New Zealand’s Epic Brewing enters liquidation
Auckland craft beer brewer Epic Brewing Company has gone into liquidation. Companies Office records show the business was placed into liquidation by a special resolution of shareholders on Tuesday.
Damien Grant and Adam Botterill of Waterstone Insolvency were appointed liquidators.
Owner Luke Nicholas developed the Epic brand in 2005 while working as head brewer for the Steam Brewing Company, the brewing arm of the Cock and Bull pubs in Auckland in Hamilton.
In 2007 Nicholas and a silent partner bought the Epic brand from the Cock and Bull and continued to use its brewing facility and supply its four pubs.
The brewery developed a reputation for producing beers that were big on flavor and aroma – brews like Hop Zombie and Armageddon became cult classics among craft beer drinkers for their use of highly sought-after US hops.
With the launch of Epic Blue in 2019, the company became one of New Zealand’s first craft brewers to produce a low-carb beer.
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According to its website, Epic has 15 employees and operates a taproom in Onehunga.
The first liquidator’s report is due on August 1.