Small brewer scores epic festival effort

Luke Nicholas will showcase his Epic Pale Ale at an international festival in the UK. Kris Hall reports.

When it comes to success in the art of beer making, brand recognition can mean everything, so the significance of winning a slot at a British ale festival dubbed "the world's biggest" is not lost on Kiwi brewer Luke Nicholas.

Over the next fortnight, the Poms will be sipping their way through 100,000 pints of multi-award-winning Epic Pale Ale after the 38-year-old was invited to showcase his brew at the International Real Ale Festival.

Epic's founder and head brewer has landed one of only six international taps at the annual event hosted by British pub giant JD Wetherspoon which he says could provide the company with the springboard it needs to maximise its potential.

"The Wetherspoon chain has 720 pubs and my batch will be selling in all of them overnight that's more than twice the number of outlets I can get into here," Mr Nicholas said.

"Of course, it's not just about selling the beer. It's about seeking publicity, pursuing potential avenues, exploiting brand recognition and putting Epic on the map something that's not easy back home."

A special batch of cask-conditioned Epic Pale Ale was made possible by historic Leicestershire brewery Everards, which opened its doors to Mr Nicholas during his first visit to the motherland this year.

The hoppy drop takes its place alongside more than 60 other British and international brews when the 19-day-long festival begins in London on Wednesday.

But while beer lovers in Britain can guzzle the Kiwi newcomer's offering till their heart's content, Epic remains relatively unknown in its country of origin, despite scooping the coveted Supreme Champion Beer of New Zealand a record three times.

Since Epic's launch in May 2006, the company has managed to wrestle its way into only 300 of the 14,000 plus licensed premises (including supermarkets).

In Auckland, it features on tap in just five bars. "You find me a bar in New Zealand with a guest tap I can put a beer on and I'll be there," Mr Nicholas said.

He said life was made difficult for independent craft brewers by the big two, Lion Nathan and DB Breweries, which concentrated on pushing their own "mundane" products rather than educating the masses on the art of fine beer drinking.

Real ale advocate and beer writer Geoff Griggs agreed. "There's no doubt about it, craft brewers are shut out from the bars."

For several years, Mr Griggs, of the Society of Beer Advocates, has been championing the plight of smaller commercial brewers there are 43 who struggle to get their product noticed.

"It's shocking what they do," he said. "The big boys go along with their chequebooks and say: `You want to open a new bar or take over this existing bar so we'll help you, but there's one little catch: our beers only in the fridge and on tap for the next five years'.

"There are very few business people who will turn that down, hence why there's only a handful of places in this country where there's a good selection of beer."

But Lion Nathan and DB Breweries maintain this is not the case. DB's general manager of business acquisition, Andrew Campbell, said it was bar owners and operators who approached the brewery for exclusive-supplier arrangements.

"We regard bars and pubs as a valuable avenue to promote our beer brands and DB invests heavily in the hospitality market for this purpose. DB Breweries does not choose which brands get stocked in which bars."

Lion Nathan corporate affairs director Liz Read said only 20 to 25 per cent of total beer sales were on-premises and the onus was on brewers to market harder and better to potential customers to ensure their products' success.

"To get to market you need scale," she said. "From a smaller brewer's perspective, you wouldn't be relying on the on-premises market anyway to get your product in the consumer's hands."

EPIC PALE ALE

- Three times winner Supreme Champion Beer of New Zealand.

- Originally brewed through Cock & Bull bar chain.

- Launched independent label in May 2006. Brewed Otahuhu, Auckland.

- Stocked by less than 2 per cent of all licensed premises.

- Other brews include Epic Lager, Armageddon and Mayhem.

- © Fairfax NZ News