Ice Lager, Lion Breweries: 4.7% ABV

A smooth relaxing beer which is suitable for someone looking for a lighter , fresher taste. Great value for money. Sold in 12 or 18 packs.

• Price: Anywhere from $12 to $16 per dozen or $20 per 18 pack of bottles.
• Rating: 8/10.

Light Ice, Lion Breweries: 2.5% ABV

This low alcohol beverage gives a clean, refreshing taste. There is very little mouth feel in this beer, but the flavor is still sweet. Very similar to Ice Lager on a lighter scale.

• Price: $7 to $11 per 6 pack of bottles.
• Rating: 7.5/10

Steinlager, Lion Breweries: 5% ABV

Steinlager is New Zealand's own and a proud sponsor of The All Blacks (New Zealand Rugby Team). A living legend on the kiwi beer scene . With a strong , dominating taste it is full of hops and gives plenty to the tongue. A definite try.

• Price: $10 to $12 per 6 pack of bottles or $20 per dozen. Have seen 15 packs for $20 as well.
• Rating: 9/10

Export Gold, DB Breweries: 4% ABV

Personally, my favorite. It's a full strength golden lager which is full of aroma. Very easy to drink in the summer and provides a pleasant taste to the mouth.

• Price: Can buy in cans or bottles. 6 packs $7 - $10 (Longneck bottles). 12 packs of bottles/cans $13 to $18, 15 packs $16 - $ 21, and 24 packs $26 - $33.
• Rating: 9.5/10

Flame, DB Breweries: 5.2%

If you are after a strong and value for money beer, this is it. Flame has a good following and is proffered to be drunk very cold. It has the taste of tropical fruits and good aroma with a definite kick. A good starter to night out on the town. It packs a punch!

• Price: $12-$15 per dozen of bottles or $20 per 16 bottles.
• Rating: 9/10.

There are plenty more New Zealand lagers that should be mentioned. In my next article I will give you a list of my Top 5 New Zealand Draught Beers. I hope this helps the average thirsty tourist to New Zealand.

"BILK" basically means Beer plus Milk. The idea to produce BILK (which is 30% milk and 70% beer) came from a liquor shop owner in Hokkaido, Japan. In order to solve the problem of overproduction of local milk and to help out his fellow friends and family members (mostly dairy farmers), he proposed to add the milk to beer. BILK also contains hops and the process of making it does not differ much from the normal brewery process. It looks and tastes like ordinary beer with a strong scent of milk and hints of sweet fruity flavor. Currently, BILK is sold only in Japan. However, due to heavy media attention and high local demand, the product is normally out of stock.

2. CHOCOLATE BEER

This limited edition of the "Imperial Chocolate Stout"” is produced by Atsugi, Japan Brewery just before the Valentines Day celebration. What's unusual about this product is it doesn't even contain any cocoa even though the beverage tastes chocolatey and there is a word "Chocolate" in its name. To produce this beer, the malt is roasted at a very high temperature to create the chocolate flavor and darker body. It has an alcohol content of 8.9 percent. The beer costs around 630 yen per bottle and is available only in Japan.

3. CHAMPAGNE BEER

Cobra Beer Inc USA launched the "Krait Prestige Champagne Lager" in 2006. This beverage is a combination of champagne and lager or beer in one bottle. The term "Champagne" actually describes the process of making this product. Once the beverage is packed into 750ml bottles, they will be injected with ale yeast and it is cork conditioned for 2 weeks. The retail price of this product is about $13 per bottle.

4. DOG'S BEER

A pet shop owner in The Netherlands came up with an idea to create beer for her pet dog. The non-alcoholic beverage is made of beef extract and malt. A small local brewery helped her to make her dream come true by producing the beverage, labeled as "Kwispelbier", which basically means beer for the wagging tail. It costs about $2.15 per bottle or equivalent to Euro 1.65.

5. PIZZA BEER

The "Mamma Mia Pizza Beer" was created by Tom and Athena Seefurth of Campton Township, Illinois, USA in 2006. The beer is now sold in their local restaurant and it claims to be the world's first culinary beer. The ingredients to produce this beverage include tomatoes, onions, garlics and spices such as oregano and basil. Obviously, "the beer tastes of the ingredients mentioned above" as claimed by the locals who have tasted it.

6. BEER-SICLES

A restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia came up with the idea of creating the beer-sicles or frozen beer popsicles-look-alike made from 99 percent beer quite recently. However, due to controversy and possible violation of the local alcohol law, the production of the said beer-sicles was put to a temporary stop until further notice.

7. LAUGHING BEER

Israeli chemical engineers came up with the idea of infusing beer with a small amount of laughing gas or nitrous oxide, nitrous oxide, a controlled substance in Israel. It is said that the beer may cause the drinker to laugh. It might be a good way to have some fun and relieve some stress too. However,this product is not in the market yet, pending the approval from the local Health Ministry and patenting procedures.