Shortjaw Brewing is a production brewery, bar and taproom at 10 Lyndhurst Street, right in the heart of Westport on New Zealand's West Coast. Founded by beer writer and author Luke Robertson with his partner Emma Bemrose, the business took over the old West Coast Brewery — the historic Miner's Brewery site — in 2021, and has since set about revitalising the 30-year-old equipment with new recipes and a fresh approach. The site describes itself as award-winning and welcoming, and it has been featured on TVNZ's 'Off the Grid'.
The taps pour locally made beer built on New Zealand ingredients, from the flagship Kiwi Dark Lager and the snappy Clear Sky Pils to Buller Draught, a classic pub beer made with Canterbury malt, Upper South Island hops and West Coast rainforest water. Alongside the core range you'll find a rotating single-hop XPA, one-off and limited brews celebrating local produce, Terroir Project wines from Marlborough, Peckham's apple cider, the Katipo elderflower soda — a nod to the 90s alcoholic lemonade once made by Miner's Brewery on this very site — plus soft drinks, juices and the occasional cocktail made in-house or as close to as possible.
On weekends the Mister Chops food truck parks on site, serving the team's pick for Westport's best burgers alongside Asian-inspired street food with South East Asian, Latin-American and American influences. Almost everything is made in-house, most dishes can be customised, and gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options are available, with an exclusive bar menu for Shortjaw customers. The name comes from the shortjaw kōkopu, a rarely seen whitebait species endemic to West Coast rivers and streams — not a metaphor, just a cool fish worth celebrating.
Shortjaw Brewing occupies a special corner of Westport. The brewery, bar and taproom at 10 Lyndhurst Street sits in the old West Coast Brewery — better known to locals as Miner's Brewery — and in 2021 it entered a new chapter. Beer writer and author Luke Robertson, who founded the business with his partner Emma Bemrose, took over the site and set about revitalising the 30-year-old equipment with new recipes and a fresh approach. What you'll find today is a working production brewery with a welcoming taproom attached, pouring locally made beer built on New Zealand ingredients.
The core range reads like a tour of the country's brewing map: pilsner malt grown in New Zealand, hops from the top of the South Island, Canterbury malt and even water from the West Coast rainforest. The Kiwi Dark Lager is the flagship — a gently bittered dark lager with chocolate and roasted wheat malts, designed for the West Coast and ideal for a knockoff beer or a long night in front of a crackling fire. Alongside it you'll find Clear Sky Pils, a snappy Euro-style lager with lime zest aromas; Breezy Pale, a hazy pale full of citrus, grapefruit and summer berries; and Buller Draught, the classic pub beer of the house.
There's always something new, too. A rotating single-hop XPA lets different New Zealand — and sometimes international — hop varieties shine, one-off and limited beers celebrate local produce, and the Fresh Hop Draught uses hops picked and delivered within hours of leaving the farm. The Kiwi Double Dark, a bigger take on the flagship made in collaboration with the Kawatiri Kiwi campaign, shows the brewery's local streak runs deeper than the brewhouse.
Beer isn't the whole story. The taproom also pours Terroir Project wines from Marlborough — a sauvignon blanc, a Provence-style rosé and a pinot noir from the Calrossie Vineyard — plus Peckham's apple cider and the Katipo elderflower soda, a fully fermented, dry homage to the 90s alcoholic lemonade once made by Miner's Brewery on this very site. Soft drinks, juices and non-alcoholic options cover everyone else, and the occasional cocktail is made in-house or as close to as possible.
The name comes from the shortjaw kōkopu, a species of whitebait endemic to New Zealand that lives in the rivers and streams around the West Coast. It's rarely seen, preferring shady spots in quiet reaches — and the team insists it isn't a metaphor, just a cool fish they wanted to celebrate. The mature fish on the logo was illustrated by their friend, artist Andrew Saltmarsh.
Thursday to Saturday, the Mister Chops food truck parks on site, serving what the team reckons are Westport's best burgers alongside Asian-inspired street food — South East Asian flavours, Latin-American spice and American favourites, all with the Mister Chops flair. They make almost everything themselves and sell out every week, so the food is as fresh as it is popular. Nearly anything on the menu can be customised, with gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options, and there's an exclusive bar menu just for Shortjaw customers. Order from the team, grab a seat in the bar and settle in with a beer.
Food truck hours are Thursday from 5pm to 8pm, Friday from midday to 2pm, and Saturday from midday until sold out — it pays to check misterchops.co.nz before you go.
The taproom keeps regular hours all week: midday to 7pm Tuesday and Wednesday, midday to 8pm Thursday and Friday, midday to 7pm Saturday, and Sunday from 1pm to 6pm, with Monday opening midday to 5pm. If you'd like to visit at another time, just get in touch — the team is happy to hear from you, and they also take event bookings and private functions by email.
Between the rotating taps, the weekend food truck and the easy West Coast welcome, it's little wonder Shortjaw has been featured on TVNZ's Off the Grid. Whether you call Westport home or you're passing through Buller, a seat in the taproom, a can of Kiwi Dark and a burger from Mister Chops is about as West Coast as an afternoon gets. Takeaway beer and burgers are available for a quiet night in, and the cans travel well — Shortjaw is stocked around the region and available through the online shop.