BREWING LEGENDS

TUI HISTORY IS A LITTLE SPECKLED, PARTLY BECAUSE RECORD KEEPING WASN’T UP TO SCRATCH IN THOSE DAYS AND PARTLY BECAUSE HENRY WAGSTAFF WAS MUCH MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT BREWING BEER THAN WRITING ABOUT BREWING BEER.

The Tui Brewery has been around in one form or another since Henry Wagstaff discovered how good the water tasted in the Mangatainoka River in 1889 and decided to build a brewery. The most recognisable part, the Tui Tower, has only been around since 1932. Commissioned by a fancy Art Deco artist (because we like to be on the cutting edge) the Tui Tower was a marvel… such a marvel in fact that no one bothered to look inside until it was finished and the architect was on the boat back to France with his large sack of cash. Only then did we notice it had no stairs inside, rendering the upper levels useless. Mildly embarrassed to show off our staircaseless tower, we built the Tui HQ to distract and entertain the punters who came knocking.

Fast forward to today, and Tui is now being brewed in a state of the art brew house sitting pretty in front of a fancy garden bar. Our Head Brewer Tupu Gregory is creating exclusive beers that you can drink right here on the brewery grounds, and the iconic Tui Tower has undergone a massive facelift. Tui has also become renowned for making a really tasty bourbon and a vodka too.