Kiwi craft brewery takes on the world and wins!
In the largest annual beer competition in the world, Rotorua’s own Croucher Brewing Pilsner has just scooped the pool.
At the Australian International Beer Awards Croucher Pilsner won GOLD and TROPHY for BEST PILSNER. Croucher Pale Ale
also had success picking up a silver medal.
This is the latest in a string of accolades for the local brewers having won the title of New Zealand Beer Cup Champion
in 2011, Champion International Lager and Champion New Zealand beer in 2010. Nigel Gregory from Croucher Brewing was
hopeful that their beers would stand up well at the Australian Awards given their recent track record in NZ, “We’ve
started to build some momentum with each of our range winning major awards over the last few years, and it is
unbelievably satisfying after a lot of hard graft”.
While Croucher Brewing’s beers have long attracted critical acclaim from such wine critics as Bob Campbell MW, it has
only recently gained recognition in the International Brewing Community. Part of the reason for this is an increased
understanding and respect for New Zealand styled craft beers. Paul Croucher, brewer, said “We’ve been pushing New
Zealand hops into otherwise classic styles of beer and in the past the Judges have complained our Pilsner wasn’t Czech
enough and our Pale Ale wasn’t English enough. Now, new categories have evolved and Judges are happy to embrace the new
styles coming out of New Zealand of which we like to think we are pioneers.”
While Croucher Brewing only began its push into the Australian market in late 2010, Australia already rivals New Zealand
as the top market for its beer. “Australian’s are becoming beer savvy very quickly and despite their excruciatingly high
excise tax there are still enough Aussies prepared to pay for something special.”
Sales of craft beer in New Zealand are also growing strongly, and that is against a backdrop of falling sales for
mainstream beers. Mr Gregory said, “New Zealand produces many world class craft beers. It is a particularly exciting and
dynamic segment of the liquor industry. We urge Kiwi’s to get out and support the craft brewers in their region, and
discover the wonderful flavours of craft beer.”
The Croucher Brewing Company is owned by Nigel Gregory and Paul Croucher. It is a craft beer brewery established in 2004 and specialises in making
beers that are delicious – not alcoholic soft drinks! Croucher Brewing won the Rotorua’s Emerging Business Of The Year
in 2007 and since then has grown into one of New Zealand’s premier craft breweries exporting to Australia and Singapore.
In 2011, Croucher Brewing opened BREW | Craft Beer Pub, its own retail pub focused on great New Zealand craft beer and
beer inspired food.
ENDS