Fresh - November '26

I just realised that the FRESH NOV art would have been much better for a Halloween-themed OCT. Fail. But that’s the only disappointing thing about this month’s FRESH. To the FRESH fan that explicitly requested a FRESH brewed with Pilsner malt rather than Light Lager, sorry, NOV is not your month (it will come, I promise). November is classic Light Lager, Chit Wheat and Rolled Oats, but Golden Naked Oats bring extra sweetness from crystallised sugars and a little touch of croissant-crust colour. The hops are a fresh-faced international line up. On the hot side, we’ve got US Ekuanot three ways - classic T90 pellets, cryo pellets and liquid extract. Then in the dry hop there’s even more Ekuanot cryo, supported by Nelson Lakes-grown Motueka, Australian Eclipse and two of the newer varieties out of Yakima in Washington State, Krush and Dolcita. When I first cracked a can straight after we canned NOV it felt exactly like that moment at a festival where you catch that distinctive weedy waft and look around to see who just sparked up near you. I feel like this has mellowed a little and now that first ‘crack’ is a richer sweeter note. In the glass that Golden Naked Oat pushes NOV towards a distinctively yellow gold, with a beautiful opacity and a dense summer’s-day-cloud white foam that leaves a chantilly lace imprint on the glass to the end of the pint. Then the first sip. Passionfruit and maybe a little papaya, followed swiftly with that resinous dankness that I noticed after packaging. I like it. It’s grippy and resinous, but then it’s followed quickly with ripe mandarin, some peach and strawberry, then finally juicy grapefruit that leaves a pleasant bitterness inviting another sip. It’s a cool ride. Enjoy your November ; )