It
intrigues me when a brand decides to change their packaging. Rebranding
takes quite a lot of time, effort and money, as well as running the
risk of losing customers who no longer recognise your labels or somehow
think that the quality of the product has changed. I try not to be so
fickle to simply stop recognising labels, but admittedly, when I noticed
that Moa had changed their beer labels I thought it necessary to buy
some beers to make sure they are still as good as the beers with their
old label. To this end I bought their breakfast beer (which I have yet to try) and of course, my favourite Moa beer, their Imperial Stout. I do quite look forward to trying the breakfast beer, especially given the media stir it created by having breakfast in the name, but I think I’ll leave that till a weekend where I can happily enjoy a morning beer without it affecting my studies. A quick note about the appearance of the new labels. They’re much simpler and more understated. The picture of a Moa (the extinct native bird for those that are unaware) is no longer there, although the bottle still has a more subtle embossed one above the label. So to the beer. Well I am pleased to say that it is just as good as before the label change. Complex chocolate and malt flavours with a slight lingering acrid taste that quite pleased my palate. I let it warm up to room temperature so that the flavours could be fully appreciated, which I would recommend that anyone else trying this beer also does. Now one of the things I love about this beer is how well it matches desserts. It certainly went very well with the chocolate pudding and peanut butter ice cream I had when I tried it, but there was another combination that outshone it. Fortunately, I had some strawberry and black pepper dark chocolate available. Upon letting both the chocolate and the beer linger in my mouth, I was set upon by an intense sweetness which accompanied a slight coconut flavour adding to the mix. It was one of those amazing food/drink combinations where the whole is more than the sum of the two parts, and I would highly recommend trying it. – Stephen 23 May 2011 |
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