Chris Shanahan: I’ll take the original Steinlager please

If the new Steinlager Pure “encapsulates the purity of New Zealand in a bottle” does that make it more pure than the original Steinlager – which uses “only pure, natural New Zealand ingredients”?

Why can’t the spin-doctors simply cut to the chase and tell us what’s different about the new product? It’s not the purity. Both versions claim that. And it’s not the amount of alcohol, carbohydrates or energy in each 100ml. According to the website they’re identical in Steinlager and Steinlager Pure.

The press releases says that Steinlager Pure uses Pacific Jade and Nelson Sauvin hops, while the website attributes the original Steinlager’s distinctive flavour, in part, to Green Bullet hops.

Hops are important, of course, because they affect the aroma, flavour and bitterness of beer. So, if we sip the two side by side, yes, there’s a flavour difference.

Now the press release says that Steinlager Pure “satisfies the thirst of a modern drinker”. My interpretation of this, after tasting both beers, is that the modern drinker doesn’t like hops aroma, flavour or bitterness. I couldn’t help viewing the new release as a dumbed-down version of the old.