TUATARA Brewing Co.’s Winning Beers

Tuatara wins 15 medals for its beers, including two best-in-class golds at the NZ Brewers Guild Awards

There was much cause for the Tuatara team to celebrate after a great night at the recent NZ Brewers Guild Awards in Christchurch.

The highest accolades came for their Kapai Aotearoa Pale and Tripel Barrel Belgian Tripel which placed top in their respective categories.

“Last year was mind blowing, partly because we achieved something no other brewery had with two champion brewery wins but I can honestly say that any medal result is something to be proud of,” says Carl Vasta – Tuatara founder and brewer. “Getting a Best in Class for one beer, let alone two this year was awesome. Being judged by your peers, some of the most knowledgeable people in the industry, well it's amazing endorsement in what has become a very competitive and high quality craft sector.”

Tuatara put much of their success down to being a tight-knit team, proud of their Kapiti roots and “a love of making great-tasting beer”.

Speaking specifically about their top awards Vasta says, “It’s no secret that our Aotearoa Pale Ale is one of our flagship beers so to have it win a gold medal and Best in Class was really exciting. You know you’re doing something right when people love drinking it and your peers judge it an excellent example of the style."

"I’ve been brewing Belgian ales since the early days of Tuatara and we constantly get feedback about bringing this or that beer back," continues Vasta. "New Zealand has a small yet devoted Belgian ale fan base! So achieving a Best in Class for Tripel was pretty cool too.”