Wellington, New Zealand's Craft Beer Scene - Kelp, Oysters and Beervana

The craft beer movement, initially fuelled by a resurgent interest in home brewing, has overturned traditional and mainstream ideas about beer and brewing all around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, where more than a dozen craft and boutique breweries, nano-breweries (brewing just one batch at a time) and brewpubs (pubs that brew onsite) are based. At least as many others are located just beyond the city limits, among the hillsides and valleys of the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa.

In Wellington, as in the rest of the country, the desire for quality beer now trumps quantity. A recent market update highlighted the rapid growth in the craft beer market, against a rising tide of figures showing that people are drinking less beer than in the past. As overall beer volumes fell – by 10 percent between 2008 and 2014 – consumption of craft beer rose. Over the same period, the number of breweries more than doubled, from 39 to 96. Among the best-known breweries in the Wellington area are Black Dog, Fork and Brewer, ParrotDog, and Tuatara. Most of the boutique breweries offer cellar-door tastings, sales and/or brewery tours. They work closely with specialty pubs and bars like Golding’s Free Dive, Hashigo Zake, Malthouse, Little Beer Quarter, Rogue and Vagabond, serving up good old-fashioned hospitality along with their delicious award-winning ales.

Beer-Themed Events

For two days each August, about 10,000 people descend upon Wellington for Beervana, the biggest event on New Zealand’s beer calendar. Festival patrons can taste more than 200 different ales from more than 50 breweries. Beervana is the largest fixture of the Wellington on a Plate festival of food and dining. It is bookended by smaller-scale beer-centred events such as limited-edition beers, brewery tours, and tastings matched with coffee, chocolate, cheese or curry. Festivalgoers can vote for the best-matched beer and burger combo in the Burger Wellington Battle, played out at 70 different eateries.

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At Hopstock, held over four days in April, beers brewed from hops harvested just across the water in Nelson are served at bars throughout Wellington. In 2015, some 28 breweries produced 25 fresh-hopped beers for Hopstock.

The Garage Project

Jos Russell, one third of the brains behind Garage Project, an innovative micro-brewery based in a former automotive garage, says the beer scene in Wellington has developed enormously since they started in 2011. Russell, along with brothers Pete and Ian Gillespie, began Garage Project with a view to create beers that were different and would challenge people’s palates. In their first year of operation, they brewed more than 40 different styles of beer and since then they’ve become Wellington legends. Garage Project was named in the top spot on the 2015 Deloitte Fast 50, with a massive 664% growth, making it New Zealand’s fastest growing business. Some of their quirkier style beers include the Unami Monster, which uses New Zealand-grown kombu (kelp), Japanese Katsuobushi (dried fermented bonito flakes), smoked malt and seawater. Their Cabbage and Kings Imperial Oyster Stout is brewed with 10 dozen fresh Te Matuku Bay Pacific oysters, and is infused with the local flavours of horopito and manuka smoked malt. All of their creations are canned or bottled in magnificent looking vessels designed by local artists. [url=http://garageproject.co.nz/]http://garageproject.co.nz/[/url] To include craft beer with your New Zealand travel adventure, please visit: www.NewZealand.com and type “beer” in the search box.