Craft Beer in Queenstown?

[Ralph]

Heading down to Queenstown to meet up with the industry ice cream geeks for an ice cream conference this week. There will be some drinking going on at some stage and I was wondering if there are any decent craft beers available in bars down there.

 

Any suggestions of what is good? A quick search of the internet turns up 

Montys - Monteiths -  "The home of craft beer" - what a joke!

Dux de Lux - Micro brewery beer, but not quite what I am looking for.

Atlas - appears to have Emersons and Invercargill Brewery beers on tap, which sounds good to me. Latest info/review/facebook update was over a year ago. Not sure if this place is still running??

 

Any info or recommendations for me? I wont have transport and so it would have to be in town. If I had transport I would have been keen for a quick trip out to Arrow brewing.

[JR]

I have been in a small bar that had a pretty good range of craft beer - I think it was Atlas, it was pretty small though...

 

Being such a tourist place I think there are regular buses/shuttles to arrowtown.  The brewpub is really worth a visit and there were a couple of standout beers in their lineup.  Classy enough of a place to take a bunch of work related people to.  If you can find any (easy) way of getting out there I would make the trip.

[Nic]

Good Bars operate a few nice places. Can recommend Mini Bar in particular.

Atlas was still there a few months ago and seems fairly popular so I'd be surprised if it has gone. Emersons and Invercargill are the two main offerings.

Atlas during the day and Mini Bar at night would be my suggestion. (They're both quite small though)

[Ralph]

I have no problem with small, as long as they have good beer!

[JoKing]

There's nothing wrong with the Dux De Lux - you should still check it out.

[Ralph]

I live in Chch and know the Dux beers well. Nothing against their beers, I was just keen on something different.

 

Although since the Feb quake the Dux has been forced to close. The city wont be the same on a summers afternoon without the massive sunny beer garden at the Dux!!

[Rhyno]

The city wont be the same on a summers afternoon without the massive sunny beer garden at the Dux!!

Your right there, I can remember many times from my misspent youth at the Dux,

I only hope they can re-open once everything is sorted. Like you said, it just won't be the same, especially when things like the Buskers festival is on!

[martin w]

like's been said,dux and the arrow brewery are your only choices, speights ale house is another option-if you avoid the 3 star that is! the good bars bars may be your thing but i personally avoid them,they're the sort of places where the barman expects you to feel priviliged because the barman would stoop so low as to actually serve you and rape your wallet for serving you the usual suspects-thats just my opinion though!

if you go to the arrow theres normally a couple of beers available that aren't on tap but are available if you ask.

[Doublehoppy]

I was in Queenstown two weeks ago. Atlas is still going strong. On tap they had had Emersons Pils and Booky, PKB,  Invercargill Pils and Memphis APA. Apparently the later was a recipe of the bar owner's brewed at Invercargill. It was pretty good.

Pog Mahones (sp) Had a moa flag out, though I didn't actually go in

Mini Bar also worth a look, all bottles. Some craft and a few Belgians etc

The Italian Restaurant right next to Atlas on the Steamer Wharf also advertises as having Emersons on tap.

 

[Ralph]

Hmmm sitting in the conference today and Atlas is right out the window and across the street. Will try there first. Thanks for all the suggestions guys!!