Renaissance's Andy Deuchars
A trio of California transplants are transforming New Zealand’s beer palate.
by Monica Mead
Loved the country, hated the beer. It rang true for three Southern California guys who fell for New Zealand, but found Kiwi beer in a bad state. “It was horrible, just horrible,” recalls San Diego native Andy Deuchars upon first tasting standard-issue Kiwi lager in 1999. Now, he and two other Golden State natives are part of the craft beer charge with three separate breweries on the rugged South Island. The trio agrees the future is bright for Kiwi craft, and with a little American know-how, they’re making fast fans of flavorful beer.
Deuchars landed in New Zealand as an assistant wine maker, but is now brewer and co-owner of Marlborough’s Renaissance Brewing with brother-in-law and fellow Californian Brian Thiel. Microbreweries bloomed then withered in the 1990s under the crush of the country’s “Big Two,” Lion Nathan and Dominion Breweries, both of which, says Deuchars, still dominate 95 percent of the taps. Renaissance’s goal of selling kegs only was “just impossible,” and bottles now account for 80 percent of their sales. Massachusetts-based distributor Shelton Brothers is even spreading their exceptional Stonecutter Scotch Ale and Elemental Porter coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada.
Jim Matranga traded a SoCal carpentry biz for antipodean craft brewing, and doesn’t mince words about why. “I had to save them. It’s just that direct,” says the Santa Monica native who visited New Zealand in 1994 and developed a taste for the Kiwi lifestyle but not the brew. He moved his family there, and in 2008, Golden Bear Brewing was born in Mapua Wharf. The spanking-new 1,200-liter capacity wharfside brewpub serves up L.A.-inspired Mexican fare like tacos and huevos rancheros alongside an ephemeral tap list reflecting Matranga’s love of big, hopped-up American ales, like his Seismic IPA. “I don’t have a lifestyle too different than before. I go to work every day, spend a lot of time with friends and have a beer every once in a while,” he says with a broad grin, “though I am less stressed.”
Fullerton boy Dave Gillies settled with his Kiwi wife in the tiny ski town of Wanaka and also found the beer wanting, so in 1998, Wanaka Beerworks bubbled to life. Tourists gave his Tall Black (a Bohemian-style dark beer) and Cardrona Gold (a Vienna-style lager) a thumbs-up, but getting Kiwis to give it a whirl? “They weren’t used to beer tasting like that,” he laughs. Now, locals lap up nearly three-quarters of his beer on taps regionally, while the rest sells in bottles countrywide.