The 2020 New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 30 is more than just a list – it is encouraging regional tourism and buying local.
The award's independent panel of 25 experts, who judged hundreds of beers and ciders in March pre-Covid-19, awarded the Top 30 best beers and ciders for customers to enjoy – and are doing what many companies are doing these Covid-19 days: pivoting.
"The awards celebrate some of the brightest and best brewing talents – and those talents lend themselves wonderfully to tourism and to New Zealanders' desire to continue to buy local," says Pippa Prain, Head of Marketing and CX for New World.
A recent survey by New World found that choosing to buy local brands is positioned to become an enduring change from lockdown. Of the more than 1000 respondents surveyed, 49 per cent said they focused on buying New Zealand-made in the supermarket during higher alert levels – and 86 per cent said they will continue to buy New Zealand made once the alert levels are over.
From the same New World survey, 29 per cent of respondents said they plan to travel around New Zealand, outside their region, now domestic travel restrictions have relaxed.
"Many of the award's Top 30 brewers are tourist attractions in their own right," says Prain.
"Their products are ideal end-of-the-day refreshments after activities like hiking, camping, surfing, sightseeing or simply visiting family or friends.
"They are part of the continued movement to encourage New Zealanders to get out and see their backyard and help the tourism industry, and local businesses, recover from the Covid-19 downturn.
"We know not everyone will be able to get out just yet and start travelling again, but they will be able to get a taste – literally – of New Zealand's regions by exploring the Top 30 list at their local New World."
The regions highlighted in New World's four-part NZ Herald series are Auckland, the East Coast, Wellington and Tasman and come as there are signs of New Zealanders heeding the call.
For visitors to Auckland, here are some of the excellent Top 30 breweries – and products – from this year's New World Beer and Cider Awards.
McLeod's
Winning beers: McLeod's Great Migration IPA and McLeod's Longboarder Lager
McLeod's is a rural brewery, just a stone's throw from the Auckland border in Waipu, with a popular restaurant, McLeod's Pizza Barn, attached and a tourist destination on its own. In June last year, McLeod's expanded their brewery and almost tripled capacity, making special runs of beer using hyper-local ingredients which are grown exclusively in Northland.
Co-owners Clayton and Geoff Gwynne say of taking over McLeod's Pizza Barn and starting the brewery "out back": "We are big fans of craft beer from our travels abroad, so we craved brews bold in flavour and wholly authentic. We also wanted to make it right out back. So we did. We then hired half the village and worked right alongside them in the kitchen and at the bar - and still do."
Their two award-winning beers have different characters. The IPA is almost jammy at first sip – a chewy, sweet, orange marmalade sweetness. "Well-made, well-balanced; great beer – would drink again," was the judges' summary.
The lager looks a million bucks in the glass. It has a generous aroma of fresh, just-dry hay on the nose. Thanks to the long, traditional maturation, the body is luxuriously silky – like the sheets a millionaire might sleep in. The bitterness is pitch-perfect – dancing lightly with the sweet malt to create a stylish, fresh, clean and zingy lager with a real touch of class.
Behemoth
Winning beer: Behemoth Me Time Mosaic Hazy IPA
Known for their slogan "we make bigger tasting beer," Behemoth also makes a whole bunch of bigger-tasting beer – they've made more than 200 different beers in the last seven years. Founder Andrew Childs says, "We love trying new things. Life is too short to take seriously so the only thing we, the Behemoth family, take seriously is bigger tasting beers – beers big on flavour, fun and creativity."
Every now and then a one-off becomes so popular – and successful – it jumps across to a core range product. Their Me Time Mosaic (Mosaic is a hop variety) is one of them: in addition to its place on this year's Top 30 list, it was also the champion IPA at the New Zealand Beer Awards last year and is proving so popular that it's now offered in a 6-pack.
The Behemoth crew is currently building their brewpub on Dominion Road – Churly's – and is expected to open sometime in August.
Bach Brewing
Winning beer: Bach Brewing JUICY AF
Bach Brewing bills itself as a "gypsy brewing company located between the shores of Auckland's harbours." Bach founder and beer chief Craig Cooper's life in New Zealand gave him a great appreciation for its coastal lifestyle – early years spent at his grandparents' bach on the Mahia Peninsula and following years staying with mates in baches at Waimarama and other iconic kiwi locales. These experiences led to a deep passion for craft beer along with the lifestyle associated with the sea, lakes, beaches and coastline.
The award's chair of judges Michael Donaldson says of the JUICY AF winner: "You'll have to guess what AF stands for. Amazingly Fruity? Ambitious Flavour?"
This hazy pale ale captures all that is great about the style with aromas of sweet orange and mango followed by a pineapple juice flavour. All the awards' judges – without knowing the label – lavished praise on this for its "juicy and giving" flavour, its "intense juiciness" and its "full, juicy" mouthfeel.
For those who can't roam too far from their region, Bach is the perfect beer to enjoy after a day of local sightseeing in your own town.
Can't make it to Auckland? Pick up one of these brews or ciders at your local New World and enjoy after a long day, or check out more New World Beer & Cider Award winners and discover a new drop this season at www.newworld.co.nz/top30.
Tune in next Thursday for the second installation of our New World Beer & Cider Awards regional journey. Next up? The East Coast.