Land of Hops and Glory

There are few things in the history of the world more satisfying than a good beer festival. On the 5th May the Hops and Glory festival was held in Upper Moutere. It is the brain child of real ale enthusiasts Martin Townshend, Andrew Cole and Kieron Lattimer.

Kieron was kind enough to supply the following report:

Approx 350 were at the beer tasting (sober drivers and non-beer drinkers weren’t charged entry so we don’t know exact attendance).

The majority of the attendees were from the immediate local area (rather than Nelson itself) and over 100 signed up to the “Hops and Glory” email link.

The event also attracted people from the local tourism/restaurant industry who wanted to check out alternatives to mainstream beers – very encouraging!

Beers from 10 South Island brewers were available – including “The Twisted Hop” and “The Townshend Brewery” – the only Real Ale Breweries in the South Island. 140 litres of Real Ale alone sold out in less than two hours! (many thanks to “The Twisted Hop” for providing the three beer engines for the night – people were mesmerised watching the beer being pulled and loved watching it swirl and settle in the glass).

Full list of Brewers/beers

Lighthouse - Dick’s Dark, Pilsner
Founder’s - Generation Ale
Mussel Inn - Captain Cooker Manuka Beer, Apple Roughy Cider
Pink Elephant - Golden Tusker
Renaissance - Perfection Pale Ale
Emerson’s - Pilsner
Townshend - Dinner Ale, Number 9
Twisted Hop - Challenger
Three Boys - Wheat Beer
Tasman Brewing Co - Best Bitter, Tasman Lager

The event also got a great deal of attention from the print media - (Nelson Mail, The Press, Malborough Express, Nelson Leader, Motuka-Golden Bay News) - the best of these will soon be displayed on our website.

The next event is planned for Spring 2007

Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the other guys involved.

Cheers – Kieron Lattimer

This sounds like an absolutely fantastic event and the organisation deserve our congratulations. I for one plan to be there for Hops and Glory II!