Summer is running late this year, but Alice Galletly has found a solution in beer.

Are you, like me, currently looking out the window at a solid wall of grey, drizzly sky and wondering if summer is ever going to show its sorry face?

Well fear not, because today I’m going to teach you a valuable life lesson. It’s called: How to Trick Your Brain Into Thinking It’s Summer During Gale Force Winds And Torrential Rain. All it takes is a very summery beer, a few props, and a lot of imagination!

You will need:
1 bottle Bach Brewing Duskrider IPA, chilled
1 glass
1 bottle sunscreen
This clip of waves lapping against a sea shore
1 industrial-sized heat lamp (optional).

Step 1: Apply your sunscreen. Don't worry too much about coverage, it's there so the smell will trigger memories of a better time - a time when you could get sunburnt.

Step 2: Turn on your ocean sounds and, if using, your heat lamp (you could also change into togs and lie on a towel underneath it at this point. Do whatever feels right!)

Step 3: Pour your Duskrider into a glass and hold it up to the light – you’ll notice the lovely amber colour that comes from the specialty malts. Bring the glass to your nose and breathe in the heady scent of ripe summer fruits, orange peel and sticky pine resin. Concentrate on the Duskrider beer label and imagine you are at that beach, standing with toes in the still-warm sand. As the sun sinks into the ocean, take a sip of the beer and let the juicy caramel malt fill your mouth. Hear the waves lapping against the sand, and feel the gentle bitterness as the beer slips down your throat. 

Okay, so even if you’re not quite as tragically desperate for summer to arrive I am, I recommend keeping some Duskrider in your fridge these holidays all the same. It’s so fruity and well-balanced, it's got to be one of the most delicious new beers I've tried this year. And until you get to take some to the beach - a real one - you can always enjoy it indoors with a game of Monopoly (ocean sound playing in the background, naturally). 

Duskrider IPA is available at selected liquor store and supermarkets, and from The Beer Cellar .

Beer of the week is bought to you in association with the Brewers Guild of New Zealand. For more information on New Zealand brewers, breweries and beer, visit brewersguild.org.nz