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

Waikato

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...

 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 http://www.realbeer.co.nz/alefiles/beer_writers/bruce_holloway/article_2004_03_1_5225.php 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.http://www.realbeer.co.nz/alefiles/local_news/article_2005_10_14_2424.php
In 1961 New Zealand Breweries(later to become Lion Nathan

Lion Nathan

Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...

) acquired Waikato Breweries from CL Innes.http://www.lion-nathan.co.nz/Great-Company/About-Us/History.aspx The brewery stayed open in Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 until 1987 when it was closed down.
From this time production of Waikato Draught was moved to the Lion Breweries in Newmarket

Newmarket, New Zealand

Newmarket is an Auckland suburb to the south-east of the central business district. With its high building density, especially of retail shops, it is considered New Zealand's premier retailing area, and a rival of local competitor Auckland CBD...

, Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

.

In 2005 Waikato Draught was awarded a gold medal in the NZ draught category at the BrewNZ New Zealand beer awards.http://brewnz.co.nz/2005results.pdf

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.http://www.lion-nathan.co.nz/Great-Brands/NZ-Beer/Waikato-Draught/Waikato-Draught/Waikato-Draught.aspx

External links

• Lion Nathan - official page