'Sun, beers, what's not to love?': Biggest Great Kiwi Beer Festival yet

Sunday, 28 January 2018

Large crowds of beer lovers enjoy the The Great Kiwi Beer Festival 2018.

A giant blow-up swan swung around his hips, Keith Armstrong and a group of friends wander through Hagley Park, beers in hand with the sun shining down overhead.

'Sun, beers, what's not to love?' he says, as energetic duo Swamp Thing blast their heady blend of blues rock from the stage to an assembled crowd of thousands.

An estimated 12,000 people flocked to Christchurch's Hagley Park on Saturday for the seventh annual Great Kiwi Beer Festival, a celebration of all things hops put on by events company Team Event.

Keith Armstrong with his blow-up swan, says of the beer festival: 'Sun, beers, what's not to love?'

More than 35 breweries from around New Zealand set up shop at the festival, serving more than 350 beers and ciders to queues of thirsty aficionados.

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Jamie Scringeour a brewer from Emerson's Brewery pours beer from the boot of a mini car during The Great Kiwi Beer Festival 2018.

Whitebait, paua and wild venison were among the delicacies on offer, while more adventurous punters could pair their beverages with fried New Zealand locusts from edible insect supplier Anteater.

'The day's been great. Jalapeno beer and locusts, where else in the world can you do that? It's awesome,' Christchurch man Andrew Allen said, describing his spicy beer and crunchy food combo.

Shane Garden and Dale Finlayson have been dressing up as beer bottles to attend the festival for years.

The atmosphere, fuelled by music from Christchurch folk band The Eastern and Kiwi icon Dave Dobbyn, was jovial as people milled between the different stalls and set up camp on the grass.

For friends Shane Garden and Dale Finlayson, sporting matching beer bottle costumes emblazoned with the phrase 'I love beer', the festival was a chance to catch up over drinks.

Janene Manawatu and Shanon Croose enjoy The Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Hagley Park.

'Because we're always working, we're in different industries, we don't get to see a lot of each other during the year so we make this a bit of a catch up,' Garden said.

Sam Lear with Willow Lear, 7, on his shoulders and Claus Igl with Odinn Lear, 5.

Beer Baroness brewer Ava Nakagawa, organiser of the Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn Craft Beer Academy at the festival.

'The wives let us out to play for one day,' Finlayson interjected, 'And this is it. So we thoroughly enjoy it.'

As well as drinking beer, festival-goers had the option of listening to seminars on the topic at the Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn Craft Beer Academy, organised by Pomeroy's manager and Beer Baroness brewer Ava Nakagawa.

About 75 people packed into the tent for each session, something Nakagawa said showed the level of interest in craft beer fuelled, in part, by growing consumer awareness and interest in where their food and drink came from.

'Craft beer, it is small and it is niche. It's no different than going to a local farmer's market, people want to know where it's from, and what the ingredients are,' she said.

'I think we always thought beer was sort of just cold and refreshing and didn't really thing too much about, and then craft beer's come along and there's all of these massive flavour and massive profiles.'

Team Event spokeswoman Clare Steele said the turn-out was about 1500 more than last year, making it the biggest festival to date. The weather was 'perfect', and the event itself was 'just awesome'.

'We're absolutely delighted. A lot of our exhibitors have been coming since the beginning so it's really nice to have this event we love growing with them as well.'