Brothers Beer is a local brewery with a community focus, producing some top notch beers. Hotel Magazine caught up with the boys to hear their story...
Andy and Ant first met over a beer. Some time much further down the track they talked about starting a business together. This discussion almost certainly occurred over a beer. What kind of business? The answer was right in front of them.
Andy (Andrew Larsen) had already spent fourteen years in the beer industry. As a brewer and brewing consultant, his business Breowan Systems is a leading player in everything to do with brewing, and Andy works with fellow brewers all around the globe. But what Andy wanted more than anything else, even more than a drive in a rally car, more than rock a Stratocaster, was start a brewery in his hometown. Somewhere he could cruise down to on a Sunday with his daughter Katherine, lay down a brew, and listen to some Bailterspace turned up loud.
Ant (Anthony Browne) was a suit and tie wearer until 2010. As a beer drinker and lover of all the good things in life, he was inevitably drawn to craft beer. After a year and a half of bumming around, some travel and a bit of study, in May 2012 Andy convinced Ant to join him for a week in Melbourne for Good Beer Week. Not much convincing was necessary, and from that the vision for Brothers was born. A Bar, Brewery and Retail Space serving up great beer and great food with an atmosphere to match.
The current core range consists of
- Brothers Lager - 5% - Simple, clean and more refreshing than a half-time orange, Brothers' Lager is the beer you want in your hand after a hard day toiling in the field. Or the office. Or just anytime you get thirsty, really.
- Brothers Pilsner - 5% - A crisp, classic pilsner brewed with a medley of New Zealand hops, this is a beer for those who like flavour without fuss.
- Brothers Tropical - 3.8% - Bust out your Hawaiian shirt and let Brothers Tropical take you somewhere steamy. With tropical fruit punch flavours and a crisp, refreshing finish, this hoppy golden ale is sunshine in a glass.
- Brothers Pale - 5.5% - If Goldilocks broke into the brewery we're pretty sure she'd go for the Pale Ale, a perfect balance of well-rounded malt and fresh, citrusy NZ hops. Not too bitter, not too sweet - it's just right.
- Brothers IPA - 6% - Always the life of the party, our IPA brings plenty of punchy hop character without ever getting aggressive. NZ & American hops mingle with a malty backbone for a well-balanced, smashable IPA.
- Brothers Amber - 5.5% - Easy-drinking amber featuring slight biscuit and toffee notes, balanced out with crisp bitterness and aromatic hops.
- Brothers Black - 6% - Combining fruity Cascade and Citra hops with rich, chocolaty roasted malts, Brothers Black goes down just as well in front of the fire as it does on a sticky summer afternoon.
The Brothers core range is clean, approachable and fresh. As Auckland's local brewery we are able to provide the freshest beer to our community and we maintain a focus on keeping things fresh and local. As well as our core range we have a rotating range of new and seasonal brews such as our Mexican Lager, Hoppy Wheat Ale, Jam Donut Stout and Cherry Pie.
There have been heaps of changes at Brothers recently. With our third site opening in Orakei we have established a presence in the Eastern Bays. The new site features 30 wine barrels from Dog Point vineyard which will form the basis of our new sour and barrel aged beer program. We have also opened The Barnacle, a modern bistro attached to Brothers Orakei serving up fresh food and classic cocktails.
Due to personal reasons, one of our founders, Andrew has left the business. While we will all feel his loss from Brothers, with experienced brewer Ben Middlemiss at the helm in the brewery and a new beefed up seasonal beer program you can expect us to keep on trucking and putting out great beers from great bars.
With our recent expansions we are going to be focusing our efforts on our existing sites and the brewery to maintain and improve our current standard. However you can expect our venues and beers to keep on developing in the months and years to come.
Our products are available throughout the Auckland region from Brothers City, Brothers Mt. Eden, Brothers Orakei, Farro Fresh, West Liquor, Fine Wine Delivery Company, Selected Liquorlands and more.
