For the thousands of first year students that descend upon the streets of North Dunedin, the heaping trays of SoGo serve as something of a baptism. The awkwardness of high school is washed away by litres and litres of tasteless, frothy lager, and you are reborn as a fully-fledged scarfie.
Having left my hall and grown up slightly (if you can call it that), I have moved beyond SoGo to the luxurious heights of brand-name domestic beer, Speight’s, Export, even the occasional Monteith’s when I’m feeling fancy. But never Tui, fuck Tui. So it was something of a treat this week to revisit the beer that started it all.
I took my tray of 24 sparkling golden cans on a chilly Sunday morning to compete in the Otago University Beer Pong Society’s annual Open Championship. Battling a hangover—which the organiser insisted was not an excuse, but a “prerequisite for participation”, I feared the first gulp would send me into spewing frenzy. I was pleasantly surprised. The beer went down remarkably easily, probably due to complete and utter lack of hops or any distinctive bitterness whatsoever.
Of course, you never know what you’re going to get with SoGo, and seasoned drinkers will know full well that the drop varies wildly from batch to batch, each 6-pack a surprise in itself.
SoGo treated me excellently over the course of the tournament. Its light, bubbly nature makes it the ideal choice for sculling when you really can’t fit any more in your gullet but you’ve got to finish that last cup. The entire club was in great spirits. An impromptu shop was set up by the tournament hosts, who served a fantastic fairy bread/mince pie/vodka shot combo for just $5. The fairy bread paired particularly well, and the hundreds and thousands made for exciting new colours in the vomit bucket.
Tasting notes: Non-Existent
Dollars per standard: $1.16
Froth Level: 4/10 ; the gassy foam can put a damper on your dancing ability
Nostalgia Level: 9/11 (Never Forget)