For something a little bit out there, why not try a New Zealand sour? Often brewed using fruit yeast, sour beers boast bold acidic flavours and are often inspired by massive fruit aromas like peach, passionfruit or citrus.
There’s a booming trend in the beer world to create styles that are best defined as acidic, tart or sour and some of our New Zealand breweries are doing it best. The complexity and refreshing nature of these beers can be truly mind-bending.
We’ve included three of the best of the best Kiwi wheat and sour brews on our list for 2023.
Keep scrolling to discover the best of the best New Zealand-made wheat and sour beers for 2023 plus our favourite food pairings for each beer.
Deep Creek Aloha Guava Passionfruit Sout
Type of beer: Sour
Brewery: Deep Creek Brewing
Flavours: Passion fruit, guava, sweet and acidic balance
Judges’ comments: Deep Creek, based on Auckland’s North Shore are one of the industry leaders when it comes to “fruited sours”. They set the bar high a few years ago with their Tiki series, for which Aloha is the flagship beer. A passionfruit and guava sour, Aloha has made previous appearances in this competition and it’s no surprise to see it back. It’s a beer that goes superbly with food, with its bright acidity doing the same job as wine when it comes to cutting through fat and salt. The real fruit flavours are restrained, offering a harmonic contribution to the overall package. A good sour is all about the balance between sweet and acid — according to the judges, Aloha nails it.
Pairing Recommendation: Tart and lightly fruity, this will pair exceptionally well with soft cheeses, or a BBQ pork bun.
For more on this beer visit: dcbrewing.co.nz
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Otago Brew School Klassenbester Dunkelweizen
Type of beer: Wheat
Brewery: Otago Brew School
Flavours: Chocolate, toffee biscuit, dark malt, banana, clove
Judges’ comments: One of the great turn-ups is this event! Otago Brew School started in 2018, training brewers at the Otago Polytech campus in Cromwell. They aim to brew “true-to-style” beers that they sell on campus and in bars around the local area. It’s a fantastic programme and the proof is in the pudding here, with the Klassenbester living up to its translation as “best in class”. A Dunkelweizen is a dark wheat beer which marries chocolate & toffee biscuit characters of darker malts to the traditional banana and clove aromas created by specialist yeast. If you think banana and chocolate sounds like a good flavour match, this is the beer for you. Tastes like banana cake with a toffee sauce, said the judges
Pairing Recommendation: Lovely chocolate and banana, this light German style is perfect with pork sausages or a bacon butty.
For more on this beer visit: op.ac.nz/services/brew-school-beer/
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Thirsty for more top New Zealand beers?
If you’re after dark beers, lagers or more unique craft varieties, don’t forget to check out the articles linked below, or browse the Top 30 from the New World Beer & Cider Awards 2022 using our Beer Finder.
Not sure what you like? Our craft beer guide will walk you through what makes craft beer special and the different styles and flavours you can find in Aotearoa.
Related articles:
Best New Zealand craft beers for 2023
Best New Zealand IPAs and pale ales for 2023
Best New Zealand lagers and pilsners for 2023
Best New Zealand stouts and porters for 2023
Best New Zealand cider and alcoholic gingerbeers for 2023
Best New Zealand hazy ales for 2023
About the author
Michael Donaldson is one of New Zealand’s most renowned beer writers and was named Beer Writer of the Year by the Brewers Guild of New Zealand for a third time in 2018. He has been the Chair of Judges for the New World Beer & Cider Awards since 2016.
His writing appears in North & South, The New Zealand Herald, Stuff and Drinksbiz. He is also the editor of The Pursuit of Hoppiness magazine published by the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA). He is the author of New Zealand's definitive beer history Beer Nation - the Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer as well as The Big Book of Home Brew: a Kiwi Guide and The Hopfather, the biography of Emerson's founder Richard Emerson.