After losing all their American pale ale hops in a fire, Tuatara turned to a land just as well known for creating wonderful hops – their own. Aotearoa, otherwise known as New Zealand. Packed full of Motueka, Pacific Jade, NZ Cascade and Nelson Sauvin hops, all New Zealand malts and packaged into the best bottle in the world (based on the prehistoric Tuatara lizard)  it really is an indigenous version of the famed American Pale Ale. I picked up a six-pack for a little hiatus from my usual go-to beer, 4 Pines Pale Ale and enjoyed the short holiday.

Bottle. Pours a murky gold, with an orange tinge, frothy white head and strong lacing. Initial aromas of citrus (lemon and grapefruit) as well as tropical fruits are taken over by bread and caramel malts. The flavour profile opens up with a strong bitterness of both spicy and grapefruit like hops, progressing into quite a sweet (just a touch too sweet for me) bread and caramel middle and long, dry finish. The bottle suggests drinking at 8-9 degrees. I’m not afraid of drinking warm beer, but I would generally drink pale ales straight out the fridge. In this case though, it certainly improves as it warms up, becoming far better balanced.

Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 7/10
Flavour: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20