This year is the tenth birthday for Hop Federation and a lot has changed in recent times. Founded in Riwaka by Chief Brewer Simon and his wife Nicki Nicholas in 2013, Hop Federation became part of Māori business Kono in…
Just like having a sore tooth and your dentist is closed I think it is fair to say the financial pain the country is currently experiencing is going to hang around for a while, annoying and distracting at the same…
There is very little that we enjoy more than sitting in the sun outside the Golden Bear brewery with a beer and a newspaper while enjoying one of their Mexican-inspired dishes. And it has just gotten better; Golden Bear Brewing…
From the time the independent Tasman Brewing Company made its first beer followed by opening the first Sprig & Fern community tavern the business has continued to innovate and grow. Now called the Sprig & Fern Brewery and in the…
You may remember that back in December 2015 I wrote about David Phillips from West Indies Spice Traders, David’s a character who is simply bursting with irrepressible energy and excitement for the chili jam he produces and the flavoursome hot…
Tucked away in an old industrial building that used to be used as storage for a liquor store in New St is the very cool inner-city Workshop Café Bar Brewery.
I have been known to enjoy a beer or two in my time and craft beers have become firm favourites, you will always find a few in our fridge and I will almost guarantee a bottle or two from Hop…
Christmas means different things to different people but I think we can all agree on one thing – Christmas is a time to celebrate and reflect with friends and family; it is also a time for giving and receiving, be…
I first crossed paths with Martin Townshend long before he started brewing beer, we shared column space in the Nelson Mail some 16 years ago, he wrote a beer column one week and I wrote a wine column the other.…