Fairy-ales come true in capital
Once upon a time Siobhan Downes didn’t like beer, but that was a long, dark time ago. Now she has found Beervana.
Once upon a time, there was a young – well, legal drinking age – girl named Siobhan who didn’t care for beer. Despite hailing from the Speights-obsessed south, she spent her university days avoiding the stuff.
Then she moved to Wellington, where she turned up her nose at the bearded men who tried to woo her with their crafty brews.
But one day she got a ticket to a magical festival called Beervana. Wandering around with a tasting glass in hand, she sampled beers infused with lollies, beers bursting with fruity flavours, and beers inspired by ice cream and cakes.
As it turned out, she does like beer. Beervana manager Ryan McArthur nods knowingly as I tell him my tale. One of the festival’s missions is to take the ‘‘beer-curious’’, and convert them into believers.
‘‘Last year, we had 440 beers,’’ he says.
‘‘If you can’t find one beer in there you enjoy, then fair game. But beer is such a wide spectrum and has the ability to display so many different characters, from sour to sweet… we want people to come and have that epiphany.’’
Now in its 21st year, Beervana is considered New Zealand’s premier beer festival.
At this year’s event, on August 19-20, there will be more than 80 breweries from all over the country (as well as a few from further afield, thanks to our freshly reopened borders), setting up shop around Wellington’s Sky Stadium concourse.
The venue is a big part of what makes the festival unique. It is one big circle, so as you make your way around, the surprises keep on coming – brewery stands so elaborate they look like mini film sets, with cosplay artists, live bands, silent discos and some seriously good food offerings.
But beneath the dry ice and disco balls, the beers are the rock stars.
Many breweries will flex their creative muscles by creating one-off beers. Past examples include a crayfish gose, a Thai green curry-inspired brew, and Perky Nana stout.
If Beervana leaves you thirsty for more, the good news is there are plenty of places to continue your journey of beer discovery in Wellington, New Zealand’s craft beer capital.
Craft Beer Tours
For an introduction to Wellington’s beer scene, book yourself in with Craft Beer Tours.
I meet owner-operator Mike Henderson for a Crafternoon Delight tour, where we make our way to three inner-city brewpubs, spending an hour at each.
Sure, you could visit these places yourself. But on Henderson’s tours, at each brewery you are joined by a staff member who can share the behind-thescenes story of the business and tell you more about the beers.
You are presented with a tasting paddle at each stop. Henderson loves introducing people to styles they haven’t heard of, or attempting to change their minds about ones they aren’t a fan of.
At Fork & Brewer, my mind is blown by a biere de champagne – a beer that looks and tastes exactly like Champagne. At the next stop, I find a new favourite in Fortune Favours’ rose´ bier, which tastes like strawberries.
We finish at Whistling Sisters with a refreshing ginger beer, which the brewer informs me is made using 70kg of fresh ginger that he peels and slices by hand.
The tour is a great way to learn more about craft beer, with none of the snobbery or judgment sometimes associated with it.
Double Vision Brewing
Once you have conquered the inner city, the next step is to venture into Wellington’s suburbs, where even more beery goodness can be found.
One well worth visiting is Double Vision Brewing, around the road from We¯ ta¯ Workshop in Miramar. The brewery was established by four mates who met while working for a company that designed baby gear. They started brewing in garages on weekends.
What began as a part-time project turned into a new career for the quartet, as their boundarypushing brews – complete with punny names and cheeky illustrations by Harry – caught the attention of craft beer connoisseurs.
They officially launched in July 2016, and a couple of years later they opened their taproom, hoping to create a community hub.
To this day, they make the beers they would want to drink, and with 17 taps in their inviting taproom, they reckon they have something for everyone. My favourite is the Smooth Operator, a cream ale described as ‘‘cream soda for adults’’.
Brewtown
A short walk from Upper Hutt train station – a 45-minute ride from Wellington – is Brewtown.
The sprawling site, in an old tyre factory, is home to five breweries and a whisky distillery.
One of these is Boneface Brewing Co, a quirky, sci-fi-inspired brewery. Owner Matt Dainty has come up with a whole story for the brand centred around Planet Hoptron and its inhabitants, who were brought to life thanks to a secret potion known as The Juice.
The Juice is delicious – a dry-hopped gose full of citrus flavour but very easy to drink.
Boneface is also popular for its food, with tasty barbecue dishes and burgers. Be sure to book, because it gets busy on weekends. And it is familyfriendly, with a huge entertainment complex with go-kart racing, bowling, ice-skating, indoor paintball, and trampolining.