Beer Awards and Beervana

The results from the 2010 BrewNZ Beer Awards were announced during a big dinner at the Duxton Hotel this week. Our Tuatara team was well represented in the crowd and we were delighted to see our beers similarly well represented in the medals.

A big team of local and international judges blind tasted a record number of entries (over 450 this year) in a range of categories. Only a third of entries received a gold, silver or bronze medal from the judges.

We entered all of our beers into the awards and were delighted that three of them received silver medals. Specifically, we picked up:

Class E: European Ale Styles	Tuatara Ardennes	Silver Medal
Class F: New Zealand, US and International Ale Styles	Tuatara APA	Silver Medal
Class H: Wheat and Other Grain Styles	Tuatara Hefe	Silver Medal

What makes these awards particularly pleasing is that Class E and Class F were the amongst the most hotly contested categories, both in terms of number of entries and number of medals awarded. Both categories were eventually taken out by Auckland’s Steam Brewing, with Cock and Bull Fuggles winning Class E and Cock and Bull Monk’s Habit victorious in Class F. Congratulations to the team at Steam.

Beervana has arrived and that means the Tuatara stand will be open for business in Wellington Town Hall. Sessions are 12-4pm and 5-9pm on Friday 27 August and Saturday 28 August. Full details, including how to buy tickets, are on the Beervana website. There will be door sales - but only if the session is not already sold out.

We will be pouring the entire Tuatara range and debuting our much-anticipated anniversary beer. In honour of ten years of being in business, Carl and brew team have created a 10% beer in the style of a Belgian Tripel. It is strong, spicy, yeasty and tasty.

It is called X as a reference to the X-Ale we once made and the fact that X, is of course, the Roman numeral for ten. We think it is quite clever really.

There will be strictly limited quantities of X on tap at Beervana and we will be releasing it in bottles relatively soon. Come and see us at Beervana on stall 19 (to the right as you enter the main hall) for one of the first tastes of this special beer.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara

Tuatara Goes Upmarket With a Vengeance

Around 98% of New Zealand has mobile phone coverage but the Tuatara Brewery is clearly in that other 2%. We have zero reception there which is probably why we get so much work done. The lack of coverage is because the entire range of Tuatara beers are created on a working farm in rural Waikanae, an hour’s drive away from Wellington and even thirty minutes from scenic Porirua. Like most farms, the dress code is pretty casual and the food tends towards the hearty.

It could not be more different at one of the latest venues to offer Tuatara – Clooney Restaurant in Auckland. Clooney is located a little off the beaten track (by Auckland standards) on Sale Street in Freemans Bay and is acknowledged as one of the very best eateries in the country.

Tuatara has being paying a lot of attention to the Auckland market recently and this is one of our biggest successes to date. Now, Tuatara IPA and Ardennes have swanked their way into this exceptionally ‘Gucci-Cool’ establishment to accompany some seriously sophisticated food.

Here is how Clooney describes Clooney on their website:

"In October 2006, owner Tony Stewart, in collaboration with Fearon Hay Architects, transformed a derelict warehouse space into a spectacular dining room, creating a completely unique dining experience.

Situated in a forgotten corner of central Auckland, Clooney has fast established a reputation for exceptional cuisine served within a dramatic setting. With its elegant ambience reflecting its industrial beginnings, Clooney offers intimacy within a sumptuous interior. Executive Chef Des Harris's dishes are seen as sophisticated, expertly crafted, expressing assertive flavours and simplicity. Inspired by traditionalism and finished with a modern slant, Chef Harris takes a modern approach to classic flavour combinations."

Clearly they are doing something right; with Clooney yet again a finalist for the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year. Last year, they were runner up in the Best Smart Dining (Metropolitan) section. Interestingly, another multi-award winning restaurant, Martin Bosley’s Yacht Club, also stocks Tuatara with Chef Bosley saying they are amongst his best selling beers.

In brewery news, the second batch of the Tuatara APA is rolling out the doors and off to an extended range of venues. We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response to this beer which proves that New Zealand drinkers simply love big, assertive, hoppy beers at the moment. It is hard to imagine a beer like this having much success ten years ago when we started.

Finally, Beervana is fast approaching and we are just finishing off our very special release for that event. Tuatara has never done this particular beer style before and we actually had to kick start the yeast again last week just to make sure it will be in top condition for the week (or more) of BrewNZ-related festivities. There will be more details on what Tuatara will be up to at BrewNZ later in the month.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara