Hop Over to Nelson

Wellington may currently be the beer capital of New Zealand, but the city of Nelson in the South Island, with its sunshine, beaches and Abel Tasman National Park on its doorstep has certainly taken to the brown nectar too. It may well be because many of NZ's hops are grown just down the road in Motueka. I had the good fortune to visit Nelson not that long ago. I was there with my wife so it wasn't specifically a beer trip, but it was still nice to take in some of the local beeriness.

I cracked my first beer in Nelson at Deville, a very nice restaurant with a great garden where you can sit outside, enjoy the food and sample some beverages. They had a decent range of beer and cider on tap. I settled for a nice pint of Mussel Inn Golden Goose Lager. Golden Bay is a bit further away than Nelson but at least I was in the right region. Refreshing with a touch of hops. Perfect for afternoon in the sun.

The next place I checked out had been recommended to me by my friend Bex (a staunch Nelson advocate). I always go in for something quirky and the Free House Pub has that in spades. In the UK a Free House is a pub that is not affiliated with any particular brewery so is free to sell whatever brews it likes. The owners of the Free House in Nelson used this same philosophy. They bought a little church, put a bar in it, put a big Mongolian Ger on the front lawn for events and then encouraged people to plant themselves at a mismatched table or on a bean bag outside and take their time enjoying pints (or half pints) of random beer. The place was the closest we had found to a proper English pub in New Zealand, while at the same time feeling distinctly New Zealand. There is something a little naughty about drinking in a church, but that aside I highly recommend it as a place to spend some time.

With the growth of craft brewing, places like the Sprig and Fern have opened taverns all around Nelson (and Wellington and Auckland too). It is a smart way to get your own brews to the market and Sprig and Fern have a wide variety of them. We decided to stop for a quick Sunday afternoon pint at the Sprig and Fern in Hardy Street, Nelson. The bar itself was nice enough, but could be one of many other similar ones around the place. It was nice to enjoy a pint of their American Amber Ale. Love those red beers. It was also interesting to see the range of people popping for a quick beer, from young people still recovering from the night before to old ladies just after a half of Stout.

A weekend isn't a long time, and given the chance I would go back to Nelson to check out more of the beer brewing activities that go on there. Brewery Tour anyone?