BAR OF THE MONTH - April

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for April is The Brewery, Cassels & Sons Brewery at The Tannery, Woolston, Christchurch.

There are fittingly grand plans to expand both the brewery's capacity, and the whole Tannery complex in the coming months. So long as it doesn't affect the quality of the beer, then no one in Christchurch will be complaining. The Brewery (as a venue) still hasn't reached its first birthday, but it has arguably already reached the peaks set by Galbraith's, and now has a fair claim to be New Zealand's best pub (for the quality of its beer - what else really matters in a pub?). The present batch of Best Bitter is truly outstanding, a remarkably fresh and drinkable beer, that any discerning drinker would travel some distance to sample. The odd barrel hasn't been perfect, but most have been exemplary. Such is its popularity that each barrel rarely lasts much longer than a day. Just how it should be! The award-winning Milk Stout is another beer that even has hardened beer enthusiasts drooling at the prospect of a pint being pulled. Much to their credit, Cassels now have six different beers on their handpumps. One of these is often a guest, such as Galbraith's, Townshend or, local brewery, Golden Eagle. Those out of touch with the brewing situation in Christchurch will be glad to hear that microbreweries producing real ale are abounding at the moment. Christchurch might, some time ago, have laid claim to the title of NZ's real ale capital. Can either Auckland or Nelson match it at the moment? The Twisted Hop Brewery is also back up and running out at Wigram. It's taking a while to get either of their new pubs under way, but one can visit their brewery and take away a 2 litre PET bottle of one of the old favourites tapped straight from the cask. I would have to say that the Golding Bitter on their opening night earlier this month was better than it had ever been, and was truly memorable in the best possible way! Back to the Cassels Brewery, though. The other Cassels beers currently on handpump include Big Ale Barley Wine (10.0%), an intense alcoholic, vinuous, smooth beer, which is a beautiful clear dark amber colour, and enough is always pulled through the pipes if it hasn't been poured for a little while to ensure that your glass doesn't include stale, warm beer. Alongside this are The Alchemist (4.6%), a golden ale that started out disappointingly cloudy rather than golden, but has improved immeasurably as the batch has aged, and Easterly Draught (4.3%), the much lamented Woolston Bitter's slightly stronger and sweeter replacement.

BAR OF THE MONTH - March

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for March is the Cock & Bull, Ellerslie.

The Cock & Bull's Ellerslie establishment was their second bar, and has many years' experience of serving the Fuggles Best Bitter by handpump. So long as you time your visit and order judiciously, you stand a reasonable chance of getting a fresh pint in respectable condition.

BAR OF THE MONTH - February

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for February is Roosters Brewhouse, Hastings.

Roosters is a wonderfully unpretentious bar and microbrewery which concentrates on serving good beer to its loyal local clientele. Its unexpected industrial setting on the outskirts of Hastings makes the pleasantly relaxed hospitality within all the more special. Whilst supping a pint at one of the well-worn tables, you are likely to see as many customers filling their flagons with takeaway beer before 7 pm closing time as you are to see beer tapped at the bar by the welcoming and knowledgeable bar staff. Alas, only one beer is served by handpump, the rest being unduly carbonated. Even the handpulled beer has a blanket carbon dioxide coating 'helping it along the way', although this is only noticeable in the sense that the beer doesn't taste stale and oxidised! One could hardly condone the practise but, given the generally lamentable state of NZ beer, to receive anything that is fresh, and neither luke-warm nor gassy, is a minor miracle. Their handpulled beer changes with the season. Recently it has been the drinkable, although rather characterless 5.2% Roosters Pale Ale.

Little Beer Quarter

Little Beer Quarter, Edward St, Wellington.

See also BAR OF THE MONTH - July 2013.

LBQ, which opened last year, has recently had a handpump installed. It is expected to be in use soon.

BAR OF THE MONTH - January

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for January is The Old Bank, Blenheim.

Last year, The Old Bank had been hoping to install another couple of handpumps and chillers beneath the bar. Alas, this has not yet happened, meaning that occasionally you'll travel to this quietly hospitable place to find that there's nothing on the solitary handpump because the barrel's run out. Perhaps The Old Bank's slightly out-of-the-way position in the Blenheim suburb of Redwoodtown has reduced its turnover recently, but its handpulled beers have certainly proved extremely popular in the past. Also, be aware that they tend to close relatively early in the evenings, especially when they are not busy. Other lesser bars who allow their barrels of ale to sit beneath the bar at sultry room temperature should take note how simple it is to serve beer at the correct temperature of 12 °C. Townshend's excellent Old House ESB is the most common brew to find on the handpump. It does have a tendency to be cloudy, presumably due to the necessity of frequently changing over the barrels. Having a second pump on the go could alleviate this problem too.

BAR OF THE MONTH - December

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for December is Albar, Dunedin.

Since last year, Albar have doubled their number of handpumps. Amongst the beers being dispensed is likely to be Albar Golden (5.2%), brewed for them at the Invercargill Brewery. Also on tap recently have been beers such as Cassels Milk Stout, Emerson's Bookbinder and Porter, and even Belhaven Best. Despite the barman's claims, it seems unlikely that this latter can have been cask-conditioned. Mind you, its lengthy journey from Scotland was all too evident in its taste! The other beers are generally reasonably good, so long as you check they haven't been sitting in the pipes for too long, where the beer warms up and goes stale. Inevitably, some of the beer tastes fresher and livelier than other beer. One assumes that some of the 'flatter', more bland beer dispensed by handpump isn't actually living at all, having been either pasteurised or filtered, or both. If so, this is regrettable since the bar's approach is a breath of fresh air around The Octagon. They and their beer deserve to be more heavily patronised which may, in turn, increase their turnover to justify running four handpumps.

Eureka

Eureka Cafe and Bar, Albany St, Dunedin.

Eureka Bar, close to Otago University, has a well-deserved local reputation for the 'craft beers' it serves. Hand-pulled beer has become has become a regular feature of their bar in recent times. Cassels outstanding Milk Stout or a Golden Eagle beer have recently been served from their handpump.

BAR OF THE MONTH - November

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for November is The Brewery, Cassels & Sons Brewery at The Tannery, Woolston, Christchurch.

In the 6 months since opening, the Cassels Brewery has gone from strength to strength. The beer remains of a consistently excellent quality, and is rarely matched anywhere in New Zealand, other than at Galbraith's. This outstanding establishment is a shining light in Christchurch's rebuild.

BAR OF THE MONTH - October

New Zealand Real Ale Bar of the Month for October is Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn, Christchurch.

The welcome from Steve and his family is second-to-none, making this traditional pub a firm favourite with its loyal customers. This characterful old brick inn was originally Ward's Brewery, but has just celebrated a decade since being established as Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn. Many of the surrounding buildings were destroyed in the earthquake, but Pomeroy's had sufficient earthquake strengthening to withstand the devastating February quake and the seemingly never-ending aftershocks. The photo above dates from the beginning of April, just after Pomeroy's had moved outside the cordon and been able to reopen much to the delight of those of us who were going stir crazy in the city. At the time, getting to it was an arduous task, with long and treacherous silt-filled detours necessary by foot or by road. The effort was more than repaid. In the months since February, when it was one of very few establishments open near the city centre, Pomeroy's has gone from strength to strength. An on-site boutique brewery is planned (brewing and serving real ale, please!), and a second handpump has been installed, with two handpulled beers virtually always being on offer. Breweries represented on the handpump have recently included Townshend, Liberty Brewing, Twisted Hop (as and when barrels get rescued from months of suspended animation in the Red Zone), Three Boys and Golden Eagle. Despite the beer sitting in barrels or bags beneath the bar(!), its temperature isn't usually too far above the correct 12 °C temperature since it is consumed so quickly. Not all of the beers finding their way onto handpump are naturally conditioned either. Despite this, they are generally remarkably good which is, likewise, down to their short shelf life. Surely it wouldn't be so difficult to order cask-conditioned beer in proper barrels, store them in a temperature-controlled area behind the bar and then tap the beer straight from the cask? Now that really would set Pom's apart, and give it a good run at the title of NZ's best pub!

The Hop Garden

The Hop Garden, Pirie St, Wellington.

The Hop Garden, established by Bar Edward's owner, opened at the end of January, and purports to be a relaxed restaurant and 'craft beer' outlet. They have one handpump, pulling beer from a brewery such as Yeastie Boys or Pink Elephant up from a barrel beneath the bar. You may wish to enquire whether the beer being dispensed is cask conditioned, and object if it is being served at room temperature.