Craft beers tick the boxes at the Common Room

The Common Room owner Gerard Barron stocks a range of about 35 to 40 beers, saying it's all about offering people a choice. Photo/Warren Buckland

Gerard Barron says he made a conscious decision to stock mainly craft beers when he started the Common Room five years ago, driven by a desire to offer people a choice and support independent operators.

The eclectic bar on Heretaunga St East in Hastings has garnered a loyal following since he opened and as much as he benefits from that local support, he pays it back to the local and national craft beer suppliers that have been mushrooming around the country.

"For decades we have been drinking brown swill - that was part of the Kiwi drinking culture because we didn't have any options.

"At the start I had people come in who were Tui drinkers but it's changing and now they wouldn't drink anything else except craft beers."

It didn't take long to confirm he was on the right track with his decision, he said.

"I was the first person to buy beer from Brave Brewing - I met Matt on a Wednesday and really liked what he was doing and bought a case off him.

"I tried it out on the locals and within about four days I had bought five to six cases off him - he has gone from strength to strength."

When he opened he said Lion and DB tried to sign him up to their beer lines.

"They want your soul - you get all the beer lines and sweeteners like fridges, but you get tied up in a five-year contract and can only stock their beers - I always wanted to give customers a choice and support local businesses."

Those customers now had a choice of about 35 to 40 beers that were on offer at any one time at The Common Room, from Hawke's Bay and beyond, which he rotated regularly.

He also had Heineken and Corona in the fridge and a range of international bottled beer.

With drink driving laws, and people returning to the region and the country from overseas bringing new ideas, people were changing the way they drank, he said.

"People are more likely to have two to three good beers with different flavours rather than have 10 brown, soupy, nothing beers."

Women who may not have drunk beer before were also cottoning onto the craft craze as new flavours emerged, but he acknowledged it was not for everyone.

"While it might work in bars in Wellington or Auckland or for a niche bar like this, where you have a market for it, it might not work if you are running a country pub - in that case you may only stock one or two craft beers."

As for his personal favourite at the moment - he said he was partial to the Brave EPA or Brave Tiger Milk.