Moa St Josephs Ale

Moa Brewery, Marlborough, New Zealand

$10.99/750 ml bottle; $6.99 375 ml bottle at metro beverage stores

MOA

Profile: Moa Brewery, located in the heart New Zealand’s wine country, produces a wide variety of styles, from pilsner, dark lager and wheat beer to pale ale and winter ale. St Josephs Ale is brewed and bottle conditioned in the style of a classic Belgian abbey tripel, with Belgian ale yeast and candy sugar. At 9.5 percent alcohol by volume, it’s surprisingly smooth, with a voluminous white head, spritzy mouthfeel, fruity, spicy and rummy aromas and flavors and a nice touch of hop bitterness.

Pair with: Moa recommends pairing St Josephs Ale with pork dishes or an antipasto platter. It would also be a fine match for sausages, schnitzel or salmon.

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast: brewingnews.com/southernbrew

— Bob Townsend, AJC Drink blog