Tuatara picked as NZ's top brewer

The Tuatara team with their Champion Brewery award at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand 2016 Beer Awards in Auckland.

Tuatara Brewing Company has become New Zealand's first two-time champion brewery after picking up the top gong at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand 2016 Beer Awards.

The country's best brewery in 2008, Paraparaumu's Tuatara dominated the 10th year of the country's most prestigious brewing awards, collecting three of 14 category trophies and a total of five gold, five silver and four bronze medals for its beers.

Tuatara founder Carl Vasta, who started the brewery in the backyard of his Waikanae home in 2000, said winning the champion brewery award for a second time was a huge honour.

"I started out brewing just to make good beer that my mates and I enjoyed, so to see how things have grown to this point is pretty remarkable.

"The reason we've been able to achieve the success we have is because we've got a tremendous team of people who are really passionate about beer and brewing, and we haven't lost sight of the simple reason Tuatara started in the first place - to brew good beers that we enjoying drinking as fans of beer."

Tuatara's volumes run at about two million litres a year and it is a leading light in the booming New Zealand brewing industry.

With sales growth continuing in New Zealand, Tuatara has cracked important export markets in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Scotland, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.

"New Zealand beer is hugely respected overseas and the Brewers Guild awards is a highly recognised international competition," Vasta said.

"That recognition is as important and sought-after internationally as it is here at home."

Tuatara won trophies (best in category) for best New Zealand lager (Mot Eureka), best pale ale (Sauvinova) and best wheat and other grain beer (Weiz Guy).

This year's Brewers Guild awards saw 946 beers from 98 breweries entered across 14 beer categories.

A total of 88 New Zealand breweries were entered in the awards, joining 10 breweries from Australia, Germany and the United States.