Epic

Three Boys Gas NZIPA was originally brewed as a collaboration with Burkes and took third place at the 2021 Smiths IPA challenge.  Now Three Boys have got it into cans for a wider release in their Brewers Reserve series.  For an NZIPA the nose manages some strikingly American notes. Grapefruit and orange citrus, apricot and lychee with some spice and rosewater. The palate is packed with rich juicy malt, bittersweet red grapefruit and candied orange peel.  Great concentration of flavour precisely contained by a firm bitterness.  A superb reminder of just how good an all NZ-hopped IPA can be.

An Epic 20 Years

by | December 11, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Achieving two decades in craft brewing is a titanic feat for any producer, but few (it could be argued none) have been as formative a presence in the New Zealand industry as Epic Beer. Epic and its founder Luke Nicholas were not just at the forefront of the glory and...
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Instagratification: Dusty’s Best Summer Beers

by | December 9, 2025 | Opinion | 0 Comments

Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, picks his highlights from the latest releases. Eddyline Weizen Shine Hefeweizen Eddyline have summer in a glass with their 5% Weizen Shine Hefeweizen. All the usual suspects here: banana, clove, lemon &...
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Renaissance Takes Over Kaiapoi Site From Chinchiller

by | December 5, 2025 | News, Cover Story | 0 Comments

Renaissance has taken over the brewery in Kaiapoi that was previously home to Chinchiller and, before that, Eagle Brewing and Five Peaks. It's the third home for Renaissance, which started in Blenheim in 2005 before moving to Christchurch under new owners Brandhouse,...
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Beer Festivals — Your Guide To What’s On In Early 2026

by | December 2, 2025 | Travel | 0 Comments

There are plenty of beer festivals popping up around the country this summer. Here is a run-down on the main festivals coming up in the first part of 2026. Saturday, 31 January 2026 — Great Kiwi Beer Festival at Hagley Park, Christchurch...
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Three Boys Sold

by | December 1, 2025 | Cover Story, News | 0 Comments

Three Boys, one of New Zealand's most important craft breweries and a two-time champion brewery, is in new hands after being sold. The brewery, founded by Ralph Bungard and his wife Brigid Casey, is now owned by the head brewer Damian Treacher and his business...
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Bach Brewing Polygamy Pilsner

by | December 1, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Summer heat has now well and truly arrived so it’s time to crack out the Pilsner. Bach Brewing's Polygamy (maybe one of the weirdest naming decisions ever) Pilsner is a re-brew of one of Bach Brewing’s early beers, a Bohemian style Pilsner called Czechmate (itself a...
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