Shortjaw’s Kiwi Dark named as NZ’s favourite dark beer
Shortjaw Brewing has won the accolade of brewing New Zealand’s favourite dark beer with its Kiwi Dark Lager ranking high in a recent contest. The post Shortjaw’s Kiwi Dark named as NZ’s favourite dark beer appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Shortjaw Brewing has won the accolade of brewing New Zealand’s favourite dark beer with its Kiwi Dark Lager ranking high in a recent contest.
The lager, which reached number 32 in the publicly voted GABS Hottest 100 New Zealand Beers, was one of only a handful of dark-styles to make the list in a sea of lighter beers with no other dark styles outranked its placing.
Speaking to the drinks business, Westport's Shortjaw Brewing co-founder Luke Robertson said: “It's a beer we believe is unique to us. It is only 4% ABV, and uses 100% New Zealand ingredients, including an addition of roasted wheat to give it a richer body. It's also our biggest seller almost every month. Even in summer when Pils and Breezy Pale sales jump up, Kiwi Dark always keeps pace. Almost all of it goes to local pubs, which is a source of pride for us.”
The brewery’s remote location also makes this accolade all the more interesting, as well as the fact that the beer style of lager is more frequently considered to be of the paler variety rather than made using roasted grain.
Robertson explained: “Finding a market for our beer is one of our biggest hurdles, given our geography and the cost of freight. Westport is a small, rural, town in a remote part of the world. We're four hours to the nearest international airport, and we are often cut off with road closures in winter. However we're blessed with a great, supportive community. After major flooding in 2021, and the usual ups and downs of life in a predominantly farming and mining community, we see any wins for us as a win for Westport. We know people are supportive of what we are doing, and we do everything we can to give back to the community."
Robertson told db: "Beer in New Zealand is competitive, and Kiwi drinkers love dark beer. Launching Shortjaw, we knew we needed a great dark beer in our lineup and it was the first one on our business plan. Marc, our brewer, had been brewing someone else's recipe for a decade, and we tasked him with creating his own version. The adjustments he made have meant this is a consistent medal winner, despite it not really fitting into a pre-conceived style."
Robertson stated: “There has been a dark lager brewed at this brewery for more than 30 years, and when we took over in 2021, we wanted to keep it in the lineup. With a few tweaks to the original recipe, we created Kiwi Dark. It's a beer that surprises people with its big coffee and chocolate aromas, but easy drinking nature. It's a really versatile beer that outsells our other two, even in summer."
Before it was Shortjaw, the brewery in Westport was known as both West Coast Brewing, and Miner’s Brewery. It had two liquidations in the decade before Shortjaw took over.
Robertson admitted: “When we bought the brewery it was beyond its last legs. There haven’t been major upgrades since 1990, and its patchy recent history has left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. We were determined to turn it around, and save Westport’s brewery. It’s hard going, but results like this make it all worth it.”
Robertson, and his partner, Emma Bemrose, returned to Luke’s hometown of Westport after spending most of their adult lives in Melbourne, Australia. Launching in 2022, they’ve been working with brewer Marc Gardiner to ensure great beer is still brewed on the West Coast.
The brewery mostly services local pubs, with a small footprint around the South Island. For now, despite being voted one of the best in the country, the team is determined to stay focused on the local market.
Looking to the future, Robertson added: “We have more than 20 taps in the immediate district. We want to make sure that brewing in our part of the world stays local, not owned by multinationals.”
The lager, which reached number 32 in the publicly voted GABS Hottest 100 New Zealand Beers, was one of only a handful of dark-styles to make the list in a sea of lighter beers with no other dark styles outranked its placing.
Speaking to the drinks business, Westport's Shortjaw Brewing co-founder Luke Robertson said: “It's a beer we believe is unique to us. It is only 4% ABV, and uses 100% New Zealand ingredients, including an addition of roasted wheat to give it a richer body. It's also our biggest seller almost every month. Even in summer when Pils and Breezy Pale sales jump up, Kiwi Dark always keeps pace. Almost all of it goes to local pubs, which is a source of pride for us.”
The brewery’s remote location also makes this accolade all the more interesting, as well as the fact that the beer style of lager is more frequently considered to be of the paler variety rather than made using roasted grain.
Robertson explained: “Finding a market for our beer is one of our biggest hurdles, given our geography and the cost of freight. Westport is a small, rural, town in a remote part of the world. We're four hours to the nearest international airport, and we are often cut off with road closures in winter. However we're blessed with a great, supportive community. After major flooding in 2021, and the usual ups and downs of life in a predominantly farming and mining community, we see any wins for us as a win for Westport. We know people are supportive of what we are doing, and we do everything we can to give back to the community."
Robertson told db: "Beer in New Zealand is competitive, and Kiwi drinkers love dark beer. Launching Shortjaw, we knew we needed a great dark beer in our lineup and it was the first one on our business plan. Marc, our brewer, had been brewing someone else's recipe for a decade, and we tasked him with creating his own version. The adjustments he made have meant this is a consistent medal winner, despite it not really fitting into a pre-conceived style."
Robertson stated: “There has been a dark lager brewed at this brewery for more than 30 years, and when we took over in 2021, we wanted to keep it in the lineup. With a few tweaks to the original recipe, we created Kiwi Dark. It's a beer that surprises people with its big coffee and chocolate aromas, but easy drinking nature. It's a really versatile beer that outsells our other two, even in summer."
Before it was Shortjaw, the brewery in Westport was known as both West Coast Brewing, and Miner’s Brewery. It had two liquidations in the decade before Shortjaw took over.
Robertson admitted: “When we bought the brewery it was beyond its last legs. There haven’t been major upgrades since 1990, and its patchy recent history has left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. We were determined to turn it around, and save Westport’s brewery. It’s hard going, but results like this make it all worth it.”
Robertson, and his partner, Emma Bemrose, returned to Luke’s hometown of Westport after spending most of their adult lives in Melbourne, Australia. Launching in 2022, they’ve been working with brewer Marc Gardiner to ensure great beer is still brewed on the West Coast.
The brewery mostly services local pubs, with a small footprint around the South Island. For now, despite being voted one of the best in the country, the team is determined to stay focused on the local market.
Looking to the future, Robertson added: “We have more than 20 taps in the immediate district. We want to make sure that brewing in our part of the world stays local, not owned by multinationals.” 
