웰링턴 크래프트 맥주 가이드: 걸어서 도는 브루어리·탭룸 코스와 Beervana

If you have half a day or a full day in Wellington and want to spend it on craft beer but don't know where to start, this guide is for you. It groups the breweries and taprooms featured by WellingtonNZ, the city's official tourism agency, into walkable routes, lists the addresses confirmed on official pages, and covers the seaside and suburban options, the annual Beervana festival held around August, useful ordering phrases and New Zealand's drinking rules. Opening hours and tour prices change often, so we have not listed them. Please check each venue's official website before you go. (Checked: 30 September 2026)

Why Wellington is called the craft beer capital

WellingtonNZ describes the city as having a thriving craft beer industry, noting that many people call it the craft brewing capital of New Zealand. The good news for visitors is that the central city is compact. Brewpubs, where you drink beside the brewing kit, and bars pouring beer from many breweries cluster around Cuba Street, Aro Valley and Tory Street, so you can visit several on foot.

It helps to think of the venues in two groups:

• Brewery taprooms: they pour their own beer. Garage Project, Heyday, Mean Doses and Parrotdog are examples.
• Free houses: bars not tied to one brewery, stocking beer from many producers. Golding's Free Dive, Little Beer Quarter and The Malthouse are examples, and they are ideal for comparing several breweries in one sitting.

Walkable central-city venues (addresses from WellingtonNZ official pages)

For Fork & Brewer, Little Beer Quarter and The Malthouse we could only confirm the street name on the official pages, so use the venue links in the table (Google Maps search) to find the exact address.

Suggested walking routes

Walking distances and times depend on where you start, so we have not given numbers. For routes A and B, the 'walking route' link opens the route in Google Maps. For routes C and D, use the venue links to find each location.

Route A starts up the hill in Aro Valley and heads down towards Cuba Street, which makes for easier walking. Garage Project has two venues; if you only visit one, the Leeds Street site has 30+ taps. Ordering a tasting paddle rather than full pints at each stop makes it much easier to visit several places.

Seaside and suburban options

Parrotdog was started in 2011 by three university students, all named Matt. Its bar sits one block back from Lyall Bay beach, with 17 rotating taps and fermentation tanks visible through the windows. Nearby in Miramar, Double Vision Brewery began as a hobby among four friends and serves more than a dozen beers plus food from a warehouse-style brewery in the film-industry neighbourhood. Waitoa in Hātaitai is a brewery by day and a bar by night, and will fill your flagon if you bring one.

Brewtown in Upper Hutt is a brewing precinct on the 6,000 m² site of the former Dunlop tyre factory. It houses Panhead Custom Ales, Boneface Brewing, Te Aro Brewing and Wild Kiwi Distillery, along with a 4,500 m² entertainment venue. WellingtonNZ says brewers were drawn to Upper Hutt by its water. Take the train from Wellington Station and walk from Upper Hutt Station, so it is easy to do without a car. Check train times with Metlink.

Beervana: Wellington's annual beer festival

Beervana began in 2001 as the NZ Beer Expo and is Wellington's flagship beer festival. According to WellingtonNZ, it draws more than 16,000 people over two days with around 50 breweries taking part, and cider and non-alcoholic beer are available too. The festival runs as four sessions across the weekend, each lasting five hours. The 2026 festival took place on 21-22 August at Hnry Stadium and has already finished. WellingtonNZ lists the next festival for August 2027 at Hnry Stadium; check the official Beervana website for exact dates and ticket releases.

Outside festival time, the Craft Beer Capital trail is a self-guided option: collect stamps from participating bars and breweries on the brochure map and send it in for a souvenir. You can go in any order, and buying food or a non-alcoholic drink also earns a stamp. Postage for the souvenir pack is paid by the participant and depends on the destination. Check the official site for the current list of venues and whether the trail is running.

Useful phrases for ordering

Check before you go

• Hours and closing days: these vary by day and change often. Check each venue's website or Google Maps on the day.
• Tour bookings: prices and times for tours such as Garage Project's Wild Workshop can change, so check availability on the official site first.
• ID: you must be 18 or over to buy or be served alcohol in New Zealand and may be asked for proof of age. Visitors should carry a passport.
• Drinking in public: many New Zealand towns and cities have alcohol-free public areas. Save takeaway cans for your accommodation, and check Wellington City Council's alcohol ban page for the areas and times that apply in Wellington.

Drink driving and drinking responsibly

Leave the car behind for a beer trail. According to section 11 of the Land Transport Act 1998 and guidance from NZTA and NZ Police, the limit for drivers aged 20 and over is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood (250 micrograms per litre of breath), and zero for drivers under 20. Even below the limit your judgement is affected, so if you have had a drink, don't drive. Plan your day around walking, buses, trains and taxis, drink water between taprooms, use tasting paddles to pace yourself, and eat as you go.

Photo credits

• Ballofstring, CC BY-SA 3.0, source — resized and converted to WebP
• Itineris55, CC BY-SA 4.0, source — resized and converted to WebP