Sprig & Fern

Tracy from Sprig & FernFrom the NZ Craft Beer TV journal entry, 30/1/11:

I was pretty excited about the next brewery we were about to visit. I’d heard a lot about Tracy Banner over the recent years and was lucky enough to have tried some of the Sprig and Fern Brewery range on a previous visit to Nelson. Back then, the beers had really impressed me and with Tracy’s brewing pedigree and the joy she seemingly had when we chatted to her about making beer, it was easy to see why. Originally from Liverpool, Tracy has spent close to three decades brewing beer, so definitely knows her stuff!

The Sprig and Fern range is diverse, running from berry and apple ciders through to porters, IPAs, and ginger lagers. Tracy proudly told us that they have a range of 18 products and have never run out of any. That’s a mean feat for any brewery, especially a craft brewery the size of this. A testament to her brewery management skills.

We were short of time, as we always seem to be on this trip, so quickly went through a couple of her recent award winning brews. Tasman Lager was first up and Luke and I were blown away by this superbly crafted 6.5% lager. Hops dominated the nose, hints of Nelson Sauvin and Riwaka in all of their passionfruity, tropical goodness. The balance in the mouth was exquisite, the hop bitterness and alcohol/malt sweetness accompaniment was definitely one that would help you tap into your inner air guitar. This was beyond drinkable and easily one of the better lagers of the trip.

We went dark and tried the Scotch Ale next. This rich mahogany brew had big caramel characters and a lovely, clean malt sweetness. Again, at 6.5% it was tough to find any big alcohol notes, making this a pleasure to drink and better than any Scotch Ales I have tasted whilst living in the UK. It was the next beer though that I had been dreaming about for almost a year. The Sprig and Fern Doppelbock was one of the standout beers of my trip back to NZ in February 2010 and I was stoked to find out that it wasn’t just a seasonal release, but a regular brew. At 8%, the promise of flavour is instantly apparent. A rich, cereal malty aroma comes from the nose and once the dark liquid hits the tastebuds, the mixture of caramelised malts comes alive with hints of dark fruity malt and alcohol sweetness combining to create a smooth, silky taste sensation. I love this beer. It’s great to see the sparkle of excitement in Tracy’s eyes as I tell her how awesome it is. She’s proud of what her team has achieved and it’s great of her to bring that to our attention. She doesn’t ever talk of her beers, she talks of her team’s beers. I think this is something we forgot about at times when it comes to brewing. It’s not just one person that makes a beer, but a bunch of them. It’s awesome that Tracy reminds us of this.

Sprig & Fern - Background

From the Sprig and Fern website: 

 Because the Sprig & Fern Brewery is known for perfecting the art of beer and we have built our solid reputation on delivering real good beer we had to buy new equipment so that we could brew more of what you love.

The brewery has been operating for nearly 13 years, and our new brewing equipment that allows us to brew 20,000 litres of quality beer a week. We've upgraded our kettle, bought a new mash/lauter tun, plus another 20 conditioning tanks and 4 fermenters. Now we can brew twice a day.

We're located at 53 Beach Road in Richmond, Nelson so next time you're passing pop in and see the new equipment hard at work. We may be (slightly) biased, but every batch we hand brew is the best yet. Remember with an off license you are welcome to take home a little (or a lot) of what you fancy.

From Nelson Mail - For some, an exciting phone call might be from an old friend. For Tracy Banner, it was a reporter from the London Daily Telegraph who made an impression. Tracy is used to media attention, having spent most of the past three decades making her mark in a male-dominated field. But now she's director and head brewer at the Sprig and Fern Brewery in Richmond, she doesn't expect much international press. 

When we sat down with her recently she demonstrated the experience and enthusiasm that explain why she still has worldwide appeal. How did our region and the Sprig and Fern brewery brand get so lucky? It's the classic Nelson story: a couple in a big city seeking a better place to raise a family, with a little help from a tiny job advertisement from McCashins' Stoke brewery in 1995. At that time, Tracy was brewing at the Lion Brewery in Auckland, but felt she'd just swapped one big city for another after emigrating from Liverpool and was happy to move her family to Nelson. 

When Lion Nathan bought Mac's in 1999, Tracy easily made the transition back to working for them again. They eventually convinced her to take over the Speights plant in Dunedin. After two years, the family realised that Nelson was home, and she returned to Mac's, just before the Stoke plant closed. Tracy was crushed; brewing had been her life since leaving school at 16 to work in the laboratory of Greenall Whitley. She took the opportunity to enjoy being a mum. But restless, she started looking for work again, doing a short stint with 26000 Vodka, and even considered a move to Australia. 

Fortunately, a timely conversation with Craig Harrington and Dave Barrett led to her buying into the Tasman Brewing partnership (now Sprig and Fern Brewing) in May 2009. They were looking for someone to help with their expansion, and she acknowledges that even her vast experience over numerous plants has been put to the test as the Sprig and Fern chain has grown. Tracy is adamant the Sprig and Fern's successes are a team result. If expanding the plant, updating the recipes, mentoring staff and meeting demand for increasing volumes were not challenge enough, she and her husband bought the Milton St Sprig and Fern Pub in May this year. And she loves it. "I spring out of bed every morning." 

This week marks the opening in Motueka of the fifth S&F pub. S&F will continue its controlled growth strategy with possibly one more Nelson pub, and two to three more outside the region during the next five years. We should mention that S&F brought home three medals from five entries at BrewNZ in August, and Tracy just learned that all five reached the medal round of judging. Tracy will be one of three judges at the Nelson A&P Beer Awards later this month. 

Sprig & Fern's range of beers: 

New release - Apple Cider: 5.7% - Traditionally brewed using two varieties of Nelson grown apples. Combining a sharp apple with a bite with a sweeter variety has produced a cider that is balanced, crisp and extremely refreshing. On Tap Now at your local Sprig & Fern Tavern.

Fern Lager: 4%. Our classic kiwi-style lager. A pale golden lager with a pleasant citrus aroma and slight floral character to complement its clean, crisp palate and well balanced finish.  

Pilsner: 5%. A hoppy golden lager.

Ginger Lager: 5%. A premium lager brewed with freshly ground root ginger.

Blonde: 5%.  A blend of malted wheat and barley provides a light and easy drinking wheat beer. Try a slice of lime.

Tasman Lager: 6.5%. A full-bodied fruity and floral strong lager. 

Fern Draught: 4%.  Light brown in colour, slight bitterness with a malty, almost toffee aroma.

Pale Ale: 5%. Copper coloured with a fruity/passionfruit aroma and a balanced malt sweetness.

Best Bitter: 5%. A blend of five specialty malts gives this English-style bitter a deep brown colour.

I.P.A: 5%. Moderately hopped English India Pale Ale originally a limited release but demand has resulted in it becoming a permanent feature in our product range.

Fern Dark: 4%.  An easy drinking dark lager that has a combination of caramel, chocolate and roasted notes both on the aroma and flavour.

Porter: 5%. A medium bodied dark ale, rich in texture with a velvety smooth finish.

Scotch Ale: 6.5%. Medium-bodied with a deep ruby colour this beer is brewed using 6 different quality malts and fuggle hops. It delivers a malty, rich flavour with notes of caramel.

Doppelbock: 8%. Our award winning strong, dark lager is guaranteed to put some colour in your cheeks.   

Seasonal Brew: Uniquely crafted specialty beers to mark the changing of seasons. 

Berry Cider: 4.5%. A mouthwatering blend of Boysenberry, Strawberry and Blackcurrants with apple cider base. Absolutely delicious!

Alcoholic Lemonade: 4%. Lemonade, just a little stronger and with a fresh citrus bite.

Ginger Beer: 0%. Refreshingly non-alcoholic soft drink. Try it with ice and a slice of lime.