Three cheers
Capital drinks in beer accolade
Wellington has been rated the best city in New Zealand and one of Oceania’s top three towns for drinking beer.
A panel of Lonely Planet travel and beer experts gave Wellington the accolade, citing the capital’s local pale ales as a way to banish the winter blues.
Publican Matt McLaughlin said Kiwis and tourists were increasingly adventurous with their beer selections, and locally made craft brews were changing the drinking landscape.
Tourists often asked for beer recommendations and were happy to try craft beers from the Wellington region, he added.
‘‘The amount of tourists that we get is rising, and what people are drinking is completely changing, whether they’re locals or foreigners.’’
McLaughlin – the owner of Danger Danger, Jack Hackett’s, Four Kings and Dirty Little Secret – said beers from local brewers, such as Parrotdog and Panhead, were popular with the capital’s drinkers.
Lion’s purchase of Panhead last year and DB Breweries’ more recent acquisition of Kapiti-based label Tuatara showed big brewers recognised the surging popularity of craft beer, McLaughlin added.
Rene de Monchy, of Tourism New Zealand, said craft beer was one more reason why international visitors loved Wellington.
‘‘There’s a real spirit of adventure and enterprise about the Wellington brewers who have put New Zealand on the world beer map.’’
She said the interesting locations of some bars and breweries, such as down alleyways, in former police stations or petrol stations, added to the city’s reputation.
‘‘When the Lions supporters visit in June, a trip to some of the great bars and breweries is bound to be high on their agenda,’’ de Monchy said.
Auckland, Blenheim, Dunedin and Hamilton were also mentioned as good beer-swilling towns in New Zealand.
Melbourne – described as Australia’s ale capital – and Perth were the two other cities named as the best in Oceania for beer in Lonely Planet’sGlobal Beer Tour.
Melbourne was lauded for its ‘‘breweries ranging from the mainstream (Mountain Goat) to the obscure but brilliant (La Sirene)’’ and ‘‘indie beer bars’’ in such neighbourhoods as Brunswick and Fitzroy.
Perth was commended for its long history of craft brewing and its Feral Brewing label.