ILT Celebrates 80th Anniversary with Special Brew and Community Events

• ILT celebrate its 80th anniversary with events, a unique brew
• Emerson’s Brewery and ILT collaborated on a limited-edition hazy ale for the milestone.
• The anniversary festivities include a special Happy Hour and various celebratory activities.

ILT marked its 80th anniversary with a series of events, including a special collaboration with Emerson’s Brewery and an ILT-wide birthday happy hour.

To celebrate this milestone, ILT and the award-winning brewery crafted a limited-edition hazy ale named “Matey We’re Eighty.” This exclusive brew was available at selected venues, kicking off the organisation’s 80th year celebrations.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate 80 incredible years of being for our community,” remarked ILT president Paddy O’Brien. “This anniversary has been a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together, have some fun, and acknowledge the occasion.”

The unique brew reflected the spirit of celebration and community that has been at the heart of ILT for eight decades. Partnering with Emerson’s Brewery proved to be a winning formula for the organisation, as their “Good Decisions” brew, crafted for the 75th anniversary, was very popular.

ILT chief executive Chris Ramsay said, “Working with a fantastic southern brewery to produce something truly distinctive and exclusive to ILT was a lot of fun.”

The birthday celebrations officially launched with a special Happy Hour on Thursday, 6 June, from 5-7 pm. The festivities spread across ILT bars, with bottle stores and accommodation hosting their own celebratory activities, complete with cake and other birthday goodies.

“This is a milestone we all can be proud of, and we wanted to share the celebrations with our community. We were delighted for people to raise a glass to eight decades of ILT and Invercargill,” Ramsay said.

He noted that more festivities were planned to mark the occasion, highlighting that this was an opportunity for a collective celebration. “We’ve had an exciting lineup of events over the coming months, and we couldn’t wait to share them with our community. Our achievements are a testament to the unwavering support we’ve received over the years. We were delighted to invite everyone to join in the fun,” Ramsay said.

“Matey We’re Eighty” was available on tap at various ILT establishments while stocks lasted.

After 38 years of prohibition, Invercargill voted in the trust system back in 1944, boldly deciding that the legal sales of alcohol should directly benefit our community. ILT was given three mandates at that time: to provide quality hospitality businesses, to operate those businesses in the interest of public well-being, and to distribute profits back to the community through grants and donations. This innovative approach has helped shape the strong, community-focused ethos that ILT is known for today.