hey guys, I am from NYC and am on my honeymoon in NZ. Can anyone recommend good bottle shops or breweries in Greymouth, Franz Josef, Marlborough, Nelson?
I visited this place in Nelson about 4 years ago: http://www.thefreehouse.co.nz/ An old church, turned bar. Was a bit depressing drinking in a church with Lana Del Rey playing. Maybe the music has changed. There is also this place in Mapua (about a 20-30 min drive from Nelson): http://www.goldenbearbrewing.com/home Run by a Californian (hence the name).
In Franz Josef, I just bought in the local grocery store. Can't remember the name, but you can't miss it since the main drag is so small. I picked up Tuatara there at the time, so I am sure there probably will be other interesting things to buy. In Nelson (and probably in the other towns too), just head to the supermarket. I went to New World there (and also in Wellington). There was always quite a few interesting NZ beers to choose from. Photo is New World in Nelson about a month ago:
For brewery ideas around Nelson check out Marchfest.com to see who brewed for Marchfest earlier this year.
check out http://www.soba.org.nz/ their printed "zines are often found in touristy places, gives you some sort of , unfortunately often out dated , info about what going on
I hear the Fresh Choice supermarket in Nelson has a wide selection of beer. I'd suggest a visit to Motueka, a short drive from Nelson. You can visit a Sprig & Fern tavern, with a wide selection of their beers available on tap (and I think they are much better on tap). You can also visit Hop Federation, sample the beers on tap then purchase bottles to take away. If you purchase some bottles, they will waive the sampling fee. Drink plenty of Emerson's, and make sure you try all the Kiwi staple foods like meat pies, Whitebait Fritters and fish & chips.
Have you seen this: http://www.craftbrewingcapital.co.nz The "Craft Beer Trail" is pretty useful. As, to breweries, check out the locals, Townshends, Hop Federation, Golden Bear and Sprig & Fern (which have pleasant brewpubs, if somewhat sedate beers). Fresh Choice in Nelson is an excellent spot to grab some bottles. Panhead, Garage Project, 8Wired and Epic are some of the NZ breweries to keep an eye out for.
Moa in Blenheim was a nice stop between wineries, Monteith's was the only thing in Greymouth, everything else I noticed down the West Coast has already been mentioned above.
