Beer road trip: the highlights
Agroup of brewers from the north of the North Island will gather in Auckland next Friday before setting off on a week-long road trip to Wellington to present their beers at this year’s Beervana.
The aim of the Northern Road Trip – The Road to Beervana – is for the brewers to showcase their beers to the public in regional North Island centres as they make their way to the capital.
The group, comprising Birkenhead Brewing, Deep Creek, 8 Wired, Sawmill, Epic, Behemoth, Funk Estate, Liberty, Bach Brewing, and McLeod’s, will first meet up at 6pm on Friday, August 4, at Vultures’ Lane bar in central Auckland.
On Saturday, August 5, the trip heads to Mount Maunganui where local brewers Mount Brewing will join the tour at The Rising Tide Brewhouse & Eatery from 6pm. Simultaneously, in Hamilton, Good George Brewing Co will join the trip at its Craft/Little George pub in the city centre.
Sunday, August 6, will see brewers Lakeman (Taupo) and Zeelandt (Napier) join the tour at three events held simultaneously at cities across the central North Island. Running from 2pm, the brewers will be at Ms White Pizza & Beer Garden in New Plymouth, Lakehouse in Taupo, and The Westshore Beach Inn in Napier.
Palmerston North’s busy new brewpub, Brew Union Brewing Co will host the brewers from 6pm on Tuesday, August 8, before the road trip concludes on Wednesday, August 9, from 8pm at Wellington’s LBQ (Little Beer Quarter).
Christchurch bars Boo Radley’s, Volstead, Blue Smoke, and Pomeroy’s will each host special Road to Beervana events, and Three Boys Brewery in Woolston will set up a pop-up bar for Beervana weekend. Meanwhile, The Laboratory brewpub in Lincoln will host a debate on the merits of cask versus keg beer on Monday, August 7, as well as two Brewmaster Dinners on August 9 and 10.
Beervana itself returns to Wellington’s Westpac Stadium over four sessions on Friday and Saturday, August 11 and 12. Full details are available at beervana.co.nz.
This year, Beervana features 65 breweries, 38 from the North Island and 22 from the South Island. Overseas brewers include Little Creatures and Stone & Wood from Australia, and Brooklyn, Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada from the United States.
Earlier this month, Sierra Nevada released Beer Camp Across the World, a collaboration project with six American breweries and six international breweries – including Wellington’s Garage Project. Each brewery collaborated with Sierra Nevada to create a special one-off beer and all will be available at Beervana.
‘‘We’re excited to bring Beer Camp to Garage Project’s home country,’’ said Ken Grossman, founder and owner of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
‘‘This is the first time the Beer Camp experience has travelled outside of the United States, and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it than Beervana in Wellington.’’
Although the top of the south won’t host any formal Road to Beervana events, if you’re in or around Nelson this weekend you have the opportunity to drop in for a chat with one of the stalwarts of New Zealand craft brewing.
Having recently turned 70, Dick Tout of Nelson’s Lighthouse Brewery has announced his intention to hang up his mash paddle. Dick opened his tiny 200-litre brewhouse in July 1996 at the rear of his Hardy St home brew shop, and it has since relocated twice. For many years it was the country’s smallest commercial brewery.
Lighthouse Brewery (21 Echodale Place, Stoke) will be open to the public for the last time next on July 29. So, if you feel like sampling a few of Dick’s beers and wishing him a happy retirement, why not pop along?
Having known Dick for most of his 21-year brewing career, I am sure I will be one of many who will miss his happy smile and endless supply of witty anecdotes and dodgy jokes.
Cheers, Dick!