Brew of Islands: Northland’s first craft beer festival coming to Kerikeri

The Turner Centre’s Gerry Paul (left) and Tyler Bamber of the Pioneer Tavern hatched a cunning plan to brighten up winter for Northland beer lovers. Photo / Moments and Waves

Beer lovers feeling flat about the prospect of a long, damp winter now have something to look forward to — Northland’s first dedicated craft beer festival.

The inaugural Brew of Islands will be held at Kerikeri’s Turner Centre in July, featuring beers from some of New Zealand’s top independent brewers alongside Northland microbreweries, cocktails, kai and live music.

The event is the brainchild of Tyler Bamber, publican at the Pioneer Tavern in Waipapa, and Turner Centre general manager Gerry Paul.

Bamber ran a ski resort in Canada, an old English pub, an Auckland gastropub and an Irish bar before bringing his hospitality expertise home to Northland.

Paul has directed the country’s largest street festival, CubaDupa in Wellington, and was the entertainment manager for Beervana, described as the AGM of New Zealand’s craft beer aficionados.

Like many good plans, the pair dreamed it up during after-work beers.

“Brew of Islands is a chance to celebrate something everyone loves — beer — and use it to help showcase some of Northland’s other great qualities,” Bamber said.

“We love it up here, and we hope our guests from around the country will get a sneak peek of all there is to enjoy.”

Powerhouse boutique brewers Parrotdog, Garage Project, Urbanaut and Cassels will be joined at the Kerikeri festival by local favourites Kainui Brew Co (Kapiro), Phat House (Haruru), Bay of Islands Brewing (also Haruru), McLeods (Waipū) and 8 Wired (Warkworth).

Paul Keating and Gary Henwood celebrate Kainui Brew Co’s success at the 2022 Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards.

Other attractions will include cocktails from Ben Thrippleton of Kindred Spirits, street food such as snapper sambos, mussel fritters, oysters and barbecued meats, plus reggae grooves from Kaitāia band Norizon, maritime-themed songs from the Wellington Sea Shanty Society, and the unique blend of good-time Americana/Kiwi folk of T-Bone, winners of the Best Folk Artist Tūī at the 2023 Aotearoa Music Awards.

The Brew of Islands Craft Beer Festival will be held over three sessions: 6pm - 10pm on July 21, and 12pm - 4pm and 6pm - 10pm on July 22.

Tickets are available online via iTicket or from the Turner Centre in Kerikeri.

The festival is supported by Northland Inc’s Northland Regional Events Fund.

Geoff Gwynne and Jason Bathgate, of McLeod's Brewery in Waipū, will be bringing their award-winning beverages to the inaugural Brew of Islands Craft Beer Festival. Photo / Michael Cunningham