“Vonu is a clean, crisp lager beer, brewed with tropical water in the heavenly Fiji islands.”
There’s a saying in Fiji which goes “on Fiji time” meaning stress less, smile more and kick back. And that’s exactly what I’m doing while the 2nd hop head stresses out at work back in Sydney! After a tough day sun baking, jet skiing, swimming and cocktailing, nothing goes down better than a crisp lager as the sun sets. This is the true meaning of being “on Fiji time”. Poured from the bottle in to a flute glass. The bright golden appearance offers brilliant clarity, allowing me to see straight through on to the blue ocean and green palm fronds. The aggressive pour struggles to arouse much head, knocking up about a fingers worth before it gradually recedes to a collar with minimal lace. The nose is soft, grainy and quite fruity. Aromatic wafts of mango, paw paw, pineapple and rockmelon are not only a welcome surprise but a delight to take in. There’s a decent little balance struck here too as a slightly grainy malt base evens it out. Maybe a touch of doughy/bready malt in here too. The perfect elixir for sub-tropical weather. In the mouth it’s crisp and light on with a vibrant Co2 level. Just washes over the palate with ease but without being thin and watery like a Corona would. Super sessional. The palate is being provided with a subtle bitterness that cuts through the slightly corny/DMS fore-flavour. A hint of stone fruit sweetness develops before the doughy/bready malts carry forward through the mid while a crisp, dry finish rounds out this respectable lager. I’m stoked I found this beer, with very limited options (and staying well clear of crap like Heineken and VB) the only other options are Fiji bitter (very ordinary) Fiji premium (ordinary) SP (worse than the bitter) and Fiji gold (the worst of the lot). So, my friends if you choose to visit this stunning island nation be sure to stick to Vonu (meaning turtle in Fijian). Now I’m off to tend to my sun burn.