ChrisMack Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Hi guys...something I meant to do ages ago was to keep you all up to date with the "happenings" of one of our Iconic locations here in Christchurch after the devastating Feb 22 2011 earthquake here in Christchurch. It stood tall and prominant on the corner of St Asaph and Antigua Streets...in true Canterbury spirit in bold Red and Black....there for many years catering to the needs of many New Zealand beer drinkers and of course Home brewers (this is the location where a variety of home brew kits were produced) 12.51pm Feb 22, 2011 put an end to it all...a devastating 6.3 earthquake rocked the city to it's core and did extensive damage to a proudly Canterbury icon....while the trademark "Canterbury Draught" sign stayed perched in its rightful place, glaring out across the city intersection, inside extensive damage took it's toll on the brewery equipment and building. Sadly like so many other Canterbury Icon's damage was so severe that the brewery's days were done Lion Breweries (the owning company) had no choice but to cease brewing and in the end order demolition of the site. After standing tall for so long some time earlier this year 2012 the first stage of demolition took place with the part of the structure at most risk of further damage was demolished. Still the main part of the brewery stood tall...that "Red and Black" icon blazing out across the desolated city....It's been a long road and only in the last week or so has the next "visable" stage of demolition begun...the diggers and crews moved in and set about starting the task of demolishing the bottling side of the establishment.....as the Canterbury Brewery slowly falls, it's memory remains etched in many Cantabrians.... Lion has, thankfully kept some spirit alive and has promised to continue working from the site, sadly at this early stage it seems that it will only be a Distribution station...with a bulk of the production now undertaken at the Southern based Speights brewery in Dunedin. I like many, hope that one day the Canterbury brewery will rise from the rubble and once again fill the Christchurch air with the pungent smell of hops - even if it is only on a smaller capacity! The following is a few photo's I quickly snapped today showing how the brewery stands today....it needs to be noted that in the "main-tower" of what remains are the traditional copper kettles and the like......it would be great if these can be saved as testimony to the heritage of the companies presence in our humble city.... Heres the main "brewing tower" on top can be seen the back of the iconic "Canterbury Draught" sign. At the point just in front of the black car...the adjoining building was seperated by some 2 inches in the quake! This is the area where the "Heritage style" entrance once stood as part of the adjoining building as described in the first photo. This is the access-way between the brewery and the bottling plant Looking through to where the bottling plant once rumbled away filling amber milk into bottles ready for distribution Lastly the end of the line...the carpark and back end of the bottling plant on St Asaph Street... So guys there ya have it....the end of the line for an iconic brewing plant in New Zealand, and while these few photo's can only show a glimpse of things....I'm sure theres a lot of damage that we couldnt see from the outside... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregT5 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Sad to see the demise of something that meant so much to a lot of people. Unfortunately Mother Nature does not discriminate when it comes to events like earthquakes. I have been taking more notice of the heritage of this particular industry since I have been brewing so it is sad that another brewery has bitten the dust. Hope your personal situation is on the up, Chris and you have found somewhere to reside & recommence your home brews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMack Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 We're all good....back home and back brewing - recently put down a Coopers Lager with some extra hops for punch! (hoping it turns out to be a good'n) The Canterbury brewery wasnt the only casualty of the quakes with a few local craft breweries also hit, another local icon the "Dux De Lux" noted for it's "Ginger Tom" was forced from its Arts Centre Location and ceased brewing. The "Twisted Hop" was another to lose its brewing location (now just bare land) from memory they managed to salvage a brew that had been fermenting for several months and it was bottled and released at quite a premium price! The great thing about all this was that other "micro breweries" in the Canterbury region were more than accomodating in help keep these brands alive by sub-contracting their brews.... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMack Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Over the past week or so more of the brewery has been demolished, little by little this landmark building is fading from the Christchurch streets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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