Pair these award-winning hazies with our yummy recipes

Hazy pale ales and IPAs are quite free-wheeling when it comes to food matches. You’ll find the mouthfeel is creamy, silky and lush and the flavour is about tropical fruit with a sweetish finish. It’s no wonder they’re often described as juicy. They are great beers to offset briny shellfish, such as oysters or mussels. The richness of a hazy makes it a great alternative to wine – try them with lightly spiced noodles or rice, such as a Malaysian-style nasi goreng or char kway teow. And the sweet, fruity flavours and mellow body also go superbly well with vanilla and chocolate desserts.

Three of our five hazies — Shining Peak’s Petite Pegasus, Double Vision Mouth Party and Urbanaut Newtown Hazy Pale Ale —lean towards the lighter end of the spectrum in terms of ABV and palate-weight. Lighter-style Asian food such as noodles and fried rice are enhanced by sipping on a hazy pale ale. Equally, white meats such as roast pork with apple sauce and Japanese-style karaage chicken — are ideal partners to a fluffy, juicy hazy.

Try Petite Pegasus with some fish sliders, double up the party in your mouth by matching Double Vision’s Mouth Party to some mee goreng noodles, and the Urbanaut Newtown has the smooth heft to handle karaage chicken.

The super-fruity Urbanaut Silver City Hazy IPA would love the crunch of nachos — beef or vegetarian, it doesn’t matter as long as there’s corn chips and guacamole involved. Equally the sweet flavours here will go nicely with a chocolate brownie.

Ruapehu Brewing’s Unlimited Vis has a bit more oomph to it, a more bristly texture and good bitterness, so try it with something a bit weightier like a beef rendang.