Beer and Brewer Magazine

One of New Zealand's top beer writers Cameron Williamson finds the fresh inspiration of Kiwi master brewers is making BrewNZ a world class beer event for Wellington. 

With more than a dozen locally brewed beers out of almost 200 judged worthy of gold medals - by a proper judging panel using international criteria - the claim stacks up. Last year, just six of the 170 beers presented were judged to be of world class gold medal standard.

The excitement at BrewNZ was palpable. In a well-organised, blind-tasted competition as robust as AIBA or the World Beer Cup, the traditional parade of shit-hot breweries like Emerson's, Cock & Bull and Mac's stepped back while others took their turn in the limelight. Old battlers like Sunshine Brewery - a former supreme champion - Harrington's and Tuatara came out of the woodwork to take medals. Young breweries like Three Boys, Moa, Twisted Hop, Aotearoa, KEA and Renaissance showed their brewing mettle.

There was generous and heartfelt applause as the eclectic bunch of brewers collected their gongs, and comments from experienced observers that a new era had begun were on the button.

Affable chief judge Dave Logsdon from Oregon was almost delirious after three days judging 198 beers. It wasn't a hop overdose that was making him smile, but the idea that "New Zealand now has such a breadth of innovative brewing knowledge, and such a willingness to share, that it's not only their share of the pie that brewers are going to find getting bigger, it's the pie itself."

It was an apt analogy, given the hallowed position of the old "dog's eye" (you do the rhyme) alongside beer in the history of New Zealand.

Logsdon - who knows his beers, having lived through the American brewing renaissance of the past 25 years - is upbeat about the future of BrewNZ under the hand of the year-old Brewers Guild of New Zealand, which now owns the rights.

The guild is headed by David Cryer, specialty malt supplier, who is well positioned, through his knowledge of the market and his sponsorship of previous awards gigs, to re-establish an enduring event.

"We're in the right place, at the right time, and finally the event is being run by the people most passionate about seeing it succeed," Cryer says.

He's right about the place - Wellington is the acknowledged beer capital with the interest and infrastructure to make BrewNZ fly - and the timing: Spring is perfect for tasting fresh beers, and the marketing kudos of fresh medals feeds straight into beer's most important season - from now until Christmas.

Finally, with brewers running the show, a malty roundness has tempered the edge of bitterness and slightly catty aftertaste that marred previous events.

BrewNZ was established seven years ago with the intention of celebrating great beer, uniting the beer industry and getting brewers and boffins in one place for a few days each year. It sprung from disappointment over the structure and management of a Nelson bash that never really got past amateur level to establish a really credible competition. Sure, brewers attended, medals were won, there was the obligatory piss-up in a brewery and everyone celebrated. But behind the bonhomie, it wasn't all beer and skittles. The industry's duopolistic big players felt the Nelson bash wasn't supporting their vision; the boutiques felt bullied; the beer landscape wasn't enhanced.

There were other issues: Nelson, while beautiful, central and peppered with half a dozen classy breweries, wasn't the easiest venue to get to, management and support weren't showing the potential to grow and flourish, and Wellington wanted to be the beer capital.

BrewNZ was born, professionally managed and backed by Lion and DB through their political lobbying arm, and supported by city agencies, hoteliers, restaurants, bars and supermarkets. There were some great years - functions in Parliament, Town Hall Mayoral receptions, suits and ties and handshakes. But still the blokes trying to make a buck from brewing their best beer still felt sidelined, felt that beer was overshadowed by political posturing.

So they've put the bucks where their bollocks are - on the line. Setting up the Brewer's Guild of New Zealand, with the BrewNZ brand its only asset besides enthusiasm, belief and goodwill, a new broom has swept clean. The only way is up.

Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)