The NZ Beer Scene

We've been here for three weeks so definitely time for a post about the NZ Beer scene from a home/commercial brewers ex-pat perspective.

First up the mainstream bottle shops are crap. Let me re-phrase that. AVOID MAINSTREAM BOTTLESHOPS. They are the exact transposition of the majority of Australian pubs. Ruled by the two mainstream brewers.

Right got that off my chest, how is the craft beer scene ??

Obviously a LOT has changed in the last 15 years since I left. On the plus the rise of the small local breweries. Being based in Nelson for our Rugby World Cup sojourn you would expect the immediate proximities of so many craft breweries should provide a huge wealth of beer offerings to inspire and excite my taste buds.
Likewise our many trips already to Wellington for rugby games and side trips to all the latest craft beer bars should have uncovered a wealth of new flavors to tantalise my taste buds.

The reality is that NZ is still a very small market, and the majority of pubs are still frequented by the older drinker locked into the beer(s) they have always drunk. Craft beer drinkers or even worse the craft beer traveller/hunter/brewer/ticker/researcher like myself are in the minority and at the mercy of the craft brewers trying to make ends meet. They appear to be still trying to brew that gateway beer that is enough to differentiate themselves from the BIG 2 but not offend and still be able to charge a small premium.
For the most part this means that the brick & mortar brewers, each are producing the standard lager, amber, dark and a seasonal. 

In terms of an entire lineup of beers, the definite stand-outs in are Epic, Tuatara, Yeastie Boys (and I hope to find more on upcoming laps of the Nth and Sth Islands). There are also breweries for beer I've tasted only one or two of their lineups that I'm keen to further explore.

Having real world experience of selling beer targeted at craft beer aficionados I intimately understand the the problem of being able to sell certain volumes of beer in order to break even. However this is my beer journey/research trip and I'm still looking to be wowed and inspired.

So enough of the preface, what have I found that has tweaked my senses and got me excited ?

DISCLAIMER: this does not cover the MANY beers that I've previously had the opportunity to imbibe in, in Australia (eg. all the beers at the @localtaphouseDL / @localtaphouseSK Kiwi SpecTAPular (many of which have already inspired or exited me) or via niche bottle shops in Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne, & Oz craft beer venues/festivals).

8 Wired
- Sauvin Saison ( yes this is avail in Oz but I held off knowing I was coming to NZ and visiting the source )
- Superconductor ( whilst not poured in the best condition at the venue I had it at the aroma, body and flavor were all fantastic

Golden Ticket Brewing
- Emperor Strikes Black ( wow from the first mouthful. Downed two pints in the first sitting and hop to get more this weekend )

Croucher Brewing
- Mothers Milk Stout ( has been a goto beer at a couple of venues and hasn't disappointed each time )

Mussel Inn

- Dark Horse ( a dark horse been indeed. Not overly out there in any respect, just a really really well made enjoyable beer )

- Freckled Frog ( a Feijoa Cider. I'm not a big fan of cider but really enjoyed this one. A great balance of all the right flavours).

For a list of what has been sampled so far just checkout my Untappd timeline here.

My tips are:
1. If you want to get great craft beer in NZ don't go to a major chain bottle-shop !!
2. Find a specialist bottle-shop that understands what craft beer really is.
3. Check out your local supermarket. Some are good & some are awesome. In Nelson/Richmond Fresh Choice does an awesome job of supporting the local craft brewers by selling their beers in both FYO (fill your own) style eg. Rigger, Goon as well as bottled product.
a: for instance today I found Epic Hop Zombie, Yeastie Boys Rex Attitude & Duncan Founders latest seasonal at a small metro style Fresh Choice
b: they also had instore wine tasting using those cool closed system win sampling machines.

4. Checkout BeerTourist. It will give you the real quick headsup on where to be.

Taste Nelson

Taste Nelson is a festival that encapsulates everything that is fantastic about Nelson: food, wine, beer, seafood, fresh produce, culinary delights, arts, crafts and local performing talent.

And with the greatest concentration of breweries in NZ there was a great selection to choose from whilst letting the kids enjoy the rides.

It was a beautiful day and Sam and I were just off the plane back from Wellington after a big night at the rugby with Australia beating USA 67-5.

Taste Nelson is held in the historic Founders Heritage Park.

At Founders Heritage Park you can experience life as it was in Nelson in the 1880s to 1930s. Set in character streets with shops as they were it is a trek back in time.

We enjoyed some great NZ scallops, Maori bread, fish, hot dogs and of course beer.
Breweries that were at Taste Nelson were;

• McCashins/Stoke Brewery 
• Bays Brewery 
• Moutere Inn 
• The Mussel Inn 
• Lighthouse Brewery 
• Duncan Founders Brewery 

I sampled beers from all but the Lighthouse Brewery. 5 hours is just not enough time ;-) The did have a great way of serving directly from their brewery wagon though (see below).

Whilst most of the beers were pretty mainstream the Feijoa Cider from Mussel Inn was very enjoyable.

With a Ferris Wheel, mini Hot Rod rides, face painting, jumping castle the kids had a blast.

Marlborough Sounds, French Pass & Vice's

We are currently based in the middle of the outer Marlborough Sounds (Okiwi Bay).
Okiwi Bay is located within "Croisilles Harbour" (Whangarae), and was named after French explorer Dumont D'Urville's uncle the Abbot of Croisilles in 1827.
D'Urville also passed through and named "French Pass" (Te Aumiti) which is approximately an hours drive from Okiwi Bay.

My father grew up at French Pass, and I've spend a lot of time down here over the years. The French Pass village sits opposite D'Urville Island and the turbulent piece of water known as the French Pass Passage. Here the water races through on each tide at up to eight knots creating whirlpools, eddies and currents, a truly awesome passage feared and respected by mariners.

Once navigated by Maori in canoes it proved more difficult for Dumont D'Urville. In 1827 he spent several days investigating the passage before venturing through it. He described the sea as a seething sheet where great precaution needed to be taken. On his journey through he clipped the reef twice before ‘floating majestically into Admiralty Bay.

Today the weather wasn't predictable enough to take the kids out fishing, so we ventured over to Blenheim to visit a couple of passions of Sam and myself. Champagne (obviously Sparkling Wine here) and Beer.
We visited the two premier Sparkling Wine vineyards of Brancott Estate and No1 Family Estate. Both provided tastings (Brancott though not of the sparklings) and resulted in the obligatory purchases. A bonus was the kids wine region themed playground at Brancott that kept the kids amused whilst we imbibed.

I visited Soren at 8 Wired Brewing for a catchup and quick speccy at the brewery while they were busy filtering a beer, bottling another and getting ready for brewday tomorrow. 8 Wired is utilising some excess space from the mother brewery (Renaissance Brewing). With a fresh batch of HopWired onboard it was time for the sweet tooth's onobard to be appeased.

Makana Chocolate to the rescue. A couple of great samples tasted, a viewing of Xmas chocolates in production and more obligatory purchases completed I wanted one more stop; Moa Brewing.

However unlike their website suggested they were closed. A phone call to officially confirm and it was off the list for today. Fortunately we will be back through here again before we leave, hopefully when they promise to be open.

On the route back into the Sounds we stopped at Havelock to visit Eyes on Nature. A really neat representation of fish and birds in their surroundings recreated by a taxidermist using fiberglass. The attention to detail in the models is amazing. Everything from penguins to sharks, eels, crayfish, bats and kiwis.

Tomorrow weather pending we fish.

Nelson, Wellington & Beer

Nelson is the craft beer capital of New Zealand. The Beer Tourist website clearly shows this.
Have only been here a couple of days and just started to scratch the surface, but have already been to the following or sampled beer from;

• Sprig & Fern
• McCashin's 
• Totara Brewing Co
• Mussel Inn
• Golden Bear
• Abbey Restaurant Cafe & Garden Bar
• Squires Pub and Cafe

and in Wellington with a little time to kill before and after the South Africa vs Wales game;

• LBQ (Little Beer Quarter)
• Tap Haus
• Fork & Brewer (opened last week)
• Hashigo Zake

I can honestly say that New Zealand has an awesome beer scene.

Tomorrow we're off to Blenheim and I'll be visiting 8 Wired & Renaissance Brewing, Moa and plan lunch at Ye Olde Malthouse Restaurant.

And of course all this is research. I've already got a couple of ideas on the go for some new Doctor's Orders beers for 2012.