# DB Breweries

> DB Breweries in New Zealand scores 2.20 out of 5 — Limited, #219 in New Zealand. 71 beers tracked, mostly Pale Lager.

*Canonical page: <https://finding.beer/brewery/db-breweries-9567/> · data updated 2026-09-11*

Breadcrumb: Breweries → New Zealand → DB Breweries

DB Breweries is a brewery in New Zealand. We grade it Limited, with a score of 2.20 out of 5 on the beer it brews — #219 in New Zealand. Of the 71 beers we track, 78% are Pale Lager and 9% Shandy / Radler.

## Rating

- Score: 2.20 out of 5
- Grade: Limited 😕 — Most craft beer drinkers pass these by.
- Ranked: #219 in New Zealand · #30,272 worldwide
- Popularity: Modestly rated
- Beers tracked: 71

## About

Think beer and DB immediately springs to mind. For years, men were either DB or Lion men, thanks largely to their father’s drop of choice. These day’s consumers have far greater choice but many remain loyal to DB and our increasing range of great beer and cider.
Like every other brewer in the country, DB started from humble beginnings. Our first home, and that of our present Waitemata Brewery, was open farmland in Otahuhu, Auckland.  The year was 1929; it was the end of the Roaring Twenties and the start of the Great Depression. 
Fortunately our founder, W Joseph Coutts and his three sons, held true to their vision and Dominion Breweries (now DB Breweries) was born a year later with Sir Henry Kelliher at the helm as managing director.
When W Joseph Coutts passed away in 1946, his son Morton took over as director of Dominion Breweries while remaining heavily involved with his two passions – brewing and innovation.  He remained involved with DB until his passing, aged 100 in 2004. 
Long-standing tenure such as Morton’s is a common in our company.  Chairman Leonard Stevens held his position from 1933 until his death nearly 40 years later in 1972. Since then we’ve had ample staff retire after 40, even 45 years. Our previous managing director, Brian Blake, worked at DB since 1983 through to 2013 ensuring a continued focus on innovation, people and brands.

Current managing director, Andy Routley heads up a small knit team of 500 spread across the country.

## What they brew

- Pale Lager — 78% of the beers we track
- Shandy / Radler — 9% of the beers we track
- Amber Ale — 8% of the beers we track
- Other — 5% of the beers we track

## Find them

- Address: New Zealand
- Coordinates: -40.900557, 174.885971
- Website: http://www.db.co.nz/

## Same owner

- Part of [Heineken](https://finding.beer/brewery/heineken-19063.md)
- [Lagunitas Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/lagunitas-brewing-company-4658.md) — Petaluma, United States
- [Beavertown](https://finding.beer/brewery/beavertown-7812.md) — London, England
- [Brixton Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/brixton-brewery-15780.md) — London, England
- [Texelse Bierbrouwerij](https://finding.beer/brewery/texelse-bierbrouwerij-7395.md) — Oudeschild, Netherlands
- [Affligem Brouwerij](https://finding.beer/brewery/affligem-brouwerij-8531.md) — Opwijk, Belgium
- [Birra Hibu](https://finding.beer/brewery/birra-hibu-6540.md) — Burago di Molgora, Italy

## Breweries nearby

- [There Be Dragons](https://finding.beer/brewery/there-be-dragons-11581.md) — 3.86, Fine — 0 mi away
- [Duncan's Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/duncans-brewing-11673.md) — 4.17, Great — Paraparaumu, Wellington Region — 5.9 mi away
- [Tuatara Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/tuatara-brewery-9668.md) — 3.80, Fine — Paraparaumu, Wellington — 6 mi away
- [North End Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/north-end-brewing-17153.md) — 3.76, Fine — kapiti, Wellington — 9.5 mi away
- [Abandoned Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/abandoned-brewery-21752.md) — 3.80, Fine — Porirua, Wellington — 16 mi away
- [Boneface](https://finding.beer/brewery/boneface-14267.md) — 3.87, Fine — Upper Hutt, Wellington — 19 mi away
- [Te Aro Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/te-aro-brewing-company-17144.md) — 3.79, Fine — Upper Hutt, Wellington — 19 mi away
- [Panhead Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/panhead-brewery-6190.md) — 3.92, Fine — Upper Hutt, Wellington Region — 19 mi away

## Rankings this brewery appears in

- [Best breweries in New Zealand](https://finding.beer/breweries/new-zealand.md)

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Finding Beer scores breweries on the beer they brew rather than on the venue. Method: <https://finding.beer/how-we-rank.md>. Rankings by place: <https://finding.beer/breweries.md>. The iPhone app adds a live map of what is around you: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finding-beer/id1082135126