Welcome to the Renaissance

Renaissance Brewery crafts intensely rewarding ales
for the enlightened palate. Their beers are made from the pure waters that flow from the southern alps and they only use locally grown hops from their own backyard.

Situated in the heart of Marlborough wine country, Blenheim, at the top of New Zealand's south island, their aim is to make beers that rival their grape based cousins.

The brewery is situated at the old Grove Mill on Dodson Street, which is the oldest commercial building in Blenheim. Over the years it has housed an ice cream factory, a malt house, two very famous Marlborough wineries (Grove Mill and Whitehaven) and more recently a craft brewery.

Straight from the brewery:
"We do not make sugar water, in fact unlike most commercial beers, we only use the naturally occuring sugars from malted barley. We do not compromise on flavor and believe that teaspoons of sugar should only be added to cups of tea.

Renaissance Elemental Porter  500ml Bottle, 6% abv
This award winning ale is called "Elemental" porter. It is a classic English porter. It is a medium bodied beer with chocolate, and roasted notes. Extremely well balanced and hopped using a New Zealand hop variety.

Elemental is their most awarded beer, it has won gold medals in Australia and New Zealand as well as being consistently rated New Zealand's top beer .

Originally the beer of choice for workers in London’s produce markets, the beer was a mixture of the previous nights slops that the "porters" would drink when they clocked off at dawn. Porter is also Andy's all time favorite beer style. Brewed in the modern ‘robust’ style, Elemental Porter is a rich, full bodied brew with plenty of dry, dark chocolate and roasted malt flavors which gradually give way to a cleansing hop-driven finish.

Not intuitively thought of as a food beer it is a surprisingly effective accompaniment for:

• Dark chocolate
• Coffee or berry-based desserts
• Blue cheese
• Barbecued meats 

And although historically it was a sunrise beer, we think nowadays it is probably more suited to an be served after dinner with desserts and cheese, although if you want to drink it at day break, we're not going to stop you.

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Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale 500ml Bottle, 7% abv
Multi award winning Stonecutter Scotch Ale is the big, hearty, ‘red wine’ of the range. This amazing modern Scotch ale has won awards in New Zealand and Australia. The brewers are very proud of the full bodied complexity and surprising stealth this beer characterizes. This one slips down so easily you almost can’t detect the alcohol.

The Scotch Ale style is believed to have originated in Edinburgh in the 18th century and is colloquially known as "wee heavy" due to its higher strength than its paler siblings.

They use nine malts blended together to produce layers of caramel, toffee, licorice, chocolate and roasted flavors. These layers are balanced by a tart, raisiny fruitiness that gradually gives way to give this dark beer a lingering dry finish.

Rich, full bodied, warming and moreish, Stonecutter pairs well with the following dishes:

• Venison
• Roast beef or lamb
• Hearty casseroles and stews
• Crème brûlée
• Scottish shortbread

And for those of you who want to know about where the name Stonecutter came from, you will need to know the secret handshake.

Join the Renaissance and demand more from your beer.