You had me at beer...

It's the time of year when your butter turns hard in the pantry, the fire gets dusted off and you forget to clean the lawnmower after it's tough summer workout. Again.

Autumn. Personally I'm a fan, after all it means you can really encourage and justify your beard growth plus you can start cooking a roast on a Sunday again, waving a fond farewell to summer salads.

Of course the more serious side of the cooler temperatures is the switch in beer drinking habits. Is it time to ditch the chilled lager or radler for a red wine? Or start working on the winter calorie hike with a deep porter... All serious questions that merit honest deliberation over a beer or two.

Of course, you can drink whatever you want, whenever you want (in moderation of course, gentlemen never drink too much - note from the lawyers).

In Queenstown we are not blessed with many local brews like you lucky Wellingtonians, but what we have is pure quality. During the winter months we shy away from ice cold cheap lager (save it for the Aussie ski bunnies thank you very much) and instead savour the delights of local legends Altitude Brewing. Winter favourites after a cold ride in the hills are The Mischievous Kea or the rather unique Moonlight Track. Try them, and if you can't get them locally, ask someone to send you some...

The moral of this story? Well, none really, I'm just sat in front of the fire contemplating a roast on Friday whilst drinking a beer. And considering my future beard goals for this winter, obviously 👊