Kerikeri craft brewery raises a glass to winning host of national awards

Kainui's Paul Keating and Gary Henwood are stoked with their recent wins at this year's Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards. Photo / Supplied

Staff at a Far North craft brewery are raising a glass or three to toast a slew of wins at this year's Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards.

Kainui Brew Co, a farmhouse brewery on the outskirts of Kerikeri, was crowned Champion New Zealand Micro Brewery at the awards which have a reputation as one of the most prestigious accolades a brewer can win.

Kainui also won a trophy for Rosè Saison, a Belgian-style beer harking back to the days each farmhouse had its own beer, which collected bronze at last year's awards.

The brewery picked up a gold medal for Summer Love Saison, silver for its Farmhouse Saison and its Blueberry Berliner Weisse, along with five bronze awards for Kainui XPA, Kainui IPA, Biere De Garde, Rank & File Porter and The Empress Imperial Stout.

Judges described Kainui's beers as: "Funky traditional farmhouse ales, to split batches, to the hop bombs of the current day.

"Kainui Brew Co aims to always provide the beer lover with something to pique their interest."

Kainui head brewer Gary Henwood said he and lead brewer Paul Keating, who joined the company 18 months ago, were "absolutely stoked".

"It's great to get that validation," he said.

"For me, it's about the local public knowing what we're producing is some of the best beer in the country.

"For Paul it's amazing; we promised him he would one day hold the Micro Brewery of the year trophy. We just didn't think it would come so soon."

The trophy-winning beer came in a highly contested category against the best breweries in the country, Henwood said.

It was described as "a beautiful beer with great integration and structure".

Henwood said they added 10 per cent of their own grapes to this beer and the result "is an absolute treat for the senses, to both beer and wine drinkers alike".

"It gives it a bit of a wine character; you could be fooled into thinking it smells like a rosè. It's crossing the borders between wine and beer."

Kainui Brew Co was established in 2015 and makes between 22 and 30 types of beer, from lagers, pale ales, IPAs and porters, to Scottish ales and stouts.

It is packaged into kegs and served on draught at the Plough & Feather in Kerikeri and at Kainui Road Vineyard.

"It's thrilled us to have lifted the trophy for the NZ Micro Brewery for 2022, seven years after going commercial on a 50l brewhouse," Henwood said.

"Our sole focus has been to supply our local market with fresh, world-class beer."

The Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards are held in esteem worldwide and have a selection of judges from New Zealand, Australia, America and beyond.

This year there were 828 entries across 119 style classes.