To all you first years: Welcome to Wellington, the capital of beer. You may not have realised it, but you now have a huge range of finely crafted brews from New Zealand and around the world right on your doorstep.
Wellington is home to many specialist beer outlets, offering a lot more than your (very) average DB or Lion products. We realise students aren’t able to pay $20 per bottle, but there are places to get some amazing craft brews on the cheap.
If you’re drinking at home, by far the cheapest place to buy New Zealand craft beer is Regional Wines and Spirits, situated opposite the Basin Reserve at the bottom of Ellice Street. Regional has a massive range of bottled beer, but the draw card for students should be the eleven ‘Fill Your Own’ taps. Using these taps you can fill 1.25L or 2L riggers with craft beers from Emerson’s, Three Boys, Tuatara and many more.
Prices start at around $10, so there’s no excuse to be drinking shit like Tui.
For those of you who enjoy a beer in town, cult beer bar Hashigo Zake proudly displays the motto “no crap on tap” on its door. This Japanese-themed basement bar can be found at 25 Taranaki Street and is known for its conversation-friendly atmosphere, knowledgeable staff and massive range of craft beers. Being a freehouse, Hashigo has 10 regularly changing taps with beer available from $5.50 a glass. It has fridges filled with beer from Invercargill to California, tasting like everything from chocolate to banana to a mouthful of hops. You can even take your favourites home with you thanks to their new off licence.
Just around the corner on Courtenay Place is The Malthouse. The Malthouse has been stocking tasty brews long before the craft beer scene was cool. It has six different temperature controlled fridges stocking a wide range of beer, and so many taps we keep losing count. By day The Malthouse is the perfect place to have a pint of Tuatara and a bowl of fries (best aioli in town) while doing your readings, and by night they transform into a busy bar with great music and make-shift dance floors in front of the bar and between the outdoor leaners. They also have an off licence—way cool.
So why drink generic, bland beer this O-Week with so many craft beer options available? Orientation is the perfect excuse to orientate yourself with the wide selection of tasty beer available in this wonderful city, and it doesn’t have to break the bank.
Cheers!