New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for September is The Free House.
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The Nelson area continues to show the rest of New Zealand how it should be done, with a plethora of interesting breweries, characterful pubs, and handpumps popping up in several new establishments recently. At this point, though, the good example stops as most of those pubs' handpumps are connected to bags rather than barrels in which beer can properly condition. It's certainly a step in the right direction. Hopefully it will stimulate enough interest amongst customers and staff alike to prompt them to graduate beyond bags. The Free House are an honourable exception. They do set the right example. Their handpumps are usually to be found serving Townshend beers direct from the cask, although the beer sometimes seems to suffer from low turnover.
