Previous Events
Events For Jan- Feb 2007
Ellerslie Beer Festival 24 02 07
A Very Successful Day,
A big thank you to all those that tried, and enjoyed Taakawa Ale.We sold 72 boxes of 24 bottles in six hours, not bad going for our debut, the queue was endless, and everybody was in good
spirits.
We could be setting a bit of a trend as the majority of customers served were couples, Taakawa is a big hit with the ladies..
Mt Maunganui 11 01 07
Hawkes Bay 20 01 07
Blenheim 03 02 07
Three of our lovely hostesses serving customers at the Blues Brews And BBQ's Event Hawkes Bay Showgrounds Hastings.
Boutique beers strut their stuff
tvnz.co.nz
Feb 25, 2007
By Angus Bennett
When we think beer, we think blokes. That's how it's always been and how it's marketed - from Lion Red to Export Gold, Tui and Speights.
But in the face of stiffening competition from alcopops and wine, the beer business is having a rethink - and it's starting from the bottom up.
Boutique breweries are leading the charge and had the chance to strut their stuff at the inaugural New Zealand Beer Festival at Ellerslie on Saturday.
Twenty brewers from all corners of New Zealand displayed 50 varieties of ales, ranging from pilseners to fortified dark beers and lagers.
Beer is still the nation's drink of choice, cornering more than two thirds of the market, and the turnout at the festival in Auckland was proof of that. Some 6,000 punters attended the sold out event, according to organisers.
It may be popular, but it may also be that beer has an image problem.
"Beer's always been marketed towards men, but it's time things changed," says twenty-something Lauren - a discerning beer drinker.
Things may already be changing if beer sales at the festival are anything to go by. Brewers spoke of just as many women as men lining up to buy their boutique beers.
"People are growing tired of the ordinary beers. We're here to offer them something extra," says Nigel Gregory, co-owner of Rotorua's Croucher Brewery.
Their two-man team offers three beers, including a banana-flavoured wheat beer.
They gave up their day jobs to brew beer and they are not the only ones. A couple of tents across was Sunshine Breweries from Gisborne.
Geoff Logan's passionate desire to turn out a superior pint caused him to change careers. There was also a chemistry professor who doubles as a master brewer and another enthusiast who bought Waipa Breweries off Trade Me last year and has ambitious plans.
The New Zealand Beer Festival was something of a punt for organisers Andrew Somerville and David Elmsly but an unshakeable faith in the pulling power of the amber nectar drove them on.
"I always knew I'd get the numbers even though they doubted I'd reach 5,000," says Somerville - dressed for the occasion in a pair of blue stubbies and no shoes.
They are now planning to make the festival an annual event. "Expect 10,000 next year," Somerville added confidently.