[Waters9944]

OK, I have heard a few things about the pub/bar situation in NZ...is it true that it's pretty non-existent? That's really strange, because I read somewhere that Kiwis consume more beer per capita than anywhere in the world! Altho, not according to this listing for Beer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_consumption_per_capita and this one for alcohol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption
(and I'm refraining from making any jokes about Ireland's standing, hehehe... :D Erin Go Bragh!! I'll bet my friend Dave in Dublin has contributed greatly to both lists, God Bless him)


So, where is all this beer drinking going on? Rugby matches and Bar-be-ques?

Seriously, with all the ex Uk (not to mention American and Canadian beer hounds) migrating there, why haven't more pubs sprung up?

If I make it there, and if we meet up, where are we gonna go to do a little elbow bending? :cheers

[dilanium]

I'm not sure about the rest of NZ but there are quite a few bars where I live and they seem well frequented. (This IS a Uni town though).

[Ramo]

Well coming from the UK where the pub culture is pretty strong, I'm looking forward (perhaps I might be dissapointed?) to having a pint in some Wellington pubs when I get there in a few weeks.

One major differentiation we Brits (as opposed to the US) have is what constitutes beer. The warm, brown stuff is what we call beer, while the cold, gold coloured fizzy stuff is lager. From what I understand, Czech's definitely drink more lager than anyone else - they invented the stuff after all - probably because it's so cheap to drink there e.g. Prague!

Anyone know if they sell beer (of the non-fizzy variety) in NZ, or more precisely Wellington?

[victoria]

Pubs are all over the place, sometimes called hotels. They can be pretty basic affairs with bar leaners (you stand) & others with a cafe/restaurant attached. You won't have a problem finding a place to "belly up".

[Waters9944]

One major differentiation we Brits (as opposed to the US) have is what constitutes beer. The warm, brown stuff is what we call beer, while the cold, gold coloured fizzy stuff is lager.
Anyone know if they sell beer (of the non-fizzy variety) in NZ, or more precisely Wellington?

True....I think here it is a generalization. There is Ale as well, ofc.

And then, there's GOOD beer or Ale, which, ofc, most American beer is NOT. (unless you count Samuel Adams--premo!)

I myself prefer something with body, so I stick to the imports: Heineken, Stella Artois, Bass Ale, Guinness, Carlsburg, Harp

I love telling men here that they drink sissy beer....boy, they get mad...but Budweiser and Coors are CRAP, sorry. That stuff is just alcohol to catch a buzz from...not a finely brewed beverage it should be.

[m.brad.russell]

I always thought the Belgian's were the biggest (volume) consumers. As to beer vs. lager, they are both beer. The real comparison is lager vs. ale, and these differences are both down to the types of yeast and fermentation techniques.

On my recent trip to NZ, I found the beer selection to be fairly limited. It's mainly down to what I refer to as "fizzy yellow beer" or "lawn mowing beer" - mainly lagers. I'm more of an ale fan myself, but I'm not that prejudice; A beer of any kind is usually prefered to water (Unless it's from a large American brewery such as Coors or Anheiser Busch - YUK!).

There does seem to be a fairly decent selection of Belgian styles in NZ though. I also went to a brewhouse/pub in Auckland that had some very tasty microbrews - IPA, Porter, Stout, Red. The brew-master was from England.

Unfortunately, I've become spoiled with the large variety of microbrews that are available in the western U.S. My wife calls me a beer snob. I just like some flavour in my beer.

Cheers! :cheers
Brad

[Waters9944]

Pubs are all over the place, sometimes called hotels. They can be pretty basic affairs with bar leaners (you stand) & others with a cafe/restaurant attached. You won't have a problem finding a place to "belly up".

Hmmmmmm...then why did I even HEAR that? Is it a relative thing? Like, there are LOTS of pubs in the UK, and so by COMPARISON there aren't many pubs in NZ?

[Waters9944]

A beer of any kind is usually prefered to water (Unless it's from a large American brewery such as Coors or Anheiser Busch - YUK!).

Unfortunately, I've become spoiled with the large variety of microbrews that are available in the western U.S. My wife calls me a beer snob. I just like some flavour in my beer.



My sentiments exactly, Brad.

And ofc, there's also wine :raebanana , which NZ is getting a nice reputation for! :clap

[m.brad.russell]

Here's a fun link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Beer_Cup

Monteiths Brewing is the only one from New Zealand, and Australia shows up in a few categories. I think most of the Australian beers are available in NZ.

Brad

[James 1077]

There are some decent pubs in NZ but most of the drinking establishments in NZ are really bars rather than pubs.

Beer-wise the selection isn't as good as the UK. Lots of lagers but very few bitters and ales (note that Aussie bitters are actually lagers as well).

There are a few ales; summer ale and winter ale are seasonal and are pretty good - but are normally served cold as they are definitely on the lager side of the beer range. I've seen a few IPAs as well. Guinness is available in most bars and pubs.

And agree with the above posts about the rubbishness of US beers - Sam Adams and micro-breweries excepted of course! Reminds me of the canoe joke which is definitely not suitable for a family forum!

[JandM]

Seeing the mention of Belgian beer, and thinking of the interesting tasting, local sort, some of which can cut off your legs at the knees when you're not paying attention, you might be interested in these places. The food's good, too. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=belgian+bars+auckland&aq=f&oq=

[kanatakiwi]

Hmmmmmm...then why did I even HEAR that? Is it a relative thing? Like, there are LOTS of pubs in the UK, and so by COMPARISON there aren't many pubs in NZ?

I certainly wouldnt characterize NZ as a place with few pubs and bars!

[Waters9944]

And agree with the above posts about the rubbishness of US beers - Sam Adams and micro-breweries excepted of course! Reminds me of the canoe joke which is definitely not suitable for a family forum!

Hehehe...Yep, like making love in a canoe! :laugh

[mylesdw]

One of the few things I miss about England is the real beer, which is strange because I never was much of an ale fan when I lived there; I never had a beard and never drove an MGB. It would be nice, however, to have the choice of drinking something other than fizzy stuff.

[Ramo]

Talking of beer, did anyone see the BBC series, 'Oz Clark and James May Drink to Britain'? Very funny but also informative about all the types of drinks and how they're made. They had complete and utter disdain of lager, but eulogised real ale (or what we call beer). However, they came to the conclusion that Tea was the drink that epitomised the British, though technically it isn't alcoholic in any way...

I must admit I generally don't like US ales including the micro breweries, as the one's I've tried have been fizzy (what's with that). Not a fan of Sam Adams either, but that's a preference thing, rather than it not being good. However I did discover a great ale in Hawaii of all places, it was called something like Big Surf Long board, it was awesome!

Am looking forward to discovering NZ beers, and let's not forget the wine.

p.s. Waters9944, body is a euphemism for alcoholic content I assume?

[Ana&Steve]

Another American perspective here...I found differences in the NZ pubs to the US bars. There are more kids in NZ pubs (Scottish friend told me it's because they're more PUBlic houses more than pickup bars?) Also more friendly community feeling and less public drunkenness. Most likely someone has had different experiences but this feeling has struck me every time.
I'm afraid I don't like beer but I'll leave it to the connoisseurs!
Ooo I just thought of something...mixed drinks are different. They don't have the same variety of alcohols in most places. No Capt Morgans! There's a (nasty) rum called Coruba (sp) and there's no sweet and sour. Midori and amerettos were also hard to find. I think Kiwis save the liquor for the home bar.

[Waters9944]

p.s. Waters9944, body is a euphemism for alcoholic content I assume?

Specifically, no...."body" referring to physical substance. But, the alcohol content in the more bodacious beers tend to have a lot more alcohol content :yes

Anna&Steve:
Another American perspective here...I found differences in the NZ pubs to the US bars. There are more kids in NZ pubs (Scottish friend told me it's because they're more PUBlic houses more than pickup bars?) Also more friendly community feeling and less public drunkenness. Most likely someone has had different experiences but this feeling has struck me every time.

Hmmm...you may be right. But, it also depends upon WHEN you go. I have always preferred the pub-like atmosphere of the nice local bar in the afternoon, when I can have a beer and shoot the breeze with a few good people, maybe shoot some pool. I used to go occasionally after work with colleagues (around 3pm), but when regular Happy Hour kicked in, all of the rest of the people would come in and ruin the quaintness. Then as the evening wore on, the clientele would get younger, and it would turn into a meat-market, which was of no real fun to me. The older gents and couples with their life stories and seasoned experiences were always much more interesting to me than the young buttheads with not a thing to talk about except hooking up. I usually left early. :exit

[Ana&Steve]

Also probably the pubs we went to tended to be in smaller towns and communities where everyone knows each other. Most of our "family" in NZ are blue collar types so that lends to a different more casual scene. The Pubs we went to in Welly were a bit more...polished I guess, but still very easy going.

[m.brad.russell]

I must admit I generally don't like US ales including the micro breweries, as the one's I've tried have been fizzy (what's with that).

Fizzy is a matter of taste I guess. I'm still learning to enjoy Belgian Sours.

The English beer you are referring to is what we call cask conditioned, or hand pumped here in the states. I love that too. In fact I go to a "Real Ale Festival" every year that celebrates it. It's inspired by an English movement known as CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale) that features beer that is carbonated in the barrel. The carbonation is much more subdued, like soap bubbles. Delicious!

Sorry to have hijacked the thread here, but beer does occupy a special place in my life, and diet. It's the thing I fear I'll miss most in NZ.

:cheers

[Wonderbob]

There's an excellent bar in Courtenay Pl Wellington called the Malthouse, which stocks 150 beers from around the world, including the pick of NZ microbreweries (yes there arer a whole bunch of them spread throughout the country). So if you like beer and you're in the capital, check them out....

Cheers
Bob

http://www.themalthouse.co.nz/index.php/home

[DMcG]

You'll find a bar of some sorts in nearly every town in New Zealand. In the smaller places these tend to be Hotel bars, but that doesn't mean they're lacking in character or characters.
In Auckland, there are plenty of bars with various theme bars like the Cock & Bull chain (English Pub) and the Belgian Beer Chain (Belgian would you believe :)) as well as plenty of independant bars.

Standard "foreign" bottled beers like Stella and Heineken are widely available but the standard draught beers are usually selected from the range of Lion, Speights, Tui, Mac's or Monteith's.

There's also a growing variety of micro/mini breweries all over New Zealand that are experimenting will all sorts of varieties of beer. The majority of the beers do tend to be lager based, but there's an increasing variety of ale & stout types as well. There's enough enthusiasts to keep a small import market going as well and it's possible to get all sorts of obscure imported beers in a limited fashion.

:cheers

Dougie

[Ana&Steve]

Waters9944:
There's at least one NZ beer pretty available in the States called Steinlager, if you haven't tried it yet. The guys said it was about as good a Heineken. I've seen it at Ralphs, Albertsons, and Trader Joes. I've never seen anyone in NZ drink it however...or Tui beer for that matter. I have seen a couple of blokes kill a few cases of Lion Red in a couple hours though.:uhoh

[CJ22]

Steinlager sells here. It is indeed about equivalent to Heineken. Dennis Leary advertises it, in quite a cool advert. I wouldn't drink it though.

I haven't really settled on a beer here yet. If I buy from the supermarket, I usually get Stella.

[JandM]

I know that's not what CJ was talking about, but it reminds me - Stella on draught is NOT the same as Stella on draught in Europe, inc. UK. (Not as good.)

Never seen anyone drink Tui? Dear, dear...;)

[CJ22]

Ah no, not seen it on draft. I've been on the bottled stuff :)

[JandM]

Yes, that's all right.:)

But it's sad - over here, I'd normally go for the one on tap in preference to bottled, whereas in NZ it's a whole different animal. My son says (after hopeful but unsuccessful research!) it's general, not just one bar.

[dilanium]

My two favourite beers (or whatever they really are) are Mac's Great White, and Monteith's Summer Ale.

Though I'm trying to drink less beer, so when I went out tonight I had a Vodka-Cranberry and then a glass of white wine.

[Ramo]

I love that too. In fact I go to a "Real Ale Festival" every year that celebrates it. It's inspired by an English movement known as CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale) that features beer that is carbonated in the barrel. The carbonation is much more subdued, like soap bubbles. Delicious!



haha, very cool. I've been to a CAMRA festival in the north of england many years ago when I attended Uni. They also hold one every year in London too (at Earl's court I think) though regrettably I never made time to go. If memory serves correctly, the beer (or cask conditioned ales) there is completely flat no bubbles to speak of. They also have cider brewer's there too - some of it was insanely strong.

Speaking of which, Belgian beers are pretty strong too - but then at least on the continent they don't drink them by the pint!

JandM - agree that draught Stella tastes different in Europe than in the UK, but it's very odd given that it's all brewed in Leuven in Belgium!

[JandM]

Ah, I was actually saying that draught Stella in NZ (made in Australia) is nowhere near as good as in the UK or Europe. I agree it can be different in the UK and mainland Europe, but don't find either particularly better or worse. They make it under license in the UK these days, I THINK at the Whitbread brewery.

But... surely all the bottled Stella in NZ must come from Oz, too? So why is that all right, but not the casks?

[Ramo]

Fair enough - I was referring to import :laugh

I've actually been to the Stella factory in Leuven and they make a mind bogglng amout of beer! I'm surprised they don't satiate the demand with the millions they make each week.

However I'm not a big Stella fan either, but prefer real beer and wine. From the looks of the other posts - I think I'll be well served in NZ :)

[JandM]

Oh, you WILL. It's a great pleasure trying to find your favourites.:)

[Keith C.]

I've found no shortage of pubs, bars, or beer, especially here in Wellington. I have found one disappointment, though, but it's not a large one.

When I visited back in the 80s, I seem to remember most areas having a local brew on tap. Now, it seems like I generally see bars that are predominately carry one of the major NZ brewers - Monteith's, Speight, Mac's. (This is on tap. Most places seem to have a fairly large collection of bottled beer.) In the 80s, I only remember seeing Steinlager everywhere.

When I mentioned this to a long term Kiwi. he questioned my memory. Fair enough. My memory isn't what it used to be. He said that in the 80s, NZ had already lost most of the local breweries, and that there is now a resurgence in local brews.

Regardless, I don't think think you'll have any problem finding good beer to drink or a place to drink it. If you do, you aren't trying hard enough. :cheers

[cathgates]

My oh, Karl, drinks bitter, Creamflow, Smooth and Caffreys, am I to think that He may be a little dissapointed when we arrive (should I smuggle a few cans in our container to soften the blow!!!)?
I drink shorts and such as Smirnoff Ice, I like an occassional lager shandy - more lemonade than lager as a summers day refreshing drink, so I guess I will be ok?

Cath XX

[dbonnett]

Maybe we are spoiled but Nelson seems to have a good selection of drinking establishments (from pubs to party pits) and a decent range of beers.
Our favourite is the Sprig and Fern (both Hardy St and Milton St): http://sprigandfern.co.nz/ - good local brews, including stouts and porters,
without the blaring music, tvs, pokies etc of many bars.

When we were there this afternoon, it seemed that almost everyone had come on bikes (including us) :nice1

[IanW99]

For those interested check out beer festival (http://www.beerfestival.co.nz/) website for details of upcoming Auckland event (14th March).

Ian

[BkyMonster]

Coming from Oregon... well the beer here is ok. :D
(Put it this way, I've never had anything that even comes in a can)
Monteiths and Speights are reasonable. OH likes the ales. I don't like ales at all so can't help you there. All about porters and stouts myself.

If you are so inclined there also seems to be quite the homebrew movement.
At least in ChCh there seem to be pubs and such enough.

[bobo]

If you are in chch then try pomeroys. It sells a good range of harringtons beer which I find better than Steinlager etc. The also do guest beers.

But best of all they do Bulmers Cider on draft. The Irish one not the horrible english version.

http://www.pomeroyspub.co.nz/beers.stm

[mylesdw]

The nicest (only) real ale I've found around Chch is brewed at the Twisted Hop, just off the High Street. Well worth sampling.

[JasonS]

all this talk about beer...think i will go and have one now! :cheers

laurel

[Jon&Candy]

Just to add my two penneth, I have to say that Moa in all its forms is the finest bottled beer I've tried in New Zealand. It's as good as anything I've ever had in Europe.

On the subject of Europe, Porirua Pak n Save happen to sell my favourite British beer: Wadworth 6X.

[benandclare]

If you are in chch then try pomeroys. It sells a good range of harringtons beer which I find better than Steinlager etc. The also do guest beers.

But best of all they do Bulmers Cider on draft. The Irish one not the horrible english version.

http://www.pomeroyspub.co.nz/beers.stm

I think you'll find that Bulmers was and still is produced first and foremost in Hereford which is in England

H.P. Bulmer, otherwise known as Bulmers Cider, was founded in 1887 in Hereford, England by Percy Bulmer, the 20 year old son of the local rector at Credenhill, taking his mother's advice to make a career in food or drink, "because neither ever go out of fashion".

Bulmers Original Vintage Cider is a brand of cider produced in Ireland. To prevent confusion with the English cider of the same name, it is sold outside of the Republic of Ireland (including in Northern Ireland) as Magners Original Irish Cider.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magners

Yours a true Herefordian

[Waters9944]

well, I must say...all you people are a fountain of beer knowledge! :) :cheers

[bobo]

I think you'll find that Bulmers was and still is produced first and foremost in Hereford which is in England

H.P. Bulmer, otherwise known as Bulmers Cider, was founded in 1887 in Hereford, England by Percy Bulmer, the 20 year old son of the local rector at Credenhill, taking his mother's advice to make a career in food or drink, "because neither ever go out of fashion".

Bulmers Original Vintage Cider is a brand of cider produced in Ireland. To prevent confusion with the English cider of the same name, it is sold outside of the Republic of Ireland (including in Northern Ireland) as Magners Original Irish Cider.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magners

Yours a true Herefordian

Yes, yes that was common knowledge when Magners first hit the shops/pubs in the UK. I still however stand by my original statement, that is not the same stuff produced in here in NZ.

[YouMeAndThree]

If you get desperate to sample your old ale from home have a look to see if you can buy it here (http://www.beerstore.co.nz/index.lasso). They were selling OH's tipple of choice, Ringwood Brewery's Old Thumper, but it's currently out of stock. Expensive, but may be worthy of a special occasion (birthday or Christmas)?

OH is fed up with the warm beer comments too, the UK does not drink warm beer. Beer can be chilled, but not very cold like larger, and should never be served in a frozen glass :no.

[Keith C.]

Beer can be chilled, but not very cold like larger, and should never be served in a frozen glass :no.
Not even when the air temperature is 40 degrees? Call me a cretin, but there's something comforting in the little slivers of ice sliding down the side of the mug in those conditions. It may be lawnmower beer, but it's still a pleasure. :yes

[YouMeAndThree]

Not even when the air temperature is 40 degrees? Call me a cretin, but there's something comforting in the little slivers of ice sliding down the side of the mug in those conditions. It may be lawnmower beer, but it's still a pleasure. :yes

Larger, fine, but not real ale/beer - too cold and it affects the flavour.

[Ramo]

Wow chilling real ale, a huge no no! In fact, among some circles, they say you should always chill lager as it gets rid of some of the taste...

On the other hand, I agree Keith that lager is preferable for a hot sunny day or bbq for it's refreshment qualities. But generally real ale tastes better in more moderate climates - just not served at a cold temperature!

[BkyMonster]

I was especially pleased with Montieths as they serve all the different beers in specific glasses for the type. :yes Certainly helps savor the flavor!

[70m45]

BTW Best consumers of beer in the world are not the Belgians but the Czechs (160 litres per head per year in 2008). And the best beer in the world (pilsener) is also from Czech republic from city called Plzen (see the http://www.tuatarabrewing.co.nz/page381959.html for example :)

Sorry but I could not keep it for myself as I am from the Czech rep :)

And I really loved CAMRA and their Real Ale Festival. I have been living for two years in Staines UK and attended the local CAMRA beer fest for three times and I really enjoyed it.

Now I am in New Zealand for two weeks and just started the search for some cool pub with nice beers/ale (preferably local/Australia, not interested in Europe/US) somewhere in West Auckland (living in Titirangi :) - so if any1 knows about something, please let me know, cheers.

[b&k]

There are many pubs and bars and microbreweries a-plenty.

However, if you like real, cask-conditioned, hand-pumped beer then there are only two places in NZ where it's available:

The Twisted Hop in Christchurch
http://www.thetwistedhop.co.nz/

Galbraiths Ale House in Auckland
http://www.alehouse.co.nz/

There's also a B&B in Taranaki but you have to stay there to drink his beer.
http://www.brauhaus.co.nz/brewery.html

For more information about NZ craft beers, see this site:
http://www.soba.org.nz/

[Farfields]

Monteiths is a passable beer and can be found in most places, i.e. if it's not in this bar, it will be in the one next door. Mac's has a good reputation, but they seem to fall into the trap of many American micro-breweries of producing a wide variety of different beers with quite strong flavours, and not much subtlety, just not to my taste. In chch a favourite pub is Pomeroys
http://www.pomeroysonkilmore.co.nz/
Unfortunately, I don't get there too often as it isn't on a convenient bus route for me, and the missus thinks it's a bit down market. It has good atmosphere, with a regular set of drinkers, and you can always find a quite corner if needed. Did I mention they brew their own beer? Wouldn't go amiss in any UK country pub.

[Kanga]

There's a strong drinking and entertaining at home culture too, which is where I imagine most of the Tui is drunk.

[bobo]

Did I mention they brew their own beer? Wouldn't go amiss in any UK country pub.

Well I did not know that they brewed their own beer, thought it was all just locally brewed, and I go to this pub regulary. Should try to pay more attention in future. I like the local Harringtons beer that they sell.

[carahafner]

Coming from Oregon... well the beer here is ok. :D


As a fellow, micro-brew loving Oregonian, what is the best microbrewed beer in the Chch area? I will be looking for porters and stouts since I am a dark beer drinking lass. I am also a huge fan of a good nut brown ale....:cheers

[pleccy2000]

I went to at least 10 bars in Courtenay Place this Friday night for a friends birthday. All busy, and many had live music!

[M-Squared]

I went to at least 10 bars in Courtenay Place this Friday night for a friends birthday. All busy, and many had live music!

Good on ya! Let me know when the next one is, and hubby and me can try to get a babysitter, and come out on the razz with you :D :cheers

[nifta]

NZ is definitely getting better as far as good beer goes - but still a lot of catching up to do.

With respect to bars, in welly there's the malthouse, d4 and bar edward (in newtown). keep in mind i was last there almost a year ago so things may have changed (tho i do know the malthouse is still going strong). the island bay new world (supermarket) is meant to have a good range too.

micro breweries doing decent beers include epic, emersons, moa, dux de lux, hallertau, pink elephant, tuatara, yeastie boys and.. well, there are a few more.

oh yeah, in welly there's also Leuven if you like your belgian beers..not an awesome range, but pretty good last time i checked (delerium, duvel, westmalle, golden carolus etc).

i was encouraged to see actual handpumps installed at the malthouse and in d4.. sadly they weren't serving cask conditioned ale, but hey, it's a step in the right direction! :)

[nifta]

forgot to mention.. there's a good NZ beer blog here:

http://realbeer.co.nz/blog/blog.html

and a forum for all things beer related (incl homebrewing) here:

http://realbeernz.ning.com/forum

[DLink]

I couldnt not see a topic on Beer :)
Thanks Nifta, that forum for Beer looks good, i think when i start travelling in spring i will almost be doing a beer crawl around NZ.

[mgbridges]

For those of you interested in real beer, i.e. Real Ale have a look at www.SOBA.org.nz (Society of Beer Advocates). They are the NZ equivalent to the UK CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and there is a large contingent of SOBA members in Wellington.

Also for those of you in the Wellington area Beervana is coming up at the end of the month, go to http://brewersguild.org.nz/beervana for more info.

HTH
Anneliese (wife of a real ale lover, supporter and brewer namely mgbridges)

[nifta]

be sure to let us know of any good places you discover, dlink :)

hadn't heard of SOBA before - cheers mgbridges!

[macs gold]

Yes, that's all right.:)

But it's sad - over here, I'd normally go for the one on tap in preference to bottled, whereas in NZ it's a whole different animal. My son says (after hopeful but unsuccessful research!) it's general, not just one bar.

Speights in Dunedin should always be bought 'on tap' - its additive free. I can't comment on the other breweries.

[rupicola]

Being Belgian, I have another definition of "real" beer than most of the contributors in this topic, but as it has been said: de gustibus non est disputandem ;)

I thought the majority of NZ beers were rather good, and I enjoyed Mac Breweries in Wellington, but my favourite beer I tasted there was the Brewski of Wanaka Beerworks. Awful name, great taste :cheers

[Farfields]

You are recommended to visit Christchurch and try the ales at Pomeroys. Makes me homesick for a handdrawn pint of Badger beer from Wiltshire. Teat yourself
http://www.pomeroysonkilmore.co.nz/

[nifta]

anyone been to this place in wellington?

http://www.hashigozake.co.nz/

seems like it only recently opened. impressive beer list! (mikkeller, dogfish, firestone walker... nice!)

great to see another craft beer place in welly!

[Kiwi Mac]

I couldn't pass up a discussion about beer and pubs!

The one thing I dearly miss is country pubs, with wet labradors, roaring fires, winter ales and hearty food!

It has always been something of a mystery to me that NZ was colonised largely by the British yet one stalwart British institution - real ale - seems to have almost entirely failed to get here. Also the decent places to drink it.

By and large most mainstream Kiwi beer can be dismissed by the connoisseur. Monteiths, Macs, Emmersons, Tuatara and some others are raising the bar (sorry!) and are certainly passable if you can persuade someone to serve it to you unrefrigerated.

The pubs themselves I don't much care for. Of course, very few of them have much history and in GB you can easily drink in places that served thirsty patrons when King Richard was on Crusade. Many NZ taverns/hotels etc are more akin to working mens clubs (I imagine, anyway) than they are to a pub. The only thing missing is a spitoon and sawdust on the floor.

My favourite in all of NZ so far is the Twisted Hop in Chch. An oasis of great beer, great pub food (the pork pies are excellent!) and even Walkers Crisps behind the bar.

Things are improving, that is certain - I think the bland fizzy stuff that is so common is becoming less popular amongst the urban set; it remains popular with the rural boys though - who are often brought up in Tui or DB households in the same way that they are bought up in Ford or Holden households.

I actually buy bottled English beer (I have Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Badger, Abbot Ale, Broadside and London Pride in the pantry just now) and that helps keep the homesickness at bay! :cheers

[Kiwi Mac]

On a related note, has anyone noticed all these "pure" versions of Steinlager, Speights etc?

Doesn't that make you wonder what they put in the "non-pure" versions of those brands?!

[petri]

Doesn't that make you wonder what they put in the "non-pure" versions of those brands?!

It's one of those things you don't want to think about..

Have you ever wondered why everyone who works in the food industry don't eat their own products?

[Kiwi Mac]

It's one of those things you don't want to think about..

Have you ever wondered why everyone who works in the food industry don't eat their own products?

I used to work for a water company in the UK. We discussed several times the idea of selling branded water in bottles but it was always dismissed for fear of creating the perception that there was something wrong with the tap water.

This "Pure" beer thing from the big brewers seems a bit like a similar own goal in that respect to me.

[Kewlest]

Residing in a dry country for over a year, this is what I call a thread!

[Kiwi Mac]

Residing in a dry country for over a year, this is what I call a thread!

I've always wondered - can you buy alcohol-free beer in such a place?!

[Nathan]

All the homebrew went away yesterday....

I saved one back but discovered it was my neighbor's birthday, so I gave him my last crock of stout in NZ.

I'm reduced to drinking the mass produced swill.

[nifta]

can't say i understand the whole Pure thing either.. guess it's really just an excuse to charge a premium, but an odd label to give it. the big breweries definitely want to get a slice of that pie - the market for craft beer is growing at a time when the rest is shrinking.

NZ's come a LONG way since i moved overseas.. just looking at welly there are now 4 specialty beer bars/pubs.. which is, ahh, 4 more than when i left! and there are a lot of microbreweries cropping up. it's all good.

i agree about UK pubs.. i'll miss them more than anything else. however great pubs/bars come in all shapes and sizes... so i have hope :)

[sophiedb]

Hubby's got so many demijohns bubbling with homebrew wine that I doubt we'll be able to drink them all by the time we move... can we ship homebrew???

[nifta]

Hubby's got so many demijohns bubbling with homebrew wine that I doubt we'll be able to drink them all by the time we move... can we ship homebrew???
lol... i was thinking about this last night. i'm in a similar situation with having to get through the homebrew beer at the moment. ah well, it's a tough job..... :)