Liquidated brewery now for sale
Change of direction for Yeastie Boys founder. Beer can art thrown in the bin. Instagram disappearance mystery deepens. Tui billboards quickly find the line between fun and offensive.
Happy Friday beer lovers.
If you’re in the market for a brewery and/or a chunk of land in Mangawhai, north of Auckland, now’s your chance — with the liquidated Pacific Coast Brewery (aka Vanderlay Industries) now for sale.
This is not just any brewery sale … it’s a large piece of land — more than 10 hectares — with a beautiful, almost brand-new brewery tucked into one corner.
The liquidators’ report contains the complex reasons for the sale of the property and the brewery.
They note: “The Company was incorporated on 30 March 2020. The director has advised that the Company was initially incorporated to purchase and subdivide a Company-owned section of land located in Mangawhai (the Property).
“Early subdivisions had been successful in 2021 and 2022. However, due to resource consent delays and issues, the director could not subdivide further until consent was granted by the local Council and regulatory authorities. The director stated that the Company’s business failed due to changes to the use of the land which resulted in a tax liability. The director was unable to meet the resulting tax liability within the requisite timeframe required by Inland Revenue.
“On application of the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, the Company was placed into liquidation on 8 August 2024 for failing to meet its obligations to Inland Revenue, consisting of overdue GST, Income Tax Non-Individuals and PAYE together with associated penalties and interest.”
According to QV, the property is valued at just over $2 million. Tenders close on October 30.
It’s worth noting that the Pacific Coast Taproom is not part of the liquidation. It’s a separate business, still operational, and is located in a different spot.
Changes for Yeastie Boys founder
Yeastie Boys co-founder Stu McKinlay is starting a new business in the UK with his partner Fritha Burgin.
McKinlay posted on LinkedIn that he and Fritha are running a drinks consulting business called Liquid Sky.
“This is my new drinks consulting business, which I've set up with Fritha Burgin to help foster some blue-sky thinking in the drinks world.”
McKinlay said the business would focus on strategic planning, brand and business development, and operations management.
“However... I've done pretty much everything in beer over two decades. I started running beer competitions and festivals, I've judged all over the world and worked in sensory analysis for other breweries, I set up a hobby business that went mad and run several successful capital raises (publicly and privately) and worked on every little piece of setting up the world's smallest multinational brewery operating across three countries pre-pandemic.
“Fritha, as many of you will know, is the talent behind the look of Yeastie Boys over the last 15 years. She's got a day job now but is also available (with or without me) for assistance in art and design.
“I'm kicking off this work with a couple of rising breweries in Staffordshire and Kent, this month, and happy to discuss ideas with anyone in any kind of drinks business. I'm flexible in what I bring to your business. I can swing by to help for a day or assist you over the longer term.”
The announcement comes just ahead of the Yeastie Boys annual meeting next week.
Because I’m a shareholder in Yeastie Boys — swept along in the euphoria of that first buzzy crowd-funding event — I get updates from the brewery.
The latest, ahead of the AGM, was a sombre reflection on the state of the UK hospitality and drinks scene:
“In regards to the market, we are aiming to simply keep our heads above water over the next year or so as we see how things play out. Breweries and hospitality venues are still closing at a fairly rapid pace and those who are doing well are just getting by rather than really flying.
“There appears to be very few immediate opportunities for significant growth with the supermarkets all buying beer at prices below our production costs and many of the big pub groups now exerting similar pressure. The hospitality market is suffering significantly with high inflation — and especially the related increase in mortgage rates over the last 18 months — but this is likely to ease off the next year or two as people begin to fix mortgages at lower rates again.”
Beer of the Week No 1
When you’ve got New Zealand’s best example of a Doppelbock, can you make it better? The answer from Sprig & Fern is “yes, we can”.
Oud G.O.A.T is a barrel-aged version of Sprig & Fern’s multi-award-winning Doppelbock, The G.O.A.T, which took out the amber/dark lager trophy at this year’s NZ Beer Awards.
The original G.O.A.T is 7.9% ABV with a rich biscuit-like, toasty malt character that delivers chocolate, toffee and a hint of bitterness in the finish. It’s smooth and lush.
The barrel-aged version brings an added dimension to that flavour profile, with a splash of sherry, raisins, vanilla and spice. It’s a bit like a Christmas cake; and in that regard I reckon it’s a perfect Christmas Day drop with a leg of lamb. There’s an expected tart note but it doesn’t dominate and more opens the gate to the richer flavours underneath. It’s clocked in at 8.9% ABV but like the original there’s no boozy heat. And it finishes nicely dry and smooth.
Brewed for Sprig & Fern’s 15th birthday, it’s a real treat.
The great Instagram disappearance mystery twist
You will note, I’m sure, the 8 Wired glass in the above pic … well that’s to celebrate their return to Instagram following a Meta-enforced spell in an alternative offline universe.
Last week I reported that the disappearance of many breweries from the social media space was likely due to not having R18 settings on their profiles.
This may have been the reason for some disappearing, but this week I heard from Canyon and 8 Wired, who both returned to the land of the influencer but NOT because of R18 settings.
8 Wired are back on Instagram after being down for about three weeks, they told me.
”For further context, the issue wasn’t related to age settings as some might have speculated. In fact, our settings are locked at 21+ globally, with a specific setting of 18+ for New Zealand. Meta has since reached out and admitted that they made an error, offering an apology for the disruption.
”Interestingly, it seems we’re not alone — other breweries and restaurants in New Zealand have experienced similar issues, and it’s been encouraging to be able to share experiences. Being Meta Verified has been a game changer for us, providing access to Meta Pro support, where we were able to get real assistance. Also, having a second account, like our Barrelworks page, can be a solid safety net in case of future hiccups.”
So is it a ploy by Meta to get people to pay to be verified?
Canyon Brewing said their account was disabled without reason and then reinstated — again without explanation. And they haven’t been Meta-verified.
So, who knows? Maybe even Meta don’t know … maybe this is what happens when they let AI loose in the compliance department!
Tim’s Beer of the Week
Bavaria’s Oktoberfest might have officially finished last week, but the local versions are just starting to kick off (come say ‘hi’ if you’re at Two Thumb’s festival tomorrow; I’ll be the one with the big Ridgeback). Thanks to more reliable imports in recent years, there’s no shortage of true German brewed examples around, but McLeod’s have gone the extra mile here to craft a local analog, even using all-German malt, hops and yeast.
Like the best Munich lagers, this is a showcase of brewing precision, straight from the absolute crystal clarity of the pour. There’s a robustly malty and grassy aroma, with a massive grainy crunch on the palate that rapidly dries as the firm bitterness takes hold of the finish. Clean, satisfying and remarkably grunty beer that starkly demonstrates how far our ‘NZ Style’ pilsners have drifted from the traditional form. Prost! — Tim Newman
Beer can art thrown in bin
Years ago, in Sydney, I was following the Sculpture by the Sea trail, which had, to my untrained eye, a broad range of aesthetics.
At one point, underneath a stormwater outlet, there was an old fishing net tangled in rubbish. I had no idea if this was a piece of art or a piece of random coastal rubbish … (it was the latter) so I can empathise with a lift technician in the Netherlands, who threw away a piece of art thinking it was two empty beer cans!
All the good times we spent together by French artist Alexandre Lavet may look like two discarded beer cans, but according to the LAM Museum, it is “meticulously hand-painted with acrylics, with each detail painstakingly replicated.
And yes, even the date codes on the bottom of the cans look totally real!
“For the artist, the cans symbolise cherished memories shared with dear friends,” the museum said in a statement.
“While evenings spent enjoying drinks may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, they ultimately embody precious moments of connection.”
The worker, who the museum said was covering for the regular technician, could perhaps be forgiven their error given the fact that the beer cans were displayed in a glass lift shaft, as though they were left behind by construction workers, CNN reported.
The artwork’s placement was part of the museum’s trademark of displaying pieces in what it calls “unconventional locations”.
“The theme of our collection is food and consumption,” said Sietske van Zanten, the museum’s director.
The museum underlined that it “bears no ill will” towards the technician, possibly because the cans — or rather, the artwork — were found in a rubbish bin. They were cleaned and then displayed on a plinth at the museum entrance.
“We wanted to give them their moment in the spotlight,” said curator Elisah van den Bergh in the statement.
And of course I want to know why they went in the bin and not the recycling!
Beer of the Week No 2
Earlier this year Double Vision Brewing in Miramar launched an audacious trio of fresh hop beers under the “Undead” theme. Six months on, the last of the trio, Hop Hunter, is now being re-released — or as the brewery describes it; “revived” — in a slightly altered form.
It’s a great gimmick and more importantly, a great beer.
While Hop Hunter Revival doesn’t feature fresh hops, it utilises new hop technologies including cryogenic hops and a hop oil product called Amplifire.
Using cyrogenic pellets creates a super smooth, resinous, intense hop flavour without a lot of the bitterness and astringency you normally get with whole pellets (which are known as T-90 pellets as they are 90% leafy material).
Adding hop oils in the form of Amplifire is a doubling down on the rich, smooth, oily hop character and it’s delivered in style in this beer.
The flavour is huge and the mouthfeel has a lush, layered texture.
The hops in this one are Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin and the taste profile is passionfruit pulp, ripe peaches and candied lime.
Hop Hunter Revival is available in select New World stores this month, so get down to your local home of craft beer and hunt it out!
Upper Hutt heroes
When we reported on Mike and Anna Neilson taking over Boneface Brewing in Upper Hutt, Mike spoke about his love of the area and in particular the Brewtown complex he helped create.
And now it seems like everyone else is working out that Upper Hutt is where it’s at … at least according to this story from Stuff, which quotes Mike (albeit spelling his name incorrectly.)
Upper Hutt: from bogans to Wellington’s best buy | Stuff
“The downturn is the same for us as the CBD. But hard times are also an opportunity. We need to be progressive and creative to bring the energy and people to our businesses.
“Upper Hutt is in touch with itself I feel it knows its strength and weakness and is happy to change the way it operates to move forward.”
And you can find out for yourself — through the lens of beer — exactly what Upper Hutt is all about if you go to the annual Brewers Festival at Brewtown next Saturday, October 19.
And reading between the lines it looks Boneface is up for a brand refresh.
There was Beer Hug deal on a mixed case of Boneface beers that recently sold out in super-quick time (possibly because it was so well priced), and in the wake of that I saw on social media that Blair Sayer, who did the artwork for Boneface, was more or less saying the current look would soon be collectors’ items:
“End of an era for these, and although the Boneface brand will continue, these illustrated character cans will not. Was fun to do these for sure.”
Dusty’s Beer of the Week
Given a questionable modicum of nu skool West Coast pilsners and IPAs it was magnificent to see Sawmill Brewing remind the masses that an 8% old school Double IPA is here to stay! Rich, sticky, nutty, sweet malt meets overripe apricot and peach, meets darting citrus zest, on a big body and mouthfeel that encapsulates a true-to-style dub IPA … medals to follow imo. Hoppy Friday! — Dusty
Homebrewers mark the date
Homebrewing competitions seem few and far between these days, especially since the demise of SOBA and their annual National Homebrew Championship.
But homebrewers who want to get their beer assessed by qualified judges should think of entering the NZ Brewers Cup, hosted by the Christchurch Homebrewers Association.
You have until October 28 to get you entries to Christchurch by post, or November 1 if you’re dropping them off in person. Judging is on November 9.
More details here: NZ Brewers Cup - Brew Competition Online Entry & Management (brewingcompetitions.com)
Beer of the Week No 3
Indie Hops in Oregon is a boutique hop growing and breeding operation.
They teamed up with Oregon State University for a breeding programme back in 2008 and they are best known for producing Strata, the strawberry-cannabis flavour bomb that’s found its way into a few beers in NZ.
Until now, I reckon Strata has been the main hop of theirs we see down here.
But West Auckland brewers Black Sands have used two newer Indie Hops varieties — Luminosa and Lorien — in a West Coast Pilsner called Land of Gold. The two new hops were released in 2022 and 2021 respectively, so they are relatively unknown.
First, hats off to Black Sands for going in a different direction with hop selection.
And second, a double hat-tip for making this beer delicious. It’s peachy in the sense of the first peaches of the season — the just ripe, not chin-dripping juicy variety. That’s layered with lots of lemon and lime zest, delivered on clean, moderate bitterness. A zingy and refreshing drop.
Tui billboards back with a vengeance
The rebooted Tui billboards didn’t take long to find the line between funny and offensive.
After a decade away, the question was whether the once iconic billboards could resonate in an era when social media has made cynics of us all. With a launch board, they wanted to push the envelope it seems…
I’m no stand-up comic, but given everyone knows who Philip Polkinghorne is, I reckon they’ve over-egged/over-explained this one. Plus there’s the fact that a woman died …
Thanks again for coming along on a beery ride. Catch you next week.
Michael