Breweries In New Zealand

[Little_Squares]

Hi guys, the Linz and I are off to NZ later in the year and wondered if anyone has toured the micros and brew pubs there, or knows of groovy places in which to imbibe some tasty ales...... :unsure:

 

[fcmcg]

Hi guys, the Linz and I are off to NZ later in the year and wondered if anyone has toured the micros and brew pubs there, or knows of groovy places in which to imbibe some tasty ales...... :unsure:

Not sure of groovy places/brew pubs...but if your in the south island...check out Harringtons in Christchurch...they have an outlet out near the bay that has super cheap packaged beer...met Carl Harrington at the Beer & Brewer mag do at the melb showgrounds...what a guy....good beer too...also you can get some really good beers at most of the supermarkets...monteiths , macs ,emmersons...also if your in Greymouth ( south island) you can do the monteiths brewery tour...
Otherwise...
Check out this link
New Zealnd breweries
Cheers
Ferg

 

[dig]

Go visit Wigram in Chch... it's a riot. Also, go see Golden Bear on Mapua Jetty, down the road from the hop fields west of Nelson. Best micro I think. The Mussel Inn at Onekaka is also worth the drive. Lovely part of the world.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

The Mac's brewery bar in Wellington is worth a visit if you are in the area http://www.thebrewerybar.co.nz/brewery.html

 

[PostModern]

I really enjoyed the Malt House in Wellington too. Hallertau Brewery just north of Auckland was great. Forget the place in Rotorua. Converted BOP, makes only extract beers. You guys going North or South Island?

 

[mt mellum]

south island has so many micros. love the fact that you can get a 2l takeaway at a few of them for reasonable prices. west coast of south island and around the marlborough/blenheim area (touristy) is worth checking out.

if you want a mega brewery to tour that's got a bit of old style history/copper tuns etc, go to speights at dunedin. right in town (up from the octagon) and their dark ale is acceptable.

 

[Kirko]

You won't be trying any Saisons (or radlers) that's for sure...
No Radlers for Kiwis

The Mussell in sounds worth a visit...

 

[nate2g]

I posted this elsewhere when I was trekking around the country. I was there for a few weeks and these were some of my favourite places that I got around to visiting:-

Auckland - Galbraith's - an old style pub it's a must visit (has 8 excellent house brews and 4 guest taps)

Wellington - Malthouse (Up to 20 taps of great kiwi micros plus 100+ bottles this is a must visit.) Stock up on beer from Regional Wines, perhaps the best range in NZ, also they have 11 kegs hooked up so ask for samples...or just bring a rigger and fill up! Another place is Bar Edward just outside the city centre, a few very good local micros on tap.

Nelson - you have to visit Sprig & Fern (there's 2 in town), one of my personal fav pubs in NZ. About 15+ decent beers on tap brewed by Tasman...

Also, if you have time head to Blenheim (east of Nelson) and check out the Renaissance Brewery on Dodson St. Great guys and keen to have a chat, opposite is the Pizzeria with four of the Renaissance brews fresh on draught...brilliant! There's also a couple of guest taps as well. Look out for the very tasty 666 Gabriel pale ale (brewed by Graeme Mahy - ex Murrays brewer) for an excellent showcase of beautiful Nelson hops. Moa's quite nice just outside the town amongst the vinyards, you can get a taster of 6 of their beers for a few bucks. Fresh Choice Springlands also has a huge range of beers stocked there, worth a visit.

Queenstown has Dux de Lux which houses 7 beers, average at best. Stop by a bar called Minibar on Searle lane, the beer menu is a few pages long stocking 100+ beers. Heaps of really good local beers including the Wanaka beerworks brews, if you don't happen to get to the brewery. It's a small bar but very cool. Also a new brewery has opened in Arrowtown, has some really nice beers which I've now heard are constantly improving.

Christchurch - Must visits are Twisted Hop (of course) for their hand pumped ales (esp the Golding Bitter) and Pomeroy's Inn rotates a range of taps monthly, and always a good range of SI micros. Also Harrington's and Wigrams are worth checking out.

Have a great trip, it's a beautiful country, great people and plenty of fantastic beers to be enjoyed!

Cheers
Nate

 

[Henno]

I went there last year for a wedding here's a long post to have a squiz at NZ thread

and here is part 2 of my trip NZ part2

In a nutshell I loved the Twisted Hop in Christchurch. The Thirst Weta in Chch is work a look too, very good beers. Go to the Dux de Lux but go there in Christchurch first, beers are ok but you'll be disappointed if you go to the Twisted Hop first.

In Dunedin you simply must go to a place called the Eureka bar. We were in beer nirvana at this place and the manager treated us like gods. They also generously gave me some glasses and a t-shirt, top blokes. Unfortunately, I did not however get to Emersons brewery due to time restrictions, had to attend a wedding in Queenstown.

Beers to track down would be Three Boys out of Chch, didn't get to that brewery as they were in the middle of a rebuild so I'd look them up if I was you. Also out of Dunedin was a little mob called Green Man beers. Bloody good. Got them from the head brewer at the sunday markets outside the railway station in downtown Dunedin, great markets for food within themselves. Got invited to a brewery tour but again couldn't fit that in. If you're off to Invercargill go to the Invercargill brewery, boring name, noteworthy beers. If they are producing their cherry beer en masse now buy it, lots of it!

 

[lydiaraven]

It's not a micro brewery, but I urge you to do the tour of the Speights Brewery in Dunedin. Unreal. Then afterwards go and have a feed at the Speights Ale House, which is a couple of doors down from the brewery, it's reasonably priced and the food is very very tasty. The venison dishes and the Drunken Steak are to die for! I haven't tasted a bad beer from Speight's yet I'm looking forward to going back to Dunedin in a couple of months, I have my mother in laws wedding, if we get any time I would like to do the tour again and definitely go back to the Ale House. Probably won't have any time to visit any more breweries as the hubby only has a week off for the wedding (due to work commitments)

 

[dago001]

+1 for the Twisted Hop. Liked it so much I got the T shirt and glasses. Sort of got me into brewing and realising that not all beer is best served cold. Most other beers are okay. Even tried a few radlers. Great beer early in the day (before lunch) if you are inclined to drink that early.
David

 

[glennheinzel]

I'll be in NZ for two weeks from the 23rd of Sept. 3 nights in Whiritoa, 4 nights in Martinborough, 4 nights in Nelson, 2 nights in Christchurch and 1 night at Auckland airport before an early flight home. Using ratebeer, realale NZ etc, here is my hitlist-

Online stores (I'm thinking of preordering some beers given that I'll mostly be in the sticks)-
www.beerstore.co.nz (huge range, esp interested in USA craft beers)
www.regionalwines.co.nz (big range, mostly interested in USA Ninkasi winner beers, EPIC Armageddon and Invercargill Smokin Bishop)

TOP RATED BEERS
EPIC Armageddon
Invercagill Smokin Bishop
Three Boys Oyster Stout
Mussel Inn Captain Cooker
Hallertau Porter Noir
The Twisted Hop Sauvin Pilsner
Also should try Australis Romanov (is this still made?), Pink Elephant Imperious Rushin Stout, Reneissance Elemental Porter, Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black etc.

TOP RATED BREW PUBS
The Mussel Inn. Try Captain Cooker.
Galbraiths Alehouse. Try Resurrection.
Hallertau. Try Stuntman if available.
The Twisted Hop. Try Challenger and Sauvin Pilsner.
Dux de Lux. Try Nor Wester.
Shakespeare Tavern. Try Pucks Pixilation.


PUBS/MICROS?
Auckland (not sure if well spend any time here)
Galbraith Brewing, 2 Mount Eden Rd, 09 379 3557
Shakespeare Tavern, 61 Albert St, 09 373 5396
Brew on Quay Cnr Quay St and Britomart Pl, 09 302 2085
Suite Bar, Cnr Hobson & Wolfe Sts, 09 307 7030
Loaded Hog, 104 Quay St, 09 356 7114
Hallertau (opposite side of Auckland to where we will be) 1171 Coatesville Riverhead Hwy, Riverhead, 09 412 5555


Wellington (not sure if well spend much time here)
Malthouse (awesome selection of beers) 47 Courtenay Pl, 04 802 5484
Bar Edward 167 Riddiford St, Newtown 04 3899 933.
Regional Wines (beer store) 15 Ellice St, Mount Victoria, Wellington 04 385 6952
D4 -
Macs Brewing Corner of Taranaki and Cable Sts, 04 381 2282
Matterhorn -


Nelson (and nearby)
The Freehouse (good selection of beers), 95 Collingwood St, 03 548 9391
Founders Organic Brewery and Cafe, Founders Historic Park, 03 548-4638
Sprig & Fern (offers take away) 134 Milton St, 03 545 7117
Tasman Brewing, 53 Beach Road, 03 544-8675
Nelson Bays Brewery, 89 Pascoe Street, 03 547-8097
JJs Brewery Tours 03 548 6486
Mussel Inn (big drive) Okekaka, RD2, Takaka, 03 525 9241



Christchurch
The Thirsty Weta (awesome selection of beers) - 56 Lichfield St - 03 372 9232
The Twisted Hop - 6 Poplar St, Poplar Lanes, 03 962 3688
Dux de Lux (although it looks like I should skip this place) - 41 Hereford St - 03 366 6919
Cook N with Gas (bistro with great beer selection) 23 Worcestor Blvd (opposite Court Theatre), 03 377 9166
Pomeroys OBI (Old Brewery Inn) 292 Kilmore St, 03 365 1523
The Thirsty Bloke (beer store) 161 Victoria St, 03 377 0141
Mainstreet - 840 Colombo St - 03 365 0421
Harringtons Breweries - 199 Ferry Rd, 03 366 6323

 

[alowen474]

look up 666 brewing, Graeme used to be the brewer for Murrays until Shawn got the guernsey. explains the penchant for NZ hops!!

 

[glennheinzel]

look up 666 brewing, Graeme used to be the brewer for Murrays until Shawn got the guernsey. explains the penchant for NZ hops!!

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye out for his beers.

Looks like he is continuing the "not brewing to style" slant of Murays.

http://www.666brewing.com/Products.html

 

[Gulpa]

+1 Malthouse if you are in Wellington. Excellent selection of craft brews on tap. Mac is OK but Id go to the Malthouse. Beer list here:

http://www.themalthouse.co.nz/pdf/malthousebeermenu.pdf

And the pretty much have everything on the bottle list (unlike the Syd Taphouse when I was there).

I havent been anywhere else so I cant advise but from my tastings the nz craft brew scene is in fine form.

Besides those mentioned, beers from Renaissance would be worth a look. Ive a very nice Stonecutter. Dont forget Emersons. Also, the New World supermarkets often have a very nice range of beers.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[glennheinzel]

Following on from Beerforal's suggestion, I'm going to catch up with Graeme (ex Murrays) if I can make it to Blenheim.

Gulpa - The NZ scene does look really good. You just have to look at the the Aus vs NZ comparison on Rate Beer to see that they're doing a really good job over there.
http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopAussie.asp