Croucher Brewing: A long time between drinks

Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog updates in 2011. It would be fair to say it has been a crazy busy year so far. So we thought it was time to give you a brief run down on what you've missed...

• Summer was busy with the summer beer festivals. We only did a handfull this year, but they were all great days. Thank you Tairua, Mt Maunganui, Rotorua and Auckland. (Jan-Mar)
• Paul participated in the NZCraftBeerTV collaborative brew in Auckland - the resulting MASH UP ale is on tap right now at BREW - I'll explain what BREW is shortly (Feb)
• We closed a deal to open a craft beer pub in Rotorua... scary times! (April)
• Launched Croucher PATRIOT in bottles - this is our extremely hoppy American Black Ale. Co-incided with our first major keg shipment to Australia (April)
• DISASTER... while dancing (yes, dancing) in the brewery, Paul danced the sole off one of his boots! they don't make steel-capped workboots like they used too! (April)
• Some guy tried to sell one of our kegs on Trade Me... thanks to the Hamilton Craft Beer Mafia the culprite was apprehended. (April)
• Our brewery posted a comment on our Facebook page "Dear Nigel and Paul, where are you? Love, The Brewery." It was a lonely time - we barely saw the brewery for 2 months!
• BREW | Craft Beer Pub (http://brewpub.co.nz/) opened it's doors after 6 weeks of renovation, council compliance, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. It was all consuming... we even had a facebook message from t he brewery  (May)
• We won medals at the prestegious Australian International Beer Awards - Croucher Pilsner (Silver) and Pale Ale (Bronze). Chuffed!
• Paul Mecurio came to town and shot a food show, including Paul and the brewery. He cooked Pheasant using Mrs Claus' Famous Christmas Cake Ale. Yumbo. Paul (Mecurio) is a great guy too, LOVES his craft beer!
• Croucher PATRIOT was the inaugural WINNER of the NZ Beer Cup!! Beating a host of other top craft beers to the title! Super Chuffed! (June)

So there you have it - it's been quite leisurely really!

Please come visit us at BREW next time you are in Rotorua. And thanks for your support.

Nigel & Paul

Croucher Brewing

CROUCHER BREWING: Delightful aroma's made famous in Rotorua are now emanating permanently from within Galbraith's Alehouse, Mt Eden

Here is a press release going out today outlining the fantastic news that as of tomorrow (Friday) Croucher Brewing has a permanent tap at the Mecca of New Zealand pubs, Galbraith's Alehouse in Mt Eden, Auckland. And the good news doesn't stop there for Auckland beer drinkers as we are joined by Yeastie Boys as permanent new additions at Galbraith's.

Delightful aroma's made famous in Rotorua are now emanating permanently from within Galbraith's Alehouse, Mt Eden

Galbraith's Alehouse, located in a historic library building at 2 Mt Eden Road), has long been the bastion of real beer in Auckland (if not New Zealand). As well as serving its own legendary ales produced on-site, Galbraith's has been building relationships with other New Zealand craft breweries. The latest addition to their tap line-up is a permanent Croucher Brewing tap, along with a permanent Yeastie Boys tap.

Croucher Brewing is a craft brewery based in Rotorua, the aromatic capital of New Zealand (if not the world). Croucher Brewing recently had its New Zealand Pilsner named 'Champion International Lager' at the BrewNZ Awards. Galbraith's Alehouse will be rotating the Croucher line up, including the Champion Pilsner, it's highly regarded Pale Ale, and the regular seasonal and experimental beers coming out of its Rotorua brew-house.

First up on the Croucher tap is October Ale - a very traditional English India Pale Ale (IPA), based on a recipe from the mid 1800's. These hop-laden IPA's were brewed strong (October Ale is a hefty 7.5% alc/vol) to survive a long sea voyage from England to India. Other seasonal beers in the pipeline are a Christmas Ale (think hearty Christmas cake in a glass), a Belgian Singel, and just possibly a return of Croucher Patriot – an American Black Ale.

Croucher Brewing (www.croucherbrewing.co.nz) was set up in 2005 by Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory. Their goal was to produce hand crafted beer full of flavour that showcases New Zealand hops. While they produce the odd seasonal beer using hops from the USA or England, they remain keen advocates of the characters of locally grown hops – going as far to suggest that some of these New Zealand hop variants could do for beer what Sauvignon Blanc grapes have done for New Zealand wine.

Galbraith’s Alehouse (www.alehouse.co.nz) opened in 1995 as New Zealand’s first real ale brew-pub. Since then they have developed a loyal following for their classic real ales and European inspired lagers. Head brewer Keith Galbraith and brewer Ian Ramsay source all their ingredients from the UK and EU as they believe to brew authentic (and fresh) old world style beers you need the raw materials from those regions. 


ENDS

Contact:

Nigel Gregory or Paul Croucher

The Croucher Brewing Company

(07) 348 5888

http://croucherbrewing.co.nz

Breaking News:

Croucher Brewing has won Champion International Lager at the Brew NZ Awards tonight in Wellington!!!! That is Gold Medal and Category Trophy.

WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!

Croucher Pale Ale & Pilsner on fill-your-own at Regional Wines in Welly

Croucher Pale Ale & Pilsner are on fill-your-own at Regional Wines & Spirits in Wellington for the first time. Get in and grab a rigger or two.

The Auckland version of the Liquorland New Zealand Beer Festival took place at Ellerslie racecourse on Saturday. It was a great day, with a big crowd and a high level of interest in the craft breweries. There were a few teething problems with the festivals new payment system, but nothing a few delicious beers didn't remedy for most punters. We had a big day, with our Pilsner being the most popular of our beers. Also, our seasonal Vicar's Vice and Cherry Bock beers went down a treat with craft beer lovers!

It is Wellington's turn for the New Zealand Beer Festival on Saturday the 6th of March. Book your tickets here and NOW. It is at the Westpac Stadium, and should be a doosy.

Croucher Brewing Pale Ale named in Top 8 Beers In NZ

In the annual 2009 Beer Necessities Awards, run by Wellington's Capital Times, The Croucher Brewing Company's flagship Pale Ale beer has been named in the Top 8 beers in New Zealand.

 

Represented in the top eight are New Zealand’s largest brewer Lion Nathan, one of the country’s biggest independent craft brewers Emerson’s, a small craft brewer, Croucher Brewing, one of the new generation of contract brewing companies, 8 Wired and a tiny farmhouse brewer, Peak.

 

The beers were blind judged on their appearance, aroma and flavour with some thought given to their stylistic integrity. Here are the judges comments about Croucher Pale Ale:

 

Croucher Pale Ale pours a nice clear gold with a quickly dissipating head. Aroma features some fresh zesty perfumy citrus hop notes and a rich toffee note. In the mouth there is plenty of perfumy hop flavour with a big slightly early bitter finish. Good beer that could use a touch more malt balance.Croucher Brewing have been building up a reputation for their range of pale, complex, aromatic beers which they brew in Rotorua making them one of the few craft brewers to fly the flag for brewing in the North Island.

 

Brewer Paul Croucher responded to news of the award saying "We are over the moon, this is a great result for us. To be listed in the top beers in New Zealand is further reward for all the hard work of the past few years. The Pale Ale was the beer we launched the brewery with, so it has a special place in our hearts. Our Pale Ale has massive up front fruit aroma with strong freshly crushed grain. Passionfruit and lychees predominate with a stonefruit undertone - fruit salad on Weetbix. It is very smooth with a gorgeous lingering finish."

 

 

Beer Necessities Survey 2009 - The 8 Pack (highest rating beers this year):
Emerson’s - Pilsner 

Emerson’s - Bookbinder

Emerson’s - 1812 

Emerson’s - Old 95

Steinlager Pure
Croucher Brewing - Pale Ale
8 Wired - Hop Wired IPA
Peak Brewery - Great End ESB

 

 

Croucher Brewing is based in Rotorua and has been brewing for five years. It is owned and run by Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory. The company produces three main beers; Croucher Pale Ale, Croucher Pilsner (a particularly hoppy lager) and Croucher Hef (a cloudy German style wheat beer). On top of these Croucher Brewing currently has two seasonal beers in limited availability; Vicar's Vice - a big flavoured Belgian style brewed using a bucket load of NZ cirtus peel and a kilo of crushed coriander seeds (7% alc); and a Cherry Bock - an extremely fruity dark lager style of beer brewed using a 60kg of Cherries and Raspberries (8% alc).

 

Croucher Brewing opened it's own craft beer bar in Rotorua in May 2009. The Underground Bar (underneath the Rendezvous Restaurant on Hinemoa Street, Rotorua) was set up to lead the revitalisation of beer in Rotorua one pint at a time. Craft beer has the charachteristics of being flavoursome, interesting, great matched with food and is a high quality beverage. The Underground Bar stocks the full range of Croucher beers on tap, as well as an ever changing selection of other fantastic New Zealand craft beers.

Croucher Brewing releases the Vicar's Vice...

The Vicar's Vice is the latest seasonal beer from the lads at Croucher Brewing. It is an homage to Hoegaarden's classic Verboden Vrucht, and was brewed using the peel from a bucket load of fresh New Zealand citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruit) and a kilo of crushed coriander seeds.

Vicar's Vice is incredibly smooth on the palate, and has a delicious citrusy/spicy zing, reminiscent of the best Belgian classics.

We launched it at the UNDERGROUND bar here in Rotorua, and it has been enthusiastically embraced. It is a heavy hitter too, coming in at a healthy 7% alcohol by volume - needless to say we have shelved the pint glasses and are serving in a lovely 340ml stemmed beer glass. If you are in or around Rotorua, get in to the bar to enjoy this seasonal while it lasts.

It was just a little batch, but we have pre-sold a third of the batch to the South Island, and hope to get a keg or two to Auckland and Wellington as well. We'll let you know when and where it will be available.

Croucher Brewing - Beer, Beervana and Barvana...

August At The Brewery

> On Tap - Croucher beers are currently (or about to go) on tap in a few fine establishments around NZ. Some of these are guest appearances ( see the *), so get in quicksmart!

Auckland
Wine Cellar, Karangahape Rd (Pale Ale)
Brew On Quay, Quay St (Pilsner) *
Hallertau, Riverhead (Pilsner) *

Hamilton
Ruakura Campus Club (Pale Ale, Pilsner & Hef) *

Rotorua
the UNDERGROUND bar (Pale Ale, Pilsner, Hef & Belgian Blonde)
Abracadabra (Pilsner)
Rotorua Golf Club (Pilsner)
Distinction Hotel (Pilsner)

Wellington
The Malthouse, Courtney Place (Pale Ale) *

> Beervana - this is now an annual beer tasting extravaganza organised by the NZ Brewers Guild. It takes place in Wellington on the 28th and 29th of August at the Wellington Town Hall. Tickets can be booked here. Beervana is an opportunity to sample craft beers from around New Zealand, as well as a few especially flown in from Oz. As well as sampling, there are sessions on food matching - including some with chef Martin Bosley (last year he matched Croucher Pale Ale with a delicious grilled salmon dish... yum yum!). Paul will be representing Croucher Brewing at Beervana, so if you are lucky enough to be there, make sure you come and say hi... and sample a Croucher beer or two!

> Tis the Seasonal.... Paul is working on a recipe for our next seasonal beer, and expects to brew it in the coming few weeks. Shortly, we'll let you know more about it, as well as where you"ll be able to get your hands on some.


August at the UNDERGROUND bar
> the UNDERGROUND bar is our very own craft beer bar here in Rotorua. It is fast becoming a local treasure, and is the only bar in town focused on New Zealand craft beer, so please grab your friends and come in to support the beer revolution.

> Our guest bottled beers in August are Mata Feijoa, Epic Armageddon, Founders Long Black, Emerson's JP 2009, and Invercargill Boysenbeery. Quite the mix! On tap we have the full Croucher range, including the option of having the Pale Ale hand-drawn at room temperature - this beer is delicious cold and fizzy, but the warmth really highlights the aroma and flavours.

December at the brewery

TAURANGA SEAFOOD FEST

Since the last update we attended the Tauranga Moana Seafood Festival - and it was huge!! The event sold out, 3500 tickets, and our beer went down a treat. There was some excellent entertainment, great seafood and a crowd of people who wanted to have a good time. Our Pale Ale and Pilsner were particularly popular with punters.

NEW BREWHOUSE

It is a particularly busy time at the brewery. Not only have we been brewing and bottling up a storm to keep up with demand, but we are in the process of installing a bigger shinier brew system. These things don't happen overnight, but we are are making progress.

Stage I is complete. That was moving our refridgerated container to provide wider access to the old brew area. Two forkies came in and couldn't even move it while it had beer inside it. After a week or so frantically bottling and kegging we were able to completely empty the container and a Mainfreight forkie came in and did the business.

Stage II underway right now - pouring a sloped concrete floor for an expanded foodgrade brew area. It is pretty exciting to see the place empty, ready for concrete to pour! Once this is finished we'll be able to move the larger brewing equipment into place and commence Stage III - Installation.

FEEDBACK ON OUR BEERS

TOP 10: Renowned beer writer Neil Miller has just announced his annual Top 10 beers for 2008. Croucher Pale Ale has debuted at number 7 on the list - this is a great result for us, and perhaps next year we might even have two beers on his list!! Thanks Neil. Full rankings here.

CAPITAL TIMES: Wellington's Capital Times run an annual beer competition. In the Pilsner category, Croucher Pilsner was rated second best in the country next to the iconic Emerson's Organic Pilsner. Croucher Pale Ale came in 3rd in the Pale Ale category, with an honourable mention for The HEF.

For smaller breweries like us these sorts of articles and competitions are a good way to get feedback on our beers - we are always looking to improve and learn, so feedback is always welcome.

A reminder that this Saturday night is the inaugural Tauranga Moana Seafood Festival. The event is being held on Dive Crescent in Tauranga, Saturday 29th November from 5.30pm to 10.30pm - it will be on rain or shine.

There is going to be a fantastic line up of seafood, wine and fine ales, along with plenty of outstanding entertainment. It is going to be a great night!!

Make sure you book - as there are no door sales. Cost is $20 and that includes a free glass of wine and mussel fritter. Click here for more info: seafoodfest.co.nz

October 2008
Bob Campbell Reviews Croucher Beers
As mentioned previously, New Zealand's only Master Of Wine Bob Campbell has reviewed each of our beers. Reviews follow...

Hef Wheat Beer HO17
Flavoursome beer with a beautiful aroma of sweet wild herbs and wild flowers. Better than most of the top Belgian wheat beers I’ve tasted. Deliciously fruity and silken smooth with little bitterness evident. 93 points

Czech Pilsener PO20
This is a great beer - plenty of lifted hoppy flavours with yeast and floral notes. Lenghty and with an appropriate hoppy bitterness on the finish. Very impressive! 93 points

Pale Ale Batch AO37
Flavoursome beer with a smooth texture and attractive bitter finish. Earthy, malty flavours. 84 points

New Outlets
> La Zeppa, Freeman's Bay, Auckland
> Village Winery, Mt Eden
> Liquorland Northcross, Browns Bay, Auckland
> Te Puia, Rotorua
> Lovely India, Rotorua
> Merchant Of Tirau, Tirau
> Scenic Cellars, Taupo

September 2008

Croucher Brewing takes wine challenge award
Rotorua brewing company Croucher Brewing came out on top in the sixth annual Great Down Under Wine Challenge in Tauranga on August 28.

The formal dinner wine challenge is a competitive event showcasing the best of food and wine tourism on the premier touring routes of Australia and New Zealand. It is based on a five-course degustation-style dinner. Each course is served with two “blind” wines to match the food.

This was the first time beer had been introduced, and Croucher Brewing won for its Pale Ale, matched with the fifth course, which comprised chocolate fondant with rum and raisin gelato. It was up against Flying Horse Brewery in Melbourne, which put forward its Mahogany Porter.

“Some might think that Croucher Brewing was at a disadvantage, because porter is traditionally a good match for chocolate, but our Pale Ale has intense fruity flavours and aromas which complimented the dessert” Croucher Brewing co-owner Paul Croucher says.

The company and Rotorua tourism staff who attended the event were delighted with the win.

“It’s fantastic because it adds yet another dimension to what Rotorua can offer visitors,” Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing assistant general manager Ruth Crampton says.

The Great Down Under Tour is a marketing alliance between Victoria’s Great Southern Touring Route and the North Island’s Great New Zealand Touring Route (GNZTR), and seeks to focus attention on these regions and the wealth of product each has on offer. The Great Down Under Wine Challenge has been running for five years and has been based around publicity generated from the formal dinner challenge.

Check out the story link on stuff.co.nz:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlboroughexpress/4680981a26793.html