The "Garage-Roots" Movement Challenging New Zealand's Beer Industry

In our new VICELAND show BEERLAND, brewer Meg Gill travels across the US to meet home-brewers and find nation's best brews. BEERLAND hits the air tonight on VICELAND, SKY Channel 13 at 8.30 PM. Before the premiere we jumped on a craft beer tour of the North Island headed to Wellington for this weekend's beer festival Beervana.

Sitting down with seven of New Zealand's craft beer professionals you're guaranteed of three things—plaid shirts, big beards, and dissenting attitudes.

One of the bearded beer lovers is Scott Taylor from Deep Creek Brewing Company, who says he got into the craft beer industry because 10 years ago, in every bar along Auckland's Ponsonby Road, the only choice was whether you wanted a Stella or Heineken. He was sick of big beer telling him what to drink.

"It's the same as the wine industry back in the 80s, either red or white and out of a cardboard box," says Scott.

He wanted to be excited about beer again, so when the opportunity to help out with a new craft brewery came up, he couldn't help himself. And he's not the only one. According to Scott, most craft breweries across New Zealand were started out of a similar boredom. Many brewers in New Zealand's craft beer scene began by brewing the beers they wanted to drink, and thought that if they liked them, someone else might enjoy them as well.

"I started brewing in my kitchen because I really loved good beer and I wanted to make it myself," says Andrew Childs from Behemoth Brewing Company. "And then I realised I could make really good beer and I'd like other people to enjoy it. I still get the same kick now from someone enjoying my beer after a quarter of a million litres as I did someone drinking my home brew from my kitchen."

The love of brewing pushes craft brewers to experiment with flavours and styles that stray from the typical lager or stout, creating a diverse and constantly changing range of beers.

"I think that's why the craft beer movement has grown so organically, because it's a bunch of people who think the same way, like 'I want to brew my own beer and I want to experiment with flavours and brew different stuff,'" says Scott.

It is a movement that started in kitchens, sheds, and garages, but it is growing quickly. So as a way to support this "garage-roots movement", Scott decided to start up a road-trip event that would connect small breweries across the North Island.

Scott drove from Auckland to Wellington for Beervana on his own last year, breaking up the journey by stopping in at breweries along the way. This year, he thought he'd try and organise a few official events for the trip, and the concept grew from there.

The idea grew not just because it gave these hop heads an excuse to drink more beer, but also because it gave brewers, bar operators, and sales representatives the opportunity to support each other's businesses and promote interest in the craft beer movement that is growing across the country. Most regions across the country have their own breweries popping up as support for the industry grows, so a road trip to check out the newest kids on the block just made sense.

"It's a great opportunity to go to the places that are breaking the ground in their regions, you know?" says Dylan Shearer from Funk Estate.

And if these little fish hope to survive in the big sea of beer, supporting each other is essential.

In order to gain ground in the fight for tap space in New Zealand's bars, craft breweries have built up relationships with each other to promote not only their beer, but other craft brews as well. Lion and DB Breweries dominate the beer scene in New Zealand, but according to Scott, "as a collaborative force all together, the craft beer industry has become that third player."

"They're a force. Craft breweries are a force themselves," he says.

That force comes from their friendly approach to doing business. Craig McKenzie from Sunshine Brewery believes that it is the industry's collaboration that allows small breweries to compete against big beer. He often finds himself recommending other breweries like Deep Creek or Eight Wired when selling Sunshine's product, because it supports other local businesses and, most importantly, builds a love for craft beer.

But to him, the best part about the industry is the passion that goes into the final product.

"It's cool because no one comes up to you and hands you a beer knowing it's shit,"he says. "Craft brewers love their shit. They make the best they possibly can, and they want other people to love it too."

BEERLAND, our VICELAND show for beer lovers, premieres on SKY Channel 13 tonight. You can watch it every Thursday at 8.30PM.