Sometimes it’s nice to get out of Auckland and find some of the more picturesque parts of New Zealand. While a lot of my favourite New Zealand scenery lies South, in the mainland, there are some beautiful spots a relatively short drive from Auckland. One such area I’ve visited a few times is just up past Matakana, on to the Tawharanui reserve and further up to Leigh.

Now one of the things I particularly love to do when I’m surrounded by nature’s beauty is to enjoy a nice beer. All the better if the beer is brewed locally. Nestled in amongst the hills, oceans, forests and windy roads is the Leigh Sawmill Brewery, a small craft brewery that brews beers as nice as their surroundings.

Sadly, while I was there the cafe on the premises was booked out (for a wedding reception, and I have to say I can see the appeal of having a wedding there). However, the brewery was open and I was able to get hold of some of their brews to sample.

If I were to try to sum up all their beers in one go, I would describe them as crisp and clean, very much a good choice for summer. However, for today I’ll deviate to their beer that was probably furtherest from that, the Doctor. A strong, dark ale, it immediately captivated me with its chocolate aroma and taste. Full of nice malt complexity, which balanced it well with the slightly higher alcohol content of 6.5%. I’d thoroughly recommend it.

I also noted the attractive presentation of the beer. The bottles were all swing top bottles, which I do find to be aesthetically pleasing (and not just because they’re easily reusable for homebrew). The transparent labels shifted the focus to the beer behind quite nicely too. I thought the bottles were so nice that I have at times reused one of them as a water bottle.

So if you ever find your way up to Leigh, I’d recommend finding the brewery and giving them a try. Failing that, their beers are available at several New World’s here in Auckland.

– Stephen