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Following on from enjoying a Kiwi Christmas in the North Island of New Zealand I headed to the top of the South Island for a family holiday…with a little beer tasting thrown in!

We were staying at Marahau, which is situated at the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park – a highly recommended spot if you like glorious beaches, sea kayaking or hiking in the bush. The weather was perfect and the sun was hot which meant there was a need for a few days in the shade to refresh and rehydrate.

Our first beer stop was to the Monkey Wizard Brewery located in Riwaka. The brewery has been running for less than two years and appears to have created a significant following with the locals, brewing beers with highly distinctive flavours and aromas. The brewery is run on a very small scale, brewing 600 litre batches, with the beers only available from the brewery in riggers/flagons (1-2L bottles), or via one pub, The Freehouse in Nelson. Their range of beers includes interesting names such as Kiwifruit Wheat, Able Ale and Fat Kelpie Brown Ale – all of which are excellent tasting.

Following on from Monkey Wizard we headed to the Moutere Inn, which is believed to be New Zealand’s oldest pub having first been established in the 1850s. The pub was very popular in the 1970’s with the large local population of agricultural workers, looking for a drop after a hard days work, however it fell into decline in the 90’s. In 2008 a group of real beer enthusiasts purchased the pub and sought to turn it into a venue providing a range of great tasting beers from breweries throughout the Nelson area and wider New Zealand.

If you’re keen on mainstream beers you will still be well looked after, however if you’re after something slightly different, the wide selection  of brews will leave your thirst quenched with around 12 beers on tap, including a couple of hand pumped cask ales. While the beers on offer vary throughout the year, the beer coasters allow drinkers to rate their beers, with higher scoring beers put on tap more regularly. The pub is not only great for the beers on tap but also the locals it attracts, including a bloke by the name of Archie, who while we were there sold us some freshly dug spuds, garlic and capsicum to whip up our dinner – fresher, more tasty vegies I have not had.

After a stop at Neudorf Winery to pick up a couple of wines for something different we made our way to the Golden Bear Brewery located on the wharf at golden Mapua – a fantastic spot on a sunny day overlooking rich blue water. Golden Bear had 9 brews on offer, appearing to specialise it beers with real hop flavour. The brewery has been operating for just over 2 years, however with its smart looking setup you can see they have established themselves so they can go places. While tasting paddles are available I recommend the Toad Hop as a one off beer, or the Bear Trappe Belgian, which is a hand bottled, limited release golden Belgian ale brewed with black-boy peaches.

After a couple of days had passed and the flagons we had bought were empty it was time to visit a few other spots to refill the fridge. Heading to Stoke near Nelson we went to the McCashin’s brewery. The brewery is owned by the McCashins who were famous for the Mac’s range of beers that ex-All Black Terry McCashin established in the 80s. Mac’s developed a national fan base before then being sold to Lion Nathan. The new ‘Stoke’ range has been created by Terry’s son Dean who obviously has a love for the family profession. Three Stoke beers are on offer including Gold, Dark and the great tasting Amber. As well as the beers, the brewery also makes a wide range of great tasting ciders which are highly recommended.

Heading not far down the road and just around the corner we hit the Sprig and Fern brewery, where we caught up with owner David Barrett. The brewery has been running for 14 years, formally as Tasman brewery and appears to be growing fairly rapidly brewing beer for its Sprig and Fern branded pubs located throughout the Nelson/Tasman region.  David owns Sprig and Fern with his business partner Tracy Banner who has significant brewing experience, previously as head brewer for Mac’s during its high growth days and also with Lion Nathan at the Speights plant in Dunedin.

Working with David they have produced a range of 14+ beers (including seasonals) that can be found in any of the Sprig and Fern pubs. The business seems to be onto a winner with it appearing strongly endorsed by locals and tourists alike with a something for everyone approach producing an easy drinking lager and pilsner to the more testing IPA and beaut Scotch Ale and Porter. While we were at the brewery David also took us for a bit of a tour to see the ‘business end’ of the brewery – with over 5,000 litres of Pilsner at various stages of the brewing cycle every week you can see demand and patronage at the various Sprig and Fern hotels must be high.

Although we didn’t quite manage to fit in a visit to a Sprig and Fern pub, speaking to David they sound like they are well worth the visit. With a focus on providing the traditional pub experience (no TV’s!) to gather, have a beer and enjoy a bite, it will definitely be on the list for a visit next time I get back to NZ.

With time running out this was the end of our tour – the sad thing was that there were 7 other breweries within 2 hours of each other that I didn’t get to visit…at least it is a great excuse for another visit!If you do make a trip to NZ for a spot of beer tasting I highly recommend a visit to the beertourist.co.nz website – an excellent resource on the burgeoning craft brewing segment in New Zealand!

I was talking to my friend Steve a while back about Beer Cartel. Steve had recently moved to Sydney having grown up in the great New Zealand wine growing region Marlborough. Steve was unaware I had started a business based on craft beer, so I begun telling him about the business and the Beer Cartel beer club.

Steve had heard about wine clubs before but never a beer club, “why would someone join that? he asked, “isn’t a beer a beer?”… I love to get these moments, the chance to explain to someone entrenched in wine about the magic of beer – but where do I begin? Do I start telling Steve about the beauty of ales and taste of different lagers? Do I mention that the correct beer actually pairs with food better than wine? Do I talk to him about the vast range of flavours or the nuances of brewing that makes one beer so different  from another?

While I could do all of the above, I went for the never fail option and pulled from the fridge three very different but extraordinarily good boutique beers – a hefeweizen, an amber ale and a porter. Sharing the three beers between the two of us I let him take in the aromas, notice the difference in body and taste the amazing flavours. Steve is always very open to new things and as he tried these beers I could see the cogs turning in his head – these weren’t the same old beers he had experienced all his life at all.

While Steve did still need some more convincing I did manage to get him to sign up for a one month subscription to the Beer Cartel Beer Club. Not long after he received his first months supply and gave me a call “beer got delivered the other day” he said, “they were great, trouble is I liked them so much, I have already gone through them!”. And there it was, the moment I like best – when I have managed to convince another person of the joys of craft beer!”.

Click here for more information on the Beer Cartel Beer Club.

While watching the latest Toohey’s Beer Economy ads it got me thinking about the one time I paid a favour using the beer economy. Over a beer with friends in 2002 I decided if a reasonably priced boat came up for sale, useful for both fishing and wakeboarding, that I would buy it. Driving back from the local hotel I spotted the “Red Baron”, a 14 foot boat with a 70hp Johnson on the back – the perfect boat at a reasonable price.

The boat was bought and it was decided that the Red Baron would be initiated on a holiday in the beautiful Corromandel in New Zealand. After making the 8 hour drive from Hawkes Bay we were eager to get the boat in the water for a fish. The boat was launched and we headed out to deep water. Enjoying the sunshine we set in for a spot of fishing armed with our self named rods “Dennis Rodman”, “Rod Stewart”, “Andy Roddick” and “Rod Latham” – a New Zealand cricketing great of the 90s.

While the weather was good, the bites were slim so we decided to pack up and head in. I turned the key to start the motor and snap! the key broke off in the ignition. Stranded, we attempted a repair job armed with my trusty Leatherman, however success was not on our side. Luckily we could see another boat nearby so agreed if nothing else could be done we would continue fishing until they made a move.

When the nearby boat begun to pack up we quickly reeled in our own rods and threw out a hopeful request for a tow. Thankfully the boat and its crew were obliging and we made it back to shore – albeit a little sheepish from the experience! Feeling indebted to our saviours I dipped into the beer economy and dropped off a case of New Zealand’s Export Gold Lager – a small token of thanks for a most appreciated rescue!

While the case of Export Gold was from one of New Zealand’s mainstream breweries, if I ran into the same situation today the biggest question on my mind would be what craft beer to give!

Have you ever paid a favour using the beer economy? We would love to hear your story!

PRESS RELEASE:

Sydney, Australia January 23, 2010 — Beer Cartel Director Geoff Huens recommends Australians support Australian micro-breweries when they enjoy a beer this Australia Day.

When you reach for a beer this Australia Day why not support your local brewer and choose Australian made boutique beer. With over 140 micro-breweries throughout the country, support of Australian made beer is vital for the continued development and growth of the micro-brewing industry.

Micro-breweries account for 75% of all breweries in Australia, with a further 18% defined as regional breweries. While these combined account for 93% of breweries, their volume represents just 15% of beer sold in Australia. In contrast national brewers including Lion Nathan and Fosters account for just 7% of breweries but 85% of beer sold by volume.

For micro-breweries to compete against these brewing giants, innovations including usage of different ingredients, fermentation techniques and beer styles are all utilised to create unique beers with real points of difference. The result are beers with huge flavour that are changing the brewing landscape in Australia.

The greatest challenge when competing against the brewing giants is the high fixed costs and excise payments which put micro-breweries at a huge disadvantage. Geoff Huens Director of online boutique beer sales website Beer Cartel says “it is a real task for micro-breweries competing for beer sales in Australia, however a paradigm shift is under way where beer drinkers are becoming more discerning choosing beer based on its quality rather than on price. This shift is providing micro-breweries with a chance for survival and success similar to the change the Australian wine industry saw in the 80’s”.

Mr Huens created the Beer Cartel website www.beercartel.com.au specifically to build awareness in Australian micro-brewed beer as well as provide a sales outlet to make a wide range of beer accessible to consumers. The website offers a monthly beer club providing consumers with different brews from around Australia accompanied with information on the beers to educate and stimulate interest in the category. The website also sells tickets to a range of beer appreciation events.

While the Beer Cartel website is relatively new, Mr Huens has already begun to see how passionate micro-brewers are. “It is an amazing industry to work in, brewers are typically so friendly and see the combined success of the industry of benefit to all”. For the segment to continue to grow however Mr Huens acknowledges marketing and more widespread appeal of micro-brewed beers is needed. “We need to continue to change this landscape so that on special occasions consumers are reaching for Australian micro-brewed beers rather than a Heineken or Peroni”. Australia Day is one such day for consumers to show their support for the industry and enjoy the real flavour of micro-brewed beer. So this Australia Day when you reach for a beer to go with that lamb chop, make it an Australian micro-brewed beer.

For more information please contact Geoff Huens, Beer Cartel +61 402 485 987 or geoff@beercartel.com.au.