Things that make a hop geek giggle

Dr.  Rudi Brewery taps

These are a few of the taps at Dr. Rudi’s rooftop bar in Auckland, a busy place with plenty of outdoor space and views of Viaduct Harbour.

But what made the spot special for me is the Wi-Fi password: smoothcone.

That’s because Dr. Rudi is a hop first released in 1976 and called Super Alpha. Her name was changed to Dr. Rudi in 2012.

Smooth Cone is her mother.

Welcome to Wellington

Brayden Owlinson, Fork & Brewer Brewing

What do you do when you arrive in a new city, luggage in hand, and your accommodations will not be available until hours later? Thursday (Wednesday back in Colorado) our friend Brayden Owlinson at Fork & Brewer in Wellington was nice enough to store our bags while we headed to Zealandia.

And later we drank beer together and met more brewers.