The surprise driver behind Three Sisters new equity raise
Where's our highest craft beer bar? Auckland Beer Week underway tomorrow. Where have all the pool tables gone? Brewing keeps ex-prisoners on the straight and narrow. Hipster beer is dead.
Greetings Beer Friends,
This Friday’s edition of news has that seemingly rare quality of bringing you … good news!
On the surface, Three Sisters announcing another round of equity funding is kind of neutral news. But a quick dig — i.e. an interview with founder-brewer Joe Emans — reveals a continuing up-and-up growth curve for the New Plymouth brewpub.
Perhaps it’s the legacy of being in a former bank, but the riches keep flowing Three Sisters’ way.
Quick background: Three Sisters started with a unique crowd-funding campaign that basically involved people pre-buying their beer, and it delivered them around $40,000 in cash.
In 2022 they went down the route of equity funding. At a time when the likes of Behemoth and Parrotdog were looking for millions of dollars, Three Sisters had a minimum equity raise of $350,000 but reached $520,000, which eventually turned into $800,000 when they went back to the same investors for a little bit more.
In and around that raise, the brewery won New Zealand’s champion microbrewery title, followed by the champion small brewery crown. They’ve also been the champion small international brewery two years running at the Australian International Beer Awards.
Good beer and a swag of awards will get you noticed and no sooner had Three Sisters increased their capacity and upgraded their bar, they needed to do it again.
Joe says given the current economic climate, doing another round of equity funding wouldn’t have happened right now. But the business has been spurred to action by getting a large export deal into China.
“The Chinese export order is huge for us and the volume they want on a monthly basis is such that the brewhouse is now a major problem — the export order is a game-changer, so we need to try and do this.”
Intriguingly for Joe, despite making efforts to export in the past without success, this time it was the importer who came to him.
“It’s interesting how they selected us — it was based on our Untappd scores. They said ‘we’ve done some analysis on Untappd and ranked a bunch of New Zealand breweries on their hazies’ and it turns out our hazies are quite highly rated on Untappd. It’s not something we’re known for but we’ve obviously done some good ones in the past.
“They also followed the Australian International Beer Awards and were quite excited about our results there as well.”
The first order is for six hazies, two pastry sours and two IPAs as part of the first order.
The previous equity raised allowed them to add capacity via tank space but the bottleneck is now the brewhouse itself, both in its size and configuration.
A new brewhouse is the main reason for the crowd-funding, as well as expanding their bar into the next-door space that is currently used for warehousing.
“If we get half a million we can do the brewhouse and the fitout next door, but we’re open to $1.6m.”
If they get that full amount, the dream goal is to add a range of golf simulators in the upstairs area (yes!).
“We’ve had three independent parties come and talk about golf simulations in there. And we thought ‘why don’t we do that?’. That’s one of the stretch goals.
“If it happens it will be good for us because it will be more revenue.”
I asked Joe whether they’d be crowd-funding with the China export order.
“I think maybe the timing would be different. We’ve had it on our minds for a while because we’re a growing brewery with strong demand … I know there’s a lot of doom and gloom out there, but the last quarter was our best quarter ever.
“And without capital injection it’s hard to grow at our pace … so it’s good timing for us as a business but from a national and global economy point of view, it’s definitely not.”
That said, Three Sisters are such a success story I can imagine plenty of people wanting to be part of their journey; and to some degree this crowd-funding campaign could be a weather vane for the wider beer industry in New Zealand.
The crowd-funding will go live on PledgeMe in about a month … around Beervana time but in the meantime you can register your interest.
Register Your Interest to Invest (threesistersbrewery.store)
Parrotdog-Air NZ follow up
A quick follow up to last week’s story re: Parrotdog scoring a presence on Air New Zealand flights.
I wanted to know what this meant for Lion, and I got confirmation from Air New Zealand this week that not much changes in the Koru Lounges — Parrotdog will be served there in addition to Panhead and Emerson’s et al and there will be Lion products on board flights as well.
Where Parrotdog have exclusivity is in Business Premier on international flights, where Birdseye Hazy will be the beer offered to customers, and they are also the provider of the only non-alc beer in all cabin classes, with Watchdog.
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer, Leanne Geraghty, told me via email:
“We’re pleased to say that Parrotdog is an addition to our lounges, expanding our beer offering for our customers.
“When flying internationally, Parrotdog will feature as our premium craft beer in our Business Premier cabins, while in Premium Economy and Economy, we will still offer popular drops from the likes of Panhead and Emerson’s.
“Parrotdog will also now feature as our zero-alcohol offering across all cabins.
“The New Zealand craft beer scene is exciting and we’re always looking at ways we can refresh our menus and serve up something different.”
Auckland Beer Week
A reminder that Auckland Beer Week kicks off tomorrow with a weather-appropriate deluge of events!
The official event launch is the now annual McLeod’s x Galbraith’s collaboration plus a McLeod’s tap takeover at Galbraith’s. The collab beer will be poured on both handpull and as a “cold and fizzy” version. It’s always a great event, which starts at 3pm.
There are a number of events on every day right through until Sunday, July 28.
Some events are ticketed, so do check the website and book early.
2024 Auckland Beer Week presented by Brewaucracy
Beer of the Week No 1
Continuing with the Dry July theme this month, next up is a beer I’ve been quite excited about over the past week or so.
Good George have developed quite a following with their Virtual Reality non-alc Hazy — in the purple can — but they’ve taken things up a notch with the release of a clear version, a pale ale, in an orange can.
As a facsimile for real beer, this is darn close. The flavour is dialled in perfectly and the profile is close to a full-strength pale ale.
Hopped with a classic duo of Motueka and Nelson Sauvin there’s a bold but restrained hoppy character with lots of juicy citrus and wine gum flavours. The bitterness and aftertaste linger like a full-strength beer, with a broad palate weight.
It looks great in the glass too. And this is also one of the few non-alcs you’ll find on draught — only at Good George venues.
And you can find Good George Virtual Reality Pale Ale, along with a heap of other non-alcoholic options at your local home of craft beer, New World.
Craft reaches new heights in ski regions
New Zealand’s highest craft beer bar is now open at Treble Cone.
Joining forces with the iconic Kiwi ski area, Queenstown’s finest, Altitude Brewing have taken up residence at Treble Cone’s Altitude Bar — it’s Altitude, at Altitude.
At 1750m above sea level, this unique venue offers breathtaking alpine views over Lake Wānaka, and an impressive selection of Altitude Brewing’s craft beers, including the renowned Mischievous Kea IPA — enjoyed with the call of the kea itself as the backing track.
“We’re so excited to be working with the Treble Cone team on this project. It’s truly a life goal realised to have our beer served that high up a mountain. We’re mountain people at heart and this is the pinnacle of our beer dreams,” says Eddie Gapper, managing director of Altitude Brewing.
Russ Mackintosh, Cardrona and Treble Cone’s food & beverage manager, says it’s a collaboration many years in the making.
“We’ve been working with Altitude for almost a decade, and this is an exciting way to take our relationship to new heights,” he says.
“For skiers and snowboarders to be able to take in this incredible view, with a locally-brewed craft beer in their hands… it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Altitude’s climb to 1750m is just 150m higher than a craft beer bar at Broken River Ski Club in the Craigieburn Range in Canterbury.
There’s lots more to the Broken River story, which we’ll bring you in the upcoming edition of the print magazine, out on July 29.
Tim’s Beer of the Week
So yes, this one’s Australian, but I’ll (somewhat literally) swallow any national pride I might have about craft beer in this case, because Coopers Vintage Ale 2023 (7.5%) has earned it. Not only is it more widely available than any locally brewed strong ale analogues, it’s also vastly cheaper (almost suspiciously so given the abv…).
Toffee and scorched caramel mingle with sharp dried apricot and wet earth in the aroma, while on the palate the expansive malt richness is immediately counterbalanced by the powerful and tannic bitterness, leaving notes of strong black tea and charred oak to play over the long finish. As the vintage implies, this is made to age and will do so superlatively for anyone with the space and discipline to put some away for a few years (it should develop positively for 10 at least).
This is, in every respect, the sort of beer that does not get made anymore, and yet here it is in a six-pack. A delicious aberration for those craving a malt driven drop.
One tip for this bottle-conditioned beer, whether or not you’re a Coopers ‘rouser’ or not, I think this particular bottle greatly benefits from a clear pour, so leave that last wee bit in the bottle and keep the sediment out of your glass. — Tim Newman
Hipster beer is dead, thankfully
You may remember a time when “hipster” and “craft beer drinker” were interchangeable terms, and perhaps pejorative.
I’d so forgotten the use of the term I decided to get AI to remind me, and you, what we mean:
Anyway, apparently that’s all now officially a thing of the past, at least according to the story, linked below, but before we get to that, it seems here in New Zealand “hipster” as shorthand for IPA-lover arrived at peak craft beer time and we missed the early American part of the journey that included the ironic and self-aware consumption of beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon lager.
Anyway, it’s worth reading all the set-up words for the final couple of payoff paragraphs:
Hipster Beer Is Dead. Long Live ‘Lifestyle’ Beer. | VinePair
Dusty’s Beer of the Week
Named after Richard Emerson’s dad who was one of the founding members of Taieri Gorge Railway, this 8.8% spiced ale is something left of field from the get-go! Whether it's the moody ruby pour or the vibrancy of cinnamon-nutmeg or the mellow carbed floral sweet mouthfeel of Otago clover honey, the layerings and balance of this brew epitomises a must-drink now and the seasons to follow.
Former prisoners get second chance at brewery
Is brewing a way to help former prisoners stay out of jail?
Well, according to couple who set up craft brewery in Britain to employ ex-convicts and train them in the art of brewing — it’s proved a success in cutting reoffending rates – and is now being hailed as a possible template for ways to ease the unprecedented overcrowding in UK jails.
Tap Social Movement in Oxford was co-founded by two former Ministry of Justice advisers, husband-and-wife team Amy Taylor and Paul Humpherson, who had become frustrated by the lack of practical help for prison-leavers, and soaring reoffending rates.
“You think you’ll never be treated with respect again when you first get out [of prison],” one former prisoner said. “But Tap, they restored my faith. The people there get where you’re from and understand you’re re-learning how to be outside again.
“I loved every second. Especially days when we got to do the quality control tasting. I’ve always enjoyed a beer, but I never thought it would turn my life around.”
I’ll leave it to the Guardian to tell the full story, but good for them!
Beer of the Week No 2
I’ve got some super-love going on for this NZIPA from Sunshine Brewing. Their entry for the Smith’s NZIPA Challenge took out the best packaged product award and justifiably so.
Hopped with under-rated Southern Cross, Wai-iti and Nectaron, and brewed with the fruity Verdant IPA yeast, this is tightly constructed and en-pointe from first sip ’til last.
It’s got definitive West Coast IPA vibes initially, with some lemon zest and pine needles, but then the fruit slides in underneath with peach and apricot — but it’s not an over-ripe fruitiness that you can often get with NZ hops, instead it’s tight, dry and very easy-drinking.
Kiwi icon given fair due by Aussie brewery
I loved this story from the Crafty Pint in Australia about Red Hill Brewery on the Mornington Peninsula outside of Melbourne
The story was specifically about their Imperial Stout and how they found inspiration for their Imperial Stout from Kiwi legend Ben Middlemiss.
Before starting the brewery in 2005 founders Dave and Karen Golding took a study trip to New Zealand.
“I'd sort of made three homebrews at that point,” Dave says, “so we planned on doing a 10-day tour of New Zealand to visit 20 breweries.
“One of the first places we went to was a place called Galbraith's in Auckland.”
It was there they met Ben Middlemiss, who had already established quite the profile as a brewer in New Zealand's fledgling craft beer industry; his beers had even been included in a book by the legendary beer writer Michael Jackson.
It was one of Ben’s stouts, brewed under the now-lost Australis label, that set them on their path.
“It really was at the point in our lives where we went, 'Those are the best beers we’ve ever tried’.”
Beer of the Week No 3
This was a time-warp moment for me: the 2024 edition of Garage Project Red Rocks Reserve.
When Garage Project first did this beer, in 2012, it was typical of their audacious approach. Heating rocks to 500 degrees, putting them into a mash tun and running the wort over the rocks to caramelise the sugars.
I was obsessed with this beer back then, as much for the crazy romance, as the intense flavour.
And when you return to an old-time favourite after an absence, there’s always the worry as to whether it will impress you as much now as it did when you were young and impressionable!
Well, I was impressed, again. In fact, this tasted better than my memory of it. Earthy, rich, toffee and hoppy, and incredibly balanced. A real treat for a winter’s night in.
And drinking it made me want to go back and find the original video for this beer, which is fun in its own right, but moreso for how young Pete Gillespie looks!
What became of the pool tables?
As a young drinker many moons ago, my favourite venues always featured pool tables. Notably the old Media Club in Christchurch was a late-night, post-work hangout for those of us who worked late shifts at The Press. Rocking up there for a few games of pool and a couple of pints was the ideal way to unwind after scrambling to make deadlines.
I’m sure there are many readers here who have their own memories of a favourite pub and its invariably-idiosyncratic pool table(s).
But these days, they are rare thing in a drinking establishment. And while it’s not something I’ve actively thought about, this story from Pellicle magazine (link below) in the UK does a great job explaining where the pool tables have gone, and articulating what we’ve lost.
In pubs, pool tables create a neutral ground, a strangely liminal space where people can float about, groups can collide, and strangers can joke and play games with each other, a rare occurrence in the adult world.
The Pocket — Examining The Hole Left By London's Lost Pool Tables — Pellicle (pelliclemag.com)
That’s me for another week. Thanks for joining in and catch you next Friday.
Michael
Want nice beer and a pool table - do try Mean Doses in Wellington, Tory Street.