News
Celebrations are brewing for the ILT’s 75th birthday.
In a first for the organisation, an “ILT-wide happy hour” will be held across all of its establishments from 5pm to 7pm next Thursday night, 1 August. A limited edition brew, fittingly called Good Decisions, will also be available on tap at several venues.
Crafted by the award-winning Emerson’s Brewery, the unique pale ale was produced by ILT’s management team to toast the significant milestone.
“We’re really excited to share the end result with everyone. It was a fun, creative way for our team to have a hands-on role in marking the birthday celebrations,” ILT chief executive Chris Ramsay said.
“We’ve never initiated a happy hour simultaneously across all of our businesses like this but turning 75 is a great reason to do it.”
A competition amongst staff to name the brew attracted a wide variety of entries. The Homestead’s Shanan Te Maiharoa earned the honour with her suggestion Good Decisions, with input from Ascot Park Hotel’s executive manager Bryan Townley.
“Our mission was to design a beer which reflects not only the diversity of our city but also the role we’ve played in its development and will continue to play in its future,” Ramsay said.
“The name Good Decisions is an apt one because we believe the community made exactly that when opting to establish our city’s licensing trust in 1944.”
Partnering with Emerson’s Brewery to craft the SMaSH brew had proved a key ingredient.
“Their reputation for creating award-winning beers gave us plenty of confidence the end result would earn the tick of approval from our local beer connoisseurs,” Ramsay said.
“Working with a fantastic southern brewery to produce something truly distinctive and exclusive to ILT really was a lot of fun.”
Adding to the birthday festivities, ILT bottle stores will roll out a variety of specials during August.