Moutere Inn

[Ian]

Hi Folk,
Just thought I'd pop in a mention of our visit to the Moutere Inn. We took a drive up there yesterday from Picton and it was so very worth the journey. The pub is in a delightful historic building set in gorgeous countryside and the sight of some dozen taps with real beers is enough to bring one to tears. The challenge of trying them all (and they regularly feature new beers) is made easier by the fact that $10 gets you four 7oz. glasses of different ales/lagers. I started from right to left, but to be scientific I should vary that on the next visit to left to right and from the centre out the following time! Anyhow, a wonderful evening with some locals and Dave Watson, the hands-on partner, offering great hospitality to go with this beer enthusiast's heaven and great food to boot. We actually stayed the night - yep, they have a couple of rooms at the inn too.

[jamis]

4 tastes for $10 sounds like a good idea to me, sounds like a good place to stopover next time I,m over that way, such a beautiful part of the country to tiki tour.

[Ian]

It sure is, and you can also take in the Golden Bear brewery in nearby Mapua. Sadly they were closed when we stopped nearby for coffee and our hopes of coming away with a couple of riggers were dashed. The rooms at Moutere are not flash, but they are also not expensive and everything was nice and clean, so it is great. But the best of all, REAL beer in abundance.

[kier]

Thank you for the great write up Ian. Did you get a chance to taste the new Townshend Centurion Ale?

[Ian]

Happily, Kier, yes indeed! That was the tap on the left and the one I got to last - so the memory wasn't as sharp, but the taste buds still were! Next time that'll be first. Hell, I WISH we could have some of that here in Picton and it is a travesty that we don't.
Actually, whilst I'm having a bit of steam here, I never fully realised just how bad it was until our recent tiki tour around the North Island. The guys on this site had very fortunately pointed me to the Underground Croucher's pub in Rotorua where Nigel was a great host, the beer was glorious, and the pub super and cosy. But I had a job finding it and the i-site office didn't even know where it was! I also was steered to Galbraiths in Auckland and travelled quite a way to get there - but man it was so worth it!
But thoe are highlights and many of the in between bits are just too abysmal for words. We went for tea one evening to the Thisty Whale in Napier. This is a new and wonderfully fitted out pub on the waterfront. The food was brilliant as was the service and decor and they had a huge bank of taps, but all generic slop. Not even one guest tap for craft brews, even though there is a brewery in Napier - the Filter House I think. I chatted to the manager - a nice guy who said they were (you guessed of course) tied to the big monopolistic brewery. He added, unfortunately, that he himself was a Tui man!
This was the way with almost every pub everywhere and I can't help thinking someone (or many people) should be talking seriously to the big breweries, because one or two guest taps showcasing NZ craft beers to tourists and locals alike would help everyone and I am convinced would do th big guys no harm at all. Hell, you really have to work hard at getting a decent pint here in glorious little NZ!

[Nolen Smith]

Hey Kier, my wife and I are heading down that way from Welly over labour weekend. I've convinced her that a stop at 'the Inn' is essential - can't wait to see how far I can get through the beer menu.

[kier]

Excellent - I just hope now that it meets expectations now that Ian has raised the bar so high! :-)

Don't forget that there are also several other great beer venues in Nelson/Tasman/Marlborough. Will you be travelling onto Golden Bay? You've got to check out the Mussel Inn if you are and if you're in Nelson city The Free House is also well worth a look.

[Ian]

No-one will be dissapointed with the Moutere experience, I am certain of that. And the Mussel Inn is an absolute must to visit - superb pub/beer/food/owners. We've yet to try the Free house, which folk have been talking about recently and sounds very good. I see thhat Golden Bear Brewery also have a nice looking little pub on the waterfront at Mapua where they dispense their beers and, I believe, good food, so Nolen you'd better extend your trip to the region mate!