120 | BUSINESS Sprig + Fern Brewing Company. T T Richard Loader Medals galore for Nelson brewery Sprig + Fern’s brewing team; Alex Paxton, Tracy Banner and Callum Duncan with the spoils from the annual New Zealand beer awards. 2023 has proven to be a highly successful year in terms of medals and trophies won for Nelson’s Sprig + Fern Brewing Company. “There are a number of different awards held throughout the year which we have marked out in our calendar and look forward to each year,” says Daniel Tipping, Sprig + Fern’s Marketing + Communications Executive. “The New World Beer and Cider Awards was the first round of awards for the year. Held in May, we picked up three medals with the top one being a Top 30 Medal for our Norty Porter, which is a chocolate porter. Then there were the Australian International Beer Awards, also held in May, and we picked up a Gold Medal for our Best Bitter, an English style bitter, as well as a couple of Silver Medals.” An email inviting Sprig + Fern to enter the Melbourne International Beer Competition was almost missed, until the eleventh hour of the July competition date. Daniel says it wasn’t a competition that Sprig + Fern knew a lot about but it included beer, cider and seltzer (hard sodas). “We had all three of those products, so we thought we’d see how they performed and ended up winning New Zealand Brewery of the Year, plus a Gold Medal for The G.O.A.T Doppelbock, a strong German style beer, and our highest awarded beer.” New Zealand’s premier beer awards is the annual Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards, and this August it provided Sprig + Fern with its most prized win for the year, with its Lock, Bock & Barrel beer taking home the Best in Class Trophy in the Amber/Dark Lager category, as well as the sole Gold Medal in that category. “New Zealand turns out some very good beers and to win a trophy at those awards is really significant because you’re up against some very good brews in that category. For Sprig + Fern to win the trophy for that was phenomenal.” Last but not least, a Bronze Medal was won in the NZ Fruit Wine & Cider Awards, for Sprig + Fern’s Mango + Lime Cider, which also collected bronze last year. Daniel says Sprig + Fern’s success is a reflection of the hard work that the wider team puts in to produce the final drop that we all enjoy. “When you think about beer you focus on the liquid inside the vessel, but there are so many other parts from sourcing quality ingredients and how they are stored, of course the brewing plays a major role, but then its how its packaged, marketed, stored and distributed.” Sprig + Fern’s owner and master brewer is Tracy Banner, who has forged a reputation as one of New Zealand’s early brewers of craft beer. This year Tracy celebrated 40 years in the industry. “She has an incredible wealth of knowledge and makes sure the team stays on track, championing quality and consistency, and ensuring every part of the operation plays their vital role,” says Daniel. Sprig + Fern has sixteen products in its core range, brewing just about every style from lagers to pale ales to porters to hazies, available on tap at Sprig + Fern Taverns spread across the country. “New Zealand turns out some very good beers and to win a trophy at those awards is really significant because you’re up against some very good brews in that category.” Working Together to be New Zealand’s Express Freight Network 021 716 319 | 03 544 0472 Sam Allred Sales & Account Manager sama@pbt.co.nz www.pbt.co.nz Create the labels you want, with no compromise! 0800 425-223 | info@label.co.nz | www.label.co.nz PROUD TO SUPPORT SPRIG & FERN BREWERY Food and Beverage labels Beer labels Pharmaceutical labels Beauty Product labels Industrial labelling; or any other kind of labelling you might need
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