# McLeod's Brewery — Waipu, Northland Region

> McLeod's Brewery in Waipu, Northland Region, New Zealand scores 4.51 out of 5 — Exceptional, #1 in New Zealand. 172 beers tracked, mostly IPA.

*Canonical page: <https://finding.beer/brewery/mcleods-brewery-9259/> · data updated 2026-09-09*

Breadcrumb: Breweries → New Zealand → McLeod's Brewery

McLeod's Brewery is a brewery in Waipu, Northland Region, New Zealand. We grade it Exceptional, with a score of 4.51 out of 5 on the beer it brews — #1 in New Zealand. Of the 172 beers we track, 42% are IPA and 26% Pale Ale.

## Rating

- Score: 4.51 out of 5
- Grade: Exceptional 😍 — A short list of extraordinary breweries worth planning a trip around.
- Ranked: #1 in New Zealand · #255 worldwide
- Popularity: Well rated
- Beers tracked: 172

## About

One of the best things about the rise of real beer is the return of small, local breweries. Here at McLeod's, 'small' and 'local' go hand-in-hand with quality and variety.

This is evident in our winning the Champion New Zealand Medium Brewery 2024 award, adding to our previous win in 2021, and our first-ever Champion New Zealand Beer for Tropical Cyclone Double IPA.

From our year-round range to our mixed fermentation and barrel-aged Smugglers Bay Collection, we make good beer for every palate, every day.

## What they brew

- IPA — 42% of the beers we track
- Pale Ale — 26% of the beers we track
- Other — 11% of the beers we track
- Pale Lager — 8% of the beers we track
- Stout / Porter — 8% of the beers we track
- Sour / Other — 3% of the beers we track
- Strong Ale — 2% of the beers we track

## Find them

- Address: 2 Cove Road, Waipu, Northland Region, New Zealand
- Coordinates: -35.9850502, 174.4477844
- Website: http://www.mcleodsbrewery.co.nz/

## Breweries nearby

- [Pacific Coast Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/pacific-coast-brewery-28986.md) — 3.73, Fine — Mangawhai, Northland Region — 12 mi away
- [Brauhaus Frings](https://finding.beer/brewery/brauhaus-frings-36264.md) — 2.44, Poor — Whangārei, Northland Region — 19 mi away
- [Sawmill Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/sawmill-brewery-9879.md) — 3.95, Fine — Matakana, Auckland — 29 mi away
- [Colab Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/colab-brewing-12911.md) — 3.76, Fine — Warkworth, Auckland — 30 mi away
- [8 Wired](https://finding.beer/brewery/8-wired-9658.md) — 3.90, Fine — Warkworth, Auckland — 31 mi away
- [ORA Craft Brewery](https://finding.beer/brewery/ora-craft-brewery-12764.md) — 2.99, Poor — Haruru, Northland — 53 mi away
- [PhatHouse Brewing Co](https://finding.beer/brewery/phathouse-brewing-co-20769.md) — 3.06, Limited — Haruru, Northland — 53 mi away
- [Kainui Brew Co](https://finding.beer/brewery/kainui-brew-co-14132.md) — 3.79, Fine — Kerikeri, Northland — 63 mi away

## Rankings this brewery appears in

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

---

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