Martin

Outstanding afternoon at Galbraith's to round out @aucklandbeerweek.bsky.social . Celebrating 30 years of Galbraith's and 20 years of Hallertau with good friends, family and some awesome beers, including a 27 year old imperial stout.

Lovely birthday beers at Twofold in Parnell, then a cheeky beer cocktail at My Bar in the city on my way home. @aucklandbeerweek.bsky.social has been most excellent.

I'll be wrapping it up with the family at Galbraith's tomorrow arvo.

NZ Beer Awards Analysis and Wrap The Third Pint Theory · Episode

New episode of The Third Pint Theory is up. This week Michael and I had a natter about the New Zealand Beer Awards results.
open.spotify.com/episode/5q81...
podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/n...
linktr.ee/third.pint.t...

Winners are grinners. Selfie of myself and Denise.

I love the NZ beer community. I dropped in to The Birdcage tonight. They were having a quiz as part of @aucklandbeerweek.bsky.social .I wasn't planning to stay, but the lovely Denise from Wellington happened to wander in so we knuckled down and SMASHED IT!

He was looking in his Nothing Box.

I grew up down the road from the Ben Shaws factory in Huddersfield. Their yellow lemonade was the shizzle .

OK, y'all, as I mentioned, I went to see Paul Simon play last night. I found it unexpectedly moving, quite profound actually, and I want to do a short thread about it.

I'll start by saying that, for a whole bunch of reasons, aging & mortality have been much on my mind lately.

It was sooooooo good. We immediately watched the Rebels episode where they pick up Mon, then Rogue One and it has elevated both to another level.

Oooh, Wendy James (Transvision Vamp) will be playing the Powerstation in February. I first saw them in concert during Freshers Week at uni in 1988!

Think I might have to get a ticket for that.

A bber, a cocktail and a bingo card

Day 4 of @aucklandbeerweek. I always to try to get to a new (for me) venue and tonight it was Churly's Rise in Titirangi for cocktail and beer matching, with bingo. I had an awesome time, shame there weren't more attendees. Great venue, friendly staff. Worth a repeat visit.

No need to apologise. The relentless torrent of awfulness from all directions is overwhelming. I can imagine it's worse if you have people in those regions. I often feel the need to retreat to a cave.

I'd love to get it bottle-conditioned but I don't think they send it out.

Theakston's was in the doldrums when I left the UK and I just haven't got round to giving it another go. It was great!

Glass of dark brown beer next to the can.

I've been inspired by @totalcurtis.bsky.social and @pelliclemag.com to try a classic: Theakston's Old Peculier. It has made the journey to New Zealand pretty well.

I'm sure it was the interview on The Third Pint Theory podcast that tipped them over the edge!

Brave Brewing win the Champion Brewery of New Zealand at the Brewers Guild Awards! Such a great outcome for a wonderful family-owned brewery. I'm so pleased for them.

Morningside to Newmarket

Yup, two of the planned beers arrived late so I ended up with a (mispoured) Guinness and a Duncans Pilsner.

If anyone else is around the Beer Mile today, I'm flying solo and happy to tag along with others' shenanigans

A plate with a dozen oysters in their shells. Behind it is a row of 3 small glasses of dark beer, a comically large pint of Guinness and a single small glass of pale lager.

Kicking off @aucklandbeerweek.bsky.social in traditional style. Dark beer & oysters at The Lumsden.

It's one of the most wonderful times of the beer year in Tāmaki Makaurau. A great way to support a bunch of breweries and venues that are doing it tough.

I'll be out and about most evenings, but starting off (as always) with dark beer and oysters at The Lumsden tomorrow.

Happy Yorkshire Day to all my fellow Tykes. 'Appen it's a good 'un.

The Third Pint Theory Podcast · Michael Donaldson & Martin Bridges · People, places and pints in the New Zealand Beer scene. Michael Donaldson is the editor of Pursuit of Hoppiness, New Zealand's only dedicated craft beer ...

New episode of our podcast is available. I had a great chat with Lee-Ann and Michael at Craftwork in Oāmaru.
open.spotify.com/show/5sLaqE7...
podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/t...
linktr.ee/third.pint.t...

That wasn’t an emergency alert, it was a wake-up call for dropkicks Were you awake at 6.30am this morning when your phone screamed at you? No? Well, you fucken should have been.

This opinion piece is very good and very funny, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Opinion: That wasn’t an emergency alert, it was a wake-up call for dropkicks thespinoff.co.nz/politics/31-...

The alerts are a global system so I suspect there's very little they can do to control that.

I'm glad it isn't my job to decide whether or not to send an emergency alert. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Personally, I wouldn't have done it this morning, but I don't have access to all the info.

There's a rat (with wings) in the kitchen, what are you gonna do?

Thanks for posting this. I think this morning's was a bit questionable, but I acknowledge it's a tough decision to make on whether to send them.