If you’ve ever visited Urbanaut in Kingsland, you’ve probably seen the founders in action. Bruce Turner, Thomas Rowe, and Simon Watson with their sleeves rolled up, packing cans, sampling new brews, examining hops, fine-tuning what’s in the tank, lifting kegs with the crew, on the delivery run... you name it. Aptly, the trio first met at High School in Marton, aka Malt Country, so you could say making beer was always part of the plan.
“To get to the point where I could set up a brewery with two of my good mates and we could make great beer and be really proud of introducing it to our little corner of Auckland is amazing,” says Bruce.
Urbanaut comes from a blend of urban and astronaut. As urban explorers of the city and beyond, each beer is inspired by a place, real or imagined, and that Worldly Beer vibe is brought home and canned. These are epic, full-flavoured beers, craft ciders and sodas, made for the curious who are chasing something better than basic.
“One of our goals is to introduce people to what beer can be,” continues Bruce.
Converting mainstream lager loyalists since 2017, the crew has grown from three to over 30 full-fledged beer aficionados, united by a shared goal: making craft beer exciting, inclusive and fun.
Each release is a product of experimentation, teamwork and straight-up obsession with the process. The team is involved in every step, from ideation to pour-ation. It starts at the source, selecting the best produce and hops from the bine, supporting local producers and artisans who are equally as passionate about their craft. Even down to the labels, each a one-off design, occasionally memorialised into sweet merch.
They test, brew, taste, tweak, and brew again. It’s not just craft beer; it’s a full-on experience. Chief yeast whisperer Dave Huff, certified flavour alchemist and total perfectionist, keeps the beer constantly evolving, batch after batch, with his serious technical knowledge and a healthy dose of magic.
“One of my personal ambitions is to invent a beer style. It’s a pretty ambitious aspiration,” says Dave.
With a highly skilled crew on board and innovation always in mind, Urbanaut continues to push boundaries from their independent brewery in Kingsland, pouring across Aotearoa and venturing abroad, landing in bars and fridges throughout Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, China and Japan. (We don’t ship direct to international customers, but you might spot us abroad if you're lucky.)
You don’t need to know everything crafty to enjoy some seriously delicious beer. Everything at Urbanaut is considered. The beer. The name. The art. This is a brewery that gets the details right and has a damn good time doing it.
Crafted by Mates, Brewed for Everyone: The Urbanaut Origin Story
If you’ve ever visited Urbanaut in Kingsland, you’ve probably seen the founders in action. Bruce Turner, Thomas Rowe, and Simon Watson with their sleeves rolled up, packing cans, sampling new brews, examining hops, fine-tuning what’s in the tank, lifting kegs with the crew, on the delivery run... you name it. Aptly, the trio first met at High School in Marton, aka Malt Country, so you could say making beer was always part of the plan.
Urbanaut comes from a blend of urban and astronaut. As urban explorers of the city and beyond, each beer is inspired by a place, real or imagined, and that Worldly Beer vibe is brought home and canned. These are epic, full-flavoured beers, craft ciders and sodas, made for the curious who are chasing something better than basic.
Converting mainstream lager loyalists since 2017, the crew has grown from three to over 30 full-fledged beer aficionados, united by a shared goal: making craft beer exciting, inclusive and fun.
Each release is a product of experimentation, teamwork and straight-up obsession with the process. The team is involved in every step, from ideation to pour-ation. It starts at the source, selecting the best produce and hops from the bine, supporting local producers and artisans who are equally as passionate about their craft. Even down to the labels, each a one-off design, occasionally memorialised into sweet merch.
They test, brew, taste, tweak, and brew again. It’s not just craft beer; it’s a full-on experience. Chief yeast whisperer Dave Huff, certified flavour alchemist and total perfectionist, keeps the beer constantly evolving, batch after batch, with his serious technical knowledge and a healthy dose of magic.
With a highly skilled crew on board and innovation always in mind, Urbanaut continues to push boundaries from their independent brewery in Kingsland, pouring across Aotearoa and venturing abroad, landing in bars and fridges throughout Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, China and Japan. (We don’t ship direct to international customers, but you might spot us abroad if you're lucky.)
You don’t need to know everything crafty to enjoy some seriously delicious beer. Everything at Urbanaut is considered. The beer. The name. The art. This is a brewery that gets the details right and has a damn good time doing it.