Menu
Westland Breweries Tanker outside Hampden Hotel, Murchison 1960's.
Expand/collapse
About this image
DescriptionWestland Breweries Ltd beer tanker outside Hampden Hotel, in Murchison. The Toast of the Coast was the catch phrase back in the day for this brew.PhotographerGladys GoodallDate of Photo1960'sMap[1] ContributorMaye Dunn
Shown in this image
From Facebook
Date Created2nd January 2021CommentsJanet Jones
correct me if I'm wrong. Westland Breweries had the tankers and only aluminum kegs from the late 1950's. they didn't make hogshead barrels in the aluminum kegs. Westland Breweries brought over Neville Musto from Australian to installed a new Steiniger Plant at the Brewery.
·
Don Hutton
Yes, that's correct. The old wooden vats were replaced with stainless steel. It was said the wooden ones or the beer got a "bug." It may have been about that time too that the truly real Monteith's Pale Ale stopped being produced. Don't quote me on this! Could be challenged on accuracy.
·
Charlie Blanchett
When the alloy kegs first arrived they were 56 gal but that changed very quickly to 36 gal for the others were too heavy there is s photo in the Rec of the big ones all lined up on the road outside with the green hills truck that delivered them cheers
·
Pat Dooley
Gee I remember when the 56 gallon kegs were rolled down ramps into musty damp old cellars with the help of 2 . I must be a "boomer"
·
Trevor Keith Scott
SORRY I had a quiet sob seeing the Old Truck again, I wanted to be a driver for that Truck......but they checked out on my capability to hold BEER......I did not get the job, it seems my capability was to HIGH?
Glenn Johnston
Don Hutton In 1959 the beer was changed from naturally conditioned to chilled beer with added carbonation and this would have impacted taste and appearance. 1960 aluminium kegs started to be introduced. 1961 ABC started supplying generic beer bottles which slowly replaced the Westland Breweries branded bottles in circulation. [Based on some Monteiths Brewing Company blurb]
·
Don Hutton
Glenn Johnston Thanks for that. My memory of what happened is no longer exact but the change occurred when I was living in Hokitika 1956 - 59 or I heard about it soon after. My weaning on to Monteith's pale ale took place in the 1940s. Nectar to a 4 year old!
·
Don Hutton
Trevor Keith Scott In the 1950s some of my friends who worked on delivering Monteith's in Greymouth often finished the day "worse for ware" because the polite thing to do was to have a beer or two with every publican!
·
Kerry Molloy
One Jock Allen (a fine bloke ,more than a passing interest in gallopers too did Jock)drove many westcoast miles refilling hostelry tanks with the fine draught ales IIRC.
·
Kerry Molloy
One Jock Allen (a fine bloke ,more than a passing interest in gallopers too did Jock)drove many westcoast miles refilling hostelry tanks with the fine draught ales IIRC.
Glenn Johnston
I think the wooden barrels were phased out over a period of five years or more. A couple of of ex Westland Breweries coopers still live in Hokitika. One of them Merv Johnson switched to tanker driving after cooperage was no longer required.
Brent Tomlinson
I remember the beer was delivered to the harihari hotel by tanker in 1971 at about 1700 gallons a week but I don’t remember how it came to the park hotel in 1967-8 must have had a tank because the old cellar was closed by then
PaulAnthony Teens
Nick Christy was also. Barmy Ross father in law
Neil Bolton
They used to have tankers for beer? I was really born in the wrong decade
Jeni Simpson
badge icon
Hamden was owned then by my uncle Jack Jack pretty
Terry Harding
And they had mini-tankers too; great for parties.
Kerry Molloy
Terry Harding Aye -remember a nursing classmate of mine getting married and have the reception/dance at the 3mile hall(hoki).His instructions "_Ive got a mini tanker 130gallons no one leaves till its empty(he believed in value for money!)" IIRC on return less than 5galls remained .a good effort by all id say! I also (in my Seaview days) remember one of our parties where a crew from a certain well known pub arrived with tragic news -On coming home after a successful BBQ at kaniere the ute towing the tanker turned the corner ,but yon tanker sailed straight ahead over a steep bush clad bank! the investigation was prolonged and wet!!-lotsa beers and foreign phrases used in describing the pedigree /skills of a driver.
Ed Dando
Now thats how you move beer none of those small craft beer kegs in sight
Heather Newby
Ed Dando fancy beers - fancy price too!
Jock Allen
Gerry Ireland was the Lynda Driver
Vern Pattinson
Jock Allen Gerry lived over the road from us in Dobson
Jock Allen
OOPS was the regular Driver of that unit
correct me if I'm wrong. Westland Breweries had the tankers and only aluminum kegs from the late 1950's. they didn't make hogshead barrels in the aluminum kegs. Westland Breweries brought over Neville Musto from Australian to installed a new Steiniger Plant at the Brewery.
·
Don Hutton
Yes, that's correct. The old wooden vats were replaced with stainless steel. It was said the wooden ones or the beer got a "bug." It may have been about that time too that the truly real Monteith's Pale Ale stopped being produced. Don't quote me on this! Could be challenged on accuracy.
·
Charlie Blanchett
When the alloy kegs first arrived they were 56 gal but that changed very quickly to 36 gal for the others were too heavy there is s photo in the Rec of the big ones all lined up on the road outside with the green hills truck that delivered them cheers
·
Pat Dooley
Gee I remember when the 56 gallon kegs were rolled down ramps into musty damp old cellars with the help of 2 . I must be a "boomer"
·
Trevor Keith Scott
SORRY I had a quiet sob seeing the Old Truck again, I wanted to be a driver for that Truck......but they checked out on my capability to hold BEER......I did not get the job, it seems my capability was to HIGH?
Glenn Johnston
Don Hutton In 1959 the beer was changed from naturally conditioned to chilled beer with added carbonation and this would have impacted taste and appearance. 1960 aluminium kegs started to be introduced. 1961 ABC started supplying generic beer bottles which slowly replaced the Westland Breweries branded bottles in circulation. [Based on some Monteiths Brewing Company blurb]
·
Don Hutton
Glenn Johnston Thanks for that. My memory of what happened is no longer exact but the change occurred when I was living in Hokitika 1956 - 59 or I heard about it soon after. My weaning on to Monteith's pale ale took place in the 1940s. Nectar to a 4 year old!
·
Don Hutton
Trevor Keith Scott In the 1950s some of my friends who worked on delivering Monteith's in Greymouth often finished the day "worse for ware" because the polite thing to do was to have a beer or two with every publican!
·
Kerry Molloy
One Jock Allen (a fine bloke ,more than a passing interest in gallopers too did Jock)drove many westcoast miles refilling hostelry tanks with the fine draught ales IIRC.
·
Kerry Molloy
One Jock Allen (a fine bloke ,more than a passing interest in gallopers too did Jock)drove many westcoast miles refilling hostelry tanks with the fine draught ales IIRC.
Glenn Johnston
I think the wooden barrels were phased out over a period of five years or more. A couple of of ex Westland Breweries coopers still live in Hokitika. One of them Merv Johnson switched to tanker driving after cooperage was no longer required.
Brent Tomlinson
I remember the beer was delivered to the harihari hotel by tanker in 1971 at about 1700 gallons a week but I don’t remember how it came to the park hotel in 1967-8 must have had a tank because the old cellar was closed by then
PaulAnthony Teens
Nick Christy was also. Barmy Ross father in law
Neil Bolton
They used to have tankers for beer? I was really born in the wrong decade
Jeni Simpson
badge icon
Hamden was owned then by my uncle Jack Jack pretty
Terry Harding
And they had mini-tankers too; great for parties.
Kerry Molloy
Terry Harding Aye -remember a nursing classmate of mine getting married and have the reception/dance at the 3mile hall(hoki).His instructions "_Ive got a mini tanker 130gallons no one leaves till its empty(he believed in value for money!)" IIRC on return less than 5galls remained .a good effort by all id say! I also (in my Seaview days) remember one of our parties where a crew from a certain well known pub arrived with tragic news -On coming home after a successful BBQ at kaniere the ute towing the tanker turned the corner ,but yon tanker sailed straight ahead over a steep bush clad bank! the investigation was prolonged and wet!!-lotsa beers and foreign phrases used in describing the pedigree /skills of a driver.
Ed Dando
Now thats how you move beer none of those small craft beer kegs in sight
Heather Newby
Ed Dando fancy beers - fancy price too!
Jock Allen
Gerry Ireland was the Lynda Driver
Vern Pattinson
Jock Allen Gerry lived over the road from us in Dobson
Jock Allen
OOPS was the regular Driver of that unit
Editing is temporarily disabled
Cancel EditClick on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
West Coast New Zealand History (1st Nov 2022). Westland Breweries Tanker outside Hampden Hotel, Murchison 1960's.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 12th Apr 2026 08:22, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28831