Waikato Draught

Waikato Draught

Manufacturer	Lion Breweries
Introduced	1925
Alcohol by volume	4.0%
Style	Draught

Waikato Draught is a bitter draught-style lager beer brewed by Lion Breweries, part of the Lion Nathan group. It is mainly sold in the Waikato region of New Zealand, but can also be found in selected stores across the country and specialist stores around the world.

History

Waikato draught was first brewed in 1925 [1] and has been one of the biggest selling beers in the region ever since. Willie the waiter, a cartoon character used to promote the beer was created in 1945. At this time Waikato Draught was selling 400,000 gallons of beer each year and was being brewed from the Innes Family Waikato Brewery.[2] In 1961 New Zealand Breweries(later to become Lion Nathan) acquired Waikato Breweries from CL Innes.[3] The brewery stayed open in Hamilton until 1987 when it was closed down. From this time production of Waikato Draught was moved to the Lion Breweries in Newmarket, Auckland.

In 2005 Waikato Draught was awarded a gold medal in the NZ draught category at the BrewNZ New Zealand beer awards.[4]

Flavour

The manufacturer claims that Waikato Draught has a strong malty flavour with a well-defined bitterness. They refer to a smooth and clean texture, and a hoppy and spicy aroma. The manufacturer also suggests that the robust ale flavours are a good match with hearty meat and potato meals.[5]

External links

• Lion Nathan - official page