With the promise of new hops, never-before-seen beers, and a hop volcano, you can be reasonably confident the New Hop Drop festival will be unlike any other beer event you've been to before.
New Hop Drop runs under the auspices of NZ Hops and their Bract Brewing Programme, which is set up to help develop new hop varieties and bring them to market.
As part of this programme, they dish out the most promising experimental trial hops to a few dozen top brewers around the world, then wait to see what the verdict is from brewers and drinkers on the beers that result.
It's not every day that you, Joe Public, get to taste the next star hop varieties in so many different ways, but November 18 is one of those days as Moon Dog World in Preston hosts ten of them side by side, each made by the Aussie and Kiwi brewers.
The Beer Lineup
- BentSpoke – IPA (yet to be named) ft NZH104 & NZH106
- Felons – NZ Pilsner (yet to be named) ft NZH101 & NZH105
- Fixation – Ghost Chips Fresh NZ Hazy ft NZH102 (Superdelic)
- Moffat Beach Brewing – 7 INCH Single Hop Pale ft NZH105
- Mountain Goat – Bract To The Future IPA ft NZH106
- Newstead Brewing – DDH IPL (yet to be named) ft Wai-iti, NZH104 &
- Sprig + Fern – Encore NZ IPA ft NZH106 & Nectaron
- Sawmill – Aotearoa Series #40 Hazy IPA ft NZH106
- 8 Wired – NZ Pilsner (yet to be named) ft NZH106
- Moon Dog – Tall Glass Of Hops West Coast Pilsner ft NZH106
To add to the festivities, the event will feature guest brewers, masterclasses led by Moon Dog's trophy-winner head brewer Kev, Kirrily "Beer Diva" Waldhorn, and NZ hop guru extraordinaire Dr Ron Beatson, Kiwi treats, DJs banging out NZ tunes, and even a hop volcano (yes, it's a real thing).
The Masterclasses
- Hops 101: Introduction to the flavours elicited from hops
- New Hops: Learn how new hops and flavours are created
- Cryo Hops: The flavour bomb that changed IPA
Uncommonly for a beer festival, entry is free; just turn up, have a look around, check out the volcano and, if you feel thirsty, buy a beer.
However, if you want to get serious about the whole thing, your best bet is to grab a Taster Pass ($35 plus BF) which gets you 100ml tasters of all ten festival beers.
Or, if you're really serious about the whole thing, a Primo Pass ($80 plus BF) will get you tasters of all ten beers, plus three 100ml serves of event-exclusive NZ beers, priority access to a masterclass, a Moon Dog branded Birrateque glass, a Superdelic or It’s All Hazy Baby baseball cap, and an NZ Hops sticker pack.
NB We've got Primo Passes to give away to members of The Crafty Pint's beer club, The Crafty Cabal. Head here for details.
Book tickets
Crafty Cabal Member offer at Moon Dog World Preston: FREE Pot of Beer or Seltzer!
