Lakeman

A new all-American hopped West Coast IPA from Taupo’s Lakeman, with Amarillo, Citra and Zythos in the mix.  There’s lime and grapefruit up first on the nose, with a distinct Zythos’y tangerine note rising further back.  Remarkably focused grapefruit on the palate, with some pine and very faint passionfruit mixed in with the light and fresh malt base.  All good stuff, but the most striking thing about this 6.9 per cent IPA is the bitterness.  It kicks in right from the front of the palate, like chomping straight down on a grapefruit (skin and all), and it stays meshed with the citrus flavour right through to the finish.  Impactful, arresting and laser focused on its style.  One of the top IPAs I’ve tasted this year.

The Beer Project — Lakeman Brewing

by | March 20, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

You can thank local government regulation for the existence of Lakeman, a brewery located on a farm 20 minutes west of Taupo. Farmer James Cooper didn't expect to become a brewer. He had never home-brewed. But regulations basically imposing herd size limits to prevent...
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Three Sisters Buy Sunshine Brewing

by | March 19, 2026 | Cover Story, News | 0 Comments

Bold New Plymouth brewery Three Sisters is the new owner of Gisborne's iconic Sunshine Brewing. It's an unprecedented move in the New Zealand brewing industry with one craft brewery buying another. Recently DNA Brewing in Blenheim bought the Hop Federation brand but...
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Hemp And Hops Align

by | March 19, 2026 | Cover Story, Features | 0 Comments

It’s all about balance – that’s what Andy Duke at b.effect says about his latest brewing escapades. Down in Wānaka, he’s been using hemp in a number of b.efect beers, which gives new flavour profiles, adds body to gluten-free beers, and has resulted in some delicious,...
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Roots Brewing — Small But Mighty

by | March 19, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Back in the early 1900s, Whanganui wasn’t just lively as New Zealand’s 5th largest city — it was one of Aotearoa’s great beer strongholds, proudly home to 13 breweries. Thirteen! Then came decades of closures, mergers, and the lure of jobs elsewhere, and one by one...
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Kotare Hops — Quality Is The Key

by | March 19, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Champion hop grower Aeron Moleta believes the recent dip in demand for hops has bottomed out and feels positive for the future. “It's going in the right direction,” Aeron tells Pursuit of Hoppiness just ahead of this year’s harvest. “I think the of consensus seems to...
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Fermented Culture — Is The Party Over?

by | March 16, 2026 | Opinion | 0 Comments

Some years ago, I found myself wandering through St Clair in South Dunedin. I stopped to sit awhile taking in the view and taking off the weight. The roadside bench I perched upon was formed by a mini surfboard-shaped seat set upon a pair of sturdy legs. St Clair is a...
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Beer Drinking For Beginners

by | March 16, 2026 | Opinion | 0 Comments

I’m often asked “what is your favourite beer?” A lot of people assume that because I’m broad and varied in my beer tastes that I must have one.  Lucky for me everyone has an opinion and approximately 47% of those opinions are wrong.  There’s not many rules,...
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Beers A Plenty in Bay of Plenty

by | March 16, 2026 | Travel | 0 Comments

The summer months bring tourists flocking to the beaches and seaside towns of the Bay of Plenty, but there’s an increasing number of reasons for craft beer lovers to make the pilgrimage at any time of year. I recently spent a couple of days exploring the contrast...
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Instagratification: Dusty’s Favourites

by | March 10, 2026 | Opinion | 0 Comments

Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, picks his highlights from the latest releases. Urbanaut La Grande Urbanaut brewing slay the summer game here with their 4.8% La Grande lager with lime. Classic Saaz & trad Czech malt set up one crushable...
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The Generation Game — Mount Brewing At 30

by | March 10, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

For Briar Harley, born into the brewery life, there’s plenty of excitement in sharing the news that come June a third generation will born into the Mount Brewing family. Briar and husband Niall, who own Mount Brewing in partnership with her parents Glenn and Virginia...
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Boneface Knuckle Duster West Coast Pilsner

by | March 2, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

The ‘West Coast Pilsner’ style continues to wander through the craft beer labyrinth somewhat without a bearing, and drift further from its (admittedly flawed from the beginning) descriptor in the process.  It’s as much as I can do to classify them as ‘good ones’ vs...
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Bach Skinnay Ultra Low Carb Hazy Pale Ale

by | March 2, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

While low carb beers are bigger than they’ve ever been, it’s still uncommon to see the styles range too far from the lager safe-zone.  You’ll find a few zero% hazy IPA’s, but an actual low-carb-full-strength example is rarer.   Never idle for long,...
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Eruption Brewing — Lyttelton’s Local Legend

by | February 18, 2026 | Travel | 0 Comments

To understand Eruption Brewing’s place in Lyttelton, it helps to zoom out — first a couple of centuries, then a few million years. The town sits inside the remnants of the Banks Peninsula volcano, long extinct but still shaping the landscape and, fittingly, inspiring...
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Epic Stout

by | February 13, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

While not to say that Epic is a total stranger to dark beer (they’ve made some extremely good ones over the years) it would be fair to say that it wasn’t exactly the style they’re known for.  So it was a surprise to see this one show up (and slickly presented too, I...
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“Unicorn” Brewery For Sale — Emporium On Market

by | February 6, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

Here's a big opportunity for someone who wants to get into the brewing game: Emporium — a profitable, successful business is — for sale! You heard that right. Profitable, successful. Given that, why, I asked Paul Finney of Emporium, does he want to sell his brewery,...
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A New “Weed” Pops Up At Garage Project

by | February 5, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

Fresh off another triumph in the GABS Hottest 100, Garage Project are launching a new member of the Pernicious Weed family. Pernicious Weed was Garage Project's first proper commercial release and it's now taking on a life of its own. We've already had Double...
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Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale

by | February 1, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Former Marlborough brewing icons Renaissance have been in the news recently, having finally found a home of their own again at the former Chinchiller Brewery in Kaiapoi.  Arguably Renaissance's most famous beer, Stonecutter is a delightfully nuanced take on an already...
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Inside The Malty-verse of Beer

by | January 15, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

In this new series, sponsored by Gladfield Malt, we look at the ways malt can make a beer shine. Garage Project Garagista “People say, what's your favourite beer? And I'm like, well, you know, you can't say your favourite beer because it's like saying your favourite...
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The Beer Project — Aliment Brewing

by | January 14, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

This was always the dream for Jason Bathgate and Monica Mead. Living in paradise, brewing their own beers. Tasman was where Jason and Monica lived when they first moved to New Zealand in 2009 before brewing jobs took them to Renaissance in Blenheim, 8 Wired in...
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The Hoptimist — Boom Town Brewing

by | January 7, 2026 | Travel | 0 Comments

Sunshine, scenery, and a cold beer—Marlborough knows how to show off. But when that beer is a Boom Town APA and your interviewee colleague is Clive Macfarlane, the man behind the brews and the banter, you’re not just having a good Sunday—you’re starting a great story....
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