Archive record · Brewery
Panhead Custom Ales
Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
- Founded
- 2013
- Archive ID
- TB-KXMK50SB
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The ultimate parent is recorded. The company directly above the brewery is not yet resolved.
Tally Answers Beta
- Who owns this brewery?
- Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (since 2016)Verified
From the record
Summary
Hot-rod themed brewery founded by Mike Neilson in Upper Hutt in 2013. It grew quickly, and in 2016 Lion's New Zealand company acquired Brand Strong Ltd, the Panhead holding company — a share purchase three years after the brewery opened, not a purchase of the brewery itself.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
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.
Ownership & corporate history
- Subsidiary of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited2016
What the sources say
GROUP AFFILIATION, not a direct owner. Lion's own brand page states Panhead is owned and distributed by Lion, and Lion Pty Ltd is wholly owned by Kirin Holdings. Control passed in 2016 when Lion's New Zealand company — then named Lion - Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Limited, now Lion NZ Limited — agreed to buy Brand Strong Ltd, the Panhead holding company, from the Neilson family. That was a purchase of a company's shares, so no acquired_by event is recorded against the brewery, and the completion date is not established. The company immediately above the brewing business remains unresolved: Panhead Custom Ales Limited (NZBN 9429042330929) and Lion NZ Limited are both canonical, both evidenced under Lion, and neither is proven to hold the brewery. INDIRECT_CONTROL_CHANGE; DIRECT_OWNER_UNRESOLVED.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2016Holding company bought by Lion
Lion agreed in May 2016 to buy Brand Strong Ltd, the Panhead holding company, from the family of founder Mike Neilson — NZ$15.1 million upfront and up to NZ$10 million more on earnings over four years. The buyer was Lion's New Zealand company, then named Lion - Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Limited and since renamed Lion NZ Limited. What changed hands was a company's shares, not the brewery or its assets. The completion date is not established.
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.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 2013Founded
- 2016Holding company bought by Lion
Lion agreed in May 2016 to buy Brand Strong Ltd, the Panhead holding company, from the family of founder Mike Neilson — NZ$15.1 million upfront and up to NZ$10 million more on earnings over four years. The buyer was Lion's New Zealand company, then named Lion - Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Limited and since renamed Lion NZ Limited. What changed hands was a company's shares, not the brewery or its assets. The completion date is not established.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Panhead Custom Ales is controlled by Public company.
Kirin Report 2025 · Kirin Holdings · 2025
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 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 part of the Kirin Holdings Company, Limited group. The exact current direct legal owner has not been established in this archive. It is based in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
- Is Panhead Custom Ales still independent?
- No. Panhead Custom Ales is part of the Kirin Holdings Company, Limited group and is not independent, though its direct legal owner has not been established.
- When was Panhead Custom Ales acquired?
- 2016. Lion agreed in May 2016 to buy Brand Strong Ltd, the Panhead holding company, from the family of founder Mike Neilson — NZ$15.1 million upfront and up to NZ$10 million more on earnings over four years. The buyer was Lion's New Zealand company, then named Lion - Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Limited and since renamed Lion NZ Limited. What changed hands was a company's shares, not the brewery or its assets. The completion date is not established.
- When was Panhead Custom Ales founded?
- Panhead Custom Ales was founded in 2013 in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
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