feel is fair dark maltyness in a light but slightly thick body. Roastyness is threadbare. Only some caramel to pop up the otherwise empty Cola taste. Very little chocolate and no coffee at all. Sweetness is minimal. Dry and bready with minimal lemon to end. Blah!... Hoppiness is faint grass in nose. Faint lemon and very light grass in taste; Bitterness is very low for an abrupt, almost non- astringent Cola-bready finish; Fairly dry after taste. Very easy and slightly bitter to mouth. Comments: For a 4% Porter, it has pretty promising aroma in strong toffee and coffee cream, but taste-wise, it’s a typical 4% - empty Cola with non-deScript low roastyness, almost devoid of any dark beer tastes. It’s not bad, it’s just feel like drinking a harmless exercise. Too lightweight for me! Thursday, February 18, 2016
GoufCustom	3.3 Hawkes Bay Pilsner 330ml green bottle bought at YATA in MOKO, Mong Kok. Pale golden yellow colour; Less tha none quarter finger head and residual soapy white foam which fades in 20 seconds; Excellent sticky lacing with active small carbonation; Fragrant aroma of malt, with strong grapefruit peels, strong tangerine, light floral, honey, light bread, lemon and grass; Mid to light sweet taste of lager malt, with fairly strong grains, floral, molasses, dry biscuits, strong lemon, fairly strong bitter hops and grass; Mid to light body. Crisp and slightly slick palate; Mouth feel is good Pils maltyness in a lean and dry background. Strong hops with good floral. Fair sweetness balanced by strong lemon and bitterness. Clean and good!... Hoppiness is fragrant grapefruit peels, tangerine, light floral, honey, lemon and grass in nose. Floral, strong lemon and grass in taste; Bitterness is fairly strong, for a lasting, mid-to-high astringent bitter sweet finish; Dry after taste. Quite malty and very bitter to mouth. Comments: The label said it’s a Czech Pils, through there’s not much Saaz’ earthy spicy influence here. Instead it’s the nice citrusy aroma and clean strong lemon hoppiness that impress. Leaner than I expected but a nice Pils nevertheless! Sunday, February 14, 2016
mpeacey	4 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter Saturday, November 28, 2015
canadiankiwi	2.2 Hawkes Bay Amber Ale Pretty average for a craft beer. Tasted like tui. Would not want to have it cold. Drinkable but nothing of note Saturday, November 21, 2015
canadiankiwi	2.5 Hawkes Bay Pilsner Light drinks with slight bitterness. Poured from tap, light gold, apple juice looking. Not much smell. Easy drinking. Not great nothing special. Saturday, November 21, 2015
JoshRaburn	3 Hawkes Bay Amber Ale Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Andrus86	3.3 Hawkes Bay Black Duck Porter BOTTLE. Poured a cola black with solid cream head.. Dark malts on the nose, some smoke? Assortment of dark, choc & coffee malts blended together with a good creamy finish.. Sourced Rosco Thursday, November 5, 2015