Panhead Custom Ales
Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand · Est. 2013
Tally's Take
Why this matters
Three years from opening to being bought by the country's largest brewer. That is either the fastest validation in New Zealand brewing or the shortest independence, and the argument about which has not settled.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2016Bought by Lion
Lion agrees to pay up to NZ$25.1 million in 2016 — NZ$15.1 million upfront and NZ$10 million on earnings over four years — for the Upper Hutt brewery, four years after buying Emerson's.
The Beer Library
Beers
Supercharger APA
Year-RoundAmerican Pale Ale
The beer that took Panhead from opening to being bought by the country's largest brewer in three years.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 2013Founded
- 2016Bought by Lion
Lion agrees to pay up to NZ$25.1 million in 2016 — NZ$15.1 million upfront and NZ$10 million on earnings over four years — for the Upper Hutt brewery, four years after buying Emerson's.
Today the chain tops out at Kirin Holdings (Lion).
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Panhead Custom Ales 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 Panhead Custom Ales
- Who owns Panhead Custom Ales?
- Panhead Custom Ales is owned by Kirin Holdings (Lion). Panhead Custom Ales is based in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
- Is Panhead Custom Ales still independent?
- No. Panhead Custom Ales is owned by Kirin Holdings (Lion) and is no longer independent.
- When was Panhead Custom Ales acquired?
- 2016. Lion agrees to pay up to NZ$25.1 million in 2016 — NZ$15.1 million upfront and NZ$10 million on earnings over four years — for the Upper Hutt brewery, four years after buying Emerson's.
- When was Panhead Custom Ales founded?
- Panhead Custom Ales was founded in 2013 in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
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