Emerson's Brewery
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand · Est. 1992
Tally's Take
Why this matters
New Zealand craft beer effectively begins here, in Dunedin, with a deaf brewer who could not hear the boil and judged it by other means. Lion bought it in 2012, which is the arc almost every founding craft brewery follows.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2012Bought by Lion
Lion pays around NZ$8 million for the Dunedin brewery in 2012 — the first of its two New Zealand craft purchases, and the deal that told the rest of the country's brewers what they might be worth.
The Beer Library
Beers
Emerson's Pilsner
Year-RoundBohemian Pilsner
From the brewery that started New Zealand craft beer, founded by a profoundly deaf brewer who judged the boil by other means.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1992Founded
- 2012Bought by Lion
Lion pays around NZ$8 million for the Dunedin brewery in 2012 — the first of its two New Zealand craft purchases, and the deal that told the rest of the country's brewers what they might be worth.
Today the chain tops out at Kirin Holdings (Lion).
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Emerson's Brewery is controlled by Public company.
Kirin Report 2025 · Kirin Holdings · 2025
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Emerson's Brewery
- Who owns Emerson's Brewery?
- Emerson's Brewery is owned by Kirin Holdings (Lion). Emerson's Brewery is based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- Is Emerson's Brewery still independent?
- No. Emerson's Brewery is owned by Kirin Holdings (Lion) and is no longer independent.
- When was Emerson's Brewery acquired?
- 2012. Lion pays around NZ$8 million for the Dunedin brewery in 2012 — the first of its two New Zealand craft purchases, and the deal that told the rest of the country's brewers what they might be worth.
- When was Emerson's Brewery founded?
- Emerson's Brewery was founded in 1992 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
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