It’s an exciting time for beer in the Bay. The Hawke’s Bay beer scene is going from strength to strength. Our beers are picking up awards and our venues are evolving. If you haven’t been here in a while, make Hawke’s Bay your next beer destination.
Here’s the A to Z of our Hawke’s Bay Beer-scape:
Abbey Brewery, Bridge Pa
Drink Abbey’s beer (and wine) in their large glass-covered outdoor area or tucked up in front of the fire. Open at weekends in Winter – see their Facebook page for the details.
Brave Brewing Co, Hastings
Brave have recently taken out another award – this time People’s Pils made it into the Top 30 of the New World Beer & Cider Awards. They also brewed a collab with the Sawmill team, which will be available nationwide as part of Sawmill’s Homegrown IPA series. On top of this, their new bigger brewery/tasting room site is coming along nicely and they are hoping to open in spring. Winter hours at Warren Street: Thur 3-8pm, Fri 12-9pm, Sat 12-9pm, Sun 12-8pm
Giant Brewing, Havelock North
Off-licence sales and tastings (including guest taps) on Fridays and Saturdays – see their Facebook page for the details.
GodsOwn Brewery, Maraekakaho
A unique venue in rural Hawke’s Bay – the taps are in a vintage caravan, there’s covered seating in a safari tent and outdoor seating under the Hawke’s Bay sun with bonfires and braziers. GodsOwn are planning to close during the July school holidays, but will be back afterwards with the return of their ‘Don’t be Afraid of the Dark’ winter event. In August, they will likely reduce their hours to one day a week (Saturday…weather permitting) and for each week will plan a medieval dark beer and food feast match. These will involve limited release winter ales paired with open fire cooking / stewing of meaty broths and the likes and plenty of bonfires. More details (including opening hours) will be on their Facebook page.
Rogue Hop, Napier
Our newest independent craft beer destination in the heart of Napier, on Hastings Street. They focus on local indie craft beer and have got on and off-license – and the best range of independent beers in central Napier. Their beer menu is on Untappd – search Rogue Hop. Open Wed-Sat 9am to late. See their Facebook page for any updates to their opening hours.
Roosters, Hastings
Roosters have been around for ages, but if you haven’t been here in the last few years, you really should pop in again. Their kitchen has built up a good reputation, and they’ve got their full range of beers on tap too.
Westshore Beach Inn / Napier Brewing, Napier
Westshore Beach Inn is your one-stop-shop – they’ve got over 20 taps of craft beer on tap, a brewery, two restaurants (bistro and Philippine Asian Kitchen) and motel units all on one site. Their tap range is ever-changing – you can find their beer menu on Untappd. Napier Brewing’s new bigger brewery is being installed.
Zeelandt Brewery, Eskdale
Zeelandt have taken out another award – their Black Monk Schwarzbier (black lager) made it in to the Top 30 of the New World Beer & Cider Awards. They currently have three seasonal beers that are all bottle conditioned and available on their website: Two Dukes Dunkelweizen, Workers Unite Saison and Finders Keepers IPA. Zeelandt have been busy getting their beer garden (and on license) planning during lockdown and they are hoping to start building in September. Until then, they are open for off-license and tastings – see their Facebook page for more details.