Taste of home in Waipu brothers' brews

Waipu beer makers Clayton and Geoff Gwynne's. Photo / John Stone

Beers in the barn to the distant sound of bagpipes - it's all in a day's work for the Waipu-based Gwynne brothers.

Geoff and Clayton Gwynne's McLeod's Brewery will go up against 92 other brewers as the sole Northland entrant at the Brewers' Guild of New Zealand Awards in Auckland this weekend.

The competition's "taste of Northland" was set to include a pilsner with Kaitaia Fire, the surfer's dream Longboarder Lager and the newly released Traders Scotch Ale with horopito.

"We want it to reflect the sense of place and convey the Northland lifestyle and what people are drinking beer during and after," Geoff said.

He won't speculate on their chances. Rather the competition is a chance to network, celebrate and reflect on the "long and winding road" so far.

Setting up three years ago in amid the craft beer boom was a risk - ANZ reported that brewery numbers in New Zealand have doubled during the past five years.

The brewery is in a high-spec silver shed out the back of Waipu Pizza Barn, which the brothers have owned and run for 12 years.

"At the moment if we're not behind the bar, we're brewing. It's like any start-up. We're doing it all ourselves, and it is a very competitive market," Geoff said.

The expat Auckland brothers' enthusiasm for their adopted home Waipu shows through as they describe the "sense of place" they hope goes into each brew.

"This kind of beer goes back to what beer was 100 years ago, made using local ingredients, before the homogenisation of beer," Geoff said.

The product line of seven beers and growing was enjoying a "fantastic reception" in Auckland, following good coverage in Northland bottle stores.

Growth was about 25 per cent year on year and McLeod's was producing about 100,000 litres a year. Clayton said he was noticing an increase in tourists asking for local beer, in the same way people might partake in a wine trail.