The Brew Tower, Mangatainoka, has dominated the approach to the settlement since 1931, when it was constructed by Tui Brewery Ltd on a site first used to brew beer over 42 years earlier.
Henry Wagstaff, a former sawmiller, started a small brewery in Mangatainoka in 1889. Water from the Mangatainoka River proved particularly suitable for brewing high-class ale and, just four years later, the local newspaper commented that 'the liquor turned out by Mr Wagstaff has earned for itself an excellent reputation'. In 1903 Wagstaff sold his company to Henry Cowan, a cooper from Auckland who renamed it the 'North Island Brewery'. The following year the brewery won first prize for its East India Pale Ale at the Palmerston North Agricultural and Pastoral show. This marked the turning point for the brewery and sales grew steadily for the next decade, from 912 hogsheads in 1908 to 2271 six years later. In 1923 the successful company was renamed Tui Brewery Ltd. When competition from breweries in Woodville and Masterton prompted a decision to bottle beer in Wellington in 1928, the business expanded further, and the profits allowed the company to build a new brewing tower in 1931.
Designed by architects Gummer and Ford and built by Fletchers Construction Company for £4978, this seven-storey, brick tower was constructed to allow the brewers to use gravity to turn malt into beer. Strangely, when construction of the Stripped Classical style building began in 1931, the builders left out the lift and stairs, preventing the workers from transporting malt up to the top of the building. This problem was not finally resolved until 1938, when a lift was added to the exterior of the tower.
The brewing process began on the sixth floor where malt was mixed in the hot liquor tank with water sourced from a tank on the top storey. This broke it down into fermentable sugars called 'wort'. The sugars were separated from the insoluble husks in the Lauter Tun on level five. Hops and sugar were added, and then the mixture was strained through a vessel with a false floor that collected the hops while allowing the hot liquid to pour down into the refrigerator room on the second floor. Yeast was added to the cooled liquid to convert it into beer. In the underground basement originally excavated by Wagstaff, the beer was fermented for a second time to create sparkling ale. The filtered beer was then stored in casks on the ground floor.
From the 1950s, increased competition forced many smaller breweries to close. The Tui Brewery survived by adopting a more economical brewing process called double-strength brewing, and began focussing on the pre-filled flagon trade. In 1964 the brewery won the prestigious franchise to brew Guinness beer, a three-year contract that prompted the purchase of a new plant that produced beer of a higher quality. Five years later the brewery was sold to Dominion Breweries, the second largest beer manufacturer in New Zealand. A new complex was built around the tower in 1974 and a year later the brewery was renamed DB Central Brewery Limited. Although Tui beer continues to be manufactured on the site, Brew Tower has not been used as part of this process since the new complex was built. The only section of the building still in use is the basement, which has been converted into a bar where visitors can sample the beer after a tour of the complex. Since its closure, a replica model of the landmark building has been used in a number of advertisements, and it is now a nationally recognised symbol of the local tradition and history behind the manufacturing of Tui beer.
The Brew Tower has national significance as one of the few remaining examples of an early commercial brewery. The tower is still sufficiently intact to demonstrate the manner in which gravity was used to convert malt into beer before the use of pumps became common in the brewing process. This gives the building technological importance and offers an insight into part of New Zealand's industrial history. It is important as a historical marker of the successful expansion of a local brewing industry and as a significant source of employment in the small town of Mangatainoka. The Brew Tower is held in high esteem as a symbol of Tui beer. It is also an important and nationally recognised landmark.
Henry Wagstaff, a former sawmiller, started a small brewery in Mangatainoka in 1889. Water from the Mangatainoka River proved particularly suitable for brewing high-class ale and, just four years later, the local newspaper commented that 'the liquor turned out by Mr Wagstaff has earned for itself an excellent reputation'. In 1903 Wagstaff sold his company to Henry Cowan, a cooper from Auckland who renamed it the 'North Island Brewery'. The following year the brewery won first prize for its East India Pale Ale at the Palmerston North Agricultural and Pastoral show. This marked the turning point for the brewery and sales grew steadily for the next decade, from 912 hogsheads in 1908 to 2271 six years later. In 1923 the successful company was renamed Tui Brewery Ltd. When competition from breweries in Woodville and Masterton prompted a decision to bottle beer in Wellington in 1928, the business expanded further, and the profits allowed the company to build a new brewing tower in 1931.
Designed by architects Gummer and Ford and built by Fletchers Construction Company for £4978, this seven-storey, brick tower was constructed to allow the brewers to use gravity to turn malt into beer. Strangely, when construction of the Stripped Classical style building began in 1931, the builders left out the lift and stairs, preventing the workers from transporting malt up to the top of the building. This problem was not finally resolved until 1938, when a lift was added to the exterior of the tower.
The brewing process began on the sixth floor where malt was mixed in the hot liquor tank with water sourced from a tank on the top storey. This broke it down into fermentable sugars called 'wort'. The sugars were separated from the insoluble husks in the Lauter Tun on level five. Hops and sugar were added, and then the mixture was strained through a vessel with a false floor that collected the hops while allowing the hot liquid to pour down into the refrigerator room on the second floor. Yeast was added to the cooled liquid to convert it into beer. In the underground basement originally excavated by Wagstaff, the beer was fermented for a second time to create sparkling ale. The filtered beer was then stored in casks on the ground floor.
From the 1950s, increased competition forced many smaller breweries to close. The Tui Brewery survived by adopting a more economical brewing process called double-strength brewing, and began focussing on the pre-filled flagon trade. In 1964 the brewery won the prestigious franchise to brew Guinness beer, a three-year contract that prompted the purchase of a new plant that produced beer of a higher quality. Five years later the brewery was sold to Dominion Breweries, the second largest beer manufacturer in New Zealand. A new complex was built around the tower in 1974 and a year later the brewery was renamed DB Central Brewery Limited. Although Tui beer continues to be manufactured on the site, Brew Tower has not been used as part of this process since the new complex was built. The only section of the building still in use is the basement, which has been converted into a bar where visitors can sample the beer after a tour of the complex. Since its closure, a replica model of the landmark building has been used in a number of advertisements, and it is now a nationally recognised symbol of the local tradition and history behind the manufacturing of Tui beer.
The Brew Tower has national significance as one of the few remaining examples of an early commercial brewery. The tower is still sufficiently intact to demonstrate the manner in which gravity was used to convert malt into beer before the use of pumps became common in the brewing process. This gives the building technological importance and offers an insight into part of New Zealand's industrial history. It is important as a historical marker of the successful expansion of a local brewing industry and as a significant source of employment in the small town of Mangatainoka. The Brew Tower is held in high esteem as a symbol of Tui beer. It is also an important and nationally recognised landmark.
