# Babbs Prize, Trip To The Land Of The Long White Hangover



## Bribie G (23/8/10)

Just thought I'd start a topic and post as I go and hopefully get to put up some photos during the week, and certainly on my return.

Setting off at sparrows tomorrow morning. 7 day forecast has it warming up to 14 during the week, I can live with that for a week  
Staying at the Duxton in Welly and so far have sussed out within two city blocks so we are going to be busy:

The Malthouse, best craft pub in NZ they say

Mac's Brewhouse and Bar - Macs appear to be NZ equivalent of James Squire

A big New World supermarket for room supplies. Depending on the store management they often have a really good craft beer section and definitely stock the likes of Monteiths and Macs.

Old Town Hall where Beervana is being held

Molly Malone's Irish pub..... ok not too craft beerish but good lunches etc so worth a look in - and they do Murphys stout etc.

A Maccas

Balti House Indian restaurant

Fush and chup shop down by the brudge. :icon_drunk: 

Edit: and of course, across the road the National Museum Te Papa, a must see apparently and 10 years ahead of any museum in the world. I can dry out there for a morning  

Thanks again to all who support and run BABBs, sponsors, and members who buy the raffle tickets and pay the annual subs, enter and work at the comps and make the whole outfit the great club it is. 

Cheers
Michael


----------



## mccuaigm (23/8/10)

Sounds like a great trip planned :chug: 

Hope you have an excellent time there Bribie.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (23/8/10)

Have a good trip M, after sacrificing the USA Trip I hope this one is all good. For the record, I reckon you are the only AHB member whose local Federal politician is (what) two and a half times younger than the brewer. Close?



> Liberal candidate Wyatt Roy is on track to win the Queensland seat of Longman. The 20-year-old is holding 52.39 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis against Labor member Jon Sullivan at 47.61 per cent, according to preliminary results. But while he is facing a 4.26 per cent swing in his favour, Mr Roy will not claim victory in the outer northern Brisbane seat until much later in the evening.


----------



## Bribie G (23/8/10)

Wyatt Roy riding on Tony's (in budgie smugglers) shoulders on Bribie Surf Beach =

= virgin on the ridiculous :blink:


----------



## The Scientist (23/8/10)

Hope you have a blast BribieG.

Can't wait to see the beer list, it better be as exciting as the US trip :lol:


----------



## bradsbrew (23/8/10)

Hope you have a good one Bribie, want to see heaps of picks and details when you get back.































You Bastard


----------



## winkle (23/8/10)

Yep, have a good one Bribie.
I expect you to match or beat Ross and Clarky's consumption levels last year.
:blink:


----------



## Zizzle (24/8/10)

winkle said:


> Yep, have a good one Bribie.
> I expect you to match or beat Ross and Clarky's consumption levels last year.
> :blink:



Unpossible. My liver is still recovering and I didn't even try to keep up.

Apparently some good American ales can have an Englishman unable to speak English after a few hours.


----------



## Bribie G (25/8/10)

Day 2. I've never been to NZ and always assumed it was a rustic version of Australia, perhaps ten years behind us and a bit slow. 

On descending to the airport (Wellington) the first thing you see is a huge wind farm on the clifftops, then you get into one of the new fleet of hybrid Pruis taxis and into town. The place is crawling with electric trolley buses running on wind and hydro, and as I've discovered it's absolutely rotten with craft beers. Everyone drives fuel efficient little cars, hardly a SUV in sight and guys are even getting around on Segways 
The place is full of Maoris working hard, the Maccas over the street where we did brekkie is run entirely by Maoris. Excuse the Hansonism but I think there's a point there.

BribieG is totally gobsmacked, after a day and a half here I can say that this pretty little city would have to be ten years ahead of Brisbane. Sorry, that's not quite accurate. Fifteen years.

Anyway the digs are great, view from window at the Duxton on the Harbour.







I went out to the local New World supermarket for room supplies etc and found the Supermarket that God Shops at.











Hoprocker for around $11 our bucks, but what about that tramp cider, 8% in 1.25L bottles  - for about sux bucks $ - Bribie starts to go bad from this point on. 

Weather is unbelievable, heaps of ppl in t shirts with lovely sunshine, no wind and I took off my light jacket as I was sitting outside the Mac Brewery and Bar as literally starting to sweat in the sunshine. However last week according to the taxi driver it was the weather from hell with lashing rain and winds.

BribieG quaffs (Golden All Malt Lager, following a pint of Sassy Red. $6 our dollars sitting on a harbourfront that rivals if not surpasses Sydney Harbour. Shyte I can even sit there and see a mountain in the distance that is Snowcapped  






Beer Vs wine dinner at the uni great hall was incredible, sux courses including venison, pork ribs, steak and kidney pud, etc with each course matched with a suitable beer and a wine - we had to vote by table like a little club minicomp. Veronica just has a couple of wines so I ended up drinking most of her glasses and a bit regretful this morning. Kiwi wines are sensational, I had no idea - they can crank out every style here. Sat next to the brewer from the Hallertau craft brewery so plenty to yak about. 






One of the comperes for the evening was the guy from Dogfish Head who has flown in for Beervana. Later on in the evening after numerous drinkies he was trying to express something and accidentally came out with the words "carnal knowledge" instead, and most of the audience started going "baa baa baa".

You have been sprung Kiwis - the truth is out   

Anyway today we did the Te Papa museum, the cable car, Macs etc - free day tomorrow as the Beervana sessions themselves are Fri and Sat. so trying to get a brewery tour in and check out some more pubs. Found some pokies today in a backstreet pub and out of curiosity I had a pint of Megaswill - Export Gold. Actually a very well made beer and a lot cleaner than VB or XXXX - none of that mouse cage flavour but typical mega. So been there done that. 

Cheers


----------



## Nick JD (25/8/10)

Harvest Scrumpy! Noooooooooooo. That stuff rots ya gutz.

Have you tried a Monteiths Original? Pac Gem = good.


----------



## warra48 (25/8/10)

Nice one, BribieG. Well done, and well desreved. Hope you have a great time, and enjoy lots of beers.

I can even see, in one of your photos, one of the buildings I worked at during my time living in Wellington .
Used to use the cable car at lunch time to get from the office to the squash courts near the top terminal for a lunch time workout.

When I lived there, the beers available were worse than horse P. They've certainly moved ahead.
Great place for a holiday, although I couldn't live there now, too cold in winter, and not hot enough in summer for me.

I'll follow this thread with interest.


----------



## stillscottish (25/8/10)

BribieG said:


> I went out to the local New World supermarket for room supplies etc and found the Supermarket that God Shops at.



Yep.
It's when you visit supermarkets in other countries you realise how crap things are in Oz and particularly in Nanny State Queensland.

Edit- forgot envy.

Enjoy it, you lucky bugger :beerbang:


----------



## Screwtop (25/8/10)

Having fun Bribie, good to see. Have you found the "Underground" part of the city yet???? Great place to get out of the wind!

Screwy


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (25/8/10)

If its so good in NZ why are they all over here in WA ? If you see Steve again (hallertau Brewery ) say hello from me. He did the same Uni course over here in WA as me. Thats why his beers are so good  Have a one good mate.
GB


----------



## welly (25/8/10)

If you haven't found it yet you should definitely check out Hashigo Zake, which is just down the road from Molly Malone's.

Cheers

Welly


----------



## Bribie G (26/8/10)

Thanks, Welly - Steve the Hallertau Guy recommended it as well . I did go to the Malthouse in the same area and ordered a hoprocker on tap, it had run out so I got a Speights Summit Lager instead, then realised that Speights is a mega - probably their equivalent of West End or Southwark maybe - but even that was clean and nicely hoppy and no complaints at all.

I skulled one of those scrumpys and badly regret it this morning <_< 
Currently 11.30 here and just emerged looking for food 

Screwy what and where is the underground section? :huh: 

Light druzzle this morning but sunny breaks and actually warmer than yesterday.

Cheers n Beers


PS there are hardly any fat people here and they all walk really fast, talk quick like machine guns and dress mostly in black - you know your'e not in Brisbane. 

:lol:


----------



## WarmBeer (26/8/10)

BribieG said:


> PS there are hardly any fat people here and they all walk really fast, talk quick like machine guns and dress mostly in black - you know your'e not in Brisbane.


You sure you're in Wellington, not Melbourne?


----------



## Screwtop (26/8/10)

WarmBeer said:


> You sure you're in Wellington, not Melbourne?




No, in Melbourne they talk with machine guns, dress mostly in black and have underworld, not underground :lol: :lol:



Bribie there are variety of stores, shopping arcades and underground malls along the Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street, Cuba Street and Courtenay Place.

Screwy


----------



## clarkey7 (26/8/10)

Congrats again BribieG,

Keep up the legend of BABBs at Beervana mate :beer:  :beerbang: 

Have an awesome time....take notes or you'll forget...just ask Ross .

PB


----------



## Bribie G (27/8/10)

Hey that bum 8% cider isn't just for the homeless and unemployed - they actually have a stand at BeerVana and do some nice variants such as this boysenberry infused cider













Now here's the Kiwis wising up. Had a big chat to the guy, from Auckland, and who should pop up in the conversation and the photos in his literature but a certain Mr. Reviled ! Well done buddy....... spread the love.







Yup definitely died and went to heaven today. :beerbang: 






Asked about the hops in their IPA and surprisingly it's Green Bullet for bittering, plus NZ Fuggles and Goldings in the finish. The Goldings Bitter is NZ Goldings with Nelson Sauvin to finish - glorious.


----------



## Shed101 (27/8/10)

Looks bloody nice. Can't believe you're sober enough to post :lol: 

Jamieson's Beast in Wellington, wish I could get it in Qld!


----------



## Bribie G (27/8/10)

I always post pissed

B)


----------



## The_Duck (27/8/10)

Also try The Black Harp, 136 Featherstone St Wellington. Depending on whether you like some Irish goodness. Food there was pretty good last time I went.


----------



## Zizzle (28/8/10)

Great trip reports Bribie. Much better than those slack bastards who went to NY last year.


----------



## bradsbrew (28/8/10)

Good stuff Bribie, looks like your making the most of it. Keep them pics coming.

Cheers


----------



## dgilks (28/8/10)

Looks great. I had a lot of fun in Wellington in July. Make sure you get yourself to Hashigo Zake. I actually think it's a bit better than The Malthouse. There are plenty of great beers you've tried there but make sure you try some of the smaller micros that don't export. There are some real gems out there (Hallertau Porter Noir and Humulus Lupulus Maximus, Liberty Summit, Mussel Inn Lambagreeenie, Yeastie Boys Yakima Monster, Twisted Hop Goldings).


----------



## Bribie G (29/8/10)

Back home after the whirlwind trip. Great Air NZ flight out, typical no frills Virgin on way home. A lot of guys on the forum jet around overseas all the time, but in my case it was great to get to a foreign country and just soak up the local 'colour' as well as the beers. Edit: got to Hashigo Zake, still pissed I think. The ales on handpump are divine.

Farewell to Welly, many fond memories, and definitely getting back there in a summer to do the big tour.

Great Hotel






They really have got it together with pubic transport. Why not in Brisbane or Sydney? No need to rip up the streets to lay tram tracks, just string up light cabling and buy or MAKE (shock horror) some trolley buses and away you go. 






Spot the black clothes. go to the black clothes shop and buy anything you like, in black (did I mention black?)


----------



## Bribie G (29/8/10)

Wellington doesn't feel a bit like an Aussie City, I'd go Vancouver or San Francisco for a similar "feel"










Attractive modern Architecture in the CBD





You know how we have bus shelters, they also have traffic light shelters to wait for the lights to change so you can walk across






Also those "SQUEEK ... dooba dooba dooba dooba........" crossings, in Australia the big silver button isn't connected to anything, it's just
a fake to con you into thinking you matter to them  . In NZ they actually do something. 

Traffic jam in the CBD. Shot taken around 3 pm at the top of Wakefield St near Lambton Quay. 






However at the end of the day the trip was about the beer. Although some of the eye candy was better than others B) 











Cheers n beers


----------



## Bribie G (29/8/10)

And, last post, just to rot yas

Menu from the Beer Versus Wine Dinner, four hours of piggin and drinking, the menu is not a la carte, everything you see there was a set menu and just came out relentlessly :icon_drool2: 







:icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:


----------



## wessmith (29/8/10)

Bribie, you have been blessed - especially at this time of year. I was born in Wellington - no, Lower Hutt actually, and know very well how angry the weather can be. Look no further than the '70s Wahine disaster. But soak it up mate.

Cheers, Wes


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (29/8/10)

Where's the frigin sheep ?????? Find one while you where there or were they all pre- booked by the locals?
GB


----------



## Bribie G (29/8/10)

Gryphon Brewing said:


> Where's the frigin sheep ?????? Find one while you where there or were they all pre- booked by the locals?
> GB



Never a sheep when you are desperate for one. Had to make do with buying the T shirt <_<


----------



## winkle (30/8/10)

BribieG said:


> Never a sheep when you are desperate for one. Had to make do with buying the T shirt <_<


Top stewarding shirt mate, see you at QABC :icon_cheers: .


----------



## warra48 (30/8/10)

wessmith said:


> Bribie, you have been blessed - especially at this time of year. I was born in Wellington - no, Lower Hutt actually, and know very well how angry the weather can be. Look no further than the '70s Wahine disaster. But soak it up mate.
> 
> Cheers, Wes



That was a shocker. I lived in Island Bay at the time, and we ended up with half of our neighbours roof on top of ours. The actual day of the disaster was 10 April 1968. I'll never forget it, as I was working for the Union Steam Ship Co at the time, the owners of the ship. I still have an original ash tray from the Wahine. It was horrible seeing grown men walking through the office and crying.

Bribie, great thread, and great to see you've had a terrific time.


----------

