Beer road trip: Brewing hotspots
Beweries around the country are piggy-backing on established vineyards. reports.
The old saying that beer is best drunk in the shadow of the brewery is truer than ever with New Zealand’s regional hotspots now home to a many great brewpubs and tasting rooms. Here’s a sample of the best places in the main holiday spots where you can drink fabulous beer just a few footsteps from where it’s fermented.
But word of warning: this list is not exhaustive, there’s literally a shedload of great breweries popping up in regional New Zealand.
A trend you’ll pick up on in this story is breweries piggy-backing on established vineyards – or is it a case of vineyards realising good local beer goes hand-in-hand with great wine? Award-winning Kainui Brew evolved from
in Kerikeri thanks to the skill set of winemaker/brewer Gary Henwood.
The vineyard is a must stop – it was particularly so on December 30 when Fat Freddy’s Drop played at the venue. A perfect beer for the music was Kainui’s Summer Love Saison (notes of pineapple and black pepper).
Kainui has a second venue in Kerikeri, the
Kainui Road Vineyard Plough & Feather Tap Room and Kitchen
located in an historic building in Kororipo Basin, across from the famous Stone Store and Mission House.
Down the road a bit
Waipu¯ has become an unrivalled summer destination. The Pizza Barn, with a brand new brewery out the back, bustles and hums and so does the beer: have a famous pizza and an 802 Series hazy IPA.
Just open in Matakana (where Sawmill is sadly closed for the summer thanks to a fire) is
It’s a taproom and a barrel hall for ageing beer. Food comes from rotating food trucks. A Cucumber Hippy is the ideal summer libation.
McLeod’s Pizza Barn brewing’s Barrel Works.
in
8 Wired
Coromandel Brewing – a family-run business that has grown organically from a home brew operation. Relax with a Cloud 9 witbier.
The Rising Tide town, whose Octopus Clamp Schwarzbier is a must sample.
Shining Peak,
in Kaiko¯ ura is a real family escape – literally. Seriously, where else in New Zealand can you drink beer and play mini-golf? There’s also escape rooms for those who love games that are more esoteric than putting a small ball into a small hole.
This is a one-of-a-kind site with an everchanging selection of beers but the oddly-named Get To Da Choppa Witbier is deliciously refreshing.