Name: Elemental
Brewery: Renaissance (Blenheim, New Zealand)
Style: Porter
ABV: 6%
Source: Albar (Dunedin, New Zealand)
Yesterday, on my way back from Oamaru, I stopped in Dunedin to sink a few pints with my brother. It would have been rude not to.
The obvious place to do this was Albar – a cosy little pub in the Octagon with a small but thoughtful range of bottled beers, and three hand-pull taps. On one of them was the Renaissance Elemental Porter, which was just the thing to drink on a chilly, drizzly, typically shite Dunedin day.
It was a perfect rainy afternoon really. We sat on leather armchairs sipping porter, playing an archaic (1983) version of Trivial Pursuit.
The Elemental Porter was delicious as it always is – with strong notes of bitter chocolate and espresso, warm spices, roasty malt and a hint of smoke. There was a lovely balance between sweet malt and bitterness at the finish, and on the hand-pull it was silky-smooth.
It was so easy to drink that I had another, meanwhile failing to gain traction on the ancient Trivial Pursuit. Finally I got my first pie when I answered the question: What has 336 dimples?
Beer for a Year 
Golf Ball?
Or possibily Shirely Temple if she had been cloned 167 times
That’s the one!
I love “chilly, drizzly, typically shite Dunedin day.”s I could trade summer for them no problem.
if they were all spent in Albar naturally.
My favourite black beer in the country on its day… great to see it finally pick up a gold at BrewNZ this year. Although they are quite different beers, I am happiest with PKB when I think “It’s tasting as good as Elemental”.
And one of the best bars, for sure.