lizard

Whats the best pint in NZ. My normal tipple is mansfield bitter or stones bitter, I know I may be struggling over there. I dont mind lagers though. Whats lion red like, never managed to try when we were over there? Whats everyone elses favorite drink in NZ?

Don

There's quite a good choice if you look. The bottled beers are OK and you can get quite a few good brews. The Speight's family is excellent. Even better on draught. http://www.speights.co.nz/beer_brands.cfm

However, bottled beers don't get as much space in supermkts as tins which aren't as good even if they are supposed to be the same beer.

extrameant

If you are coming to Auckland there is a good pub called Galbraiths in Mt Eden. Makes its own ales which are quite like some english ones. There is also a couple of theme pubs called the Cock and Bull, (a new one opening in New Market) which I am told is like an english pub, presumably with english beers. There is also the Dogs Bollix of course, a Irish theme pub that seems to attract all the celts.

I'm Scottish and don't like your english pish, preferring Belhaven brewery stuff. Nothing like that here unforutunately (the closest is the Bellringers in Galbraiths). Most places sell cans of Guinness or boddingtons with the widget for $4 a can.

I also had to change to lagers cos the kiwi stuff is not great. Lion red and similar beers are marketed at teenagers and by the taste of them, all the money goes into advertising. Lion Red, Kiwi gold etc are the most commonly drunk here, by the looks of stock in the bottle shops. If you like english beer, you won't like them. The older people I know don't like them.

If you like light, they do a reasonable light beer (Macs Black or something)

To answer your question, my favourite was Tuborg (Denmark lager) on tap from Galbraiths but now they don't do it. Beer is a scary price in NZ, Galbraiths now sell another imported lager (can't remember just now) which costs $8.50 a pint! Drinking out here is for the rich. The cheapest beer I have had in Auckland was out a pretty rough betting shop, and it was $3.50 for about 400ml glass and that was just Lion red or nothing. Right enough, you can go to RSA's and get cheap beer if there's one near you.

Buying carry out beer is a bit cheaper. You can get almost any imported beer if you look hard enough and are prepared to pay. Too expensive for most. Eventually my criteria was to buy the most alcohol per cent, since it is all pretty crappy anyway. Can't stand people who say they drink for the taste. Might as well go and have a milkshake. Ended up drinking ranfurly lager which comes in a 450mm 4.5% can for about $13~15 for 12. Almost all cans are 330ml, hardly worth the bother. I always drool when I see big cans on UK programs, one of the things I miss. Am I an alchoholic? Nah, I spill most of it now.


If you have too refined a taste to just drink the cheapest, I can recommend trying a kiwi lager in a bottle called Haagen. By the looks of it, it is a kiwi beer designed to look like a foriegn beer, going for the same market. It is cheaper than real foriegn lagers though, about $20 for 12 small 300ml bottles. Worth a try, cos to me it seems much better than any other kiwi lager I have tried, plus it is 5% instead of the usual 4% (Kiwis aren't great with their drink so hence 4% is the norm. They seem to get their kicks out of smoking instead)

I'm sure there are a lot of you guys in UK thinking 'what a sad b@stard' but I wonder how many of you will go through the same thought processes I went through once you are here. Especially at the beginiing when you are really stuck of cash. Drinking becomes a bit of a luxury down here (I hope you guys coming on $36k don't drink), so you tend to think of it in a different light. I never used to bother with the volume, %, cost, value equation back home, just volume/time!

I hate to give you english anything useful, but I am feeling generous today (going on holiday tomorrow) Heres some words of wisdom I got from some heavy drinkers back in the Scotland. Try cremola foam for a hangover cure. It is truly wonderful. If you try it, try to remember to pack a load when you come over, cos you can't get it here. Another thing I miss here!

lizard

Cheers for that info. Nice to see ex colonials helping out the English ( sorry joke) Agree with what you say though. Alcohol is supposed to make you happy, if its too expensive go for higher percentage stuff. I will make homebrew in NZ, best way to guarantee quality hangovers. I think beer in NZ is more expensive than UK.

extrameant

Yeah, as you know, everyones always to happy to help the English out (the door that is)
'Squze the lack of emicons or whatever they are. If i put in old fashioned internet faces they get changed into something I never intended, so you will just have to guess when i am being sacastic etc Might be a bit hard for some of you english, so just try to keep up.
Homebrew is quite expensive too if you buy the cans, but you can get better results because the temerature is warmer and you don't need a heater (in summer anyway) The good news is you can make your own spirits legally. They have home brew stills and everything. I have tried some that are pretty good. You make some basic vodka stuff and then add whatevr flavour you like, (brandy, rum etc) I imagine there is a lof of people doing in their brain cells with this stuff, its pretty easy to make methanol instead of ethanol.
The only thing thats illegal is to sell it, but doesn't seem to bother the great unwashed.

lizard

I make homebrew from scratch, not kits. Spirit thing sounds groovy though.

extrameant

Went on a tour of the lions brewery and they said goldings hops were all grown near nelson as they didn't grow anywhere else. I remember using them in UK, but never knew that. In fact I am not sure she wasn't talking the usual bullshot. Anyway local supplies should notbe impossible.

Tooanfrom

Totally agree on the Haagen verdict-Haagen Gold is 6% and is more bang for your buck. Do not go for Stella Artois or Heiniken it is made under licence (dungmakers licence-tastes like sh#t)in Khyber Pass-again ,it is made in the right location!

Can still get imported Stella if you ferret around--if you are anywhere near Browns Bay on the North Shore, Auckland--go to "Speakers Corner" they have a very large selection of imported beers bottled and on tap.

Do not under any circumstances go near the "Leon Rouge"

binman

Favorite beer is Cock and Bulls real ale "Fuggles" it is even pulled in the traditional manner (Botany, Ellerslie). Best whiskey I have ever tasted is Wilson's that is distilled down in Otago, nah just joking about the last one, the Japanese stuff is better.

Dave the Rave

Can U get Special Brew

binman

Sure can Dave but it is called Elephant Beer over here. Why I have no idea as after a few of those I cant remember a sodding thing. The same afore mentioned Cock and Bull also brew an award winning high alcohol beer by the name of Monks Habit. Cheers binman

Dave the Rave

Elephant Beer eh like the sound of it. don't ever try and drinlk a tinny while bungying. A mess! Aparently you can get a special lid for cans to stop it spilling.has a straw in the lid so you can suck n fall. Awesome!

sunshine_and_rain

We like most of the Montheith's range - nice beers and pilsners

uk+kiwi

Errr - what about the obvious Steinlager? Or is this out of fashion now? From memory, I thought this was a 5% lager. Found the comment re: alcohol strength interesting as my OH struggled when he first came to UK from NZ 'caus he thought all the pub/bar lagers (for pints, so on tap mainly) were pretty weak compared to what he was used to.

I thought Steinlager was the mainstream leading lager, or am I terribly out-of-date?

Continental lagers are of course pretty good and tend to be a bit stronger which is what we would usually consume in the UK. Do you get Hoegaarden in NZ? Just curious. Its a lovely refreshing white beer, quite fruity, which is just great on balmy summer evenings out on the patio - no deck as yet!!!

Ooo, with the heatwave we've been having, I am tempted to open one from the fridge now, but have to collect hubby in 15 mins so will need to wait till kids are in bed!

Tooanfrom

Re Steinlager--that seems to have done its dash, can get it most places on tap.

Hoegarden(sp) is available and as you say quite nice--there is a chain of Belgian Beer bars --name escapes me-got one in Hamilton and one in Tauranga which I have been in , there is one in Auckland which I will give a little "nudge" first chance I get! Anyone out there in the Land of the Long White Cloud can remind me of the name of the company? Ta.

I have taken a liking to Duval-8.5% -expensive at $5.95c a 330 ml bottle, but compared to drinking Lion Red-no contest.

As it was once said "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they get up in the morning ,thats as good as they are gonna feel all day!"