About

We brew a pretty mean beer.

INSPIRING SETTING

Situated with Te Waihora to the South, the majestic Southern Alps to the West, and rolling pasture with bush and rocky outcrops to the East

PURPOSE-BUILT KIT

Our 10BBL modern brewery is built for efficiency with delicious and sustainable brewing at the forefront of our minds

SUSTAINABLE BREWING

Thief Brewing operates under the guidance of an Environmental Plan, developed by the Lincoln University Environmental Studies Department, providing direction in our care for our land, water and air.

The Thief Brewery

We are a small, family-owned microbrewery dedicated to sustainable brewing.

Sited on a windy ridge, Thief experiences beautiful valley views to the North, watching storms roll over Te Waihora to the South, the majestic Southern Alps to the West, and rolling pasture with bush and rocky outcrops to the East.

Our water is pure and rich in minerals, drawn from the deep filtered volcanic aquifers of the Port Hills of Ōtautahi. Our air is fresh off the Pacific Ocean, with seasonal changes bringing sweeping winds from every direction.

Meet the Brewer: Ethan Bowmar

Ethan's brewing journey began in high school, when he discovered his passion for chemistry and craft beer. He was lucky to figure it out early, unlike some of us who are still trying to figure out what to have for lunch. Apparently, craft beer caught his attention when Supercharger first came out, proving he has great taste – both in beer and in choosing pivotal life moments. Instead of doing normal teenager things, he would take Fridays off to pester the guys at Ship Hop Brewing in Timaru with questions. Talk about dedication! Or maybe just an excuse to skip school. Either way, it worked.

He studied Food Science at the University of Otago, where he had excellent lecturers, some of whom researched Hop Aroma Science and Beer Microbiology. Which sounds way more fun than whatever other people were studying. Upon graduating, he almost ended up in the lab at the freezing works in Balclutha. Thankfully for us (and for him, probably), he stumbled upon a Junior Brewer role at b.effect Brewing in Wanaka. He figured at the very least, he'd get a free brewery tour and maybe some beer. Smart thinking.

He spent 14 months at b.effect, developing his skillset and having the time of his life. He finally had the chance to make some decent beer, but still had an itch to learn more. He moved to Christchurch to study Mechanical Engineering and worked part-time behind a bar at Two Thumb Brewing. He then joined Thief Brewing Limited, where he developed the Nectaronicon Single Hop Hazy IPA, which won a Gold Medal in the Australian International Beer Awards. Proving that sometimes, a bit of pestering and a lot of passion can actually lead somewhere.

Ethan believes in using local ingredients and sustainable brewing practices. He's a stickler for quality and believes that clean bitterness and balance are key to making an exceptional beer. His favorite beer styles to brew are hazy beers and fruited-sours. He used to hate brewing hazy beers, but then he won an award, and suddenly, they're his favorite. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Ethan Bowmar, Left, Steve Gebbie, Right

Sustainability At Our Core

Thief Brewing operates under the guidance of an Environmental Plan, developed by the Lincoln University Environmental Studies Department, providing direction in our care for our land, water and air. As such, our 10BBL brewery is modern and built for efficiency:

Wastewater is processed on site in an aerobic treatment plant, allowing for safe and environmentally friendly irrigation back onto the land.

Our production facility is entirely electric - we harness renewable energy generated from the hydro lake systems of Te Waipounamu.
Advanced metering systems monitor all water usage, allowing for water efficiency and preventing waste.
Plant equipment is designed for multifunctionality, reducing reliance on multiple systems. For example, our large plate heat exchanger heats water for the next brew while simultaneously cooling the wort on its way to the fermenters.
The brewery uses UniTank fermenters that allow for fermentation, yeast recovery, dry hopping and carbonation to all be completed within a single vessel. This process not only conserves cleaning chemicals, carbon dioxide, water and energy, but significantly reduces the risk of beer spoilage from oxygenation and contamination.
Our dedicated clean-in-place and keg washing equipment optimizes our chemical, water and energy consumption.

The use of kettle flue condensers minimises odour during the boiling process. At the same time, heat is recovered from the condensate for heating water into the hot liquor tun.
Insulation to all vessels and refrigeration conserve energy.

The brewery uses energy-efficient LED and mercury vapour lighting throughout.
Rainwater collected from the brewery roof is recycled for household use and irrigation.
The chemicals used for organic breakdown in our onsite treatment plant are selected to eliminate toxic residues. Environment Canterbury provides wastewater monitoring and analysis to maintain accountability.
By-products from the brewing process (surplus yeast and grist) are fed to our alpacas and neighbouring stock, with any excess composted and returned to the soil, thereby supporting a circular economy model.
Ingredients are generally locally-sourced - malt and grains from Gladfields of Canterbury, and hops from Nelson growers.
We have installed spunding valves on our fermenters, allowing for natural carbonation if desired.

We are committed to the protection of our land and water through continued development of our processes and procedures and the adoption of technology. Future investment will focus on: