Tuatara Invades Melbourne

While Tuatara (the Species) and Tuatara (the Brewery) are proud natives of New Zealand, there are numerous connections between Tuatara and the Victorian Capital of Melbourne. Certainly, Mr Chris Tuatara played rugby league for the Melbourne Storm though perhaps unfortunately for his bank balance he appears to have left just before the salary cap scandals.

A scientist from the University of Melbourne helped produce a report which predicted that climate change could spell the end for Tuatara. According to their research, Tuatara would gradually die out as they would increasingly only give birth to male offspring. Their press release gave this rather depressing prediction the slightly jarring title of "Male Tuatara are desperate, and may soon be dateless." Let’s just say they are not on the Tuatara Christmas Card List anymore.

In terms of beer, Tuatara Brewery has been exporting to Melbourne for some time now. We have some big customers there but it is a truly huge market and we are looking to expand even further. This week, most of the team has headed off to Melbourne to work on a week of beer events centred in and around the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA).

First up, we will be participating in the brewing equivalent of 'speed dating' with a number of potential large customers. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has set up an event to try and match up craft New Zealand breweries with big Australian beer buyers.

Each brewery has a table to display their beers, promotional material and a bit of food. In the allocated ten minutes, the idea is to talk the buyers through our products and hopefully make a connection. When the bell rings, all the buyers move on one table. It’s going to be fun, intense and hopefully productive. Big thanks have to go to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise for getting behind the craft brewing industry.

On the 19th we will find out the results of the Wellington Gold Awards. Those members of Team Tuatara still in the country will put on their party best and head out to the posh Awards dinner. Fingers crossed all round.

The next day, the Melbourne-based contingent will be at the Australian International Beer Awards in the swanky Crown Palladium in Melbourne. They probably will not be quite as well dressed but will all be hoping for a bit of success at this prestigious contest. The entire Tuatara range has been entered into the awards which have been running since 1993.

Tuatara will also be represented at the Beer and Brewer Expo at Young and Jackson’s. Melbourne readers should buy a ticket and head on in.

It’s a big week for Tuatara – no wonder we feel like a beer!

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.

More Tuatara sightings in the Dominion Post

On Monday 10 May 2010, the Dominion Post reported that "for only the second time in more than 200 years, a baby tuatara has been spotted on the mainland, leading experts to believe there could be more breeding in Wellington. The rare reptiles are usually elusive, but staff at Wellington's wildlife sanctuary Zealandia say the newcomer has been causing a stir through its lack of shyness."

Although Tuatara Brewery is a decade older than this little reptile, we have been pretty shy and elusive at times, preferring instead to concentrate on brewing award-winning local beers and getting them out for sale. However, earlier this year we put aside our usual modesty and entered the Wellington Gold Awards. As noted in the last blog, we were delighted to be selected as a finalist in the emerging business category.

On Tuesday 11 May 2010, the Dominion Post did a piece on us headlined "Vat’s Gold – Tuatara a finalist in emerging section."

Here are some of the article highlights:

"It’s a nomination that has been brewing for 10 years. Tuatara Brewing Company is one of the five Emerging Gold Finalists for the Gold Awards, a category for firms that employ fewer than 10 people for most of the previous year, and who are ‘shining beyond their size…’ Tuatara Brewing still employs only six people, but has gone from a craft brewery supplying two Wellington pubs, to being an award-winning brewery that sends its products around New Zealand.

The company partnership started when Sean Murrie, who then owned the Malthouse pub and Bar Bodega, wanted a quality, consistent craft beer. He teamed up with Carl Vasta who had run Polar Brewery in Petone, and they started Tuatara at Reikorangi on the Kapiti Coast.

Mr Vasta, who apart from being the brewer was also the builder, plumber and electrician, made the brewery out of former dairy tanks, and that helped with the set-up costs. But it was also the pure Tarapua water that drew them to the coast, and that is the foundation of their six key beers.

A number of craft breweries have come and gone since Tuatara started. Mr Murrie says its survival has been due to always having a ready market through the two pubs, which as meant it has been able to build its fan base as the popularity of craft beers has grown.

“It’s taken a long time for the market to develop, and I think a lot of those small brewers who went away, if they had opened now they would probably be fine. There has been a lot of carnage bringing craft beer to New Zealand. Having said that, there are a lot of new ones that seem to keep opening, like the Yeastie Boys in Wellington, and Invercargill Brewery. They’re really good.”

The brewery has won awards for most of its six beers, including its India Pale Ale, Hefe and Pilsner labels, and once it gets things right it sticks with what works. “A lot of breweries muck around with their recipes. They get something that works and they get a bit bored and throw a few more hops in. I think it’s one of those classic mistakes that small businesses can make. People like how it was, and you think you’re improving it, and they’re going ‘well, no, you’re not.’”

Mr Murrie says his own favourite beer is the IPA but that could change, because the brewery is bringing out an American Pale Ale. They may be similar TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) but there is a world of difference between the beers. It is real Old World-New World Stuff, he says. The IPA is very hoppy, having been brewed in England to be sent out to India, with some extra hops thrown in to preserve it during the trip.

The APA was developed on the West Coast of the United States ("they’re at the forefront of cutting-edge brewing") and the APA has a huge amount of hops, but with plenty of fruit as well. "It mellows it out to make it an incredibly big flavour. It’s pretty much as big a beer as you can possibly get."

Tragically, the article is not up on the Stuff website – at least as far as this particular living dinosaur can tell – but fortunately a copy of the article has been ‘snapped’ by a person who is both a fan of technology and good beer. You can see the whole piece over at his site.

As for the title of the Dominion Post article, it appears that "Vat’s Gold" is a play on the "That’s Gold" catchphrase used occasionally on the NRL Footy Show. While we are not entirely sure how many readers will get that particular cultural reference, we certainly do appreciate the coverage.

Coming soon – more about the APA: what it tastes like, how it was made and when it will be launched.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.

A Hint of Gold for Tuatara

Way back in January, Tuatara Brewing Company decided to put aside our traditional Kiwi modesty and enter the Wellington Gold Awards.

These awards, now in their twelfth year, “seek those businesses, both large and small, that keep Wellington sparkling.” The snazzy website is not exaggerating – the list of previous winners does indeed resemble a “who’s who” of Wellington business, which made it all the more humbling to be recently named as a finalist.

We are one of five finalists in the Emerging Gold category – "Illuminating smaller enterprises which are shining beyond their size." Now, we are a pretty shiny little company but we are up against some very tough competition. The finalists are:

Dazzle Tickets	A fresh new event ticketing system
Pet Angels	Wellington’s largestpet care company
The Baby’s Room	A retail store and Australasian baby goods supplier
Tuatara Brewing Company	Producing craft beer from time honoured, traditional recipes
Yellow Brick Road	Moving those cooking seafood closer to those catching it

To put our challenge in context, the lovely Rachel from Yellow Brick Road not only sources some amazing fish, but she was a finalist in the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year 2010. In fact, some of us think she should have won.

The actual winners of the various Gold Awards will be announced at a black tie dinner on May 19. The biggest hurdle for the Tuatara crew may just turn out to be the formal dress code. Still, it is a great chance to continue to lift our profile and introduce our beers to more movers and shakers in Wellington business.

That’s certainly what happened when the Deloitte Fast 50 ranked us as the 39th fastest growing company in the country. Reporting on the launch event, Patrick Smellie from InBusiness Magazine started his article with the observation: "but what stayed with me, apart from a new love of Tuatara Ardennes Ale, was the clips of the winners saying when they get their best ideas. Here’s a secret: none of them said at work."

Wise words indeed – we will post details about some of our best ideas over the coming weeks.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.

In Pursuit of the Perfect Pint

Tuatara is delighted to welcome Mike Neilson on board at our busy brewery. He has made a great start and we thought it would be a good idea for people to get to know him a little better. Here is what the man who is “in pursuit of the perfect pint” had to say:

Michael, what was your brewing experience before Tuatara?

I have been home brewing for a few years and got to the stage where I needed to do something different.

[Note: Michael is being quite modest: He won two gold medals, a silver and two bronzes at the 2009 SOBA National Homebrew Championships – the first homebrew competition he ever entered.]

What was your day job before you started brewing?

I was a sales rep for the Plaster Warehouse. Before that I was self-employed.

What do you think you will learn from your time at Tuatara?

To brew big! Basically, it is exactly the same as home brew but on a much larger scale. All the proper practices still apply no matter how big the brewery.

In terms of brewing, what do you bring to Tuatara?

I hope to get a chance to help in the development of new beers. I want to please people’s palates but also to test them.

Which is your favourite Tuatara beer to drink?

Tuatara Pale Ale, definitely.

Not including your own beers or the Tuatara range, what beers do you like to drink?

India Pale Ales – that’s my favourite style. Overall, it would be [Russian River] Pliny the Elder and Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. For Kiwi IPAs, it would have to be 8 Wired Hopwired.

Which Tuatara beer are you looking forward to making the most?

The next one!

So, what’s it like working for Carl Vasta?

Awesome - it’s just good to learn from him. What that man doesn’t know about brewing isn’t worth knowing.

Finally, thanks to all the predominately female Tuatara fans for their many phone calls, emails, text messages and tweets about obtaining a “Men of New Zealand Brewing” calendar featuring Tuatara’s own Carl Vasta. The calendar was promoted on the Malthouse blog and was, of course, an April Fool’s joke by our friends and part-owners there. Seriously, there is no calendar. Please stop calling!

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.

Tuatara on Show – Brewery Tours and the Online Store

At Tuatara, we are very proud of the award-winning beers we brew. We are also happy to show people where they are all made.

Groups are welcome for brewery tours and tastings but be sure to call or email well in advance to organise them. There may also be a small charge to cover costs.

Notice is required because we have to ensure our busy brewers are available to show you around and talk through the processes and the products. Also, we need to put the sign out at the front gate or chances are you will drive right by us. The Tuatara Brewery, like its reptilian namesake, is well-camouflaged to the untrained eye.

On Saturday 20 March we were delighted to host a big, enthusiastic group from the Society of Beer Advocates SOBA. SOBA supports "beer for all right reasons" and many SOBA members are long-time friends of the brewery. Tell you what, those guys know their beer and asked some pretty tough technical questions.

We also had a television camera crew and celebrity chef in the other day but details of that particular project will have to wait for now. Suffice to say that Tuatara will hopefully be starring on the small screen both here and in Australia later in the year. All the details will be posted here just as soon as they are confirmed.

Even if you can’t make it to the brewery in picturesque Waikanae, you can still show the world that you have excellent taste in beer. The Tuatara on-line store is now open and selling stylish t-shirts, classy glasses and fully-functional bottle openers. Tuatara is the new black.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.

Dion our Brewer is Stepping Down

As announced in last week’s post, Dion Page has finished up at Tuatara Breweries in order to spend some more time with his young family. Before we let him go, we asked a few questions about his time at Tuatara and his plans for the future.

Dion, how long did you work at Tuatara?

Just over two years. I never really had a job title, brewer I think!

What was your brewing experience before Tuatara?

I trained at a 1,150 litre brewpub called The Franciscan Well in Cork, Ireland. It was quite similar in size to the old Tuatara brewery. The pub only served the five beers we made, two wines (nasty red and nasty wine in single serve bottles), a few bottles of imported beer and maybe six optics behind the bar. People only really ordered pints. It was hardcore - no singing, no dancing, no straws, no shots, no cocktails.

What was your job before you started brewing?

I was the editor in a legal publishing company. It was five years ago but it seems like a lifetime. I feel so disassociated with it now.

What was the best thing you learned during your time at Tuatara?

Basically, I learned how to be really hands on and use what is available. It is all about working with what you have got. The Franciscan Well was bought as a package so everything was standard sizes and fitted properly. Tuatara has a bit of a mish-mash of tanks and pipes of varying sizes. It pushed me to make good beer under limited circumstances. To make good beer you need a good brewer, good ingredients and good plant. I remember there was one piece of equipment that it took me fifty brews before I finally realised the best way to use it. Carl’s very hands on – if it doesn’t work, he will fix it or find a replacement from the ‘side shed’.

In your opinion, what is the worst job in the brewery?

Well, everyone hates kegs cleaning because it is really monotonous. I always took the approach that you had to do it properly. I don’t want to do all the work brewing in the preceding six weeks only to throw it all away by scrimping it on keg cleaning time. The worst part for me was driving to the brewery – it took me two hours and twenty minutes a day.

Which was you favourite Tuatara beer to make?

Tuatara Hefe because I didn’t have to filter it! The irony is that I don’t drink wheat beers at all. I’m not a fan of cloves, I would never eat them and that’s all I get off a hefe. Most people don’t realise there is a lot to filtration. It’s quite an involved process. I’m confident that I haven’t let a cloudy one out - apart from the Hefe of course!

Which is your favourite Tuatara beer to drink?

Tuatara IPA – definitely.

What are you up to now?

Well, the plan was to sit on my arse and watch Days of Our Lives! That plan has been scuppered. I’m looking after the family, dropping people off, cooking the dinner, training for a marathon and doing the odd bit of work. I’m a very busy unemployed guy!

Will you back in brewing?

Oh yeah - I’m just taking a break!

We wish Dion all the best.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara

A New Beginning for the ‘It’s All About the Beer’ Blog

It is a new era at the Official Tuatara Blog. Between August 2009 and February 2010, we managed just two blog posts. Granted, they were both excellent pieces introducing Tuatara Helles, the first new beer to join our range in three years, and a behind-the-scenes look at the founding of Tuatara way back in 2000/2001.

The intention now is to provide shorter updates every week about a Tuatara-related topic. It could be new faces in the team, shiny equipment at the brewery, some fresh ingredients, new beers (because there are some on the way), events, tours, special offers, tastings, new outlets, what others are saying about us or just general Tuatara gossip.

Wellington has enjoyed a hectic and surprisingly sunny start to the year with The Sevens, Fringe Festival, Round the Bays, Phoenix, AC/DC, International Arts Festival and the occasional tsunami alert.

That fun certainly continued last weekend at the New Zealand Beer Festival held in Westpac Stadium on Saturday. The Auckland festival was a great event earlier in the year but Wellingtonians turned out in force on a beautiful sunny day.

There were some long queues at our stall but we would expect nothing less from our home town crowd. The festival looks set to become an annual tradition and it was a huge night back at the Malthouse afterwards too.

This past week there was some big news at the brewery. We had to bid a fond farewell to brewer Dion Page after several years of sterling service at Tuatara. He is taking a well-earned break to spend more time with his young family. We wish him the very best and will be getting his thoughts about his time at Tuatara for a future post.

To replace Dion, Tuatara is pleased to announce that multi award-winning home brewer Michael Neilson will be joining the team. We are tremendously excited about having Michael on board and he will also be profiled on the blog shortly.

We would love to hear what you think about the ‘new’ blog so leave a comment below or drop us an email at the office.

Cheers from the team at Tuatara.