A hop-fresh hazy beer years in the making is now pouring nationwide, with every glass helping support hospice care locally.
Sprig + Fern owner and master brewer Tracy Banner says the idea for the charity brew was first floated in 2024, following the brewery’s involvement with Nelson Tasman Hospice fundraiser Dancing for a Cause.
Hands Up for Hospice felt like a natural next step.
“We came up with brewing a hop fresh beer, because we’ve just had the hop harvest recently,” Tracy says. “We thought we would do a hazy, because they sell really well.”
The project, which has seen 6000 litres produced, has drawn strong backing from local and national businesses, with Visy Glass supplying bottles, NZ Hops providing fresh hops, Gladfield Malt providing malt, and Label & Litho producing labels for both bottles and cans.
“It’s been amazing, all these businesses supporting us,” Tracy says.
A dollar from every pint of Hops for Hospice sold at 13 Sprig + Fern taverns and two Little Sprigs will go directly to local hospice services. Cans and bottles sold through supermarkets and liquor stores around the country will also contribute $1 for every one sold.
Tracy says that developing the recipe took time and precision.
“I’ll develop a recipe which is then given to the brewer to brew it, then it’s transferred to the maturation tank then a bright beer tank, before being bottled or canned.”
She says there is only one chance to get it right, but years in the industry gives her confidence.
“There’s something beautiful about fresh hops, it’s going to pack a punch on the aroma, it’s going to have a really nice, fruity aroma that follows straight into the flavour – nice and smooth and very easy drinking.”
Nelson Tasman Hospice chief executive Tony Gray says seeing the idea come to life has been hugely rewarding.
“It’s really exciting, it’s one of those things that when you’re originally talking about it, you’re never quite sure if it will come to fruition,” he says.
“The fact that Tracy and the team have seen it through to the final product going live, it’s amazing.”
Tony says support from local businesses is critical to the hospice’s ability to operate.
“The long and the short of it is, unless we get the support from businesses and individuals, we simply can’t provide the service that we do,” he says.
“The need for that service is growing exponentially. We have amazing support from businesses, but anybody that can come on board to support us, it’s really important for us.”
While Tony says that he is not a big drinker anymore, he is keen to sample the finished product.
“It’s pretty exciting for Nelson Tasman Hospice to have this going nationwide,” he says.
He says the number 210, which has become synonymous with local hospice campaigns, reflects the number of patients cared for each month.
“That number is not going to get less.”
Tony says, hospice care is about far more than end-of-life support.
“So often that involves not only the patient but the family and whānau of that patient,” he says.
“The feedback we get is that, so often, all those involved simply couldn’t have done what they did without the hospice service.”
He says hospice staff, including doctors, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists, make a real difference.
Fundraising for the service never stops, with Tony saying the hospice faces a $12,000-a-day funding deficit.
“It’s exceptional what they’re doing for us, and we absolutely realise that,” he says.
“We want to thank them and everybody else that’s prepared to talk about hospice and tell people what we’re really about.”
Hops for Hospice officially launches in Sprig + Ferns, liquor stores and supermarkets around the country today and will be available until it sells out.
