Ross Feeney and Jim Griffiths, from Pog Mahones Irish Bar, battled four other teams from around the country during the Pint Master finals, held at the Atrium Bar at Sky City.
The competition is designed to highlight the art of pouring Guinness in a bid to ensure New Zealand Guinness drinkers receive the "perfect pint".
More than 200 bars and pubs across New Zealand competed for a place in the finals of the Pint Master challenge. Competition rounds took place in pubs nationally since September, with more than 14,000 votes collected from Kiwi Guinness drinkers.
The finals involved three rounds including the Perfect Pour, the Creative Pour, where contestants must create a badge in the creamy head, and a Guinness cocktail of their own creation.
Mr Feeney and Mr Griffiths, masters of the pint, won over the judges with their near-flawless technique in the "Perfect Pour" round, scoring high on more than 20 detailed judging criteria, including the glass being held at the correct angle, the proper height of the pint's head and a lack of spills or drips.
In the "Creative Pour" round, the pair created a Kiwi motif in the Guinness head and served a Guinness cocktail creation incorporating a Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir and a balsamic, black pepper and clove reduction.
The judging panel included Irish expatriate and Diageo country manager Philip Doyle, Guinness Brew Master Richard Chambers, M2 Magazine editor Andre Rowell and Rapp assistant creative director Pat Murphy.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times yesterday, Mr Feeney said it had been a whirlwind day, having been on TVNZ's Breakfast show and doing a live interview with Paul Holmes.
"We didn't even realise that it was such a big thing. We thought it was more a fun and friendly conversation."
Pouring the perfect pint Guinness
• Pint Master Ross Feeney divulges the secret:
"Start with a cool, clean, dry glass. Guinness is poured at a 45deg angle until it's three-quarters full. That generally takes approximately 119.5 seconds - that's a very approximate Irish estimate. Once it's settled, it's filled up with a back pour, which is a slow pour. The head rises just above the glass - that's called the crown. It takes 30 to 40 more seconds for it to settle. Guinness is a ruby red colour; once the pint turns black, you have what we hope should be a perfect pour."
