Big loss for Alibi as brewer leaves
Liberty diversify into burgers and gin. Popular West Auckland brewery-fillery for sale. Why women are the future of beer. Foam is back!
Friday is here again beer friends and I feel an uptick in the weather today in Auckland … and maybe an uptick in the beer news, with positive stories far outweighing the doom and gloom that has pervaded the back half of 2023.
That said … fans of cult Waiheke Island brewery Alibi will be disappointed to hear the man behind the magnificent beers, Bernard Neate, has resigned as brewer.
It’s not known where Neate might be headed next, but his departure will be a huge blow for the brand which won the Champion Brewery at 2021 NZ Beer Awards.
On a personal note, every beer I’ve tried from Alibi tastes like it’s been meticulously crafted. From classic pilsners, through to modern hazies, everything is made with care and great balance. Personal highlights this year include Bad Juju West Coast IPA, Greetings from Waiheke, a West Coast Pilsner, Snappy’s American Amber, the Fresh Hop Nelson Sauvin, their straight up Pilsner Bier … actually who am I kidding: all of them were great!
I wish Bernard every success in whatever he does next, which I’m sure will be a success.
For a walk down memory lane, here’s a story I did with Bernard after Alibi won the Champion Brewery title:
Waiheke Wonder: Alibi Brewing | Pursuit of Hoppiness
It’s understood Neate’s departure is not connected with the news that Tantalus Estate, where the brewery is based, is up for sale.
The NZ Herald reports that 8.3-hectare Tantalus Estate vineyard and winery is for sale, with the owners saying the last few years have been very difficult.
Bruce Aitken, the majority shareholder in the business, said although the rating valuation was $7 million, the property was worth substantially more than that.
“The rating doesn’t capture the existence of new and improved buildings,” he said.
The business was being sold as a going concern, and Aitken expects the 70 staff employed in full and part-time roles will continue working there.
“It’s a difficult decision to sell. We’ve been at it for 10 years and put our hearts and souls into it. It’s been an all-embracing business. Covid and the knock-on effects with the hospitality sector have been difficult for all of us. We’ve sat back and asked if this is what we want to do, or [if] want to sell to someone who can take it to the next level. We’re looking for people who can see a vision and a future for it,” he said.
(As an aside in other brewers-on-the-move news, Becs Cope has gone from Brew Moon to Beer Baroness to replace Damien Treacher, who has gone to Three Boys)
Liberty move into gin and burgers
Liberty Brewing are diversifying at speed, today launching their gin range under the banner Liberty Distilling.
And last month they opened an American-style burger joint next to their taproom in Helensville.
There’s a sad backstory to the burger shop — previously it was a fish & chip shop but the woman who owned it died earlier this year after suffering a white tail spider bite and then a blood infection.
Liberty founder Joe Wood said the opportunity to sell burgers was too good to turn down and he’s been behind the grill himself perfecting his smash burgers. The burgers are made with local beef fattened up on spent grain from the Liberty Brewing operation.
“It was never an option for us to do fish ’n’ chips. When you think of going to a brewpub in the States, which our brand leans heavily towards, you’re thinking pizza, tacos or burgers. I love In & Out Burger — everyone does — there’s nothing like that in New Zealand and no one in Helensville is making American-style burgers.”
The buns are baked across the street at the Real Bread Project and the meat comes courtesy of local butcher River Valley Meats.
“We haven’t even done any marketing and it’s insanely busy — I’ve lost 6 kilos cooking burgers seven days a week.
“We just wanted to supply food to customers in the taproom, but the fact these burgers are available has brought in new customers we’ve never had before so beer sales are up.
“It’s a team effort, we’ve even got the kids, Poppy and Jackson, working in there.”
The gin business is something Wood has wanted to do for a while, having bought a still a few years ago. It’s run as a separate business from the brewing arm, with one of the Liberty’s employees, Sam Shepherd, taking a one-third stake in the operation.
“Sam wanted to get involved and he provided the motivation for getting it off the ground.”
I asked Joe if the diversification was necessary in the current economic climate.
“I don’t know if it’s what you need to do. But with a risk of things becoming stagnant or boring, this keeps things interesting. We’ve been making beer for 14 years now and it can get a little bit mundane and we want to keep things interesting for ourselves.
“We’re not approaching it from a business point of view, it’s about us, our brand and the area we are in.”
In other news, Liberty have just released their 2023 Prohibition Porter in 440ml cans.
Beer of the week No 1
This is one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for quite a while, and it was worth the wait. The first beer made with the Wilding yeast discovered and isolated by Froth Tech, Emerson’s Wilding is a real delight. As promised it’s definitely a farmhouse-style beer and while it resembles a Belgian farmhouse style, it’s got unique characters that traverse styles. There’s banana and a vanilla note that reminds me of the smell you get from gorse in summer. It’s creamy but very dry and has an almost lager-like finish. it’s a fascinating beer and I will be going back for more, for sure.
Bonus beer recommendations
I follow a lot of sports blogs, and one of those who’s been around for longer than most is Richard Irvine at Sports Review. And I got a surprise when I saw his post this week was beer recommendations! So I figured I’d share it:
Popular Hopscotch Beer for sale
Anyone who visited Hugh Grierson’s Hopscotch fillery and bottle shop — either in its old location in Mount Eden (now the Fridge & Flagon) or in New Lynn on Wolverston St — will know what a character Hugh is.
Sadly, he’s reached his limit with the little shop of beers and is selling up to return to teaching.
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