Twisted tale one of success
BY GEOFF GRIGGS
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Martin Bennett and I have much in common: we're both English by birth, both members of Britain's Camra (Campaign for Real Ale), both worked in the media – him a photographer and me in television – and travelled extensively before migrating to New Zealand. And we've both turned our passion for great beer into a career.
When I came to live here in 1995, I saw that a country once best known for rugby, racing and beer was turning its back on the latter in favour of wine. As someone who loves beer, I thought that was unfair and resolved to do something about it. While I chose to write about beer, Martin went one better – he decided to start making it.
We first met in Wellington during the 2003 BrewNZ week. Having previously only spoken on the phone, Martin introduced himself to me and said he planned to open a brewpub in Christchurch. But this wasn't to be just any old brewpub; Martin and his business partner, Stephen Hardman, another expat Englishman, planned to brew English-style cask-conditioned real ales and serve them on draught using traditional handpumps.
After living in New Zealand for some eight years, I reckoned I had a good understanding of the local beer scene and, knowing how different mainstream Kiwi beers were from the English-style ales Martin and Stephen were intending to brew, I was deeply pessimistic. At the time, New Zealand boasted just one real ale brewpub, Galbraith's, in Auckland, the country's largest city, and I wasn't convinced there were enough people in Christchurch prepared to drink the kind of beers many Kiwis still identify as "flat and warm". I remember politely suggesting to Martin that instead of worrying about finding a brewer, he should think about who was going to buy them!
Fortunately, history has proved me entirely wrong. Since day one, The Twisted Hop has been enormously successful and it is now widely regarded as one of the country's most revered brewpubs. The core range of real ales includes Golding Bitter (3.7 per cent); Challenger (5 per cent), a special bitter; and Twisted Ankle (5.9 per cent), a strong dark ale, but other seasonal specialties are also often available.
Although The Twisted Hop has gained an enviable reputation for its English-style real ales, their specific stillaging, maturation and dispense requirements have limited further widespread distribution. However, as interest in real ale has grown a few more pubs have installed handpumps and the beers have started popping up in places like Galbraith's, The Moutere Inn (Upper Moutere) and The Free House (Nelson).
In the last few years, The Twisted Hop's range has been extended to include three keg beers (Sauvin Pilsner, Honey Dew and a raspberry beer), as well as Enigma, a 10.5 per cent barley wine that's matured in a wooden wine cask and sold in 330ml bottles.
As sales have increased and brewing capacity at the Twisted Hop has become increasingly stretched, production of two bottled beers, Sauvin Pilsner and IPA, is now overseen at another Christchurch brewery, Three Boys in Woolston. The increase in batch size combined with a distribution deal with BeerNZ should result in the Twisted Hop's fine brews being available to appreciative Kiwis throughout the country.
Having visited The Twisted Hop over the holidays and tasted all of the beers, I am extremely optimistic regarding their future. But, hey, what do I know?!
Cheers!
- The Marlborough Express
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The beers have always tasted fantastic in Hamilton too, at the best Affiliated Club in the country - the Ruakura Campus Club. Only club in NZ with a handpull? Perhaps...
Great article, and all the best to Martin. The Hop is always my favourite Christchurch destination.