Wigram Brewing Co. has been crafting beer in Christchurch since 2003, built on a passion for brewing and a love of beer. The locally owned brewery describes itself simply: beer brewed by beer fanatics, for fanatical beer lovers. Everything is hand crafted in-house, and several of the beers have picked up awards along the way.
Its home is Hangar 57 Fillery & Taproom on Sonter Rd in Wigram, where the line-up spans an unusually wide range of styles. There are New Zealand and German lagers (Propeller, Bavarian Pilsner, Munchner Dunkel), English-inspired ales like Bristol Best Bitter, German wheat beer in the Hefe Weizen, and a confident hop programme running from Wing Walker and Tailgunner Hazy up to the twice dry-hopped Jetpack Double IPA. History gets a look-in too: the Spruce Beer re-creates the ale Captain James Cook brewed in 18th-century New Zealand using molasses, manuka and rimu foliage.
Beyond the taproom, the beers travel well — 440ml cans and bottles are boxed up in choose-your-mix 6, 12 and 18-can packs and Wigram Premium gift boxes, and there's even a 12-pack of Dog Beer for four-legged friends. Gift cards and brewery tours round out a visit that's as much about the people and the story as the beer itself.
Wigram Brewing Company was established in 2003, making it one of the longer-serving names in New Zealand craft beer. The company was built, in its own words, on a passion for brewing and a love of beer, and it has stayed true to a straightforward mission ever since: to produce individual beers for beer lovers. Or as the tagline puts it, beer brewed by beer fanatics for fanatical beer lovers.
Two decades on, that ethos is easy to see. The brewery is locally owned, its beers are hand crafted, and the range has collected awards along the way. Everything is brewed in-house in Christchurch, and the line-up is deliberately broad — more than a dozen beers spanning lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, English ales, Scotch ale and a full spectrum of modern hop-forward styles.
Wigram's breadth is its calling card. On the refreshing end sits Propeller Lager, a New Zealand-style golden lager brewed from Canterbury-grown malts and classic Nelson hops — medium bodied, lightly crisp, and described by the brewery as easy, enjoyable quaffing all year round. The Bavarian Pilsner follows the German playbook with a slight malty aroma, a clean hop flavour and a crisp, lingering finish, while Munchner Dunkel brings toasted malt character to the dark-lager corner of the list.
The hop-forward half of the menu is where the aviation theme really takes off. Mustang Pale Ale is the copper-coloured flagship, its medium-high bitterness loaded with New Zealand hop character. The hazy contingent runs from Wing Walker — a 4.2% New England-style hazy with juicy passionfruit and citrus — up to Captain Fantastic, a 5.8% Hazy IPA brewed with Cascade and Nectaron hops and Norwegian Kveik yeast for a soft, lush, juicy mouthfeel. Aviator IPA lands floral grapefruit and citrus over a smooth oat body, and Jetpack Double IPA is the heavyweight: dry hopped twice, 7.8%, with an impressive foam head and an immediate woosh of grapefruit, passionfruit and pine.
There's plenty for drinkers who prefer malt and history over hops, too. Hefe Weizen pours cloudy with pronounced clove and banana spiciness; Harvard Honey Ale carries a distinct honey flavour balanced by a clean, crisp finish; Bristol Best Bitter is a proper English-style malt ale; and Wee Reeky, a 6.8% Scotch Ale, pours deep russet with toasty, nutty malt and just a hint of earthy smoke.
The most storied pour is the Spruce Beer. Captain James Cook was the first person to brew beer in New Zealand, using molasses with manuka and rimu foliage during his 18th-century visits — and Wigram's version uses the same ingredients, producing a dark copper ale with a clean, distinctive spicy finish. On the fruitier side, Catalina Citra is a crisp American Wheat Ale with Citra hops and sweet orange peel, while Let's Tango adds a blood-orange kick to a light, bright, crushable fruited ale.
All of this comes together at Hangar 57, the brewery's Fillery & Taproom at 57 Sonter Rd in Wigram. It's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm, Saturday from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 7pm. The taplist is where the range meets the glass, and it has a habit of turning one-offs into regulars: Tailgunner Hazy, a full-bodied 5.2% hazy packed with American hops, was first brewed as a one-off Father's Day beer and quickly found a permanent spot.
Beer leaves the brewery in 500ml and 330ml bottles and 440ml cans, depending on the brew, and the shop side makes it easy to take a proper haul home. Choose-your-mix packs come in 6, 12 and 18-can sizes, Wigram Premium boxes are offered in 4, 6 and 12-beer formats, and there's even a 12-pack of Dog Beer so four-legged members of the family aren't left out. Gift cards are available for those who'd rather let the recipient choose.
For anyone curious about what happens behind the tanks, Wigram Brewing Co. runs brewery tours, and the team is reachable by phone or email for details, orders and enquiries. Whether you come for a hazy IPA at the taproom, a piece of brewing history in the Spruce Beer, or a mixed box for the fridge at home, the through-line is the same one the brewery started with in 2003: individual, hand-crafted beers, made by people who are genuinely fanatical about them.