La De Da - Tuatara Gets its Groove on

By nature, Tuatara drinkers tend to be a socialable lot. At the brewery, we often hear justifiable complaints from them about the quality of beer available at major sporting events and big concerts. We are frequently asked "why can't I get a Tuatara at the stadium or the events centre?" and it's a very valid question. The bottom line is that generally only the big breweries can afford to get involved in these really large events.

That has all changed however. Tuatara is delighted to announce that it will be supplying the beer for the country's best New Year's Eve party – La De Da. New Zealand's newest music festival will be held at the scenic Alana Estate in Martinborough on December 31 2010. We are telling you now because the tickets are already almost gone…

The artists performing are described as a "Kiwi lineup second to none, with the huge live presence of roots/dub/rock act Kora, the chilled out reggae vibe of Katchafire, the rich and soulful tones of songstress Hollie Smith, NZ’s most loved roots/dub act Salmonella Dub, hot new roots/dub/drum and bass act SIX60, the country’s premiere electronic act Minuit, the big sounds of drum and bass act The Upbeats (live), drum and bass/dubstep production powerhouse Mt Eden Dubstep, Northland reggae act 1814, blues, rock, country and roots champions The Thomas Oliver Band, and renowned DJs Nick D and Clarke Gayford."

We reckon that if Tuatara’s had iPods, those mellow nocturnal lizards would probably love a little drum and bass. While the team at Tuatara tend to be more classic rock kind of guys – the head brewer’s love of 1980s power ballads is legendary – we do like to get our dub on and relax to some soulful beats. This year, we will be able to do so with a selection of Tuatara beers.

All of this happened because the concert organisers were willing to look past the dollars when selecting an appropriate beer partner. In fact, they actually let the fans pick the beer. La De Da’s Facebook page, which has a staggering 8,101 fans, posted this message:

"What sort of beer do you want us to serve at La De Da? Remember, we are a boutique festival being held in a winery so we want to serve a boutique beer that is cool, tasty, refreshing… and hopefully a local brand to support the region. Let us know what you think beer drinkers!"

They certainly did. At last count there were over 200 comments on this post and several more suggestions on the wall, including a surprising amount of love for Double Brown. In the end, the people wanted Tuatara and thanks to the wisdom of the organisers they will get it. Most of our team will be up there on New Year's Eve to make sure the beer still tastes good while we dance away 2010. We hope you will join us at La De Da.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara