Auckland-based craft brewery, Cowabunga, is the latest in a line of Kiwi craft breweries to call in liquidators.
Cowabunga, formerly in Morningside, went into a joint venture with Batsmen Brewing at the end of last year, sharing a brew space and taproom, according to Michael Donaldson‘s Friday Night Beers report.
But Donaldson says no sooner had The Tapping Room been set up, Cowabunga decided to close up and leave it to Batsmen founders, Suemalo Faga and Wayne Sao, to continue with their Samoa-inspired venture.
Liquidator Damien Grant told the New Zealand Herald the company should have succeeded.
“How can you not want to drink a beer called Cowabunga? I mean, Bart Simpson, c’mon,” he said.
“This is an orderly wind-up. They had a crack at creating a craft brewery. It’s a crowded market. They were unable to make a go of it. We’ve been asked to look after this. From our investigations, we are confident that no creditors will lose any money.”
Cowabunga’s owner Stuart Nichol is said to be leaving the craft beer scene and returning to teaching.
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