Life's too short to take the motorway. Enjoy your journey and always take the Scenic Route. It's the same with beer - each one is special so take the time to savour it. This NZ IPA is like a long drive along the west coast, beautiful and classically Kiwi with clean green pungent hop aromas. A clear gold pour takes the journey to a subtle clean maltiness, a smooth feature packed palate with an assertive bitterness to round off the trip.

The Hapi Sessions, three collaborations, three breweries at the top of their game, three beers, each showcasing a different hop forward style in a playful 'freestyle' interpretation of one of the beers that helped to make each brewery famous. The Monterey masters of West Coast IPA, Alvarado St, bare all, with a very special, intensely aromatic, Nelson Sauvin saturated take on their legendary, multi award winning flagship IPA.

Over at Bach they've been on Freesyle hop-farms in Moutere valley, rubbing and sniffing the pungent new season sticky hop cones. Sticky and dank with Lupulin, they've steeped massive loads of fresh harvested green Nelson Sauvin hop cones, flown same day to their brewers, Chris and Craig at Steam Brewery, and backed up by new season hop pellets of Riwaka, Motueka and Sauvin, also fast-tracked by Freestyle in record time.

Over at Bach they've been on the hops again ... big intense West Coast USA hops! The classic Californian West Coast IPA style originates from the late 70's and emerged in NZ circa just twenty years ago. All about the perfect balance between alcohol, malted barley, and high intensity of hops, to deliver max flavour and drinkability, they brewed their more modern take with a truckload of fruit driven hops including Idaho 7, Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe.

Bach Brewing have been on the hops again... reminiscing a glorious safari trip pre-Bach Brewing days. Their latest brew is loaded with a Rhino's weight of Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic and Citra hops, and juicy malts originating from the fertile plains around Feilding. 8.2% ABV.

I've got a fever, and the only prescription... is more Riwaka! Listen, kid, this ain't just any Hazy Pale Ale - this is Ri-Walken. A beer so smooth, so juicy, so full of that zesty, tropical Riwaka magic... it's almost unnatural. Big citrus, passionfruit, a little dank, like a jazz solo in a glass - unexpected, but perfect. You take a sip, you feel alive, like you could dance... maybe even talk with pauses that make people nervous. So, do yourself a favour - grab a Ri-Walken. Trust me... this beer? It's got bite, it's got zing! It's got Riwaka!

Those sneaky Wet Bandits are back at it again - this time, they're not after your Christmas presents, they're in Nelson making a getaway with the freshest Motueka hops of the season! Crisp, clean, and absolutely drenched in fresh hop goodness, this Cold IPA is a criminal amount of refreshment in every sip. Bursting with zesty lime, tropical fruit, and a snappy bitterness, grab one before these hop bandits slip away... fresh hop is here for a good time. Keep the change, ya filthy animal!

This collision of a strong, clean Imperial Pilsner with generous fresh Riwaka is no accident. Bone shaker gives you that crisp hit of a great Pilsner but then follows through with a robust hop profile, adding fruit and floral characters that go well beyond mere texture. Imperial-level strength helps push the hops and the firm, dry bitterness over the top. One might even lose their head over it.

Goses are soured salty wheat ales with lemon, lime, coriander and such, not usually dry hopped. But then the Bract Project chose Boneface for an exclusive experiment with one of their new varieties. Enjoy the citrus and tropical fruit delights of NZH-106.

Nothing lures one in like a great Fresh Hop IPA. In the glass one can contemplate it's clear orange hue, the tell-tale of a medium malt body. After a sniff and a sip one will be hit with fresh Nelson Sauvin, floral and fruity with a bit of dank for added excitement. Finish a mouthful by adding a firm, dry bitterness to your beer nerd notes. Go on, sink your teeth into it.

Brewed in honour of American bootleggers from the Prohibition days, this APA is loaded with malt characters, citrus notes, all-American aroma hops and a crisp bitter finish. Enjoy it before someone makes fun illegal again.

Full flavoured & dripping with drama, with Ale & Wheat malts and packed full of local and exotic aroma hops. This lightly hazed Pale Ale is true to style with a tropical, juicy fruit aroma lingering aloft a heavyset malt body. De-lish