Charitable Kiwis in Malaga city centre

Malaga has no shortage of tapas bars and churrerías, with narrow streets brimming with orange blossom, flamenco and other icons of Spanish culture.

What is in much shorter supply however, are pubs offering a range of craft beers. This bar does exactly that - and with a distinct 'kiwi' flavour.

In this case, though, it is not the tasty fruit but the nationality of the hosts that brings a difference.

At Kiwi House of Beer, found tucked away in the historic centre of Malaga, the smell of New Zealand hops - yes, one of their beers is made of hops all the way from down under - provides an unexpected contrast to Spanish wine, and suddenly the southern hemisphere doesn't feel so far away.

Run by Trish Wills and Tony Culmer, Kiwi House of Beer has announced a charity fundraising event on 25 April to celebrate Anzac Day in Malaga.

Anzac Day is celebrated annually in New Zealand, Australia and Tonga as a day of remembrance for those who served in the military. They use red poppies as a commemorative symbol and will be selling paper versions in exchange for donations on the night.

The bar, specialising in craft beer, will open its doors from 6pm. The evening will have New Zealand-style pies, Anzac biscuits baked by a regular customer, and the kiwi staple of onion dip.

Raffles will run throughout the night, offering prizes including beer packs and T-shirts. A local author and a wellness retreat provider will also donate items.

Cudeca, a Costa del Sol charity specialising in caring for cancer patients and those with terminal illness, is the chosen charity for the evening.

"We wanted to give something back to the community," Tony explained. "Palliative care is something that touches everyone eventually, and Cudeca is doing really important work."

"We built this bar to be somewhere we'd want to go ourselves," Tony said. "It makes me so happy when strangers sit down around the bar and within five minutes they're all chatting to each other like they've known each other for years."

Since its opening in 2024, the bar has built a reputation as something of a community hub, drawing a loyal mix of locals, expats and tourists. The couple say their goal from the start was to create not just a place to drink good beer, but somewhere people genuinely want to be. They pride themselves on a constantly rotating selection of craft beers on tap, sourced from Spanish breweries.

Hailing from Auckland, the couple had grown tired of their careers in construction management and car finance so decided to pack up for a taste of the Mediterranean lifestyle.

The couple had been living on a canal boat in France for six years when a holiday in Malaga convinced them it was the right place to put down roots and open the bar they had long been planning. "It felt like home in many ways," Trish said.

Now in their second year of trading, the bar also runs a Wednesday night social club, with a loyalty scheme for regulars targeted towards expats, and has hosted quizzes and rugby watch parties.

The Anzac Day fundraiser is open to everyone. Doors open at 6pm on Friday 25 April at Kiwi House of Beer, Calle Juan de Padilla.