Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale

Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale

Back in the day, our US supply of APA went up in smoke, literally. So rather than inciting a riot, we turned to some home grown cones as a temporary fix. The result? The evolution of a new style, an Aotearoa Pale Ale to rival its American counterpart. With citrus flavours and full hop finish, the result was Kapai – which means, it’s all good.



Embracing the 100% kiwiness of our Aotearoa Pale Ale, we have recently renamed this brew as kAPAi, encapsulating the true character of the beer.

Taste: Citrus, grapefruit and herb flavours with a fresh hop finish.


Aroma: Tropical fruits and orange marmalade.


Look: Golden amber to copper.


Hops: Motueka, Pacific Jade, NZ Cascade, Nelson Sauvin


Malt: NZ Lager, NZ Ale, NZ Light Crystal, NZ Medium Crystal
3.6
324 reviews
Paraparaumu, New Zealand

Community reviews

3.6 Tap at My Bar. Clear darker golden with off white head. Grapefruit, light grassy, dank hops, clean malts with soft cara and pils notes. Almost medium sweet and bitter. Medium bodied with clean crisp and oily feel. Quite clean and fresh with some balance between the malts and hops instead of the usual NZ dankness onslaught.
4.1 - Grapefruit and hop aroma - Taste of grapefruit, malts. Little bitter finish. Low carbonation.
3.4 Present from Danny & Marco's. TNX !!! Color is amber with a small off-white frothy head. Fruity nose. Aroma is fruity, herbs sour hops. Flavour is sweet-sour start and soft bitter finish. Ends with a complex herbal bitter mouth.
3.4 KØLF 150618. Deep golden color with an off-white head. Aroma is tropical fruit, oranges, fruit, malt. Flavor is tropiclal fruit, oranges, fruit, malt, pine, grapefruit, herbs. Medium body. OK beer.
3.4 Tropical and dry. Lovelly summer apa goes down easy. Good tipple and a lovely bottle to boot!
3.6 Bottle, at the Australia/NZ stall at Kermesse. Drunk from the bottle. Nice full bodied APA, recipe nicely designed with sweetish but not cloying caramel malts, and a good grapefruit, pine, slightly fruity hop punch. Medium high bitterness. A well put together beer.
3.7 US-CitrusMaltCleary, deutlich auf der BitterSide & nur mit kleiner PlätzchenBesänftigung. Selbstverständlich auch lilafloral galaktisch🚀🎆🙂..Fassware im STRONGBOWS Kiel...
3.5 Bottle from Vinmonopolet, Kvadrat. Enjoyed at Gunnarsbu. Pours clear dark golden with a big creamy off-white head. Aroma of caramel, some distinct citrus. Taste is crisp fresh citrus, marmalade malts, weak spicy, soft bodied, nice
3.5 Bottle @ Taptap tasting, thanks FatPhil. Clear golden pour, white foam. Caramel nose, grainy and some glazed sugar coated fruits. Sweetish as you can probably tell by now from my first descriptors. Taste has also that sweetness, hops feel bit faded although I don't think this beer is old. Medium bitterness. Somewhat unclear and messy finish. OK.
3.3 330ml bottle. Pours clear golden colour, white head. Aroma is malty, sweet, herbal, bit worty, Fairy. Taste is malty sweet, grassy hoppy. Bitter hoppy in aftertaste. Medium body, over average carbonation. Meh, drinkable, but nothing special, decent APA.
3.0 330ml bottle (thanks FatPhil). Clear amber color. Small size, white head, stays. Sweet, malty, caramel, sugary in aroma. Sweet, malty, caramel, hops in taste. Fizzy carbonation. Sweet, caramel and hops in aftertaste. Drinkable brew.
3.7 Butelka. Piana obfita, biała, drobno i średniopęcherzykowa, opada do obwódki, koronkowanie słabe. Barwa złota, klarowne. Aromat intensywny, cytrusy, białe owoce, nafta. Goryczka średnia plus. W smaku nafta, białe owoce, nuty biszkoptowe i cytrusowe. Pełnia średnia, nasycenie średnie.
3.8 Bottle. Pours a dark gold colour with a thin white head, the aroma is hoppy with plenty of fruit especially orange, the taste is medium bitterness and fruity with a dry bitter finish.
4.0 Aromat jest bardzo rześki i wybitnie chmielowy, Dużo tutaj nut zielonych cytrusów i trawiastych. W smaku jest lekkie i orzeźwiające. Cytrusy, grejpfrut z minimalną podbudową słodową. Goryczka średnio-wysoka, grejpfrutowa w posmaku.
3.0 Hop herbal spice malt aroma. Murky Amber colour great head and lacing. Bitter hop spice flavour. Fizzy palate.
3.7 Draft at TAP: The Ale Project, HK 10-14-16 Hong Kong Free Beer event
3.7 330ml bottle. Crystal clear amber colour with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of pale malts, light citrus fruits. Taste is fruity and malts, grapefruit, pithy citrus, resin, mild spice, bitter finish. Light-medium bodied, soft carbonation. Good.
3.3 From a beer hawk mystery case. Pours golden orange. Bottle was 11 months out of date but still tasted ok but aroma had gone. Nice and hoppy with tea and lemon overtones.
3.6 33cl bottle @Cimmeria, Oviedo. 24-01-2018. BBD: 01-05-2018. In short: malty bitter ale. Did I enjoy it: yes. Pours little hazy golden with frothy white head. Moderate head retention, little lacing. Malty, herbal nose. Medium body, average carbonation, oily texture. Taste follows the nose, moderate bitter finish, still malt body noticeable, dry aftertaste. Ok.
4.1 Nice lasting head. Aroma of tropical fruit and mild caramel with little green hops and pine resin. Taste is grapefruit, citrus and caramel. Some herbs. Light and well balanced. Nice mouthfeel. An absolutely cracking APA!
3.4 Draught. Golden color, frothy white head. Aromatic hops in the aroma and flavor. Medium body, medium carbonation. Drinkable apa, nice.
3.6 33cl Bottle @ LaBIRRAtorium, Madrid, Spain. Hazy amber colour with a medium size white head. Aroma is hops, citrus, fruits, malt. Taste is hops, citrus, peach, resin, malt, sweet. Medium body, average carbonation.
3.2 Clean. straight forward, very well crafted. Buzzy pepper and light green fruit hops late. Good length despite the flight flavours. Just noticed the bottle was 6 months old and this might contribute to the modest flavours (not a big deal however). Repeat(able).
3.6 Botella. @Cimmeria, Oviedo 23/12/2017 BBD:01/05/18 Color amarillo corona de espuma blanca, aromas citricos, sabores frutales con notas herbales y citricas cuerpo medio.
3.5 Strong resinous piney and apricot hop aroma with bready malt. Pours a murky orange color with small creamy off white head. Strong hoppy flavor of pine, apricot, and something else that I can’t name, bready malt. Medium bodied with medium co2, lingering hop flavor. Enjoyable pale ale. Unique.
3.5 Bottle. Clear golden color with off-white head. Aroma has citrus, malt, tropical fruits. Taste is fruity with quite long bitter aftertaste. Flavors of citrus, malt, grass, mango.
3.4 Clear orange with a solid white head. Malty aroma with a slight hint of citrus and tropical fruits. There is a floral aroma too. Initial taste is pineapple with floral notes. Bitter finish. Easy to drink APA.
3.2 (draught) slightly opalescent golden colour with a frothy white head. aroma of herbal hops, sugar icing and white chocolate, with some notes of caramelized malts, treebark and strawberry syrup. flavour is mostly sugar icing and bubble gum, with lots of herbal hops, some brown sugar and caramel in the light-bitter watermelon finish. medium-bodied with average carbonation.
3.8 Tap at Beer Geek. Classic American style APA. Moderate caramel, yet thin perceived body, moderate bitterness, lots of fruity resiny hoppy goodness. Tasty, refreshing - good, but not great.
4.1 Nice nz hoppy apa.