Can I get that tasting rack to go?
Or “I’ll have a six pack of awesome, please”.
Any of you who live near the Auckland CBD will probably know that New World College Hill is one of the best places to go to get your craft beer fix. Confronted with metres of beer fridge overflowing with ales and lagers from all over New Zealand and the world, the choice is never an easy one.
However on my latest expedition down the beer aisle I came across a pretty good problem solver for the choice issue, Tuatara Breweries’ new Mix 6 offering. (Well, I assume it’s new, as I haven’t seen it before.)
Tuatara Breweries has a regular range of six different styles that are all available in a six-pack of 330ml bottles, as well as the limited release APA, which comes in a 500ml. The Mix 6, as the name implies, offers you a mix of all their regular beers in a single six-pack, saving you about $100 if you had to buy them all in six-packs to try them all. Nice. It’s very much like getting a tasting rack at a craft beer pub, and I don’t know about you, but I find that a pretty fun way to try new beers and still remember them after the sixth.
But this gives me another thought, bartenders will usually give you the order in which you should drink them so as not to interfere with the flavours of the next and so you get the most out of each beer. A general rule to follow is colour. Now, I’ll show my inexperience at beer tasting by saying “I don’t know where to put the Ardennes”, I feel because of the abv and flavours I feel it needs to go a bit later than where the colour rule would place it. So, maybe Tuatara could include some instructions with the Mix 6 on the box or inside.
While I’m on the subject of the box, I must also give a big ‘thumbs up’ (a great award in the Bill of Beer world) to the packaging designer, Anton Hart of Hart Design. I love the box and label designs, but then I do have a soft spot for natural, neutral colours in design.
If anyone cared enough about my opinion to ask me, I reckon Tuatara are on to a winner with these packs. Great value and a good range of beer in a single, great looking pack. Maybe not-so-good if you’re trying to unlock the ‘Six Pack’ badge on Untappd though.
4 comments to “Can I get that tasting rack to go?”
Huia Barnett - 09 Oct, 2011
Great Christmas idea???
billofbeer - 10 Oct, 2011
Yep, I think a lot of beer fans would appreciate this wrapped up under the tree
billofbeer - 06 Nov, 2011
Yep, I think a lot of beer fans would appreciate the Tuatara Mix 6 wrapped up under their tree
Comrade Brewski - 30 Sep, 2012
I did my Mix Six like this:
– Munich Helles
– Czech Pilsner
– Hefeweizen
– India Pale Ale
– Ardennes
– Stout