Ale and hearty

There was a time when beer meant a slab of Speight's or a swappa crate. Now even supermarkets are making room for vast arrays of boutique brews. By Nikki Macdonald (The Dominion Post)

Beer enthusiast Simon Smith likes to buy single bottles of different brands: Photo: Craig SimcoxSimon Smith had always poohpoohed that watery brew drunk by ignorant louts. ‘‘It turns out I was probably that myself. I was quite happy drinking wine at the time. I thought beer was a commercial swill that came on large tankers from Auckland.''

It wasn't till 18 months ago, when he and a mate decided to try something new, that he discovered beer didn't have to mean dishwater lager. Now he buys it by the bottle, regularly trying new brands and styles. Mr Smith is one of thousands fuelling New Zealand's craft beer boom. 

While total beer volumes slumped almost 5 per cent in the year to September, boutique breweries just keep growing. Waikanae brewer Tuatara has doubled its sales every year for the past four years.

According to the Brewers Guild, there are now 54 craft brewers and brew pubs nationwide, producing mostly fullflavoured, European styles ranging from light, hoppy pilseners to strong, malty ales. And new players seem to emerge virtually every week. There's Croucher from Rotorua, Founder from Nelson, Epic from Auckland, Three Boys from Christchurch, Moa from Blenheim. As well as a flavour edge, several brands sport designer marketing befitting the price tag - up to $10 retail for a 500ml bottle.

Brewers Guild chairman David Cryer puts craft brewing's success down to the increasing sophistication of the New Zealand palate. ‘‘If you can't taste the difference, you must have a really bad cold.'

But it's predominantly wine or spirits drinkers diversifying into beer, rather than the blokes down the pub watching the rugby ditching Tui for a bottle of Dunedin's Emerson's pilsener, Mr Cryer says. ‘‘They're mostly 30 to 55-year-olds with a bit of money who want to know where their food and drink comes from and want a story. You're seeing it in everything - bread, coffee, tea.''

Mr Smith fits the profile perfectly - a 33-year-old professional who manages Victoria University's website, he buys Fair Trade Peoples Coffee and is interested in the beans' source. About half his mates are also changing their drinking habits, taking craft beers to barbecues and using them as a talking point.

Boutique beers still make up only 2 per cent of all beer drunk in New Zealand, excluding the Monteith's and Mac's ranges, now owned by DB and Lion Nathan.

Regional Wines and Spirits beer specialist Kieran Haslett-Moore predicts demand will climb further. In the United States, craft beers make up 7.5 per cent of the total beer market, so there's still a way to go.

Mr Haslett-Moore stocks beers from about 40 New Zealand microbreweries, in both bottles and fill-your-own. Despite tough economic times, they've just had their best Christmas beer sales, boosted by increasing numbers of young professional women.

‘‘There are still more men than women, but I'd say the female side is growing all the time.''

Emerson's is a big seller, particularly with British expats desperate for an English-style ale. One of the secrets to craft brewing's success is the consistent quality, says Matterhorn co-owner Christian McCabe. ‘‘Most boutique brewers are doing a pretty good job. I think there's a lot of crap wine out there. I don't think there's a lot of crap beer.''

Though a 330ml bottle of craft ale can set you back a steep $12 or $13 at an upmarket bar, people tend to drink less so are less concerned about price, he says.

‘‘It can be quite challenging to drink a lot of - like going out to a restaurant and eating rich food, you need a much smaller portion.''

It's unlikely microbreweries will ever threaten the mass market brands, which people tend to drink ‘‘for the tribal connection, rather than because they like the flavour'', Mr McCabe says.

But DB or Lion Nathan could take over some of the smaller players. That would be nothing new: Mac's and Monteith's began as craft brewers. 

In gold mining days, New Zealand had more than 200 independent breweries, before regulation forced consolidation.

Tuatara founder Carl Vasta says noone has yet made an offer for his Waikanae brewery, despite its success. From a slow start in 2002, he's now expanding to produce a million litres a year. And that's despite the recession. ‘‘People like to treat themselves, no matter how good or bad things are going.''

Even supermarkets are clearing shelves in the fridge to accommodate boutique brands. New World Thorndon's beer selection includes about 200 craft beers from around New Zealand and the world. With so many small suppliers, ordering can take hours, liquor manager Reese Drake says.

While many small breweries initially supplied only keg beer to bars, in the past six months the number bottling and selling to shops has escalated dramatically. Though some small brewers produce reasonably priced four- and six-packs, many customers, such as Mr Smith, take advantage of the single bottles to try five or six varieties, Mr Drake says.

Beside the boutique beer range are trendy new ciders. That, it seems, is the next big thing, as the same microbreweries endeavour to revamp the drink's reputation as a cheap underage swill.

But that's another story.

A brief history of beer in New Zealand
➤1773 - Captain Cook brewed New Zealand's first beer, on landing in Dusky Sound, from ‘‘spruce'' branches (thought to be rimu, kahikatea and matai) and manuka.
➤Mid 1800s - The gold rush spawned more than 200 independent breweries, serving all the tiny West Coast mining towns.
➤Early 1900s - Government regulation pushed small brewers to amalgamate, eventually forming the two big brewers DB and Lion Nathan. The last of the independents closed in the 60s.
➤1980 - The cycle restarted, with the first in a new wave of independent microbreweries - McCashin's in Nelson.
➤1986 - The country's first brew pub, the Shakespeare Tavern, opened in Auckland, followed by Christchurch's Dux de Lux in 1989.

No-knead Beer Bread
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 can/bottle (350-375ml) beer
Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Add the beer, mix well. Spoon into a well-greased loaf or bread tin. Bake at 180C for about an hour. Turn out and cool before slicing.

Note: Add extra flavour with a sprinkling of poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds, or some grated tasty cheese, over the top before baking.