Hello All @ Real Beer

[Douglas Adam's]

Brief insight Wife & I are from Birkenhead Merseyside UK, due on a holiday over to your country the month, start: Dec 2009 <> end: start Jan 2010 hoping to devour some of your superb & abundant food, wine & cast conditioned ale we are looking at some advice to eat and drink on the North & South Islands
Any advice is welcome

Kind Regards
Douglas

[kier]

If you're in the Nelson region you won't regret popping in to The Moutere Inn or The Free House. Both are freehouses specialising in craft beer and real ale.

[kier]

I forgot to add we've got accomodation at the pub and we're situated in the midle of NZ's hop growing region and among many of Nelson's wineries. check out www.moutereinn.co.nz for details.

[jamis]

I would suggest you spend 2/3 or your time in the south island.
In Blenheim ( apart from all the wineries) there is http://www.dodsonstreetbistro.co.nz/ which has very good wood fired pizzas, and even better Renaissance beer, brewed on site, you can see the brewery thru glass inside the restaurant/bar. They also have the very excellent 666 Brewing beer on tap.

[Douglas Adam's]

We are staying over at Nelson for two days over Christmas, thanks Kier they are pencilled in, Jamis,: Passing though Blenheim heading for the ferry at Picton, Renaissance beer & wood fired pizzas, what an invite :- )
Apologise for the typo, meant to say “Cask” later end of a session on the Timothy Taylors landlord bitter, fingers get lethargic, bad excuse...

[Soren]

if you go to Dodson st, feel free to come next door and have a look at the brewery. Moa brewing also have a tasting room just outside of Blenheim which is worth visit although they mainly do lagers (you sound like ale-people).

[Geoff Griggs]

The pizzas at Dodson Street Bistro & Alehouse aren't wood fired, but the recommendation is otherwise a good one.

[Nigel Gregory]

Hi Douglas,

If you are visiting the tourist mecca of Rotorua during your stay, the local craft brewery Croucher Brewing has a small pub/bar in town called 'the UNDERGROUND bar'. We have our full range of beers on tap, plus a handfull of other craft beers in bottles (these change on a monthly basis).

We'd love to see you.

Nigel
Croucher Brewing / the UNDERGROUND bar

[Greig McGill]

Douglas, I'd like to second this one. UNDERGROUND (caps is it Nigel?) is a fantastic pub. It's all that a pub should be. I say pub, not bar, as it really does feel like an English pub as opposed to some of our more beer-soaked sports-on-the-telly get-ya-drunk bars in NZ.

If I lived in Rotovegas, I'd be there every night. As it is, I'm planning my next trip over.

[Ally Mcg]

I'll third it - on my only visit to Rotovegas I was there every night.

And there's also a very good South American resturant 10 mins walk away - Sabrosa.

[Nigel Gregory]

Yes, Sabroso is an excellent restaurant!!! Great people, and they even great beer (shameless plug).

Nige
Croucher Brewing

[David Wood]

In Wellington, visit Malthouse (great NZ craft beer range), Bar Edward (two hand pulls and a great NZ craft range) and Hashigo Zake (will have a great beer range, and some of NZ's best wines). Then go to Regional Wines and Spirits for some beer/wine to take home.

[Martin Bridges]

If you make it up to Auckland there are a couple of must visit places: Galbraiths Alehouse on the city fringes for a wide selection of proper cask-conditioned English-style ales, and Hallertau out west for a range of more Kiwi/American influenced beers. Great food at both locations.

There are also a few reasonable beer bars around, though not a patch on Wellington or Nelson. Brew On Quay is showing promise, and the Cock & Bull pubs have some interesting beers. A bit overpoweringly English though!

If you're looking for good food, wine & beer then you need to get up to Matakana, about an hour's drive north of Auckland (although you can stop off at the excellent Tahi bar on the way). An excellent farmer's market, lots of wineries and the Leigh Sawmill brewery.

Give us a shout nearer the time and I'm sure we could arrange a meet-up somewhere.