Popular Wellington brewpub Fortune Favours will continue to operate as an independent brewery, owned by founder Shannon Thorpe and brewer Dale Cooper, after a| Pursuit of Hoppiness
I’ve said it before, but if you want to precision test a brewery then ask for a double IPA. Everything has to work harder; the ferment, the grain selection, the hops and (in particular) the conditioning. As the ABV speedo climbs above seven, only the most precisely brewed beers will hold course. Deadlift, from Upper […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Thief Brewing continues to prove that there’s IPA in them thar hills of Banks Peninsula, adding this West Coast style to the range. West Coast by way of New Zealand anyway, being driven by Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and NZ grown Chinook. The mouthwateringly sharp citrus aroma is stunning, with the dominant grapefruit note coming across […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
The method by which I pick a beer to feature here every week is extremely loose, but usually there’s an equation that balances between ‘interesting’ ‘relevant’ and ‘good’. Sometimes, one of those spokes dominates to such an extent that the others cease to matter, and if I’m lucky, it’s the good. This is one of […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Every year more of our local craft brewers don the lederhosen and kick out a kiwi version of a Munich Festbier. Historically, the results have been mixed… NZ malt and even more so our hops just don’t mesh well with the peerlessly smooth, crisp and understated character of fresh German lager. But they have been […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
It was Stay Gold that started this … the Brave Brewing XPA that won a trophy in the International Pale Ale class at this year’s New Zealand Beer Awards. I was looking back through the records and realised it was the fifth gold medal that beer had won, and I started to think “how many […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
There’s something about beer that’s always been part of my story. From the early days of sneaking sips of Lion Brown at my dad’s feet and walking around the house with my ‘beer mou’, to the $2 jugs of Joseph Kuhtze Lager at the Southern Cross Tavern during University years, beer has been a constant […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Earlier this year a battle was fought in the leafy hills to the north of Wellington. A liquor license was being sought for what was once Dick Mead Motors and the Onslow Service Station. The resident’s association successfully applied for an extension to the decision period claiming the site was “highly visible” and near three […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
They started off no different to everyone else. Four blokes used to British and European choices find options in New Zealand limited. In 2008 good beer is being brewed but few places are yet to sell it. They hold a few beer festivals, find the interest is there, and make an offer on the struggling […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
When Heaven’s Brewing burst onto the national stage with a Top 25 at the New World Beer & Cider Awards, it seemed like they’d come from nowhere.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
It's a magical drive into Karamu Barrelworks on Daryl Bryant's rural Waikato lifestyle block. The morning light softly filters through the trees he and his| Pursuit of Hoppiness
A heavy reliance on chance, luck and magic is not usually a desirable feature in a beer, where precision can be the difference between a world-class drop or a| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Bringing you news, features and updates on the craft beer culture of New Zealand. Read the only craft beer magazine in NZ from Hoppiness.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
For the husband-and-wife team behind Isthmus Brewing, winning champion beer at this year’s New World Beer & Cider Awards continues a nice upward trend following some “dark times”. Hamish Ward and Caroline Muller-Ward are two of the nicest people in the beer industry and it’s great to see them celebrating the success Isthmus 3D IPA, […]| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Since their recent ownership shakeup, Brewtown’s (aka Upper Hutt's) Boneface Brewery have been rolling out new releases with a relentless energy, such that| Pursuit of Hoppiness
At Beervana, The Third Pint Theory was joined by Garage Project founder Pete Gillespie and Wild Workshop brewer Dave Bell for a Q&A session on Chance| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, picks his highlights from the latest releases from this winter.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Before the Kapiti Expressway opened, a drive north up State Highway One from Wellington would take you under a 14m statue of the Virgin Mother standing high| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Awards season rolls on, with the New World Top 25 joining the scrum of medals just last week. On that incredibly hotly tested list (and not for the first time| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Motueka-based Hop Federation will cease brewing next month following a strategic review by owners Kono NZ LP.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Garage Project are opening two new venues in Wellington, including taking over the Fortune Favours taproom in Leeds Street.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
The 2025 New World Beer & Cider Awards have been announced. Here's the list of the Top 25 winners which will be available in New World stores over the| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Just days before Brave Brewing won the Champion Brewery crown at the New Zealand Beer Awards, founder-brewer Matt Smith was wondering aloud about “imposter| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Brave Brewing and their cult IPA, Tigermilk, roared the loudest at last night's New Zealand Beer Awards in Christchurch.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Guinness 0.0 — the hard-to-get non-alcoholic version of Guinness — will become more widely available in New Zealand from later this year.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
Tiny Wellington brewery Mean Doses captured the 18th annual Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge with their "no gimmicks" entry, The Scale of Mean.| Pursuit of Hoppiness
In May 2024, I booked a one-way ticket to Spain for the following March. The challenge was to spend 34 days walking 800km along a 1000-year-old| Pursuit of Hoppiness
What follows is an updated version of the list of how many brewing brands (Updated July 11, 2025; re-edited July 15 based on reader feedback).| Pursuit of Hoppiness
For a few days in June, Dylan Adams thought he was cursed.| Pursuit of Hoppiness