In early 2003 winemaker Josh Scott, son of renowned Marlborough winemaker Allan Scott did what any good wine maker in a world famous region of wine making would do. He set up a beer brewing company. Naturally.

Crazy? Yes. Genius? Yes.

The Moa Brewing Company set out to change the beer game by making beer “the way people used to before they started making it differently". They wanted to apply classic, labour intensive, costly methods of brewing to create brews that were a cut above the rest. And they succeeded.

Moa’s range of beers and ciders have won multiple international awards and have a commitment to using local ingredients and outstanding New Zealand hops. But arguably it is their connection with wine and adoption of various techniques of the winemaking process that really sets them apart.

Moa’s bottle conditioning is just one example of these wonderful adopted techniques. Moa add a small amount of priming sugar and active yeast to their brews just before bottling (similar to champagne). This process enhances shelf life and creates dynamic flavours that develop and change over time. Like a fine wine. When sipping a Moa, you may sometimes notice a small amount of sediment in each bottle. This is a by-product of the bottle conditioning process and a symbol of the love and care in the very brew you sip.

Moa have taken the best bits of wine and the best bits of beer and married them in a very harmonious fashion that has pushed the boundaries of the New Zealand beer scene.

Check out our Toast picks below for some of our favourite Moa brews.