Tasty beverages and lively tunes

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Tired of the rain, the team at Wild on Waiheke is kicking off its Local Beer Sunday Sessions starting 1 October. Throughout the month of October, the afternoon event will feature live music by local folk band Gráinneog, pronounced ‘grunnyogg,’ Gaelic for hedgehog. The penultimate Sunday Session will, however, fall on Monday 23 October in celebration of Labour Day.

On tap are local beers by Waiheke Brewery, Alibi, Boogie Van Brewing, Heke and Deep Creek. Among these is Waiheke Brewery’s iconic Baroona beer, set to turn 20 in the coming months. Surprises surrounding its anniversary will be soon be revealed.

Gráinneog, led by master brewer Alan Knight on vocals, guitar and mandolin, will perform a wide range of songs from England, Ireland and Scotland as well as Australian and New Zealand folk songs.

Says Wild on Waiheke managing director Keryn Matthews, “Alan and a few local friends who all very much enjoy beer set up a band singing folk songs, aka great beer-drinking songs. They actually got pretty good.”

The lineup also includes Stefan Clist on banjo and accordion; Ben Cobbett on the fiddle; Sammy Laeghaire on the saw; and Andy Spence on the bodhran and lagerphone.

Local Beer Sunday Sessions take place from 2pm to 4pm, rain or shine. •

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