The Pursuit of Hoppiness

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Distributor Hop ANd Vine Explains Liquidation

2 weeks ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Prominent Christchurch-based distributor Hop And Vine says the loss of three potential new customers combined with changing drinking habits and tough economic conditions led to their liquidation. Hop And Vine and another company it half-owned, ABV Beverages, both went into liquidation this month, leaving several breweries out of pocket to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
Mac Hops Celebrates 125 Years Growing Hops

3 weeks ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Mac Hops in Motueka celebrated 125 years of growing hops with a bumper harvest, but it was also a harvest that summed up the tough nature of hop-growing — both now and historically. “We had some great yields come through but unfortunately it’s not a great year to have good yields,” says Brent McGlashan, the latest in a long line of hop-growing McGlashans — fifth generation in fact.
Fresh Hops — A Cheeky Guide | Pursuit of Hoppiness

1 month ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Having written about fresh hops for around 15 years I sometimes wonder if there’s anything new to say — but after talking to American hop professor Tom Shellhammer recently, I find myself not only wanting to sample as many fresh hop beers as possible, to try all the hop expressions, all the regional differences. My conversation with Tom re-informed what I already know while reinforcing how little I do know about hops.
Aussie Pirate Washes Ashore in NZ

1 month ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Former Aussie “pirate” Jared Proudfoot is now a Kiwi landlubber. Proudfoot, known as Red, co-founded the hugely successful Pirate Life in Australia — a brewery that was sold to global giant AB InBev for $10 million in 2017. He’s now settled in Geraldine where he’s about to open a brewpub with his brewer-wife Charlotte Grant, who grew up in the south Canterbury town. Originally from Perth, Red and Pirate Life co-founder Jack Cameron worked for BrewDog in Scotland.
First-Timers Win 2025 Rare Beer Challenge

1 month ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Denise Garland

New Plymouth’s Shining Peak Brewery were crowned — or capped, as it were — the winners of the fifth annual Rare Beer Challenge on March 7. Hosted by Wellington’s Fortune Favours Brewery, this year there was not only a sister bar in Auckland serving the beers on the night, but also one in the South Island, with Smoke Ashburton also getting involved.
Sunshine Brewing Wants Sale or Merger

1 month ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

New Zealand’s oldest craft brewery, Sunshine Brewing in Gisborne, looking for new owners or — more intriguingly — seeking expressions of interest for a merger with an existing brand. The move comes as the trio of existing owners, who have been at the helm for the past 12 years of Sunshine’s 36-year history, move into retirement. Sunshine is best known for the iconic Gisborne Gold, which makes up the bulk of the brewery’s production. Co-owner Martin Jakicevich said the brewery needed new energy.
Green, fruity, dank … Tom Shellhammer On hops

1 month ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

For a hop scientist, a months-long summer holiday coinciding with the annual hop harvest in New Zealand is a dream sabbatical. Tom Shellhammer is a Professor of Fermentation Science at Oregon State University where he leads the brewing science education and research programmes. His brewing research investigates hops, beer quality and the origins of hop aroma and flavour in beer. He’s in New Zealand for around four months and will speak at the Hāpi Symposium in Moutere on March 21.
Salt District Brewing Closing Down

2 months ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

A bright newcomer to the beer scene is closing up after less than three years — and not because they weren’t successful. Liam Blunden started Salt District Brewing in Whangamata in 2022 with a tiny 100-litre brew kit located in a relaxed tasting room. It was the first craft brewery in Whangamata. He’s closing shop for a number of reasons — personal, regulatory and societal. First up, the building he’s in is up for sale.
McLeod's Brewer Jason Bathgate Moving to Nelson

2 months ago | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Martin Townshend will keep brewing his “ales of the unexpected”, Jason Bathgate will return to his spiritual home, and a yet-to-be-known brewer will get the chance of a lifetime at McLeod’s in Northland. That’s the win-win-win scenario unfolding after Townshend sold his brew kit and the lease on his tasting room in Riwaka to Bathgate and his wife Monica Mead. Bathgate’s exit opens the barn door at McLeod’s for a brewer to step into some pretty big shoes.
Fresh Alibi — Meet The New Brewer | Pursuit of Hoppiness

Jan 19, 2025 | hoppiness.co.nz | Michael Donaldson

Jody Thomas has a beer CV that could fill this website from back to front but her new job as the one and only brewer at Alibi on Waiheke Island is almost like starting over. Thomas has worked in breweries up and down New Zealand as well as in Sydney, Geelong and Adelaide — all under the Lion umbrella — returning home to New Zealand in the Covid aftermath with her husband Ben and family.