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KIWI BREWS TAKING OVER TAPS ACROSS AUSSIE. FEBRUARY 2018
CHUR TO THESE PEEPS There’s loads of people we need to thank for bringing the New Zealand Craft Beer Symposium to you, the people of Australia. Sean at SB Marketing for all the brand, design, web, social media stuff, and some photos. Jono at Shout It Loud for journal & posters printing. Billy Gibson for drunk daytime drawing.
Luke G for raffle tickets.
James at Lakeman.
Bridie Rose MacInnes for photos.
Austin and Scott at Ruapehu Brew Collective.
John at Better Beer.
Jo at Visit Ruapehu.
Trent at Hemlock.
Beth at Beervana.
Paul at Croucher.
Matt & Shannon at Mt Ruapehu.
Adam at Garage Project. Tammy and Gloria at Mata.
And special thanks to Nate at Kegstar.
KIA ORA AUSTRALIA My, how time flies! It’s already been 5 years since we had a little soiree at The Catfish in Fitzroy Melbourne to celebrate great New Zealand craft beer on Waitangi Day, with a 38 degree day and over 400 people imbibing to escape the heat. Since then our wee event has grown and we have added a few more friends from around Australia in what has now become an important date on the Australian craft beer calendar.
I say friends because all the people involved have a passion for beer, and when I say beer I mean great craft beer. They take the time to bring you events like this one so that you have access to the best and they care about delivery, freshness and the way it is poured. That in my mind is a great mate.
So do me a favour check out all our friends and give them a visit or point your mates in the right direction if they are in another city as NZCBS #5 has some seriously good beer. And while you’re at it, post a photo on Instagram using the hashtag #NZCBS.
A new feature for the Symposium is the introduction to a part of New Zealand and the breweries from within it that have never been seen in Australia. This year it’s the Volcanic Highway from the middle of the North Island. Lakeman, Mata, Ruapehu, and Croucher produce bloody good beer and we’re excited to be able to bring them to many venues across Aussie during the event.
As well as bringing you some newbies , we’ve also got some of the big dogs from the NZ Craft beer world with brews from Garage Project, 8 Wired, Epic, Hallertau, Kereru, and Hop Federation so there’s plenty to get trying. Our national prize is a trip for two to visit the Volcanic Highway and all it has to offer on the road to Beervana, so you could well be making a visit to these breweries if you win. Cheers and see you at the bar! Paul Stieglbauer (The dude behind NZCBS)
MEET THE BREWERS
- Wellington garageproject.co.nz
- Auckland epicbeer.com
- Wellington kererubrewing.co.nz
Here to take some risks, to have a bit of fun & to try something new.
Hop intense craft beer. It just tastes bigger.
Producing fresh, locallysupplied beers made from the finest ingredients.
- Kowhai Coast 8wired.co.nz
- Auckland hallertau.co.nz
- Tasman hopfederation.co.nz
Inspired by a Kiwi can-do mentality to challenge the masses.
Twelve years of twisting beer tradition for a good buzz sensation.
Producing an expression of traditional craft & creative innovation.
- Rotorua croucherbrewing.co.nz
- Ohakune ruapehubrewing.co.nz
Every Croucher beer is an invitation to explore. A challenge to never stop taking risks.
A nano Brewery with the mighty Volcano Mt Ruapehu as our backdrop.
This year’s Symposium brings you the chance to experience the best of breweries that live along New Zealand’s Volcanic Highway, which runs through the North Island. - Kawerau mata.net.nz
- Lake Taupo lakemanbrewing.co.nz
Creating and brewing an innovative range of award winning flavoursome beers.
On the shores of the great Lake Taupõ, tales abound of a mythical beer-drinking beast.
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WHAT’S THE BIG PRIZE? Find out more about this year’s national prize - One winner takes all! Flights, Rental car, accommodation, and tickets to Beervana for two are all part of the package plus awesome hospitality from our Symposium friends along the way. A superb road trip encompassing the Volcanic Highway in the central North Island of New Zealand. Leave Auckland and drive to Rotorua and settle in after a big day. Wake up and with coffee in hand drive to Mata in Whakatane to meet Tammy and her mother Gloria for an introduction to what it means to operate a world class craft brewery. The trials and tribulations of owning a brewery don’t stop there as you drive from Whakatane to Rotorua to meet Paul Croucher from Croucher Brewery who will take you through the realisation of a
brewery dream from start to finish. In the evening you will be required to attend an Aus vs Kiwi brew experience at Brew bar in Rotorua to prove there is no disparity between Aus and NZ beers! Yeah right. Follow your hangover to Taupo where James from Lakeman brewery will take you for a tour of this brewery and a tourism experience that will shake your boots, followed by an insiders guide to nightlife in Taupo - the Queenstown of the North Island and one of the undiscovered adventure sports capitals of the globe. Hows that hangover?
Head to Ohakune and meet Austin from Ruapehu Brew Co who will be your personal guide at Turoa to ski or snowboard (snowboard preferably ) After a big day on the slopes you will be hosted by The Kitchen in Ohakune and a bunch of brewers on their way to Beervana. The road to Beervana has no hangovers so wake up and have another session at Turoa before you head to Wellington to enjoy the delight of the craft beer capital of New Zealand and the world of Beervana. Next minute its Sunday and you are heading back home wondering if it all really was just a dream.
NZ CRAFT BEER SYMPOSIUM 2017 WINNER’S JOURNEY Kelly Whyte was the lucky receipient of a trip to New Zealand after entering last year’s NZ Craft Beer Symposium prize draw. It’s a bloody long way from Perth to Ohakune! After a marathon 18 hours travel time, I arrived in Ohakune, having picked up my fellow travellers along the way. We arrived well after closing time, thanks to a delayed flight. But the next morning it finally sunk in; we are NZ Craft
Beer Symposium prize winners! Two beer lovers from Perth (Sig & Kel) and two from Melbourne (Jez & James) joined forces in New Zealand for a week of snow and beer!
The Symposium prize is not just about beer. The first couple of days were spent in Ohakune and Turoa ski field at Mt Ruapehu. I wish I could say the mountain
was beautiful, but as it was constantly covered in cloud, I didn’t see it once in the 2 ½ days I was there! Turoa was closed on our first day, so we drove to Taupo for lunch instead. On the way back we stopped off at Tokaanu Thermal Pools. Sitting in a pool of 40 degree water with cool rain falling on the shoulders was just divine. The bar at Kings Ohakune (our accommodation) had a super beer selection on tap and in the fridge and we gave that a fair nudge when we got back that evening. The mountain was open on the following day, so we headed up there, got kitted out, and hit the slopes. Sig, James and Jez took off to the high slopes while I booked in for a
red ales I’ve tasted. After multiple pints of that we started on the fridge contents. We had several beers we’ve never had before, from Garage Project, Parrot Dog and Urbanauts, closing out with the luscious Cabbages and Kings.
group skiing lesson on the baby slopes, but when I turned up for my lesson I was the only one! My lucky one-on-one skiing lesson went really well and I was flying after an hour. It was such a great day and I can’t remember the last time I saw real snow!! When we got back to Ohakune the sun came out, so we hopped into one of the Kings’ hot tubs, overlooking the mountain, desperately hoping to get a view. But alas, the clouds were persistent. That evening we visited The Kitchen for dinner and drinks. The Little Thief Scoria is one of the best
Friday was a big day! James, Jez & Sig went up the mountain again while I nursed a sore head in town. I fixed it with some scrambled eggs and then went to meet the crew at Ruapehu Brewing Co.
This tiny brewery is in a gorgeous venue - a refurbished disused railway station overlooking the mountain - alongside a boutique clothing store and coffee shop. After a bit more driving, down to Wellington, I was convinced there really are no flat surfaces in NZ! But it was nice to do the drive
during the day and really take in the greenery. First stop after hitting town was the Garage Project Tap Room. As expected it was packed, and rightly so! The tap list was spectacular, and included several beautiful beers from the likes of
Hill Farmstead, Firestone Walker, and Bagby on that particular day. After dinner at the Hop Garden, we checked out Epic Armageddon Barrels at Little Beer Quarter. A lovely taste of barrel aged
Armageddon alongside the whisky that came out of the barrel before the beer went in. I love this concept! And no trip to Wellington is complete without a massive Friday session at the Malthouse. The place was heaving and the beer list was outrageous. Liberty
a lovely little brew kit right there in the room with you. On the way to Beervana we had to stop at Garage Project’s Barrel Room. A pop up bar was serving incredible sour beers rarely seen this side of the equator, from the likes of The Rare Barrel, Firestone Walker Barrelworks and
Brewing’s The Kush went down very well indeed.
Cantillion. All agreed the Ferel One was a perfect combination of fruit, oak and funk.
Saturday started much the same, with a lunchtime tasting paddle at Tuatara’ The Third Eye. This is a charming old building with
Its no surprise that Beervana now fills the entire concourse area
of Westpac Stadium - 360 degrees of beery greatness! We decided to go the ‘wrong’ way around the concourse, thinking it would be less crowded. But of course it wasn’t, so we got on with the job of tasting as much as possible. A real highlight for me was the Hairy Craic from Lakeman Brewing, a whisky barrel aged stout. Oh my lord! Garage Project’s Cabinet of Curiosities also displayed the usual mix of crazy and delicious. One Beervana session may seem foolish, but we had to share the love around the other venues in Wellington too. Still to come on Saturday night was Rogue and Vagabond where there was a great band playing, followed by a nightcap at Hashigo Zake. Wellington weather had been reasonably kind up to now, but it really let loose on Sunday morning! Walking around in torrential rain to find
breakfast really brought on the hangry feelings. But a feed and after the weather cleared, a nice walk on the waterfront cleared the
cobwebs before we had to get on a plane home. We really can’t thank the NZ Craft Beer Symposium enough for the prize.
To be in to win this year’s prize of a Trip to New Zealand, all you need to do is purchase a pint of Kiwi Craft Beer from a participating venue during the Symposium, complete the entry form and cross your fingers!
KIWI BREWERY LIFE
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INTRODUCING: THE VOLCANIC HIGHWAY With our desire to bring you the best beer that New Zealand has to offer, this year we introduce Australia to the Volcanic Highway. Smack bang in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand is the The region of volcanic activity that occurs from Mt Ruapehu to White Island in the Bay of Plenty and known collectively as the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Volcanic activity in the zone started about 2 million years ago and continues today.
people you can ever meet along the journey. Along the Volcanic Highway, are the breweries known as Ruapehu Brew Co, Lakeman, Croucher and Mata.
All of which are part of the New Zealand Craft Beer Symposium 2018. So if you’re supping on their beers, now you know the landscape that it comes from.
This area is a natural playground for the adventurous and chilled alike. The region offers a multitude of lakes , mountains and beaches that anyone who is into boating, surfing, hiking, Mountain Biking, Skiing or snowboarding and much more can enjoy in a heartbeat. You don’t have to be a sport head to enjoy it all with fantastic scenery, great drives, awesome food and some of the friendliest
Wanna ski in NZ? www.visitruapehu.co.nz
Hey Aussie, take a moment to get to know our choice brewers taking part in this year’s Symposium that craft their brews along the Volcanic Highway... Rupaheu Brewing Co One of New Zealands smallest breweries but with an international flavor. Established by an Englishman with Belgium blood and good old “Kiwi can do’’ mentality. We like to brew fresh beer for our local community, always experimenting with new hops, malts and recipes. Our brewery team loves to get out there amongst the public and showcase our beer. In other words we love to get on it. Come and join us for a pint. Lakeman Brewing Co Formed about four years ago. It is located 8km from Taupo town in a shed on a working farm. Water used in the brews is from the Lake. The catchment for Lake Taupo was one of the first farming areas made to cap their environmental impact on waterways. So now we are using this water to brew award winning beer. Lakeman’s James
THE NEW ZEALAND CRAFT BEER
VOLCANIC HIGHWAY
Cooper says the secret to brewing great beer is pretty simple, attention to detail and great Taupo water. Mata - Began brewing 12 years ago. After falling in love with beer while doing my OE I started home brewing when I returned to NZ and really loved it. After putting together a business plan we found a second hand brewery in Wellington that had been sitting idle for a couple of years. I managed to convince my parents to join me along with my uncle esko and Mata beer was born. We’ve been brewing our beer in Kawerau, Eastern Bay of Plenty until we moved our brewery to Whakatane recently after outgrowing the premises.
Croucher - Started in 2005. They started with the Pale Ale and now have 6 varieties in bottle and a new seasonal every other week in keg. They have a solid reputation in New Zealand with a host of medals from NZBA including their Pilsner which is world renowned. They export world-wide albeit in small amounts. Paul Croucher started brewing at Uni then taught wine science in Australia where he shared a fair amount of home brew with his mates from Portland Oregon. Back in NZ he taught at Auckland university where he consulted to Lion Nathan and Galbraiths after which he left to start Croucher.
WEEKEND IN WELLY; A SHORT STORY Matt Brown from the Australian Craft Beer Crew, tells us about his trip last year to Beervana, NZ’s biggest craft beer festival. Ever since I saw an episode of Brewmasters on TV where Dogfishhead did a collaboration with EPIC, I’ve been wanting to go to Beervana. Until then I really didn’t know what this mythical beer festival was. You see, I had been to many an Australian beer festival and when the opportunity came up, I jumped on a plane for my first ever journey to NZ. I must say it’s also the first time I’ve ever flown overseas for a weekend, knowing absolutely no one and not knowing what to expect. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I knew of Epic, Garage Project and Yeastie Boys but they were the only breweries I really knew. Stepping off the plane and being taken aside by the Wellington Customs Officer, my concerns grew
having watched a few episodes of ‘Border Force’. “So do you know anyone?” ‘Nope’ was my reply. “So how much money do you have?” ‘Couple of grand.’ “Hmmm so why are you here?” ‘Oh I’m here for a beer festival…’ “Oh Beervana! Go right in mate and enjoy your stay!”
And with that friendly customs officer, I learned that the people of Wellington are some of the friendliest people one will ever meet. And that friendliness extended to Beervana. The Beervana festival is very unique to any beer fest I have previously been to. There weren’t many places to sit down or park ones self as I would typically do, going out to fetch a few beers and then bring them back to my area. Being at
Wellington stadium, there is a circuit to walk around where you get to see every beer. I would usually stay at a brewery and taste everything there but what I ended up doing, was getting a beer, walking around as I was drinking that beer and then tasting another from another brewery. Due to this, it never felt crowded and was a great way to have a quick chat to all of the breweries. One thing I did notice is that the Wellington folk are very beer technical. I would often overhear people asking what hops were used or how the style was made. It was very different from what I hear in Aussie beer fests where it’s usually a talk about the taste, not the craft itself. It goes to show how passionate the Wellington beer scene is. I went there having no idea what to expect and left having made friends, tasted some amazing new beers and having already planning on my return the next year.
YOUR
10 + 11 AUG 2018 WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON beervana.co.nz
BEER & KIWI GEEK QUIZ TIME 1. WHAT DOES ‘KERERU’ MEAN? 2. WHAT REGION OF NZ ARE HOPS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY GROWN? 3. WHAKATANE IS FAMOUS FOR BOTH MATA BEER AND WHAT VOLCANIC ISLAND? 4. WHAT WAS THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE BEER OF BEERVANA 2017? 5. WHAT THREE SNOWFIELDS ARE ON MT RUAPEHU ? 6. WHAT NATIONAL PARK IN NZ IS HOP FEDERATION BREWERY CLOSEST TO? 7. HALLERTAU BREWERY IN AUCKLAND IS NAMED AFTER AN AREA IN GERMANY FAMOUS FOR WHAT? 8. WHO WAS THE FIRST EVER VENUE FOR THE NEW ZEALAND CRAFT BEER SYMPOSIUM 9. NAME THE FOUR BREWERIES ON THE NEW ZEALAND CRAFT BEER VOLCANIC HIGHWAY? 10. WHAT WAS THE SCORE IN THE 2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL BETWEEN NZ & AUSSIE? Answers: 1. NZ Pigeon. 2. Nelson Tasman. 3. White Island. 4. ‘Prohibition’ - Liberty Brewing (Speciality wood-aged beer). 5. Whakapapa, Turoa, Tukino. 6. Abel Tasman (Or would give you Kahurangi as both pretty close!) 7. German hops. 8. Catfish, Melbourne. 9. Mata, Lakeman, Ruapehu, Croucher. 10. 34 - 17.
WHAT ARE YOU DRINKING? We caught up with some random beer peeps from Aotearoa to find out what is currently floating their boat in the world of New Zealand Craft Beer... TAVIS OWNER OF RUTLAND ARMS WHANGANUI Lakeman - Hairy bastard Mussel Inn - Captain Cooker Croucher - Pilsner Altitude - Single Track Mind Lakeman - Wheatwhacker
CIARAN MANAGER AT THE MALTHOUSE WELLINGTON Liberty - Kush Fork and Brewer - Cherry 2000 Epic - Armageddon Tuatara - Hi Res Juicehead - Detonator
RICARDO BAR MANAGER AT BLIND FINCH OHAKUNE Garage Project - Garagista The Theoretical brewer - 1st Finch Behemoth - Chocalate Fish Panhead - Black Sabbath Hop Federation - Pilsner MITCH REGIONAL WINES & SPIRITS WELLINGTON Double Vision - Naughty HoppeR Liberty - Elixir Mcleod’s - Bonnie NZ Wild Ale Sawmill - The Doctor Dopplebock Outlier Cartel - Kekule’s Dream BETH MANAGER OF BEERVANA WELLINGTON McLeod’s - Longboarder Larger North End - Become the Ocean Garage Project - Fuzz Box Liberty - Kush Craftwork - Brussels Ma Belle
Illustration by Billy Gibson
SCOT PHILLIP MUSO AND HOME BREWER RUAPEHU Liberty - Kush Garage Project - Triple Day of The Dead Birkenhead - Beautiful Trouble Ruapehu Brew Co - Mosaic Damaged Goods - Pale Falcon
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KIWI BREWS TAKING OVER TAPS ACROSS AUSSIE. INCLUDING EXCLUSIVE BEERS FROM CRAFT BREWERS ACROSS AOTEAROA. PLUS THE CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND TO TRAVEL THE VOLCANIC HIGHWAY ON THE ROAD TO BEERVANA.
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