Canyon Brewing's 2025 wrap up

2025 was a proper Canyon year. The kind that starts with “what if we…”, and ends with the tanks still running and the calendar somehow even fuller than last year.

From new beer launches and collabs, to Spritz on tap heading into the mountains, this was a year built on momentum, good people, and saying yes.

20+ new beers (because sitting still isn’t really our thing)

Over 20 new beers landed this year, and a few stood out as instant fan favourites.

Paul kept the hazy crowd happy with a juicy, tropical hit of citrus, mango and passionfruit, smooth and straight down the middle. 
Farm Hand went the other direction: a foraged Belgian Blonde built on Canyon-grown pilsner malt, Garston Motueka, Cardrona honey, plus rosehips and wild thyme for a citrus-forward beer with floral lift and subtle spice. 
To Central, With Love 2025 was our wine-beer love letter again with Carrick Winery: Queenstown grown malt, Garston hops, second use organic pinot noir grapes and wild yeast cultivated from local wild thyme flowers, aged in oak for 8 months then re-fermented on grape pomace for that piquette-style edge with blackcurrant, red fruit and subtle oak. 
And Pivot reminded everyone what a West Coast IPA is meant to be: clear, crisp, hoppy and straight to the point, with citrus, pine and resin off classic “C” hops and Simcoe, balanced on a solid malt backbone. No haze, no gimmicks.

New releases are kind of our love language. If there’s a season, a moment, or a good enough idea, it usually ends up in a glass.

Collabs that hit different

Collaboration was a big part of 2025.

Punk Rat with Pirate Life brought the flavour and the attitude, and the label took out 3rd place for GABS label design. Even better, it meant getting to work with our mates across the ditch again.

Fika was our Imperial Pastry Stout, inspired by the Swedish ritual of fika (coffee and something sweet with your mates). Brewed with Wolf Coffee’s signature blend, real Tahitian vanilla, and loaded with pain au chocolat from The Boat Shed Bakery, it’s rich, roasty, and unapologetically indulgent.

Another year at the NZ Open

Canyon backed it up with another year at the NZ Open, keeping Queenstown’s biggest week flowing with good beer energy and a local presence that feels right at home. It’s always a solid reminder that we’re lucky to do what we do, here.

Spritz on tap went full alpine

Aperol Spritz on tap did what it does best this year: made life easier for venues and better for customers. Thanks to our partnership with Campari, Spritz poured up the mountains at Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, and kept flowing in bars across New Zealand.

Fast serves, consistent pours, and no one stuck waiting around when they could be out doing literally anything else (like hitting the slopes). 

90+ tonnes of grain, triple 2024

Behind the scenes, Canyon hit a major milestone: over 60 tonnes of grain harvested, which is three times as much as 2024.

This is part of our Grain to Glass project, the thing we started back in 2021 when we asked: what if we grew our own malt? Four years on, it’s become a real system, growing, harvesting, and brewing with Central Otago grain, especially in Canyon Gold.

And nothing gets wasted. Spent grain heads to The Boat Shed Bakery for breads, and the rest goes back to the farm to feed livestock. Full circle, less freight, more local.

The Beer Hug Boxes: one for the creatives, one for the confident

Two Beer Hug Boxes launched this year, and they were made for different types of drinkers.

One featured six limited edition beers, with labels designed by artists from around the world. Working with Show Us Your Type was a highlight, giving creatives the chance to put their take on Queenstown on a beer, and turning the box into something you wanted to keep even after the beers were gone.

The other was a blind tasting box, designed to test beer knowledge and stir up a bit of friendly debate. Perfect for the mate who reckons they can identify hops by smell. Even better when they can’t.

Bright-Eyed: Canyon’s first non-alcoholic beer

A big first for 2025 was the launch of Bright-Eyed, Canyon’s first non-alcoholic beer.

Built for early starts, training blocks, busy weeks, and anyone who wants the flavour and the ritual without sacrificing tomorrow. Same vibe, better mornings.

Bike Glendhu, Green Friday, and 45 new trees

Canyon also teamed up with Bike Glendhu as official beer partner, because good trails and a cold one afterwards is a proven formula.

Green Friday turned that partnership into something tangible: 45 trees planted, driven by people doing what they already love doing, getting outside, backing local, and stocking the fridge.

It’s the kind of collaboration that makes sense for Canyon. Fun first, and leaving the place better than we found it.

That’s 2025

If Canyon was part of the year in any way, in a fridge, on a table, in a chilly bin, at the bar, or after a big day outside, cheers.

2026 is already brewing.