Some Dunedin liquor outlets received a surprise and unusual visitor yesterday.
Emerson's Brewery used a rare 1925 Foden steam truck to deliver its appropriately named Big Rig American Pale Ale.
The branding - based around brewery founder Richard Emerson's love of anything steam-operated - has a sketch of Mr Emerson driving the truck on the label.
The vehicle is owned by Christchurch steam engine enthusiast Allan Familton and is the only one of its kind in New Zealand.
Mr Familton said the coal-fired steam truck had three gears, it could travel up to 30kmh, and Dunedin's hilly terrain did not seem to be an issue.
"It's only 43 horsepower, but if you put it in low gear, it'll go anywhere.
"It's got a spacious and airy cabin, too."
Mr Emerson said putting an image of the British-built truck on his bottles of American pale ale appealed to his quirky sense of humour.
Mr Familton was delighted his truck was being used, not only on the labels, but for delivering the product.
"It's special. It means a lot because we put a lot of work into it to keep it going.
"This has been a good way for us to come down here and have some fun with it."
While the steam truck caught the eye of many around the city yesterday, it also caught the attention of a parking warden when it overstayed in a CBD parking space.
"I was going to give it a ticket, but there was no window wiper to put it under," the parking warden joked.
The steam truck will make more deliveries around Dunedin today.
