Greg Koch from Stone Brewing Co. visited Wellington on Thursday, in a style you would only ever expect from him.
It was a #citytaptakeover . Too many beers for just one bar to carry. So the event was spread over two bars, on either side of the city – Malthouse and Fork & Brewer. 45 beers, 50 taps. The event started at 12:12pm and there was a steady stream of people from lunchtime through the afternoon.
Greg turned up around 5pm at the Malthouse and we headed to the Fork & Brewer for some meet and greet time with the after work crowd. I have never seen the Fork as packed as it was when we arrived. For someone who’s beer isn’t available for sale or has never done a beer event in New Zealand, he was treated like a local hero. He walk through the crowd talking with beer fans, stopping to chat, shake hands and have his photo taken.
After a couple of hours we departed for some dinner. We went across the road to WBC and had a really nice dinner, where we said just bring us a selection from the menu so we can try. Jos from Garage Project (and his mum) joined us, as we bumped into them on the way out of the Fork & Brewer.
Then to the Malthouse. The place was jam-packed. I gave some attention to the playlist and the place was rocking. After a while Greg mounted the bar and gave a preach (see video above). It was a roaring success, the speech and the rest of the night.
Here are a few of the stunners from the line up. I did spend the afternoon having a wee taste of each of the beers, but there were several favourites for me.
Overall I’d say everyone was very happy with this event. #citytaptakeover
Background:
The Malthouse Blog post by Neil Miller
Stone Brewing Co. III: The time for Ruination is upon us – #citytaptakeover
P.S. I was given some feedback about the Great Kiwi Beer Festival on the 29th March in Christchurch. Since the announcement of Greg Koch and Stone Brewing Co. beers being at the event they have seen a surge in ticket sales.