Te Puke bar tenders finalists in Stella hunt

Two Te Puke bar tenders have been named finalists in a New Zealand search for the best servers of Stella Artois beer.

Kat Huggins and Miriam Canty from Te Puke Hotel are among 20 finalists in the 2014 Stella Artois National Draught Masters.

The perfectly poured Stella Artois uses a ''9 Step Pouring Ritual''.

Laura Smith, Quality Manager from Lion says: "The talent that we've seen all over New Zealand has been very impressive, from Whangarei to Invercargill the passion for perfectly pouring Stella Artois is alive and well in New Zealand. It's going to be an interesting final!"

One man that knows what it takes to win is the 2013 New Zealand Draught Master, Sam Cunningham.

"Competing in and winning the national final was a life changing event for me. I was able to go and compete in Cannes, France against the best Stella Artois bartenders in the world. I met a lot of people along the way and had some amazing experiences."

"This competition has given me some renewed direction in my career and I'm so thankful that I took part in it. It's challenging and it tests out the bartender's abilities to perfect the Stella Artois 9 Step Pouring Ritual.

"This is a very prestigious event around the world and the bartenders who have made it this far should be proud to be part of it."

At the finals, the contestants' 9 Step Pouring Ritual will be judged by Laura Smith, Sam Cunningham, Peter Dick, Hayden Harvey and Kurt Gross.

Once the official Stella Artois Draught Master for 2014 has been selected, that person will go on to represent New Zealand at the Stella Artois World Draught Master competition, taking place in Wimbledon in 2015.