After pulling off an incredibly successful beer festival what seems like an eternity ago – back in 2020 – The Beer Spot is heading back to the Cloud on Auckland’s waterfront this November to host for the second time The Beer Festival 2022.
Much like the beer and wine offerings across their Auckland venues, The Beer Festival turns the Cloud into one giant Beer Spot venue for two days across three sessions, showcasing a carefully selected line-up of some of New Zealand’s finest independent breweries and wineries with an array of Auckland’s tastiest food trucks to match.
Established more than six years ago by Laurence Van Dam and Jason Payn in Northcote, The Beer Spot has become a go-to watering hole for good beer, even for the least experienced beer drinkers out there. That’s in part because it’s beer without “the c-word” – craft – the goal being to break down the stigma that often comes with widening one’s beer palate. Whether you’re a mainstream beer drinker or a die-hard hop-head, there’s a beer out there for everyone.
Having grown from their first venue to four more across Auckland – Huapai, Morningside, Panmure and Whangaparāoa – when restrictions were lifted somewhat in 2020, the team thought the silly thing to do would be to rally together in less than ten weeks to organise the inaugural Beer Festival powered by The Beer Spot. It became obvious after day one that they’d need to do it again. Now, after two unfortunate but inevitable reschedulings due to lockdowns, they can’t wait to bring the event back and better than before.
The Beer Festival is one of the few large beer events that still focuses on the importance of the vendors and their incredible products. By recent counts, New Zealand has more breweries per capita than almost anywhere else in the world, dozens of whom have competed with the best of the best in overseas Beer Awards and taken home the goods. With many of those same brewers and brewery staff pouring beers on the day, it’s an excellent opportunity for anyone with a curious taste bud to get along and try some of New Zealand’s best bubbles poured by the folks that put in the hard yards to make it.
At its heart, The Beer Festival is really about something that has been at the core of The Beer Spot since its inception, something that’s only become more important in light of the country getting through a pandemic – locals supporting local businesses. The Speights and the Steinlagers of this world have their place but are all owned by giant offshore companies these days.
The Beer Spot and The Beer Festival is about showcasing the great New Zealand beer
that’s made here by hard-working kiwis across the country.
The Beer Festival takes place November 4th and 5th across three sessions: Friday, 3 pm, 8 pm; Saturday, 12 pm – 4 pm, and Saturday, 5 pm – 9 pm. General Admission or VIP tickets can be purchased via The Beer Spots website thebeerspot.co.nz, starting at $35, including The Beer Spot drinking vessel and sling, handily held up by a branded lanyard.