Meet the Brewer – HPA

Meet the brewer: Richard Adamson, Young Henrys

Pixel3 — Thu, 15 May 2014 23:00:17 +0000

You’d think we’d be talking about beer, but Richard Adamson is known for his experimental beers and collaborations with rock stars, so you never know what you’re going to get.

When we called to have a chat about Young Henrys recent award we ended up on gins, specifically hopped gins.

First up, the award. Richard was one of only ten brewers from around the world invited to the UK by JD Wetherspoons to brew with a local for their Spring 2014 International Real Ale Festival.

Joining forces with Simon Yates, Head Brewer, Banks Brewery in Wolverhampton, they brewed an Australian homage to the English Bitter – essentially “selling ice to Eskimos” as a recent piece in the Daily Telegraph put it.

To put a uniquely Aussie spin on the classic style Richard used three of our hops, Galaxy^®, Ella and Topaz.

The Young Henry’s Real Ale took out not only Best in Class but also the Gold Medal as best overall beer for the festival from a field of 40 UK and international entrants.

“The reaction to our Real Ale over in the UK has been phenomenal – the hop flavours are what everyone’s talking about. Particularly on UnTappd – they’re getting so excited” said Richard.

When we asked Richard on his top tips for brewing with our Aussie hops he said “Play with them. Experience them. The flavours are difficult to get a handle on just by reading the description, you need to trial them.”

Now back to the Gin – always interested in trying new things, Richard loved that our latest flavour hop, Enigma^®, doesn’t taste like any others and to differentiate it even more he popped it in a gin.

“Almost Pinot Gris like in the Gin, Enigma^® shows real grape-like, fruitiness. This hop nailed it from the get go” said Richard.

After maceration of native pepper berry and bush tomato, the alcohol vapour passed through the hop flowers picking up the full spectrum of Enigma^®’s flavours but none of the bitterness.

Folks at TedX in Sydney recently were lucky enough to try it – unfortunately it’s not available for sale but we’ll be sure to keep you posted if anything changes.

Just to bring things full circle, the Young Henry’s Gin has inspired the team’s entry into the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular – look out for their entry once again using our Enigma^® this time with juniper berry, coriander and orange peel.

If you’re in Melbourne 23 – 25 May it’ll be well worth a look.

From barely drinkable cider to champion brewery

Pixel3 — Wed, 22 May 2024 23:47:38 +0000

The Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards is the largest annual beer competition in the world, judging both draught and packaged beer. After celebrating 30 years in 2023, the awards attracted over 2,500 entries from more than 410 breweries across 23 countries. It is a valuable benchmarking opportunity for breweries of all sizes to secure internationally recognised credentials that will help their beer stand out in a crowd.

King Road took home Champion Small Australian Brewery, proudly sponsored by HPA. The family owned and operated business may have begun as a self-described “home-style setup that made barely drinkable cider”, but has evolved into a state-of-the-art venue that brews award-winning beer and cider. After giving King Road time to celebrate their big win, we got in touch with Head Brewer Steve Wearing to congratulate the team and ask a few questions about their beers and the key to consistency.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the AIBAs. You went home with the trophy for Champion Small Australian Brewery and Best Traditional IPA. What does this kind of recognition mean to you?

A: This is a huge credit to the brewing team. They work bloody hard, and it’s really nice to receive recognition for the consistent quality they are pushing out. Aside from the huge pat on the back, hopefully this will correlate to sales. We installed a can line late last year and are very much in a growth phase, so the timing couldn’t be better.

Q: Your Pale Ale was also awarded a gold medal for the third consecutive year, earning you the coveted Consistency of Excellence Medal. They say consistency is key, but what’s the key to your consistency?

A: For me, it’s a culmination of the little things. There are many different ways to make good beer. We strive for consistency here as I strongly believe this is the path to great beer. We spend a lot of time training new staff that come through to ensure everyone is following the same procedures, allowing us to work hard at dialling in the finer details of a recipe, and hopefully achieve consistency from batch to batch.

Q: To round out an incredible evening, you were also awarded a gold medal for your Summer Ale, which just happens to feature Galaxy hops. How do you go about building the hop bill for a new beer?

A: This is something I struggled with for a long time. When I was first elevated to Head Brewer and had the responsibility of developing new recipes, I was never happy with the hop driven beers that I created. They were either too grassy, or astringent, or resinous… you get the idea. What I’ve come to learn is there is no silver bullet when it comes to recipe design. It takes experience to get to learn which hops play well together, what hopping rates are suitable for different styles, and which hopping techniques to use. We are lucky to have access to such a huge range of hop varieties, and now an array of different product formats (T90 pellets, concentrated pellets, liquid extracts, etc). For the consumer, this gives an almost unlimited number of beer flavour possibilities. To answer the question, developing a new beer, if it’s something similar to a beer I have brewed in the past, I just lean on experience. If it’s a completely new beer, I have a stab in the dark and push through a little 20L batch for proof of concept, and adjust from there.

Q: As a believer in continuous improvement, you’ve been known to experiment with seasonal beers from time to time. Which one of your creations truly had to be tasted to be believed?

A: A few years ago we didn’t have a core range IPA. Instead, the intention was to have a seasonal release IPA on tap year-round, showcasing a different hop variety each release. In the second iteration of this we featured a hop called Strata, which was a relatively new and unknown variety out of the US at that stage. First time I tried it in tank, just after it was chilled, I was blown away by the big strawberry jam notes. It settled into a more mellow and balanced beer by the time it made it into keg, and I was really impressed with the beer. It was launched at Frothtown and was a crowd favourite. Shortly after, it took out a trophy at the AIBAs, and the again at the Perth Royal Beer Awards. It was obvious this needed to become core range, so the rotating IPA range only made it to iteration #2… It’s continued to win trophies and has been a big driver in the growth of our brand.

Q: You’ve made beers for the likes of Homestead and Blasta. What was it about King Road that attracted an award-winning, well-travelled brewer such as yourself?

A: The location was the initial attraction. A brewery that had a rural feel to it, but close enough that I didn’t need to move house and I was able to keep all the conveniences of living in Perth. What’s kept me here is the owners. It really is ‘family owned and run’. The owners are heavily involved in all aspects of the business and treat the staff like family. They have given myself and the brewing team a huge amount of support, allowing us to continue to grow.

Q: King Road is the perfect meeting spot right in the middle between north and south. How does your location influence the general atmosphere of the venue?

A: Our venue, although not far from the suburbs, is in the middle of farming land. It has the feel of a rural down south brewery, whilst only being 10 minutes from local suburbs, and about 45 mins from the CBD. On top of that, there is a big emphasis on being family friendly, with a huge playground and oval to keep the kids happy. The result is a very laid-back atmosphere where customers get the ‘away on holidays vibe’ without needing to travel too far.

Meet The Brewer: John Allen, BrewDog

Pixel3 — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:00:47 +0000

Meet John Allen, Senior Brewer at Scottish craft brewery BrewDog.

John spent time at Fuller Smith and Turner as a Junior Brewer and Quality Control Technician before cutting his teeth at Little Creatures. Now, he’s back in the Northern hemisphere, this time in Scotland, working as a senior member of the BrewDog team.

Having travelled our shores, we feel John’s got a good handle of what Aussie hops are like, but he hadn’t seen them take off until the Galaxy® craze started a few years back. “It’s been a defining move for the image of Australian hops and really helped put them on the radar of craft brewers everywhere.”

“UK drinkers went mad for Galaxy® when it first came out. Aussie hops have a tendency to deliver juicy passionfruit and zesty tangerine-style notes that give a good bite – they’re unlike a lot of other international varieties. The Vic Secret IPA is a new beer from BrewDog that will hit the market in the next few weeks; which has come out beautifully. It’s showing notes of tropical fruit and passionfruit flavours with a good resinous back bone and stone fruit sweetness.”

“We might have underestimated the capacity of this hop, which we used through all elements of the brewing process; start and end of boil, in the whirlpool and dry hopped. Heavy dry hopping gave a slight spicy and earthy after taste while maintaining a good hop punch – but dialling it back a little will allow the more delicate flavours to shine.”

“The craft beer revolution has taken hold in the UK and now more than ever UK drinkers are looking for something different. We are known for crafting beers that make you think – “how do they make it taste like that?” So it’s good to find an international hops grower that allows you to be creative but still make a great tasting, commercially viable beer.”

“The brewing industry is a big community. No matter where you’re from, everyone’s really collaborative and we all serve to educate and test one another. There are some brewers who bring out beers and you just think ‘I wish I brewed it’. In my fridge at the moment are the Beergeek Breakfast, Mikkeller’s I Beat You and a big bottle of Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale. Also have a couple of BrewDog legends in there like Tokyo, Alice Porter and Dead Pony Club.”

“Unfortunately being based in Scotland we don’t have access to many Aussie beers but favourites include Stone & Wood Pacific Ale out of Byron Bay and Hop Hog from Feral in WA.”

If you’re in the UK or popping over for a visit make sure you visit John and get a taste of BrewDog’s Vic Secret IPA.

Bangin’ beer made in Margs

Pixel3 — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 04:54:13 +0000

The Perth Royal Beer Awards is the premier beer competition in Western Australia (WA). The state’s pursuit of new and innovative ways of brewing is stronger than it has ever been, with 529 entries from large, medium and small craft breweries as far and wide as Esperance, Kalbarri, Margaret River, Busselton, Swan Valley and Perth.

Margaret River Beer Co. enjoyed a trophy-filled night, taking home the HPA trophy for Best IPA (Packaged) for their flagship In The Pines as well as Best IPA (Draught) for River Dog. Born from three beer-loving couples who sought to create a venue that feels like home to locals and visitors alike, Margaret River Beer Co. has become an institution that captures the region’s laid back and inclusive feel. After a well-earned break, we got in touch with Head Brewer Ryan Allen to congratulate the team and ask a few questions about their shiny new brewery and the perfect Sunday session.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2024 Perth Royal Beer Awards! We were thrilled to hand you the Best IPA (Packaged) trophy for your flagship In The Pines, which has been cleaning up at industry awards of late. What’s the secret to that pillowy mouthfeel supporting those vibrant fruity flavours?

A: Our main focus of getting In The Pines where we want it to be over the last 6 months has been with our water chemistry and protein content of the malt bill. Making sure we have the correct level of calcium and pH in the mash really lays the foundation for this beer.

Q: You were also awarded Best IPA (Draught) for River Dog, a beer Crafty Pint once described as “smooth and clean with impeccably balanced bitterness”. Was the beer name inspired by a particular furry friend of yours?

A: Funny that. Even though we have a dog in the artwork, the name is actually inspired by the locals name for Rivermouth Beach.

Q: With the paint still drying on your shiny new brewery, which piece of equipment has made the biggest difference for you?

A: It’s more of a luxury, but I have to say the oversized heat exchanger. We’ve gone from taking an hour to knock out 1000L to 25 minutes for 2,500L. Definitely makes the end of the brew day a lot nicer!

Q: Plus, you’ve got some flash new can designs on the shelf. Who’s the talent behind the new artwork?

A: That would be the excellent Jarrod Fuller from Zendoke.

Q: What is it about the people of Margaret River that makes them so laid back, inclusive and welcoming?

A: I’m still relatively new to Margs, but I think the small town vibe combined with the beautiful landscape is just naturally relaxing. I’ve definitely felt very welcome and included in the community since moving here.

Q: Finally, describe the perfect WA Sunday session.

A: Can’t beat a swim in the morning, followed by a couple beers on the beach.

Beerfarm gets the gold, as nature intended

Pixel3 — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 00:42:33 +0000

The Perth Royal Beer Awards is the premier beer competition in Western Australia (WA), welcoming entries from large, medium and small craft breweries. It has been celebrating the continual expansion and innovation of the beer industry since 2007.

The Margaret River region had a great night, with many local breweries taking home a trophy or two. Beerfarm have a bright future after being awarded the HPA trophy for Best IPA Packaged. Located on a working farm, their commitment to great beer, great people, and the land we live on is something we should all get behind to ensure a sustainable future for our industry. After a well-earned week off, we got in touch with head brewer Josh Thomas to congratulate the team and ask a few questions about their environmental practices and smashable beers.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2021 Perth Royal Beer Awards. We’re glad to be able to support your success by sponsoring the trophy for Best IPA Packaged. What does an award like this mean to you?

A: To get a gold in any competition is a great accolade. It confirms your brewery is producing an exceptional product and has been judged as such from many respected and experienced palates in the industry. The fact it’s in pack is even greater gratification and helps you maintain confidence in your packaging processes as well as the recipe in general. Taking home the trophy for best packaged IPA is a great result that we accept very humbly – to get any trophy at a beer awards you’re likely to be up against a bunch of other exceptional gold medal beers, so being named the best of the bunch is awesome!

Q: Royal Haze also placed at number 18 in the GABS Hottest 100. How do you go about maximising hop flavour in this big, hazy IPA?

A: It mostly comes down to process and selecting quality hops that lend themselves to the hazy style. The recipe of course plays a big part, but I think in terms of maximising hop flavour it’s all about the process of how and when you add hops – sometimes less is more.

Q: Your brewery is located on a working farm, which makes it a pretty special place to visit. For those who haven’t had the pleasure, can you paint a picture of the experience you create for beer lovers?

A: It is exactly that. We are located on 160 acres of farmland in the south west of WA. The venue is an old dairy built in the 60’s that we converted into a farm that milks beer not cows. When you’re enjoying a beer off the wood at the farm, it’s hard not to feel relaxed with some cracking views, food and brews.

Q: Beerfarm run a herd of Black Angus cattle who eat spent grain from the brewing process. Do you know them all by name? Or do you keep your distance knowing they’re eventually going to be served up by the kitchen crew?

A: We have around 80 Black Angus cattle that roam the paddocks in Metricup which feed off the grass and spent grain from our brews. We make sure they have ample food and space to frolic. As a result, the produce that makes its way through the kitchen is top notch, using just about every single part of the beast gives the full paddock to plate experience. I definitely don’t know them all by name, but I do sometimes name the ones with funky hairstyles.

Q: Your unique situation means you’re also more sensitive to the challenges Aussie farmers face. Tell us how you support your neighbours by making sours packed full of rescued fruit?

A: Absolutely! We’re not perfect, but we can all try to be better right? With our fruited sours, or any beer with fruit in it, we aim to reduce agricultural food waste. There is a lot of food waste people don’t know about nor care about. Yes, fruit and veg are compostable, but a lot of resource, time and care goes into growing it. We do the best we can to reduce waste both agriculturally and in general.

Q: A few other Margaret River breweries are on the up as well. What do you think is driving the region’s resurgence in recent years, resulting in some ridiculously high-quality beers?

A: I think it’s about the hearts of the people driving the beer industry in the south west. We all help each other out, we all share, and we all strive to produce the highest quality beers we can. We are situated in a region where a lot of people come to visit and the more exceptional beers we put out as a collective, the more people want to come to the region to enjoy the brewery experience as a whole.

Kick Back with an award-winning IPA

Pixel3 — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 22:48:57 +0000

The Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards (RABCA) was established in 1844. This year, brewers across Australia and New Zealand competed for 13 trophies, including Most Outstanding Beer, Champion Large Brewery, Champion Small Brewery, Best New Exhibit as well as Champion IPA, Lager, Ale, Porter/Stout, Specialty Beer and Reduced Alcohol Beer.

Kick Back Brewing was awarded the highly coveted Champion IPA trophy, proudly sponsored by HPA. The family-owned South Australian brewery operates on the belief that craft beer isn’t just a beverage. They want their beers to provide a connection to place, purpose and community. We got in touch with Owner and Head Brewer Brenton Schoemaker to congratulate the team and ask a few questions about their beers and the origin of their ingredients.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2024 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards. As proud sponsors of the trophy for Champion IPA, we were stoked that Anchor Steady got the gong, particularly as it features one of our Aussie hops. What made you decide to showcase Enigma^® in this beer?

A: We wanted to create a unique IPA was a new world spin by utilising Enigma^® in epic proportions. The combination of SPECTRUM and T90s amplifies the serious flavour and aromas this hop has to offer in a beer style that you wouldn’t usually find it.

Q: You were also awarded a gold medal in the Mid Strength Ale category for Midcoaster, which features New Zealand hops. What point of difference do southern hemisphere hops offer over their northern hemisphere counterparts?

A: They’re just better! I love to experiment with the more unique varieties. Midcoaster is a delicious combo of Nelson Sauvin and Citra, so some of the best of both hemispheres.

Q: The purpose of your beers and tap house is to reflect you, your region and your community. If we asked you to describe Kick Back in one sentence, what would it be?

A: Kick Back is a brewpub for the locals, it’s a welcoming, warm and comfortable place to hang out, eat and drink with your family and friends. I’ve always loved to host family and friends in my home, so Kick Back is an extension of this in our community, for local and tourists alike.

Q: Kick Back have a strong focus on sourcing local ingredients from the Fleurieu Peninsula. What is one ingredient the region is particularly famous for?

A: We have an incredible range of great local produce. We utilise this throughout our kitchen on the daily. I guess our region is most famous for its incredible vineyards, but we would love to see that swing to beer!

Q: Your taproom offers a mixture of cuisines, allowing diners to find something that gives them comfort and pairs will with their beer of choice. What’s your favourite comfort food and beer pairing?

A: The meal I always end up coming back to is a smashed cheeseburger with bacon and a side of chips. With a mouthwatering brisket patty and locally smoked bacon you can’t go wrong. This paired with our Lager or Pale in summer, or our American Red in the cooler months goes down an absolute treat.

Meet the brewer: Russ Gosling, Little Creatures

Pixel3 — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 23:00:33 +0000

Like Little Creatures Head Brewer Russ Gosling, we’re big fans of the Perth craft beer scene, which lured him from the other side of the world to Little Creatures eight years ago.

It’s a job where tasting new beers, exploring the world of craft for creative guidance and playing with hops is mandatory – making it, some would argue, the best job in the world.

At Little Creatures, Russ has had plenty of opportunity to play with our hops, be it in their hero Little Creatures Pale Ale or with different craft varieties.

“Hops behave differently in different styles and produce different characteristics…it’s about pairing the right hop with right beer. It’s only after a number of years you get a good understanding of the individual hops. As with any good craftsman you learn about the raw materials through time, practice and playing”.

One of Russ’s favourite hops is Ella, which is a major component of the Little Creatures Pale Ale and Rogers Beer. While Galaxy^® gave the Pale Ale a notable tropical fruity flavour, dry hopping Ella produced a more complex stewed fruity flavour which Russ felt really worked.

He’s also pretty excited about Vic Secret, having tried it in the Pale Ale. With the recent arrival of its first commercial hop harvest; he’s looking forward having more of a play, and we’re looking forward to tasting the results!

One of his favourites brewed with our hops is the Little Creatures Brown Ale. Russ wanted an autumnal beer, so created one using rye malt and Topaz leaf hop. Until then, he’d never used Topaz but was really impressed with how it suited the beer, describing the hop as “a real pleasure… a cracker”. Can’t get much better than that!

When Russ designs a new recipe, he goes with a feeling about what will work, but while a new recipe always looks good in paper, it’s not until you brew it and taste it that the real work starts. When playing with hops, he often starts by dry hopping as this brings the hop to the forefront.

You will find Russ’ playground, the Little Creatures Fremantle Brewery in, yeah you guessed it, Fremantle, WA.

No boundaries, only possibilities

Pixel3 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 23:04:15 +0000

The Indies, now ten years young, is an annual celebration of the best of the best independent craft beers as well as the people who serve and support our industry. In 2024, the Awards were held in Perth alongside the WA Beer & Brewing Conference. Nearly 50 judges from Australia and New Zealand evaluated 1,028 beers, with a total of 151 beers being awarded gold medals. An incredible 87% of all beers entered receiving a medal, which demonstrates the exceptional quality of indie beer around the country.

Boundary Island was awarded Champion Modern IPA, proudly sponsored by HPA. The WA brewery was born from two Mandurah families who love great beer, good food and a warm atmosphere summer or winter. We got in touch with Head Brewer Dylan Kelly to congratulate the team and ask a few questions about their beers and the heart of their brewery.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2024 Indies Awards. As proud sponsors of your trophy for Champion Modern IPA, can you tell us a bit about the story behind Deckie?

A: Deckie is one of the core beers we launched with. It was always intended to be a more traditional style IPA, but as I was influenced by a number of new IPAs using modern hops, it slowly morphed into that. About a year ago it was actually on the chopping block because I wasn’t happy with it. Deckie today barely resembles that beer.

Q: You also won Champion Independent Small Brewery and Champion Modern Pale Ale for your Estuary XPA. What hops are behind the bright aromatics of lime, melon and spearmint in this beer?

A: This is another combo of modern hops – Citra, Strata and Nelson Sauvin. We’ve also cycled in a couple other Aussie and NZ hops over time.

Q: Mandurah locals and tourists have been enjoying your waterfront brewpub since 2022, but you appeared on even more beer lovers radars recently after winning the Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy for Best New Exhibitor at the 2023 Australian International Beer Awards followed by the equivalent trophy at the 2023 Perth Royal Beer Awards. Have you seen a boost in trade on the back of these awards?

A: It’s hard to gauge whether it makes a difference in trade. The venue has been flat out since we opened. The trophies are obviously good recognition within the industry and help to let the public know that we are making some good beer.

Q: Industry awards are a great opportunity to see how your beers compare to those of your fellow brewers. Where does your drive to benchmark, evolve and innovate your beers come from?

A: As the only brewer here for the first couple years, all the responsibility was on me to make sure customers are having a good experience. Any bad beer falls 100% on me. I’m also very self-critical when it comes to our beers, so I try to recognise any slip ups and continuously improve. None of the recipes are set in stone, I’m always working to make them better.

Q: The heart of your brewery is the beautiful Esmerelda. What’s her story?

A: We found her abandoned and gave her a new lease on life as the play area for kids. A deserted cray boat, she was tugged down the swan river, across the ocean and into the Mandurah Marina where we lifter her by two cranes and placed her where she now sits proudly at the entrance to Boundary.

Q: You can get to the brewery by boat, car, bus, foot or bike. What’s your favourite way to get to work?

A: I wish I had a boat to come by. Usually by car, but I have definitely done some cycling and running.

Meet the brewer: Ben Kraus, Bridge Road Brewers

Pixel3 — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 23:00:29 +0000

Beechworth mightn’t be your first stop on a craft beer tour of Australia, but our friends at Bridge Road Brewers are definitely worth a visit.

For Head Brewer Ben Kraus, brewing is an evolving experience, and as he becomes familiar with the way our hops work, so to do drinkers of Bridge Road beers.

Since 2005, Ben has built a great reputation for brewing beers with “strong hop content without being extreme” – his words, but we heartily agree.

Ben’s certainly no stranger to our hops; he’s been to Rostrevor Hop Gardens and picked hops alongside our farm manager Allan and his family. But it’s in his beer that Ben’s relationship with our hops comes to light.

Bridge Road recently crafted a single hop 4-pack IPA series featuring some of our most well-known proprietary varieties: Summer, Vic Secret, Ella and Galaxy^®.

Ben says “True expression of one hops’ characteristics can be hard to capture, so single hop beers like the IPA range from Bridge Road go a long way in educating the Aussie drinker on what hops are and how important they are to creating unique flavours”.

To craft these beers, Ben doses by alpha acid content to create that a balanced flavour and aroma profile without too much bitterness.

His role as a ‘brewducator’ is not a new one. As a part of their bar series launch last decade, Bridge Road released a wet hop beer using one of our experimental varieties. It was a departure for Aussie beer, both stylistically and because it challenged the industry to appreciate how great hops produce great flavours.

Given Ben’s love of exploring and learning, it’s no surprise his favourite beer is “the next beer I haven’t tried yet”.

Ben is currently in Italy experimenting with the team at Birra del Borgo crafting an intriguing IPA, hopped with Galaxy^®, Vic Secret and Topaz with a local citrus fruit in the mix for added depth. After a trial run in Italy, the team has plans to relaunch the beer in Beechworth.

The 4-pack IPA series from Bridge Road will be dropping into good beer stores later this year.

Top dog of lagers and pilsners

Pixel3 — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 23:02:43 +0000

The Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards are held in esteem worldwide due to the reputation of all involved in judging, organising and staging the event. The Awards celebrate quality in beer as well as the broader organisations and individuals that make the New Zealand brewing industry to vibrant. This year’s competition saw more than 700 entries from across the country with 77% of all entries receiving a medal. This is testament to the outstanding quality of New Zealand beer, which is fantastic news for brewers and consumers.

Parrotdog was awarded Champion New Zealand Large Brewery, proudly sponsored by HPA. The Lyall Bay brewery was conceived in 2011 out of a love for good beer by three guys called Matt. They’re continuing to do what they started back then: making approachable, award-winning beer. We got in touch with Brewing Director Matt Warner to congratulate the team, and ask a few questions about their beers, the importance of friendship, and a change of perspective.

Q: Congrats on your recent success at the 2024 New Zealand Beer Awards. As proud sponsors of your trophy for Champion New Zealand Large Brewery, can you tell us where the name Parrotdog came from?

A: Cheers, the whole team is incredibly proud to be crowned Champion New Zealand Large Brewery – its great recognition for all the hard work everyone is putting into making high quality beer every day.

The name Parrotdog has very simple origins – my Co-Founder Matt Kristofski and I call each other ‘Dog’, and Matt had a pet parrot named ‘Smee’ when we started home-brewing in our student flat.

Q: You also won the trophy for Best NZ Pilsner for Sundog and Best International Lager for L.B. Cold IPA. What was the inspiration behind this Lager/IPA hybrid?

A: Both trophy winning beers are actually Lager/Ale hybrids – our Sundog NZ Pilsner is fermented with an Ale yeast and the L.B. Cold IPA is fermented with a Lager yeast. The Cold IPA was our third attempt at trying to nail down what we interpreted this modern US style to be, without ever really getting to taste a classic example from over there. It’s a fun style to brew, combining the classic smoothness of a lager ferment with the big, dry and hoppy characters typical of the well-known West Coast IPA style.

Q: Bitterbitch, your troublesome original release named for the problematic first brew day which hugely emphasised its hop bitterness, has evolved nicely over the years. It was awarded another gold medal in the NZ IPA, Pale and Draught category, and has been the heart of your core range…until recently. Has the success of Birdseye been a refreshing change of perspective?

A: I see what you did there – nice. Bitterbitch has always been the true heart and soul of this brewery. It’s still our second biggest seller by a decent margin. The slightly darker/maltier IPA style seems to be anti-seasonal – it is such a consistent seller for us throughout the year. Birdseye took our best seller spot by storm during the Covid lockdowns in 2020, and remains a clear leader for us now. It certainly drove a lot of extra sales and production for us – a real game-changer. The Hazy IPA style just appeals to so many modern beer drinkers.

Q: Parrotdog has been in existence in some form since the end of 2009. How did you go from avid home brewers to fully fledged commercial brewers?

A: In 2011, after home brewing for two years, we decided to make the leap and try contract brewing our first 1,000L batch commercial release. Things didn’t quite go to plan when scaling up our homebrew recipe, but after some emergency tweaking (throwing more hops at it) it ended up being a crowd favourite at the local Beervana festival and the rest is history.

Q: You had some guerilla methods of getting your early brews into bars. How crucial have your friendships with fellow beer enthusiasts been to your success?

A: The craft beer scene in Wellington in the early 2010s was a huge reason that we ended up having the inspiration and confidence to begin Parrotdog. The scene was so vibrant back then and there were many supportive industry folks who gave us crucial tips for the business of brewing, or even a leg-up to help sell our beer through their bars and stores. Friends, family and fellow beer enthusiasts have also been very instrumental in helping us get to where we are today.

Q: Finally, how many Matt’s are there in your growing team?

A: Still just the three. We’ve somehow managed not to hire another Matt in 13 years.