Derelict dials it up

Opinion

6 Oct

A Canterbury brewery with a cult following looks set for big things,
as Michael Donaldson explains...

If you’re a devout student of the check-in/rating app Untappd you might already know the name of New Zealand’s top-rated brewery.

Untappd lists New Zealand’s top breweries and beers based on ratings out of five, given by drinkers. And no, New Zealand’s No.1 brewery on Untappd is not Garage Project, Epic or Liberty ... in fact, it’s a brewery you’ve probably never heard (much) about: Derelict.

Derelict is a “lifestyle” brewery based in the small North Canterbury town of Fernside and has been top of the Untappd Kiwi ratings for the best part of two years, thanks to a combination of excellent and hard-to-find beers made by owner-brewer Sam Cottier.

One of the facts of life about Untappd is that as a brewery or beer becomes more popular the ratings invariably go down; it’s a result of moving outside a small niche of dedicated fans into a bigger pond.

“Until now, Derelict  beer, whether in kegs or packaged, was difficult to get your hands on. ”

So, it will be interesting to see what happens to Derelict’s rankings and No.1 status now that they’ve opened their doors to the wider world – first by having a hugely popular debut stand at Beervana in August and then with the opening of their online shop.

Until now, Derelict beer, whether in kegs or packaged, was difficult to get your hands on. With small production runs, Cottier preferred to look after his local region first, happily hand-delivering kegs and bottling only a handful of beers – those he deemed worthy.
As a result, demand always outstripped supply – a good position to be in.

Derelict started small and until now, it has stayed that way.

The brewery is located west of Rangiora, on a farm that Cottier and his wife Natalie bought in 2008, before the population in the area exploded following the exodus north from Christchurch after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

The couple previously owned a bread delivery service, but Cottier grew tired of the early mornings and long hours and wanted to find something he was passionate about. When friends started brewing it sowed the seed and Cottier was soon obsessed.

He joined a Christchurch home brew club whose graduates include Paul Finney of Emporium and Oli Drake of Wilderness (currently the third-ranked New Zealand brewery on Untappd). A few homebrew awards later, Cottier sold the bread run, emptied a shed on his farm and put a brewery in.

The name Derelict came from the way Cottier started homebrewing, using repurposed materials such as old kegs and adapting them. When he went professional he continued using old and dis-used gear. He got fermenters from nearby Brew Moon in Amberley, chilling units from an old pasta factory, and used an ex-dairy vessel for a mash tun.

The nature of the set-up lent itself to small volume production but Cottier, despite making some bold styles, was always focused on quality and would only bottle beer that was up to his high standards. Inadvertently, he tapped into the zeitgeist for small volume, limited release, always-new beers.

It’s a model that won’t suit every brewery and Cottier admits the family-run operation is as much a lifestyle business that allows Sam and Natalie to have a balance between work and family life.

Cottier says: “We often get asked ‘Why don’t you go all-in and go big?’ The majority of people don’t understand this, but for us, our business is a part of our lifestyle and it all grows together.”

The next growth spurt is about to come with the online store and a wider reach, but as long as the beers remain as good as they’ve been to date, Derelict will be top of the Untappd charts for a while longer.