RealBeer.co.nz - Buyers Guide to Craft Beer in New Zealand

[nzbrewer]

In an effort to help retailers in New Zealand to purchase a good selection of craft beers I am working on the document below. Would love to have any suggestions or input. Once it has been polished it will be released to the Liquor Trade.

Why do this? recently I have had a number of bars bitching at me about some "craft beers" they have stocked which people try once and hate on, then they have to try and sell the rest of it out. This also has the effect on new and potential craft beer drinkers not adventuring outside their comfort zone again because they got burned.

So hook in to it I want to see your comments. If first time craft beer drinkers have an awesome experience every time, they will buy again, and there will be more demand for more craft beer.

Cheers
Luke

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RealBeer.co.nz
Presents

Buyers Guide
Craft Beer of New Zealand

Craft Beer made in New Zealand has all of a sudden become very interesting and many bar owners and liquor retailers are looking at providing a selection of what is available.

With 50 small breweries in New Zealand, and many making on average 5 beers each, this means there are potentially 250 beers you could add to your fridge. In most cases you will not have room for more then 6 or 12 new beers.

Here are some quick tips to getting a quality selection, and avoiding making a bad choice?

1. Award Winning Beers
Keep it simple. Stick with beers that have won awards. See www.brewnz.co.nz for latest results. So much choice, so little fridge space. (you need to note that of the 200+ entries from the Beer Awards only a third are worthy of medals, hence there are some problematic and poor quality beers out there)

2. Reputation for Quality
Sometimes you might be wiser to actually look at beers that have a consistent record of winning awards, or looking at the track record of a brewery and its ability to win awards for all its beers. Some brewers may get lucky once and ride on that win for 17 years.

3. Beers of Interest
Many craft breweries are make seasonal specials and interesting beers. Watch out for barrel aged beers, sour beers, fruit beers, and other strange ingredients. This definitely creates interest, trial and discussion about the diversity of beer.

4. Change is Good
To keep your customers interested and to always be fine tuning your selection, a good practice is to drop a couple of your slower moving beers and to try out a couple of new one. You might end up stocking your new biggest seller.

5. Support Your Local Brewery
Fresh beer is the best. Your local brewery is only going to prosper and improve their quality and selection with your support.

[Stu McKinlay]

Fair enough, now I remember what you had written and if it is Hugh's request then that's not so bad.

[Andrew]

There are a few people in this world who will seek the perfect beer, and have the time and inclination to do so. I wish them well (and feel somewhat sorry for them).
It would be interesting to to take those beers and present them to a randomly selected bunch of average Kiwi beer drinkers and see what they they think

[Reviled]

Youll never really be able to guarantee positive consumer reaction and interest at the bar in this country, not with everyone... Take a Lion Red drinker for example, ordering a Renaissance London Porter, id bet money that they wouldnt enjoy it... Too much flavour etc...

I think first time craft beer drinkers first need to know what theyre expecting, a full on flavour explosion, before they are scared away by something which is too new and exciting for their palate?

[Steve Baker]

The wording of (3) is open to interpretation.
Watch out for barrel aged beers, sour beers, fruit beers, and other strange ingredients.
Thanks, I shall avoid them at all costs!

[nzbrewer]

good call, both on the wording and the fact you won't be drinking these beers. means there is more for the rest of us.

Version (2)

3. Beers of Interest
Many craft breweries are make seasonal specials and interesting beers. Examples of these could be barrel aged beers, fruit beers, and other unique ingredients. This definitely creates interest, trial and discussion about the diversity of beer.

[MrC]

I find I have the same problem when serving my home brewed beer to family & friends that aren't familiar with more about 3 styles. I've taken to explaining the style to them before they taste it. I find that once they know what the beer is supposed to taste like, they tend to focus more on whether they can taste the "deliberate" flavours, etc. The drinking experience then becomes just as much about the drinker as the beer.

I'm not sure how you would acheive some thing like that commercially. Maybe a "beer of the week" that comes with a "Can you taste it?" guide.

Expectation management.

[Stu McKinlay]

Great idea - I'd certainly like to see it come from a Brewer's Guild or SOBA angle but I know you actually want to get this done so you have to do it yourself.

How about something about asking the independent experts - beer writers, other brewers etc.
Or dealing with reputable expert wholesalers/retailers rather than direct with the brewery (e.g. Regionals, The Beer Store, Rumbles, BeerNZ etc).

If I was going to open a bar/cafe/resteraunt with a dozen craft beers and knew nothing about them, but knew I liked Epic Pale Ale, I'd be interested in hearing what beers you would recommend. Or who you might think could recommend some (e.g. Geoff Griggs or Neil Miller, someone from SOBA, another brewer).

Out of interest, can you name 6 beers (other than your own) that you would choose to go in my theoetical cafe today... and why?

[nzbrewer]

Other than my beers which rock ;-P, I'd recommend to a bar owner to stock

Tuatara Pils
Invercargill Pitch Black
Emerson's Old 95 (found the Pislners too sulphury and burnt rubber over the last wee while)
Croucher Pils (different from Tuatara, more like what Emerson's use to be, quality variable and would needs to be sorted)

Maybe other Tuatara and Emerson beers.
Tuatara Porter, IPA
Emerson's Weissbier

Its a tough call. We have many breweries in this country, but to be able to recommend a beer that you would be confident in with on going quality and consistency is something I would be reluctant to put my name on beyond Tuatara and Emerson's.

Steph I see your call on 3 Boys IPA, but more times than not I have had this beer and it has tasted like a hefewiezen to me.

Founders range is solid and relatively consistent but just lacks enough character beyond mainstream to stand out and wow new drinkers enough to want to commit to craft beer.

Harrington Big John Special Reserve when it is on form is good, but you never know.

There are some other breweries with good beer but they don't bottle.

[Stu McKinlay]

I think the Founders beers have always been OUTSTANDING when I've tried them fresh but two months in a bottle and they lose vitality.

Your list isn't far off what I'd pick, though Mata Artesian would be up there for me. I've never had a bad bottle of it.

Oh, yeh, and Epic Pale too.

[Greig McGill]

Mata Artesian would be up there for me. I've never had a bad bottle of it.

I have. I think I spilled it all over most of the SOBA AGM goers at Southern Cross last year. ;)

You're right though, I think that had more to do with how it had been treated by the bar than the beer. The problem is that the new craft beer consumer may not know this and just think the beer is poor. If it happens to be their first experience, "we" lose them for life.

I think what would be interesting, and make a great start, would be to get every craft brewer in NZ to read this forum thread. I know it's asking a lot of busy and sometimes technology-averse brewers, but it would certainly go a long way to opening up some good honest discussion of what can be a prickly issue.

How about everyone sends the link to this thread to every brewer they know? Between Stu, Luke, and Steve, that will probably be most of them. ;)

[Rusty Chch]

I think the Founders beers have always been OUTSTANDING when I've tried them fresh but two months in a bottle and they lose vitality.

I think this is a pretty important point in general. If the intention of this document is to help bar owners to introduce slower moving beers (if we're honest with ourselves), there may be some need to discuss beer care and stock levels.

I'm not entirely certain how you'd approach this without making it seem like craft beers were tempermental but it's a concern.

[Steph]

Yeah, I agree with your comment re the IPA but still think it is pretty tasty. Is that wrong? Dunno. Look what happens when you ask for advice...so much of it!!