Tuatara toasts Champion Brewery success for a second time

MEDIA RELEASE

8 October 2016

Tuatara toasts Champion Brewery success for a second time

Tuatara Brewing Company has become New Zealand’s first two-time Champion Brewery after picking up the top gong at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand 2016 Beer Awards tonight (Saturday).

The country’s best brewery in 2008, Paraparaumu’s Tuatara dominated the 10th year of the country’s most prestigious brewing awards, collecting three of 14 category trophies and a total of five gold, five silver and four bronze medals for its beers.

Tuatara founder Carl Vasta, who started the brewery in the backyard of his Waikanae home in 2000, said winning the Champion Brewery award for a second time was a huge honour.

“I started out brewing just to make good beer that my mates and I enjoyed, so to see how things have grown to this point is pretty remarkable. The reason we’ve been able to achieve the success we have is because we’ve got a tremendous team of people who are really passionate about beer and brewing, and we haven’t lost sight of the simple reason Tuatara started in the first place – to brew good beers that we enjoying drinking as fans of beer.”

Tuatara’s volumes run at about two million litres a year and it is a leading light in the booming New Zealand brewing industry. With sales growth continuing in New Zealand, Tuatara has cracked important export markets in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Scotland, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.

“New Zealand beer is hugely respected overseas and the Brewers Guild awards is a highly recognised international competition,” said Vasta. “That recognition is as important and sought-after internationally as it is here at home.”

Tuatara won trophies (best in category) for best New Zealand lager (Mot Eureka), best pale ale (Sauvinova) and best wheat and other grain beer (Weiz Guy).

This year’s Brewers Guild awards saw 946 beers from 98 breweries entered across 14 beer categories. A total of 88 New Zealand breweries were entered, joining 10 breweries from Australia, Germany and the United States.

American brewery Boston Beer Company was named Champion International Brewery and Auckland contract brewery Steam won the Champion Manufacturer award.

Low alcohol beers were also notable winners, with DB Brewing’s Heineken Light awarded the trophy for best international lager and Croucher Brewing’s 2.5% low alcohol Lowrider earning the Rotorua operation the trophy for best specialty beer.

New Zealand brewing legend John Harrington, of Harrington’s Brewing in Christchurch, won the prestigious Morton Coutts Trophy for brewing innovation and contribution to the industry, with New Zealand Hops chief executive Doug Donelan being honoured by the Brewers Guild with the industry achievement award.

Brewers Guild president Emma McCashin the 2016 awards capped another stellar year for New Zealand brewing.

“Brewing in New Zealand has grown into an innovative, sophisticated and valuable sector. Our breweries are producing amazing beer with a uniquely Kiwi flavour and vision, and it’s being sought out by more drinkers here and overseas.

“It’s a sector that’s chock-full of talented and passionate people, from small operations right the way through to the biggest.”

BREWERS GUILD OF NEW ZEALAND 2016 BEER AWARDS

Champions

Trophy winners

Special awards

For the full list of medal winners visit www.brewersguild.org.nz/awards

ENDS

About the Brewers Guild of New Zealand

The Brewers Guild is a membership-based organisation established to grow the value and quality of New Zealand’s $2.2 billion beer sector. It operates as a collective voice for more than 80 commercial brewers in New Zealand. The Guild works with Government on legal, licensing, fiscal and excise issues. It delivers education programmes to its members and helps promote the value of the sector to the public. The Guild organises New Zealand’s most prestigious annual beer awards, the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards. For more information, visit http://www.brewersguild.org.nz

© Scoop Media