Business South March 2016
BREWING » Gladfield Malt
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Harringtons marches on Harrington’s Breweries production manager and former head brewer Mark White remembers the day several years ago when a “lanky farmer” came into the brewery and said, “I want to supply you with the best malt in the world”. That farmer was Doug Michael of Gladfield Malt, and although a bit sceptical at first, Mark was impressed enough by Doug’s enthusiasm to give his malts a try. “We did a trial batch and could see the Gladfield malt had potential and Doug was serious about taking the venture on. “We liked the idea of dealing with a locally sourced product rather than imported malts, so ran with him.” Harrington’s were one of Gladfield’s first key clients, and the companies have enjoyed a long relationship. “When Gladfield Malt started their lab, the quality kept getting better and better. Then they started getting into specialty malts, which had never been produced in this country before. “We applaud Doug, his wife Gabi and their team for what they’ve achieved, particularly for being able to break into an industry that was highly monopolised.” Mark says communication is an important part of the relationship between the companies, given Harrington’s exacting needs. “Doug sometimes comes in on brew days to go over specifics, and is absolutely dedicated to making a good malt with good extract value. We’ve recommended Gladfield to a lot of other craft brewers over the years.” Harrington’s director Carl Harrington says the companies continue to grow alongside each other, as Harrington’s increases its presence in the North Island and Australian markets.
“We have recently brought the distributorship of our products in the North Island back in-house and are making good progress with the major supermarket and liquor chains. “Our beers now cover the whole country. Even the South Seas Hotel on Stewart Island has a Harrington’s beer on tap.” He says sales to Australia have also been steady. “We expect to see more growth in Australia and are looking at other options overseas. However our current target is to get the North Island market working well.” John Harrington, known as the “godfather” of New Zealand craft beer, started the company in 1991, which was one of a handful of pioneering craft breweries at the time. Following the acquisition of Matson’s, another Canterbury brewery, in 2014, Harrington’s is now New Zealand’s largest family-owned brewery. “We’ve essentially tripled our brewing capacity, so are primed to grow into the new markets we have identified.” Carl says the company has reduced its range to around 20 products, which includes ciders, to create efficiencies. “We also produce seasonal and specialty beers throughout the year. The specialty malts from Gladfield allow us to be a lot more creative.” A new bottling line is the company’s latest initiative, which should be operating by May. Harrington’s is also reaching the special milestone of 25 years in business this year, says Carl. “It is definitely something to celebrate, and hopefully we’ll be working with Gladfield Malt for the next 25 years.”
SHOP ONLINE www.harringtons.beer HARRINGTO N BREWERIES PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATE D WITH GLADFIELD MALT
WATER | MALT | HOPS | YEAST GENUINE INGREDIENTS, GENUINE QUALITY, GENUINE BEER
Winning run continues Craft brewer Sprig & Fern’s award winning run continued in 2015, with the Nelson brewery taking away a haul of 12 medals at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards. Owner and Master Brewer Tracy Banner (who has been in the brewing industry for more than 30 years) says one of the highlights of the awards was winning a “sensational” fourth consecutive gold medal for the company’s Harvest Pilsner. “This makes it New Zealand’s highest award-winning Pilsner. We are thrilled.” Tracy says people will have to be quick to get the beer when it is released to the market in a couple of months. “Our Harvest Pilsner has a fantastic following but is only available for a very limited time. “It is made from fresh hops sourced right on our doorstep in Nelson, which this year will be harvested in March. “We expect to release the beer to the market in kegs and riggers around midApril.” One of Sprig & Fern’s newest beers, a mid-strength 3.4 percent Wai-iti Lager also won gold at the Brewers Guild awards. “We were proud of this result for a new product that is lower in alcohol, but has no compromise on flavour.” Tracy says that Sprig & Fern’s commitment to brewing “true-to-style”, using top quality ingredients such as locally sourced hops, cider apples and malts from suppliers such as Gladfield Malt, is a key to its success.
“As a craft brewer it is very important to have top quality ingredients. “We’ve sourced our malts from Gladfield Malts for a number of years and we were thrilled to see them win the Morton Coutts Trophy not just for their innovation but for what they’ve done for the industry. The ability for us to access high quality specialty malts within New Zealand is fantastic.” Sprig & Fern produces a core range of 17 craft beers, ciders and a non-alcoholic ginger beer, which are 100 percent natural, unpasteurised, and have no artificial additives. Its product range includes a Pilsner, Porter, Scotch Ale, English and American Pale Ales, Crisp Apple Cider and its “very popular” Berry Cider. “We also brew several seasonal and special releases each year,” says Tracy. In addition to their thriving brewery operation, Tracy and Ken also own and run the award winning Milton Street Sprig & Fern tavern in Nelson and under their Sprig & Fern brand there are nine independently owned and operated Sprig & Fern Taverns (three in Nelson, four in Tasman and two in Wellington); which pour the entire product range. Sprig & Fern’s craft beers and ciders are also available in 1.3 litre bottles in many supermarkets and liquor stores around the country and can be purchased online. For more details and a list of stockists, visit sprigandfern.co.nz