Southern beers share favour of fans

The rugged, macho image of Lion Nathan's Speight's brand is harnessing growing sales despite a declining market for mainstream beers in New Zealand.

Two global beer companies wielding homegrown Southern brands have taken top honours in a consumer survey of New Zealand's favourite products.

The shared limelight in this week's ACNielsen survey seems to show there is a market for both Speight's Southern man and Monteith's refined beer connoisseur.

The online survey of 1000 shoppers measured the brand equity, or customer perception, of 19 leading beer products.

The position of Lion Nathan's Speight's, a heavyweight brand marketed to the nation's rugged individuals, didn't surprise ACNielsen associate director Julie MacKenzie.

But Monteith's first-place tie signified a new trend.

"Monteith's is the one that's a bit smaller and that's more surprising. But what it does show is that the brand has a considerable potential."

Monteith's, part of the DB Breweries beer empire, is the top-selling brand of craft beers in New Zealand, according to brand manager Jacqui Jones.

And both Speight's and Monteith's agree that the craft-beer market is growing.

"The beer drinker now is moving more toward craft," Ms Jones said.

"Drinkers are becoming more discerning."

The trend has not hurt Speight's. The beer recently passed Lion Red to become New Zealand's top brand.

"Speight's is still growing as a mainstream beer when the mainstream beer category is declining," said Doug Paulin, mainstream marketing director at Lion.

He credits the beer's rugged image with some of that success. "The Southern man doesn't exist anywhere but our ads," Mr Paulin said. "The values do, though."

In contrast, Monteith's heralds a more worldly consumer. "It's a refined drinker, it's someone who's a bit more discerning," Ms Jones said.

The breweries do have one thing in common: Southern roots.

Speight's started in 1876 in Dunedin and Otago.

In 1923 Lion acquired the brewery, and the brand has been a best seller in the New Zealand market.

Monteith's started as a family business on the West Coast in 1868.

DB acquired the brand in 1969.