Winner of the 2013 West Coast Challenge at the malthouse in Wellington - a palate-destroying smackdown you've got to experience to understand - Knife Party is a Swiss Army IPA featuring every US hop variety allowed through customs. If you heedlessly crave the hop, you've found the correct beer.

It sounds Japanese but it's as American as having a BMI of 32. The Yakima Valley in Washington state, situated in the top left corner of the lower 48, is home to some of our favourite hop varieties, the tiny green flavour bombs that powered the whole craft beer renaissance from the get go. Liberty is what it smells like.

First known as Imperial Draught Ale, before being nick named 'The Brown Bomber' by servicemen in the forties and later taking on that name in 1950. Established as Lion Brown from 1953, it was originally served only from the tap, a unique barrel shaped stand that became an icon in pubs around the country.

The whole hop flowers in the Pale Ale give it a serious citrus and stone fruit flavour, balanced with specialty malts and a hit of bitterness.

Do your eyes deceive you or is that a ghostly galleon laden with a bounty of juicy hops hidden in the mist? Set sail into the hazy unknown for a supernaturally fruity burst of tropical and citrus flavours followed by an eerily smooth finish. Gaining more and more popularity among craft beer aficionados and novices alike, hazy IPAs are characterised by juicy flavours, a big viscous mouthfeel and very smooth bitterness along with turbidity or cloudiness, giving the resulting beverage the appearance and flavour of a refreshing glass of alcoholic fruit juice.

Do your eyes deceive you or is that a ghostly galleon laden with a bounty of juicy hops hidden in the mist? Set sail into the hazy unknown for a supernaturally fruity burst of tropical and citrus flavours followed by an eerily smooth finish. Gaining more and more popularity among craft beer aficionados and novices alike, hazy IPAs are characterised by juicy flavours, a big viscous mouthfeel and very smooth bitterness along with turbidity or cloudiness, giving the resulting beverage the appearance and flavour of a refreshing glass of alcoholic fruit juice.

Black Mac is a smooth Porter with hints of caramel, liquorice & chocolate. Earnestly made from a combo of 5 different malts, topped with Fuggle hops. Black Mac swims with dark undercurrents of caramel, liquorice and chocolate, topped off with the unique aroma of the Fuggles. Yes, they're really called that. No self-respecting brewery can do without a spectacular dark ale hogging the limelight, and of course no brewers are more self-respecting than Mac's. It tempers the smoothness of its toasted malts with the characterful presence of its hops.

The story of the Ginger Giant is legendary - but how do we know he is ginger if no-one's ever seen him? Take a break from lurking in the forest and relish a taste of this refreshing zingy ginger beer. Made with real ginger juice and NZ vodka, Mac's Ginger Giant has a clean and refreshing flavour. Unlike traditional ginger beers brewed through fermentation, Mac's Ginger Giant offers a unique twist with its blend of real ginger juice and premium vodka.

Mac's Gold is the talisman of the Mac's family, an all malt lager brewed naturally with hints of citrus and sweet malts. Mac's Gold is the First, the Original, the Supreme naturally brewed all malt lager unbroken and therefore unfixed since 1983. It's remained ahead of the curve, at the bleeding edge thanks to its delicate caramel sweetness and crisp, clean aftertaste. Connoisseurs will note that the mid-palate bitterness and hints of citrus have not been tinkered with.

Mac's Gold is the talisman of the Mac's family, an all malt lager brewed naturally with hints of citrus and sweet malts.

Brewed to produce flavours of citrus, pine & tropical fruit. This India Pale Ale is then dry hopped for an explosion of hop aroma & flavour. Powerful and precise, Green Beret packs an arsenal of citrus and pine flavours with a skilfully controlled explosion of hoppy goodness. Mac's Green Beret IPA is named after the assertive punch of the US hops, but like any good soldier it also knows the virtues of discipline and restraint. The result is a well-balanced IPA that has a complex and rewarding flavour profile.

If you like your pilsner to show a bit of hop, you've come to the right place - Hop Rocker is the flashy lead guitarist in the Mac's beer supergroup. While a modicum of classic malt helps to put body into Hop Rocker, that's hardly why it's so called. Smell those citrus aromas. Savour those bitter notes. All the result of Nelson Sauvin and New Zealand Cascade hops, adding a touch of botanical exoticism to your leisure activities.