Mash Up review

 IS THERE a definitive New Zealand beer? Something we could put up in a world cup of beers and say `` This is us, it represents what we make in New Zealand''?
Until a few years ago, the answer (by weight of export volume and exposure) might have been Steinlager. To me, however, Steinlager is just a New Zealand version of generic lagers that have dominated the midfield of the beer paddock.
If we want a distinctly New Zealand beer it needs to showcase what is unique to this country, something that will stand out like Jonah Lomu.
One thing we have that is uniquely ours is New Zealand hops. We've got hops that started out as British, American or European transplants but have taken on the characteristics of where they're grown, such as Cascade. And we've developed our own varieties like Riwaka, Motueka and Sauvin.
So when Luke Nicholas of Epic Brewery and his collaborative partner Kelly Ryan decided to create a beer representative of New Zealand, it was the hops that became the star.
Nicholas, who kindly supplied the images for this post, and Ryan toured the country, dropping in at 44 craft breweries, getting ideas from other brewers on what they thought was the essence of a Kiwi beer. They pulled it all together in Mash Up, a New Zealand pale ale.
The cleverly named beer references the mashing stage of the brewing cycle where grains are steeped in hot water, as well as the digital definition of mixing and matching different types of data.   Although critics have argued about whether a pale ale is truly representative of New Zealand, Nicholas and Ryan say it is the best vehicle for carrying the indigenous hop bitterness and aroma to your tongue.
And, as is Nicholas's want, Mash Up is bitter. But with Southern Cross hops as the main bittering agent, it's not a harsh bitterness  more an oily coating that stays on your tongue and allows subsequent sips to lay other flavours across the top. Eventually, as the glass empties, the bitterness recedes like a tide, revealing other characteristics.
There you'll find the heavenly, golden summer scents of Riwaka, with its orange and lemon zest perfume, New Zealand Cascade and its cut-grass, flowery aroma and Nelson Sauvin, which adds a fruitiness veering away from the more astringent notes of Riwaka and Cascade.
Given its backbone of New Zealand and English malts (to reflect the large number of brewers here with English heritage), American yeast and its retro tea-towel label, it's fair to say Nicholas and Ryan have created something that is intrinsically Kiwi, and a modern Kiwi at that.
Whether this over-hoppy style will continue to define the essence of New Zealand beer is debatable, as tastes and styles are bound to change. But right now you could line up this beauty against the best on offer in any other country and be satisfied that it will carry as much punch as an All Blacks pack.