new zealand beer with the words rock and gold

We are also lucky to have a significant hop growing region in Nelson which provides us with some amazing, world-renowned, varieties that produce very distinct flavours that brewers appreciate internationally. Our uniqueness comes from this – our beer drinkers love supporting local and appreciate having access to a hugely diverse range of beers. While we often take cues from other countries and classic styles, our small and agile beer community really can move in a new direction quickly, with new varietals and flavours coming out all the time. New Zealand is a young country filled with innovative and driven brewers and like many industries, we love to try new things. What makes the New Zealand beer scene unique? From a flavour perspective and an economic one? Brewers Association executive director Dylan Firth enjoys a beer (image supplied). I caught up with Dylan Firth, executive director of the Brewers Association, to discuss the growth of New Zealand’s beer industry, what makes our beer special, the role of the big breweries in the sector’s development, and beer’s contribution to the economy. The Brewers Association represents DB and Lion and their interests across the sector. They’re responsible for making everything from our local reproduction of legendary Dutch beer Heineken, to the current version of New Zealand’s first commercial craft beer, Emersons. Approximately 82% of all the beer brewed in New Zealand is produced by Lion Breweries and DB Breweries. Independent breweries have increased by 16% since 2008, and last year craft beer represented 10% of all beer sales.īut if you’re drinking a brew in New Zealand in 2019 it’s pretty likely that it’s been created by one of two companies. The report also revealed significant growth in the craft beer industry and the number of boutique breweries in New Zealand. The report showed the industry was worth more than $2.3 billion in beer sales alone it was responsible for $645 million in GDP and brewing directly employed nearly 2000 people. The Brewers Association of New Zealand, the advocacy group for Lion and DB breweries, contracted the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research to quantify beer’s contribution to the New Zealand economy in the year to March 2018. New Zealand loves beer – it’s been a constant and colourful part of our colonial history since the arrival of Captain Cook. The great explorer was the first to brew beer in New Zealand when in 1773, on Resolution Island in Fiordland, he experimented with a brew of young rimu branches and mānuka leaves as a treatment against scurvy.įrom this first brew, the beer industry has grown into a huge and diverse sector that makes a significant economic contribution to the country too. Simon Day spoke to the Brewers Association’s Dylan Firth about the industry’s growth. Beer is a big deal in New Zealand and even as we drink less, its contribution to our economy grows.

New zealand beer with the words rock and gold