Steinlager. It's what the Chief drinks when on leave

Steinlager is the best beer in the world. It's a fact. Therefore, there is no point arguing with me. If you wish to raise an issue, go see Austin Power's daddy, he's got you a clean tissue.

All good Kiwi lads are raised on Steinlager, in fact it's a legal requirement that all boys who show signs of leadership potential are given the liquid ambrosia in their school lunches from the age of 7 onwards. In my case, such were my leadership qualities, I was given nothing but Steinlager for lunch from the age of 4 years and 3 months. This explains a lot clearly.

Such is the rich culture of New Zealand that we produced Chris Butcher. He single handedly wrote some of the code of a small game I refer to as Halo: Combat Evolved while hungover after drinking a boat load of Steinlager. I understand he woke up in a field somewhere with dribble on his collar and a new design for the flux capacitor. Indeed, check out my interview with Chris that I managed to score last week.

What I am slurring on about Steinlager? Well, it's a fact that Chris influenced the Bungie Studio so much that when they made Halo 3, they drank nothing but Steinlager and doughnuts and paracetamol. Again, this is fact, do not even attempt to haggle on the point, dear readers.

So it was no surprise when I played a round of Firefight on the Rally Point ODST map and I spied this:

What is it? It's a lion. King of the Jungle. Oh wait, it reminds me of something else. Could it be the brand logo of Lion Nathan, that blessed company that brews the best beer in the world (and that's a fact)? It might just be, dear Halo Reach Game News fan, it might just be...

So what does this mean for my sober readers? Is this an hereto undiscovered ODST Easter Egg? An Easter egg in a Halo game that refers to little old New Zealand's finest beer?

What does this mean for my drunk readers? It means this has all been a huge fantasy. Just like that time you scored Elle MacPherson's sister.

Speaking of beer, here's some thoughts on making the stuff.

List of equipment to get for brewing beer

While a good workman should never blame his tools - a similar principle applies that if you want to make good beer. A few handy tools can help to take those B- beers to an A grade drinking experience.

Looking after your brewing equipment is just as important!

Here's a mix of the equipment you need to make a handy beer and some tips and tricks to look after it!

Gear to use with brewing

• What gear do I need to start home brewing?
• The 5 best ph Meters for making beer
• The best beer wort chillers tools guide
• What kind of thermometer to test wort
• Using oak wood chips for  beer flavourigngBest ph Meters for testing wort
• Best gas burner for beer
• pH probe replacement part guide
• Best grain mills to crush grain
• Buyer's Guide on the Milwaukee MW102 pH Meter
• Excellent kettles for boiling wort.

Ideas on how to best clean and maintain  brewing gear

• What is the PBW cleaner for brewstone?
• How do I sanitise all my beer  equipment?
• How to use Sodium Percarbonate to clean and sanitize beer brewing bottles
• What is the best homebrew sanitizer for making beer?
• Recipe for making a substitute PBW beer equipment cleaner
• Buyer's Guide for the best pH meters
• Using buffer solution to calibrate
• How to prevent 'brewstone' build up

Ahem, I seem to have woken up from this post with a terribly parched throat and a hangover the size of the Death Star. Would you be a dear and get me some paracetamol?