{"id":561072,"date":"2026-08-06T19:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/561072\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T19:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:30:15","slug":"beer-to-celebrate-dunedins-biggest-astronomical-event-in-centuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/561072\/","title":{"rendered":"Beer to celebrate Dunedin\u2019s biggest astronomical event in centuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunblock is typically meant to be slathered all over the body.<\/p>\n

But this Sunblock\u00a0has been specially crafted\u00a0to be swallowed.<\/p>\n

It is the latest beer to be created by Emerson\u2019s Brewery, with the help of\u00a0T\u016bhura Otago Museum, specifically to celebrate one of Otago\u2019s greatest tourism and astronomical events in centuries \u2014\u00a0the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Queenstown and Dunedin on July 22, 2028.<\/p>\n

Sunblock\u00a0is a bright IPA, brewed using Eclipse hops\u00a0from Australia, and delivers bright mandarin orange, zesty citrus peel and subtle pine needle\u00a0flavours.<\/p>\n

Leaving an even better taste in the mouth of\u00a0T\u016bhura Otago Museum director Ian Griffin\u00a0is the fact that\u00a050c from every litre sold\u00a0will be donated to the museum\u2019s\u00a0science education and community programmes.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Tuhura Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin and Emerson\u2019s Brewery taproom manager Thibault Carrene admire Emerson’s Sunblock IPA, which has been made to celebrate the upcoming total solar eclipse in Dunedin and Queenstown. Photo: Gregor Richardson <\/p>\n

The initiative came about after the museum\u2019s\u00a0head of philanthropy and development\u00a0Georgia Ciaran\u00a0reached out to brewery founder Richard Emerson, to explore a project aimed at celebrating the celestial event.<\/p>\n

Mr Emerson\u00a0suggested the concept, and it has since developed into a\u00a0plan to craft\u00a0a series of three beers, with one released each year in the lead up to the 2028 event.<\/p>\n

Dr\u00a0Griffin said\u00a0the \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d event was expected to attract astronomers and tourists from around the globe\u00a0during the 2028 school holidays, and the collaboration celebrated\u00a0a moment that would place Dunedin firmly on the international stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is\u00a0a\u00a0fitting way to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been 863 years since anyone last witnessed a total solar eclipse from Dunedin, and in 2028 people will travel from across the globe to experience it here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an incredible opportunity to showcase Dunedin, Otago and New Zealand to an international audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Emerson’s Sunblock IPA, made to celebrate the upcoming total solar eclipse in Dunedin and Queenstown, and support Tuhura Otago Museum’s science education programmes. Photo: Craig Baxter <\/p>\n

He said he would love to see Sunblock served on Air New Zealand flights in the lead-up to the eclipse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat better way to welcome visitors than with a locally brewed beer, celebrating one of New Zealand’s greatest natural spectacles?<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m looking forward to raising a can at 4.15pm on July 22, 2028, almost exactly the moment totality reaches Dunedin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emerson’s Brewery sales and marketing manager Greg Menzies said the brewery was proud to create a beer celebrating such a unique occasion, while supporting the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe loved the idea of creating a beer inspired by one of nature’s greatest spectacles.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with T\u016bhura was the perfect fit, and we’re proud that every litre sold will help support the amazing work the museum does as a charitable organisation serving our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunedin’s location at the end of the eclipse path\u00a0will offer an unforgettable sunset view, with the eclipsed sun sitting low above the horizon to create one of the world’s most photogenic eclipse experiences.<\/p>\n

john.lewis@odt.co.nz<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunblock is typically meant to be slathered all over the body. But this Sunblock\u00a0has been specially crafted\u00a0to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-561072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}