About 30 home-brewers from as far afield as Wellington and Auckland will converge at Huinga, near Stratford, this weekend for the third Home-brew Festival featuring beer, lager, stout, cider, mead, limoncello, wine and home-made chutneys and sauces.
This year for the first time the brewers will compete for the chance to brew a batch for Mike's Brewery.
Vaughan Wood, chief brewer of the Eastern Taranaki Home Brewers Association, which organises the event, says each brewer has his or her own touch, and this is what makes home brews so exciting.
He and mate Peter Ardell set up a brewing station at his home at the old Huinga School. They grow hops on the property, and harvest manuka leaves and "anything from the garden" to flavour their brew.
"It is a bit trial and error. If we find something that works, we will replicate it.
