I don’t think it’s any secret that I really enjoy beer.  Especially a good microbrew.  With all the traveling I’ve done, I’ve come to appreciate that Seattle has some of the best beer in the WORLD.  Seriously.

That being said, I can normally find decent beer on my travels.  Well, I’m sorry New Zealand, you have AMAZING WINE, but you left me wanting when it came to a good microbrew.

I already wrote about my run in Hamner Springs where I spent the night camping alone.  After the run I tried this beer (above) from Monteith’s – their “Winter Brew.”  As I got up to leave, some Kiwi’s invited me over to join them and try their beers, so of course I was happy to oblige.  I tasted the cider, IPA, and porter.  They all looked very different, but they all tasted just like Bud Light!  No offense, I heart But Light (in the right setting), but it was really weird to be drinking a dark beer that tasted so…not dark.

This story repeated itself with most of the beers I tried in NZ…until the discovery of Mac’s Brewery that is!   Mac’s beers were delicious!  They also had great food!  So much so that I ate at not one, not two, but THREE breweries when I was Down Under!  Look how happy Mac’s made me:

 

Not only were their beer’s delicious, but the people at Mac’s strive to make drinking an enjoyable experience.  They write hilarious descriptions for each of their beers, and even have the pitcher’s labeled to maximise amusement.

When a brewery wasn’t available, I had to settle for bottled beer.  Don’t worry, it wasn’t really settling…

Here are some shots from inside the Brewery in Auckland, where they have famous pro-drinking quotes written on their brewing casks.  I’ve also posted pictures of the beer menu from Wellington.  If you have time, open the pictures in a larger screen and read the descriptions.  Pretty hilarious!

My favourite description?:

 A big thank you to Mac’s for making my trip beer-tastic!