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KIWIS. You give them an inch and they'll take a mile, plus Bondi Beach and the Rugby League World Cup and everything in between (they would argue).
Our over-achieving cousins across the way are also miles ahead of Australia in terms of the variety of beer made and consumed.
There's about 50 different breweries big and small in a country with somewhere near the same population as Queensland.
Brewers there have been rediscovering traditional beer styles and serving them up to a public less wedded to mass-produced mainstream beers than is the case in Australia.
Awareness of Kiwi beer in Australia is mostly restricted to an acquaintance with Steinlager. More recently Monteith's has been making inroads, and lots of fans of Speight's beers wish they were sold here widely.
Now NZ expats pining for a taste of home or Aussies looking for something new can try a trio of beers from Nelson, at the top of the south island.
Mac's brewery has only been around since 1981 but it has an interesting history which is embodied by the unusual bottles the beer is sold in.
The brewery was founded by Terry McCashin, a former All Black (if there is a Kiwi bloke who doesn't claim to have either played for or trialled for the All Blacks I've yet to meet him) who became a publican. The story goes that he baulked at being told he had to sell the beer from the brewery affiliated with his pub, and set out to make his own.
Thwarted constantly by bureaucracy and bastardry from competitors, he eventually got a licence to start brewing his own beer, and bought an old cider factory in Nelson.
Denied a supply of conventional beer bottles by his rivals, he found his own in the form of the old cider bottles stored in the factory. The same bottles – corrugated around the neck and with ring-pull caps – are still being used today.
Only three of the Mac's range of beers will be sold here to start with, and it is the job of one of the company's former brewers, Kurt Gross, to spread the news that they are here.
Gross arrived in Australia six weeks ago to word up the sales and distribution teams about the qualities of the beers he used to make, and has been travelling between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane securing a toehold in what is an increasingly crowded but growing market for craft beer.
"I got the job of selling Mac's beers to Australia on the basis that if you made it you can talk it," Gross said.
He's optimistic that the three initial offerings – Mac's Gold, a mid-strength lager; Hop Rocker pilsener; and Spring Tide, a low-carb lager – will be enthusiastically received, and not just by home-sick Kiwis.
"We're realistic. We know we are a small player in a large market," Gross said. "But research suggests people are looking for new things to try, and the craft beer segment is growing fast."
Those wanting to try Mac's will find it popping up on the beer lists of restaurants and bars in southeast Queensland from now on, or you can buy it at these outlets: Chalk and Cheese at Teneriffe, Auchenflower and Hill End; Stewarts Wine at Ascot, the city, Portside and The Barracks; Wine Room, Ashgrove; Paddington Cellars; Dicey's in Gladstone and Banyo; Embassy Hotel, city; Manly Hotel; The Vine liquor mart, Birkdale; Yandina Hotel.
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Our over-achieving cousins across the way are also miles ahead of Australia in terms of the variety of beer made and consumed.
There's about 50 different breweries big and small in a country with somewhere near the same population as Queensland.
Brewers there have been rediscovering traditional beer styles and serving them up to a public less wedded to mass-produced mainstream beers than is the case in Australia.
Awareness of Kiwi beer in Australia is mostly restricted to an acquaintance with Steinlager. More recently Monteith's has been making inroads, and lots of fans of Speight's beers wish they were sold here widely.
Now NZ expats pining for a taste of home or Aussies looking for something new can try a trio of beers from Nelson, at the top of the south island.
Mac's brewery has only been around since 1981 but it has an interesting history which is embodied by the unusual bottles the beer is sold in.
The brewery was founded by Terry McCashin, a former All Black (if there is a Kiwi bloke who doesn't claim to have either played for or trialled for the All Blacks I've yet to meet him) who became a publican. The story goes that he baulked at being told he had to sell the beer from the brewery affiliated with his pub, and set out to make his own.
Thwarted constantly by bureaucracy and bastardry from competitors, he eventually got a licence to start brewing his own beer, and bought an old cider factory in Nelson.
Denied a supply of conventional beer bottles by his rivals, he found his own in the form of the old cider bottles stored in the factory. The same bottles – corrugated around the neck and with ring-pull caps – are still being used today.
Only three of the Mac's range of beers will be sold here to start with, and it is the job of one of the company's former brewers, Kurt Gross, to spread the news that they are here.
Gross arrived in Australia six weeks ago to word up the sales and distribution teams about the qualities of the beers he used to make, and has been travelling between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane securing a toehold in what is an increasingly crowded but growing market for craft beer.
"I got the job of selling Mac's beers to Australia on the basis that if you made it you can talk it," Gross said.
He's optimistic that the three initial offerings – Mac's Gold, a mid-strength lager; Hop Rocker pilsener; and Spring Tide, a low-carb lager – will be enthusiastically received, and not just by home-sick Kiwis.
"We're realistic. We know we are a small player in a large market," Gross said. "But research suggests people are looking for new things to try, and the craft beer segment is growing fast."
Those wanting to try Mac's will find it popping up on the beer lists of restaurants and bars in southeast Queensland from now on, or you can buy it at these outlets: Chalk and Cheese at Teneriffe, Auchenflower and Hill End; Stewarts Wine at Ascot, the city, Portside and The Barracks; Wine Room, Ashgrove; Paddington Cellars; Dicey's in Gladstone and Banyo; Embassy Hotel, city; Manly Hotel; The Vine liquor mart, Birkdale; Yandina Hotel.
4 Comments Add this link to... Bury
Shit eh ;-)...
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Got my copy today.
Just a brief look at all the breweries.
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Just a brief look at all the breweries.
Comments
I think I would only try the pils, hopefully they will send out some ales to try as well!
I was in NZ in January and tried most of the Macs range.
The Hop Rocker Pilsner was awesome, I even bought some back with me. Great to hear that I can now get it here.