Revered brewer Shaun Hill believes a trip to New Zealand in 2004 set the wheels in motion for a career that has made him a global beer star. Hill…
The Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer
Beer Nation Posts
Mic Heynekamp has seen all sides of the brewing puzzle both in New Zealand and the United States so he’s well-qualified to cut through any doom-and-gloom views that suggest our…
Inspired by a bunch of other writers and critics with too little to do in the festive season at the end of the decade I’ve decided to apply to beer…
New Zealand’s Champion Brewery almost didn’t enter the NZ Beer Awards. Liberty Brewing’s Joe Wood confessed to it was only after a rev-up from his wife and business partner Christina…
The concept was straightforward – how has West Coast-style IPA changed in the past decade? The measure was even more straightforward – compare the inaugural Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge…
Urbanaut Brewing are just over two years old but already they’ve become one of the innovators on the New Zealand beer scene. Their Copacabana was the first commercially released Brut…
Like New Zealand’s most famous breweries, Taupō’s Lakeman is founded on a free and plentiful local water supply. Speight’s in Dunedin is built above a natural spring that resulted in…
Is it a beer? An orange juice? Or a mango smoothie? Welcome to the world of hazy beer, a trend that started by accident, but has been accelerated by Instagram…
Andrew Childs lowers his 195cm frame on to a bar stool and pops the top off one of his irreverently amusing Behemoth beers. Apart from being New Zealand’s tallest brewer,…
I’m a beer writer on a low-carb lifestyle – what could possibly go wrong? Well, so far, not too much because I think I’ve cracked the secret – and breweries…
Pete Gillespie of Garage Project calls it an illicit tryst. The Ministry for Primary Industries asked about its legality. Other people just call it lunacy. We’re talking about the latest…
A Blenheim winter bites hard. Especially when you’re sleeping on the floor of a warehouse with only mice for company. Sleeping on a fold-out futon on the concrete floor of…
Auckland’s summer “heatwave” (or was it the media’s summer heatwave) reminded of when I lived in Auckland as a teenager – long sleepless nights of little breeze and high humidity.…
Bach Brewing has just celebrated their fifth birthday and it’s been a coming of age in terms of achievements. Their Billfish APA won the trophy for best Pale Ale at…
The hours are long and lonely, your creations are constantly criticised and alcohol is everywhere – is it any wonder many brewers are struggling? Content warning: suicidal thoughts From the…
In late 2018 I set out to get a collective view on New Zealand’s best beer. I picked the brains of beer writers and bloggers, checked gold medal winners at…
Here’s a quick run through some of strongest beer memories of the past year. I can never claim this is a definitive list of everything beer-related in New Zealand —…
This is not a definitive bucket list, more my cut-and-paste for the next time someone asks me about my favourite beer. The answer often depends on where I am… 1.…
Two of New Zealand’s best-loved brewpubs are bringing their beer to the people. Galbraith’s Alehouse in Auckland is famous for its traditional cask ales but – until now – they…