Toasting Success with Brew Moon
Serving up their first beer (the ever-popular Brew Moon Amberley Pale Ale) in October 2002, Belinda Gould and son Oscar McCauley reflect on 20 years of brewing. A success well worth raising a glass to!
Twenty years ago, having spent three years in California, Belinda Gould and husband Kieran McCauley made the decision to set up their own micro-brewery, Brew Moon in Belinda’s hometown of Amberley. ‘People thought we were nuts, especially doing it in Amberley, but there was, and still is, great synergy with all the wineries.’
Despite the booming American craft brewing scene at the time, locally, Brew Moon was an early pioneer. ‘It was a bit of a foreign concept,’ explains Belinda. ‘People associated it with home brew, but we stayed the course and in the words of Frank Sinatra, “did it our way”.’
While initially Kieran, along with brewer Carl Hadler, ran the brewery, in 2011 Belinda turned her skills as a winemaker to the brewery and hasn’t looked back. ‘Brewing is much more fun than wine,’ she laughs. ‘It is a product that isn’t taken so seriously, and I like that.
‘While I loved my time as a winemaker, you work all year for the fun part [the final product] whereas with beer, we are brewing every week. So, every week we get to hone our skills and try new things. It is exciting.’
And try new things she has, with such releases as their Gourmet Traveller Series, inspired by culinary world combinations (think strawberry, basil and pink peppercorn; orange and wild fennel; rhubarb and ginger.) harmoniously sitting alongside their core range. ‘Sometimes the flavours work and sometimes they don’t,’ enthuses Belinda. ‘And our favourite flavour of the moment may not always be the best seller, but it keeps it fresh.’
Celebrating 20 years of craft brewing is no small feat considering the industry has exploded over that period. It is hard to believe that pre-2015, less than 10 years ago, craft beer was only just starting to emerge on our supermarket shelves. Now shoppers are spoilt for choice. So what keeps them coming back to this micro-brewery in North Canterbury? Quality, choice and the personable approach of the family who have built the brand to what it is. A successful, passion-filled craft brewery that easily stands on its own alongside industry giants such as Epic, Emerson’s and the list goes on.
For Oscar, working in the family business was never part of the plan but one he relishes. ‘I came home from my OE and thought I would help out for a few months doing marketing and front of house.’ Nearly 10 years on he is still there.
In 2015 the family made the decision to relocate from their original site, just south of Amberley, to a more central location on Markham Street. ‘The move was about creating a space that really focussed on the beer and better reflected our brand,’ explains Oscar. The result was a brewery with a tap-room and wood fired-pizza offering, allowing them to focus on their passion – delivering high-quality traditional and seasonal beers.
Looking ahead to the next 20 years, small changes are afoot with Belinda keen to slowly step back from the brewery, handing the reigns to colleague Becs Cope. ‘We are the only all-female brew team in New Zealand,’ states Belinda, ‘which is really cool. Becs is really strong in a technical sense, and great with flavour combinations, so I’m really excited for this next phase.
‘We used to see beer traditionally as a man’s drink – women would stick to wine and then cider, but now they are beer knowledgeable. Women have great taste buds and it is great to see these being put to work behind the scenes in the brewery as well.’
From a front-of-house perspective, a collaboration with Rod Thomson and Mathew Johns from Base Food by Fire has enhanced the food offering and enabled Oscar and the family to focus on their strengths, in the brewery. ‘It is a really neat joining of forces,’ explains Oscar. ‘We have worked with them for a number of years, even buying our original pizza caravan from them 7 years ago and often collaborate at local events, so it is great to have cemented this.’
Looking ahead to the summer months, the duo’s pick is for sour beers to continue their rise in popularity. ‘They are a really refreshing hot day drink and great to play with when it comes to flavours,’ adds Belinda.
With some incredible-sounding flavours lined up for the taproom this summer, now is the perfect time to plan a trip to Amberley and discover what this micro-brewery has to offer. And what better excuse is there than to try their 20-year celebration beers: an Imperial Stout which has been aged in Greystone wine barrels and a Hazy IPA, because as Oscar states, ‘they are jolly chic’ right now.
Twenty years of Brew Moon Brewing Company will be celebrated at Labour Weekend at the Brew Moon Taproom, Amberley, with live music, local wines and of course delectable beer!
