The Beer Engine is a craft brewery, taproom and contract brewing maker space tucked away on Whitehouse Road in Titahi Bay. It was founded by Beer Engineers Dale Gould and Oliver Smith, who met over lunch to discuss what to do in a post-lockdown world and built a platform where established brands and aspiring home-brewers alike could turn their recipes and ideas into reality.
The Beer Engine operates as both a maker space — offering recipe and product development, sourcing, manufacture and finishing for commercial brewers, community groups and even big weddings — and a dedicated retail and bar space to showcase what comes out of it. The taphouse houses 8 taps cycling through small batch beers from around the country, with 3 handpumps soon coming into operation, alongside a small range of New Zealand wines and locally made gins sourced from a distillery up the coast in Kapiti.
The space includes a cosy 20-seater taproom, a "fuel room" housing the brewery's 300L Brewkit and laboratory, and additional courtyard seating tucked away from the hustle and bustle. The Beer Engine describes itself as child friendly and welcoming to dogs, with facilities to make furry friends feel at home too. It has also partnered with T Bay Cafe, known for its burgers and brunches, and sits just a 4 minute walk from the surf and sand of Titahi Bay.
Tucked away on Whitehouse Road in picturesque Titahi Bay, The Beer Engine is part taproom, part maker space, built by two people who saw a gap in New Zealand's craft beer scene. Beer Engineers Dale Gould and Oliver Smith met over lunch in a post-lockdown world to talk about what came next, and The Beer Engine is what came of it.
Beer has long been part of New Zealand life, but it's only recently that home-brewing and home-distilling hobbies have been able to become a profession. For every shiny new brewery opening around the country, there are countless more brewers and beer heads sitting on recipes and ideas, held back by a crowded market and a shortage of production space in the right size. Dale and Oliver's answer was to build a maker space usable by both established brands looking to experiment and aspiring homebrewers looking to take the next step — paired with a dedicated retail and bar space to showcase what comes out of it.
The taphouse itself has been designed with the beer lover in mind, built to showcase both The Beer Engine's own brews and the brands it works with. Eight taps cycle through some of the finest small batch beers available in the country, with three handpumps soon coming into operation. Beyond beer, there's a small range of New Zealand wines and locally made gins — sourced from a distillery just up the coast in Kapiti.
Guests can settle into the cosy 20-seater taproom, perch in the "fuel room" that houses the 300L Brewkit and laboratory, or head out to the courtyard, a quiet sun-trap tucked away from the mall's hustle and bustle. The space is child friendly, and dogs are welcome too, with facilities in place to make furry friends feel as welcome as their humans.
On tap you'll typically find a rotating lineup that includes The Beer Engine's own Blind Faith (5.5%, described as "complicated and interesting") and R.E.G.A.L (4.9%), alongside guest beers such as Sup Bro from Three Sisters Brewery (6.4%), mad as helles from Baylands Brewery (5.5%), and Guinnish from Whistling Sisters (5.5%). Keep an eye out for upcoming releases too, including Strung Out on Lazers and Morning Light from Choice Bros.
Beyond the bar, The Beer Engine's real point of difference is its maker space. Commercial brewers looking to tinker or take their next step, community groups wanting their own one-off product, and even big weddings can work with The Beer Engine's brewers and hydromechanic tech on recipe and product development, including sourcing, manufacture and finishing.
All tap products are either made in house or sourced from local small producers and makers — from the gin distilled up the coast in Kapiti to the wines from small New Zealand producers. It's a philosophy that runs through the whole operation.
The Beer Engine has partnered with T Bay Cafe, whose burgers and brunches are designed to pair with the beers on tap. And with the surf and sand of Titahi Bay just a 4 minute walk away, a swim followed by a pint is about as easy as it gets.
Monday and Tuesday are by appointment only. The taproom opens Wednesday from 4pm until around 8pm, Thursday from 3pm until around 9pm for Thursday beers, Friday and Saturday from midday for what they call "some late time," and Sunday from midday until 7.30pm. For bookings and enquiries, reach the team at [email protected], or [email protected] to enquire about brewing with them.