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KaiAugust 15, 2018

X is for extra pale ale: An A-Z of the Beervana craft beer festival

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Reflecting on the highs and lows of multiple circumnavigations of a beery concrete concourse.

At the weekend, The Spinoff’s most enthusiastic consumer of beer made a pilgrimage to our nation’s capital to attend Beervana. For the uninitiated, Beervana is a big craft beer festival held over two days every August in the cosy concrete concourse of Wellington’s Westpac Stadium. If you didn’t make it along this year, fear not. In the spirit of #snackablecontent, here are The Spinoff’s official highlights, presented in handy alphabetical format.

A is for arachnids

At the Panhead stand, punters could try Mojo Hand, a stout made with malt smoked with tarantulas and scorpions. The general consensus was it didn’t taste that spidery but was still a pretty nice stout. If you’re wondering where an Upper Hutt brewery gets its hands on tarantulas and scorpions, congratulations, you clearly have a future as an investigative journalist who may one day reach the dizzying heights of The Spinoff’s food section. I inquired and was told they came from Crawlers, a New Zealand company I am very pleased to have discovered exists.

B is for bouncy castle

Except it’s not. Well, it is, but there wasn’t one. Good George’s stand was an inflatable “temporary pub” that from a distance, glimpsed through the haze of the beer-fuelled masses, looked a lot like a bouncy castle. As it grew closer, doubts began to surface and upon entering, I was disappointed to find it was not even a little bit bouncy. Their tropical IPA wasn’t bad though.

C is for costumes

Or, if you’re the woman who came dressed as a native American, C is for cultural appropriation. Other costumes included the Trump homage of Behemoth’s Andrew Childs (he does a beer called Dump the Trump), the scary Halloweeny women at Panhead (apparently one was the aforementioned Mojo Hand), and various gaggles of grown men in matching outfits (it must be nice to find a socially appropriate forum to dress like your best mate in this otherwise cruel, conservative world).

D is for door and also doof dungeon

At one point along the never-ending concourse, promo girls beckoned apprehensive punters through a mystery door that resembled the entrance to a portaloo. From within came LOUD NOISES, so naturally I avoided this unnerving scene until the very end of the day, when — emboldened by some sort of Beervana-induced bravery, the source of which I couldn’t possibly speculate on — I decided to go through the door. Inside I found even LOUDER NOISES and also FLASHING LIGHTS and DANCING PEOPLE so I got the hell out of there with haste. I have since learnt from life’s great informer, social media, that this was the George FM “doof dungeon” and I don’t even want to know why it was there because everyone knows that craft beer should be enjoyed in a quiet, respectful manner, while thoughtfully contemplating yeast strains and hop additions and shit.

E is for eating (is cheating)

JOKES! You’d be dumb to go to Beervana and not eat because a) there was some nice food and b) eating is very important when you’re drinking alcohol. However, I forgot to plan my food consumption and apart from a late-in-the-piece stroke of culinary genius, ended up having only a tiny taco and some (admittedly delicious) spicy Japanese-inspired fries. My friend spent $20 on a box of brisket, which he soon concluded was TOO. MUCH. BRISKET. For more on eating, see O.

Panhead and Good George (not a bouncy castle)

F is for flatulence

Walking into clouds of beer-induced farts is an unpleasant but unavoidable hazard for every Beervana-goer.

G is for glitter

For $7.50, Beervana attendees could get a glitter beard. Sadly — and possibly in breach of basic human rights — it appeared you had to already have an actual beard for the glitter to attach to, so I couldn’t get one. There were also glitter cleavages on offer, which, surprisingly, did not appear to attract much uptake. Adding to the glittery theme was Hop Federation’s Lemon, Lime & Glitter sour beer, which was indeed glittery and also very drinkable.

H is for holy matrimony

Garage Project always gives Beervana a jolly good nudge, and this year they took things up a notch by holding actual weddings in honour of their reborn beer DFA (for more on that, see L). After an exhaustive search, I failed to find anyone to marry at Beervana, but I take heart from the committed and loving relationship I have with hops.

Dress-ups

I is for inspiration

There were beers inspired by sticky date puddings, the shaka, corporate jargon, Cherry Ripes, dan dan noodles, the Marquess of Pombal, and the ill-fated expedition of the HMS Bounty, to name but a few.

J is for juice

I counted no fewer than nine beers that had the word juice, or variations of it, in their name.

K is for kiwifruit

Garage Project did three Tangy Fruit beers inspired by the New Zealand movie-goer’s favourite lolly of yore. Despite their ABV of 5.9%, they tasted much healthier than (but just as delicious as) the original Tangy Fruits because they were absolutely loaded with real fruit, including, in the case of the green one, the kiwi variety.

Hop Federation’s glittery beer, and an unidentified beer with a nice view

L is for Latin

The aforementioned Garage Project weddings (see H) were inspired by the rebirth of their beer DFA. The IPA formerly known as Death from Above (read more about why they ditched that name here) is now Demus Favorem Amori, which means “we choose to stand for love” in Latin (or so I’m told, anyway — unfortunately my brain has been addled by age and craft beer to the extent that all it retains from five years of high school Latin is the escapades of a cartoon Roman boy called Quintus).

M is for milkshake IPAs

If you’re thinking a beer milkshake would be gross, you’re right, but milkshake IPAs are not gross. I repeat, NOT GROSS. Basically they’re a new thing where lactose is added to an IPA during the brewing process (also not gross — lots of beer styles have lactose in ’em, such as milk stouts and various sours). In addition to lactose, milkshake IPAs often contain fruit, so they’re a bit fruity and a touch sweet, but still hoppy. There were a few of them on offer this year, and I enjoyed Hey Day’s version made with raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants.

N is for NEIPAs

Milkshake IPAs are a sibling — or a subset, if you take a more hierarchical view of the world — of the NEIPA. NEIPA stands for New England IPA and these beers are basically hazy, juicy, hoppy buggers that were popularised in the northeastern US region known as New England. You might also hear this style referred to as east coast IPA or hazy IPA, and they tend to be less bitter than their west coast (we’re still talking America here, so get all thoughts of Westport and Gizzy out of your mind) counterparts, but still flavoursome AF. There were heaps at Beervana.

Garage Project’s love-centric stand

O is for olliebollen

Beer ceased to be served half an hour before the end of each Beervana session, and at 3.35pm on Saturday I found myself with a few dollars left on my wristband but nary an ale to be had. Enter Montfoort, which appeared to me like a tasty Dutch mirage on the horizon of the desert that is the stadium concourse. They happily sold me two olliebollen, the most perfectly delicious little doughnuts filled with apple and cinnamon-soaked raisins, which live on in my dreams.

P is for puns

A lot of beers at Beervana had punny names, and, unlike many killjoy types who roll their eyes at such behaviour, I am totally on board with this. Some favourites included B.Effect’s Barrelel Universe, Brew Moon’s Czech Please and Emerson’s Hazed & Confused.

Q is for quadrupel

Quadrupel is a Belgian beer style that’s richer and bolder than its siblings dubbel and tripel. There appears to have been only one on offer at Beervana, and I didn’t try it, but I need a Q, OK? And holy shit, it sounds delicious. North End, a brewery based in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, took its Visitation Quadruple (I don’t know why it’s spelt that way rather than the el way, sorry) and aged it in rhum barrels (rhum is the French-speaking Caribbean’s version of rum, made from sugar cane juice). It’s 10.7% and they recommend it poured over ice cream.

R is for reviews

Punters could rate and review beers on the Beervana app as they went, and some of them were, er, interesting. One poetically equated a beer I shall not name to “sucking off a hipster who smokes 20 a day and then showers you with cinnamon cum”.

S is for sun

I have been to Beervanas where the stadium concourse is akin to the Arctic tundra, but this was not one of them. The Wellington weather was glorious and the sun shone through the occasional gaps in the concrete of the concourse, almost but not quite making me wish I was outside rather than trapped in a concrete circle with hundreds of flatulent beer louts.

T is for truffle

I really wanted to try the beer Brew Moon made using the biggest truffle ever found in New Zealand, handily dug up just down the road from their north Canterbury brewery. But I forgot and then it was too late. It was probably nice though.

Alice, pictured left, at the conclusion of Beervana (Photo: Getty Images)

U is for unlucky

The woman who dropped her dumplings on the ground before she’d even taken a bite was unlucky, but she was friends with the cultural-appropriation-costume lady so maybe it was karma by proxy.

V is for Vern

Vern was my grandad and he used to grow hops, something to which I attribute my fondness for hoppy beverages. Vern was a big fan of swappa crates of DB Draught and I don’t think he would’ve liked Beervana one bit, but he was there in spirit.

W is for women

Beer festivals are often sausage fests, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number of wāhine at Beervana this year. Almost an even split, I reckon.

X is for XPA

XPA stands for extra pale ale. What that is appears to be open to interpretation, but to my mind they’re lighter (in both colour and body), easy-to-drink versions of IPAs. Once again, only one at Beervana (Bach Brewing’s All Day XPA) and I didn’t bloody try it, but X is a hard letter so cut me some slack.

Y is for yeast

Yeast is basically what makes beer beer, so it’s very important. Lots of Beervana beers big-upped their yeast, whether it was Belgian, German, wild, or usually used for wine.

More Reading

Z is for zest

Zesty is a nice thing for a beer to be, and heaps of the Beervana brews described themselves thus. Many varieties of hop impart a citrus character, and brewers often chuck in some real citrus zest to take it up a notch. This was seen at Beervana in IPAs galore, as well as Double Vision’s Chocolate Orange Porter, inspired by a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. (Terry’s Chocolate Orange is a thing English people are obsessed with at Christmastime, and Spinoff boss Duncan Greive informs me they’ve gone downhill in recent years.)

The Spinoff’s beverage content is brought to you by Fine Wine Delivery Co, which is completely and utterly devoted to good taste, whether it’s wine, food, craft beer, whisky, rum… Check out their website or pop into one of the two Auckland superstores.

Keep going!
THIRTEEN AFGHAN WOMEN WHO CAME TO PALMERSTON NORTH AS REFUGEES HAVE FORMED CATERING BUSINESS LA LA ZAR (PHOTO: RED CROSS/TASTE OF CULTURES)
THIRTEEN AFGHAN WOMEN WHO CAME TO PALMERSTON NORTH AS REFUGEES HAVE FORMED CATERING BUSINESS LA LA ZAR (PHOTO: RED CROSS/TASTE OF CULTURES)

KaiAugust 14, 2018

How refugees are enriching Aotearoa’s food landscape

THIRTEEN AFGHAN WOMEN WHO CAME TO PALMERSTON NORTH AS REFUGEES HAVE FORMED CATERING BUSINESS LA LA ZAR (PHOTO: RED CROSS/TASTE OF CULTURES)
THIRTEEN AFGHAN WOMEN WHO CAME TO PALMERSTON NORTH AS REFUGEES HAVE FORMED CATERING BUSINESS LA LA ZAR (PHOTO: RED CROSS/TASTE OF CULTURES)

Whether making Somali sauces or Nepali dumplings, former refugees are providing income for their families and delicious food for the rest of us.

New Zealanders who have arrived here as refugees make up an ever-increasing part of the food scene in Aotearoa. Thank goodness! Can you imagine eating only the foods of your home culture for the rest of your days?

As a Pākehā New Zealander with Scottish and English heritage, I’d be doomed to a life without rogan josh, tom kha gai, sun-dried tomatoes, éclairs or gyoza, and as much as I enjoy porridge for breakfast, I’m not signing up for the limited diet of my ancestors.

Even ‘English’ fish and chips are gifts from Belgium (the fried potato stick idea) and Portugal (battered fish), so let’s count the culinary blessings of centuries of cross-cultural travel and migration.

As well as bringing new food experiences, several studies have shown that refugees — even when they arrive with nothing — provide a net economic benefit to their new country after only a few years. One of the ways this happens, of course, is through finding employment or even starting their own businesses. In Aotearoa right now, former refugees are in business providing income for their families and delicious food for the rest of us, from Somali sauces to Nepali dumplings.

LA LA ZAR CAN WHIP YOU UP A PLATTER OF BOLANI, PAKORA OR SWEET PASTRIES (PHOTO: RED CROSS/TASTE OF CULTURES)

Early starts are often a part of life when you run a catering business, but if you don’t have to worry about bombs falling from the sky, that makes it easier to knead your dough.

Amina is one of 13 Afghan women who have banded together to form a catering business, La La Zar, in their new home, Palmerston North. “Here, we can go outside and come back in safely. We can go and do shopping without worrying about fighting and bombing. It’s actually a dream come true.”

The La La Zar women all arrived in New Zealand as refugees, and are among the 300 to 400 people Red Cross helps into employment each year through its Pathways to Employment programme.

Most of the La La Zar women never got the chance for a formal education in Afghanistan, but they are talented cooks, and are relishing the freedom of working for themselves. “In Afghanistan, you have to talk with the men. If they agree, it’s OK. If not, you give it up. Here, we do it ourselves. For some of us, this is the first time we’ve been able to make money on our own.”

If you’d like a platter of bolani (stuffed flatbread), pakora or sweet pastries from La La Zar for your next morning tea shout, work lunch or party, drop them a line at lalazar665@gmail.com.

Kanthasuvami Nallathamby, who fled ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, runs Roti Variety in Stokes Valley with his wife Giokilam

If you’re hankering for some Sri Lankan kothuroti or fish malabari, Stokes Valley may be more conveniently located than Colombo — lucky Hutt residents! Kanthasuvami Nallathamby was a chef in Sri Lanka, but had to flee ethnic violence. He spent six years in a refugee camp in Thailand with his family before arriving in New Zealand five years ago. It’s shocking that this makes him one of the lucky ones — the average time in refugee limbo is 17 years before an accredited refugee is resettled in a new home country.

He and his wife Giokilam now work six days a week cooking Sri Lankan and Indian food for their takeaway business, Roti Variety. They do four evenings in the shop, and then take their food caravan to the Hutt Riverbank Market on Saturdays and Johnsonville market on Sundays.

“It makes me happy,” he says. “I love to satisfy people through food and it’s even better if I can make a living out of it.”

Nallathamby is one of the contributors to a Red Cross cookbook, Taste of Cultures, which you can buy here. In it, he gives recipes for Sri Lankan fish rolls, roti canai and vegetable samosas, and here for your cooking pleasure, reprinted with kind permission, is his coconut sambal.

Kanthasuvami Nallathamby’s coconut sambal

COCONUT SAMBAL

From the kitchen of Kanthasuvami Nallathamby
Makes 10 servings

1 teaspoon dried red chillies, crushed
3-4 curry leaves, sautéed
1 small onion
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup warm water
2 cups fresh coconut, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime juice

Place the red chillies, curry leaves, onion, pepper and warm water in a blender and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Remove the mixture from the blender, add the grated coconut, salt and lime juice. Mix by hand until the coconut is well coated.

Serve the freshly made coconut sambal with coconut roti or roti canai.

“It makes me happy,” says Kanthasuvami Nallathamby. “I love to satisfy people through food and it’s even better if I can make a living out of it.” (Photo: Red Cross/Taste of Cultures)

FOOD BUSINESSES OWNED OR STAFFED BY FORMER REFUGEES

Here are some ways to wrap your taste buds around fresh flavours, and support former refugees as they build new lives here.

Eating out

There will be tonnes of restaurants near you that are owned and staffed by recent migrants. Here are some where you can taste the cooking of former refugees, and show them a Kiwi welcome while you’re doing it.

Roti Variety restaurant (Lower Hutt)

Kanthasuvami and Giokilam Nallathamby’s Sri Lankan restaurant in Lower Hutt. You can read more of their story, and some great reviews, here.

HanSan Vietnamese restaurants and Sri Mahkota Malaysian restaurants (throughout Auckland)

There are seven of these Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants throughout Auckland, owned by the Chin family, who settled in Aotearoa after fleeing the Indochina wars in the 1980s.

Monsoon Poon (Wellington and Auckland)

A regular participant in the Red Cross Pathways to Employment programme, Monsoon Poon specialises in Asian fusion food, and regularly employs former refugees.

You can hear a feature on Naing Naing Tun, who escaped Myanmar at the age of 14, and who was the first former refugee Monsoon Poon employed, on RNZ here.

The Shepherds’ Arms (Wellington)

One of the chefs at The Shepherds’ Arms, Thass, got his start through the Red Cross Pathways to Employment scheme. He was so impressive in the initial work experience period that he got permanent employment there.

Pomegranate Kitchen is a Wellington social enterprise staffed by people from refugee backgrounds (Photo: Supplied)

Catering businesses

If you’re after catering for any event, check out these providers. If you’re in the corporate world, pass their details on to whoever in the office usually books the caterers.

Pomegranate Kitchen (Wellington)

A social enterprise and registered charity, Pomegranate Kitchen is staffed by people from refugee backgrounds, bringing culinary skills from Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

They supply Middle Eastern food for morning teas, lunches, dinners or finger food, and deliver throughout Wellington.

You can hear some of their story here on RNZ.

The Wise Collective (Auckland)

The Wise Collective supports and educates women from refugee backgrounds to gain the skills and confidence to make income for their families.

One of the many businesses that has come out of their work is Wise Collective Catering. You can check out their menus here.

Momo Said (Christchurch)

Here’s the origin story of dumpling business Momo Said, according to its website:

“In 2015, a Nepalese mum and migrant saw a need within Bhutanese and Nepalese communities in New Zealand for employment and training opportunities.

Having listened to his mother’s concerns regarding her people, and seeing the need of support within the refugee and migrant communities, Shreejan Pandey listened to his mum’s ideas and did as she said.  In discussions with friends, community members, and mentors, he began to gather together investors, experienced momo makers, and a few keen volunteers and Momo Said was born – just as his mum had said.”

Dumplings made by former refugees! Available in a bunch of restaurants, or as catering packs and so on. You can read more of their story here.

La La Zar Catering (Palmerston North)

La La Zar is a catering business run by a collective of Afghan women. Contact them at lalazar665@gmail.com.

Cater Plus (nationwide)

Commercial catering company Cater Plus is a Pathways to Employment partner.

Pomegranate Kitchen brings together culinary skills from Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan (Photo: Supplied)

Stocking up on sauces

Add a dash of homemade flavour to your meals at home with one of these products, made and sold by former refugees.

For a taste of Ethiopian home cooking, get hold of some Mamia’s sauce. There are some great recipes on their website, too.

You can also buy Momo Said’s secret sauce here.

Stocking up on everything else

Quite a few grocery stores have a commitment to employing people from a refugee background. Here are some, and if you know others, please let us know on Twitter or Facebook.

Commonsense Organics (Wellington and Auckland)

These five lovely grocery shops have a policy of employing a large number of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

New World Thorndon (Wellington)

Thorndon New World is a star of the Red Cross Pathways to Employment programme, training and employing people from a refugee background for many years.

If you’re in business (with food or anything else), you can join these employers in welcoming former refugees by signing up with the Red Cross.

Thorndon New World Manager Ashley Drake is a strong supporter of businesses investing in recently arrived New Zealanders. He says, “We are a nation built on immigration and need to encourage people to contribute to society, but need business to give them a hand up. By providing a positive local interaction, they can build a sense of belonging with their new communities.”

Kai