Nelson Bays Brewery: Journal Entry

Nelson Bays' Brewery's Peter & Geoff

From the NZ Craft Beer TV journal entry, 30/1/11:

We arrived at Bays Brewery and were met by Peter McGrath. Peter was another energetic Nelsonian who told us of the history of the Nelson Bays Brewery and how it began back in 1993 to provide an alternative to the mainstream beers that were available then. Bays has a roaring flagon and rigger trade and the entire time we were there, a constant flow of people arrived to get their Friday and weekend beers. They also produce a range of pre-mix drinks, an alcoholic lemonade and a cider, which are all popular products.

We met up with brewer Jeff, another of the many brewers that had learnt their trade under the original Mac’s Brewery setup and talked through the beers. Their most popular brews were the Bays Gold Lager and Bays Draught Ale and it was also interesting to note that their Bengal Bitter, an IPA, was one of the first new world IPAs to be pushed out into the craft market back when it was released. The also brew the rich, sweet, malty Exclamator Doppelbock which drunk smooth and with little alcohol character coming through.

Jeff talked passionately about the beers and brewing processes and was quick to point out that they are trying to achieve drinkability and balance in their brews. They’re not huge hop bombs or diverse styles, they’re beers to drink.

Nelson Bays Brewery - Background

From the Nelson Bays Brewery website: 

Nelson Bays Brewery has been in operation since December 1993. The company is known as Bays Brewery, and everyone refers to our beers as Bays. Over the last 10 years we have seen our popularity grow. Many establishments throughout the Nelson district now have Bays Beers available either on tap or in bottles, and the number of people trying and converting to our brew is constantly growing.

We have grown large enough to become a significant part of the local beer market.

Bays Brewery was purpose built, with new equipment, and started from day one with a qualified experienced brewer. Right from the start we made it our mission to ensure the quality of our products would reinforce the positive image that Nelson already has and to this day we remain true to that philosophy. This is confirmed when you try one of our 4 beers, our alcoholic lemonade or a drink of our refreshingly dry cider. We are the largest locally owned and operated brewery in the region. Though we concentrate on the greater Nelson area we also sell our products in Wellington, Marlborough and the West Coast. 

Nelson Bays Brewery's range of beers: 

Bays Gold Lager - A pale lager with good use of local Hallertauer and Saaz hops. Gold has at least 6 weeks of cold maturation which results in an extremely drinkable lager. Bays Gold Lager was judged New Zealand's Best Lager at the 2003 New Zealand International Beer Awards.

Bays Draught Ale - The standard Kiwi beer, with a twist. It still has the mild malt and hop flavour / aroma, but unlike commercially produced ones ours is matured for sufficient time to allow the natural flavour to develop. Champion of Silver and 4 Bronzes at International Beer Awards.

Bays Dark Ale - A non-heavy, never the less full flavored dark beer. While being an unbeatable winter tipple, it is also quite refreshing during the summer. Dark has won 3 Bronzes in International Competition and was voted Best Dark in its class at the Blenheim Brews, Blues & BBQ's beer judging in 1999.

Harleys Premium Ale - Best described as a long matured mildly hopped pale ale. Premium is the lastest addition to our family of beers, and as the newest popularity is constantly growing. It won a Bronze medal at the Australian International Beer Awards, and another at the inaugural New Zealand International Beer Awards.

Exclamator Doppelbock is brewed using 5 different specialty malts and two hop varieties to produce a distinctive continental styled brew.

Bengal Bitter – IPA. When British colonials began settling in India, the main thing they missed about the 'old country' was their Ales. But it was found that beer could not survive the journey unless it was stronger and highly hopped, this gave rise to this classic brew.