Lakeman Brewing is a small, family owned brewery located on a farm in the hills around Lake Taupo. The farm is situated in the freshwater catchment for Lake Taupo and is farmed in a sustainable way which helps to protect this precious water resource.

It just seemed like it could be a good fit to have a go at brewing beer from this pristine water. The idea became a reality and a small, talented team craft each batch of beer with the water sourced  from the aquifer which is directly beneath the brewery.

From a shed on a farm Lakeman is proud to offer you their award winning brews.

C O R E R A N G E

L I M I T E D R E L E A S E

Water quality was the very thing that kick started Lakeman Brewing.

Ten years ago James and Elissa Cooper were farming sheep and beef just west of Taupo in the Lake Taupo catchment. When in a New Zealand first, nitrogen discharge caps were introduced to protect the freshwater quality within the catchment for Lake Taupo. Simply this meant there was a limit placed on the number of animals that could farmed and the amount of nitrogen (fertilizer) that could be applied to the land within the catchment. There was uncertainty about whether these farms could remain profitable under these new caps so much so that James and Elissa went looking for another way to generate income away from their farming business.

The light bulb moment came while on a trip to Australia when a mate bought James a bottle of South Australia’s famous Coopers Sparkling Ale.  As he enjoyed this tasty beverage James thought ‘Let’s give brewing a crack and just maybe we can create a successful family business.’

When the brewery was installed on the farm in an old implement shed James and Elissa had no idea it sat atop a bore containing pristine, fresh water. It was definitely more of a happy accident than a well thought out plan but aided by the catchment friendly farming practices James and Elissa had adopted, protecting that water source has become a number one priority. 

There are some great synergies between the farm and the brewery. All spent grain from the brewery is fed to the Simmental heifers that you can see dotted around the farm and they love it! Waste water from the brewing process is irrigated on to the paddocks surrounding the brewery which is extremely helpful for grass growth when the weather is dry.

Packaging was a major consideration from the beginning. All packaging boxes (which there are a lot of) are made in Levin from a mix of recycled content and sustainably grown wood. All the cardboard packaging is 100% recyclable. The glass bottles Lakeman use are sourced from O-I glass and manufactured in Auckland. The average recycled content of glass in these bottles is 67%.

Here at Lakeman Brewery the team are always thinking about ways to reduce our footprint and work with our environment. We have some exciting initiatives in the pipeline.