Peanut butter, ice cream, breakfast cereals, chocolate, donuts, jam - there's nothing off limits when it comes to dreaming up dessert beers. And soon you're going to see all sorts of liquid treats, especially around the annual Beervana festival, proudly presented by Liquorland, which is now taking place in Wellington on November 20-21st. Beer lovers will witness brewers letting their inner child loose in the store cupboard to create sweet sensations.

Dessert beers are hugely popular in the United States and Britain, and slowly, like a good fondant oozing across your plate, they are coming to New Zealand. These tend to be seasonal beers, more of a winter option. Some great examples in recent years include Behemoth's Triple Chocolate Milk Stout, which is just what it claims to be: layers of decadent chocolate and cocoa. 

Garage Project are great explorers of this genre, and their Cereal Milk Stout, made with cornflakes, is typical of the style. A lot os these beers are collaborations and there's no better example than Moa tag-teaming with Lewis Road Creamery to make an Espresso & Chocolate Milk Stout, with the coffee perfectly balancing out the sweetness.

On a similar note, but playing at the sour end of the spectrum, Duncan's Brewing Co creates a range of what they call Ice Cream Sours, marrying effervescent sour beers with lactose and fruit to create a delicate sweet-tart balance.