Tuatara Brewery is launching five new beers, simplifying its beer brand names and introducing a striking new packaging design.
The packaging on new Tuatara beer boxes and bottle labels moves from a typography design style to a reptilian-inspired tuatara eye.
The five new beers include a new IPA, aHazy Pale Ale, a Hazy IPA, a Baltic Porter and a NZ IPA.
"We've had a lot of fun with this new line-up," said Tuatara head brewer Brayden Rawlinson, who along with Tuatara founder Carl Vasta, developed the new range.
"The new Hazy IPA is a refined recipe based on the crowd favourites Suspense and Kilmog Fog.
"And the new Hazy Pale Ale is, in my opinion, the ultimate hazy, with all the big flavour and aroma you should expect from this style, but with a slightly lower ABV.
"Last year we did a Baltic Porter at The Third Eye, our Wellington microbrewery, and it was one of our most popular beers so we've been itching to release another for people to get stuck into.
"We also know that Tuatara drinkers love Kiwi hops and our new NZ IPA has a massive hop profile that really celebrates the prodigious tropical characteristics of New Zealand grown hops.
"And then we have the new IPA which is the beer we're all the most excited by.
"It's got big tropical flavours and a beautifully balanced bitterness. Kind of a Frankenstein beer, in the best way, because we have created something that we'd all like to drink."
Mr Vasta said the new packaging made sense for the brand.
An example of the new Tuatara packaging.
"The time is right to shed our old skin.
"We always like to challenge ourselves to be better, and so we've taken a look at our core range and have simplified it to make it easier to navigate.
"The style of each beer has been made bigger and clearer so hopefully customers will find it easier to find what they want.
"We go to great lengths to put quality beer inside the bottle and we know we need to take just as much care in producing great packaging as well.
"Tuatara drinkers can be reassured that their favourite brews are still available, but with an easier to find style driven name and look."
The distinctive scaly 'tuatara skin' bottles and eye-adorned bottle caps will not be changed with the introduction of the new packaging, and all Tuatara products continue to be brewed, bottled and hand packed at the brewery in Paraparaumu.
The new packaging and new beers will be rolling out in hospitality venues from the end of April and in stores from the beginning of May.
Core range name changes from then to now: Kapai — Aotearoa Pale Ale, Tomahawk — APA, MotEureka — Pilsner, Weiz Guy — Hefeweizen, Coastin — Session IPA, Helluva — Helles Lager, Tripel Barrel — Conviction Tripel. Summary of beers removed from old range: Amarillo American Dark Ale, Hopfinity NZIPA, Double Trouble Double IPA, Sauvinova Single Hop Pale Ale, Hi Res American IPA.
