The Twisted Hop

Brewery, Bar, Eatery

616 Ferry Rd
Woolston
Christchurch, 8023
New Zealand

+64 3 943 4681 | map
thetwistedhop.co.nz
BEER STATS
Average:
3.77
Beers:
10
Ratings:
37
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.41
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
8
pDev:
4.76%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by rxdrewthejew:
Photo of rxdrewthejew
Reviewed by rxdrewthejew from California

4.45/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
This was really the only place I made a point to stop at during my trip to NZ, and I'm glad I did.

Not particularly hard to find, but a little bit off the beaten path. It took me forever to find it because I took a wrong turn, but once I figured out where I was, it was no big deal.

I was there probably around 2 PM on St. Patrick's Day and it was EMPTY! I was a bit surprised, especially considering how busy the bars were that evening, but I guess it was a Tuesday at 2 PM, so kinda early for drinking. I was greeted by the bartender who took me to my seat and got me a beer (I started with the Challenger). Very friendly fellow, we talked a bit about the craft beer scene in NZ, about the cask setup they have at the Pub, etc.

The Challenger was a tasty bitter pulled straight from the cask. Can't go wrong with that. They had a decent selection of stuff, all of their regular beers plus one seasonal on cask, and then another 4 or 5 guest beers on tap. I also had one of the guest beers, and IPA, but don't remember what it was called. Compared to the other places I went while in NZ, they had a nice and unique selection...no Monteith's or Speights or the other things you see basically everywhere else.

For lunch, I had the Irish Stew, which was the specialty for the day. It was absolutely delicious.

The value seemed good to me, I figure I paid about 15 USD for my meal and two beers. In LA you pretty much would never be able to do that for two good beers and a good meal.

They also have daily brewery tours and 4 PM which I wasn't able to get to.

Overall, if you end up in CC, this is probably the best brewpub in town to stop at. I highly recommend it.
Mar 29, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

4.3/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
The Twisted Hop is Christchurch's one and only brewpub and they do a damn good job. Set down a small laneway in the city centre, the pub itself has a spacious outdoor seating area and a cosy, warm interior. They serve a full range of British style beers along with a few other additions to their range with four of their beers served on cask. Most of the beers are very good and any quality problems are not on the front-of-house side. The staff are all friendly and were willing to give me some pointers about places to visit while in NZ. The selection is good for a brewpub with them also having a couple of guest taps and some guest bottles as well. The food was also good and everything was well priced. On the whole, The Twisted Hop was in my top 5 beer venues in NZ.
Nov 06, 2010
Photo of flexabull
Reviewed by flexabull from California

4.2/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Very cool old building down a small little alleyway just a few blocks from the center of Christchurch. Outdoor seating, and plenty of indoor seating, with a second floor balcony as well.

Service was good, nice, friendly, and patient with the dumb Americans (us) that couldn't figure out what to order.

Quality is high. Very tasty and flavorful session brews, I had two, a very nice bitter, and an above average gold ale.

Not a bad selection, I think they had 8 of their own beers. Mostly of the British Style, with most also being hand pumped real ales. They also had 2 or 3 guest brews as well.

Pretty fair as far as NZ prices go. Got a large tasty personal pizza and a imperial pint for $20 NZ.

Glad we went out of our way to find this place. Nice tasty sessionable ales in a great atmosphere.
Nov 11, 2009
Photo of TubaManJack
Reviewed by TubaManJack from District of Columbia

4.41/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Wow this is a must see for Christchurch. Its hidden in plain sight and like some bars in CHC its in an alley. The atmosphere was really cool, with a modern clean brick/wood interior. There are long tables and outdoor seating, which combine to have a communal atmosphere and very open. However if your tall, watch your head on the hanging lighting.The quality was pretty good, no detractors. The service was pretty very good, with the staff being very understanding with answering my friends questions and giving them suggestions. The staff could also properly pour from the taps and handpump, I am by no means and expert so I admire that skill. The food looked good and the kitchen was still filling orders at 9:30. As for the selection and value, you will not find another place that does cask beer, let alone has a decent local bottle list, so it might seem a little high. But a full pint on cask for under $9 in NZ is a fair price.
May 16, 2009
Photo of Ig0r
Reviewed by Ig0r from Virginia

4.4/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I found this place almost by accident; I was on a five-hour stopover at the Christchurch airport and wandered downtown, found the pub, and had some lunch with a drink. I had the vegetable soup with a pint of the Challenger and was pleasantly surprised when the drink came out of a hand-pump.

Both the soup and the beer were hearty and full-flavored. I spoke with a local couple who were from Britain and said that they frequented the pub and appreciated it's British style.

I also appreciated the pub after a long (and delayed) international flight; it definitely made the stopover worth the time.
Sep 03, 2007
Photo of JavaJoe
Reviewed by JavaJoe from Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Being a big fan of the Dux a few blocks away, I could not pass up a visit to the Twisted Hop on my last tour through CHC. After 3 months in the field in Antarctica, drinking only frozen Speights and CD, a hand-pumped pint of Twisted Hop house ordinary bitter was a truly religious experience. For a late night snack, you can't beat one of their pork pies (available even after the kitchen has closed, which it does a bit early--maybe 10 or 11 pm on Friday) washed down with a pint of bitter. Their ESB is fairly good, too, in addition to their selection of bottled imports.
Mar 31, 2007
Photo of VitBAficionado
Reviewed by VitBAficionado from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

4.8/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Whether it is sitting outside on the verada during a cool summer night with dozens of people or chatting it up with the brewer in the middle of the day when no one else is there, it is safe to say that this is one of the best places to get a beer in NZ. Tucked away down Poplar St., which is really more of an alleyway, this place feels like a smallish converted industrial building - brick and wood everywhere. Most of the beers brewed in-house are served in the traditional cask condition style. Challenger, Twister Ankle, Golding Bitter are always available, with a seasonal or two filling the final spots. The Honey Dew along with some guest beers (all NZ microbrews) are also offered on standard CO2 keg lines. If for some crazy reason you decide you want a bottled beer I would say there are atleast 100 different bottled beers available from all over the world... price is a little high for some of these though. During a weekday when its not so busy the brewer or owner won't hesitate to give a tour of the small brewing area. If you're lucky they'll be making the Honey Dew and you'll get a chance to taste some of the best honey around (from Marlborough region just north if memory serves). Pretty big and varied food menu available but I havn't had an oppurtunity to eat here yet. If you happen to be in Christchurch you owe it to yourself to go and check this place out.
Mar 04, 2007
Photo of eallured
Reviewed by eallured from Wisconsin

4.64/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This is a very interesting brewpub hidden away down an alley somewhat near the city center (in American terms at least). The interior is mostly wood, including long wooden tables with benches. The beers brewed here are all served in the traditional English cask style (the owner is an expat from London). There are 4-5 beers on tap brewed on location, plus a couple of guest handles, which are all keg lines, but are also all NZ micros. No Speights to be found here! The staff was very friendly and set up a brewery tour for me. I had the chips, which were good, but not necessarily an indication of the quality of the rest of their food.
For those looking for some quality ales, and especially those who are fans of casked ales, I would highly recommend this place. It is one of the few places in NZ that pleased my palate.
Nov 30, 2006
The Twisted Hop in Christchurch, New Zealand
Brewery rating: 3.77 out of 5 with 37 ratings