Wānaka has been discreetly serious about beer since the mid-2010s. Three breweries now operate within easy reach of the lake, each with its own character and its own crowd.
Part of what makes Wānaka’s brewing scene credible is the water. The Southern Lakes draw from snowmelt and alpine aquifers; the mineral profile is clean and consistent, which matters more than most beer drinkers realise. Add the altitude, the culture of athletes and outdoor people who end up settling here, and you get a town that takes fermentation seriously. The beer tends to reflect that.
What follows is where to go and what to expect when you get there.
Ground Up Brewing
The founders, Oli Boyes and Julian Mark Webster, were climbers first, which is why most of the beers are named after routes and climbs. Ground Up started in 2015 on a tiny 100-litre system and now pours 22 taps from its brewery and taproom at 4 Gordon Road, including stouts, pilsners, IPAs, pale ale and hazy.
Order at the bar, find a seat outside if the Wānaka weather is delivering. If it isn’t or you have plans for an evening in the hot tub, ask them to fill a rigger to enjoy back to your holiday home.
Rhyme & Reason
Brewer Jess Wolfgang and engineer Simon Ross started Rhyme & Reason in 2017. Frustrated by the canning equipment available at the time, Ross designed his own. The result is a brewery that takes process seriously. 14 taps across the Tap Room, Malt Room and beer garden. Worth visiting for the space as much as the beer. And if beer isn’t your thing, check out the extensive local wine list.
b.effect Brewing
b.effect converted a car workshop on Ballantyne Road into their brewery and taproom in 2019. The space still has that utilitarian quality, which suits the operation. James Hay started the brewery in 2015; the range has since expanded to include cider, ginger beer and kombucha, all produced on the same floor. Ideal if you want to see how the thing is made.
The Beerfest
Each December, the Wānaka Beerfest takes over the A&P Showgrounds on the edge of town. Most of the region’s producers are there, alongside food, live music and the particular atmosphere of a summer evening in the Southern Lakes. It’s relaxed in the way Wānaka tends to be. Worth timing a stay around if you’re arriving in early summer.
If you’re coming for the Beerfest, book accommodation early. December fills quickly and the best private homes go first.
Discover other events in Wānaka
Where to drink in town
Lake Bar has the best spot on the waterfront – we find that lake views and craft beer make a great combo – and keeps a rotating local tap list. For something less exposed, Kai Whakapai has been a reliable stop for years, with a good selection of craft beers. If you want to work through several breweries in one sitting and gaze at the snow-capped mountains, the Wānaka Brew Bar is the place to do it.
When to sample the local brews
Any time of year suits a beer, especially if it’s after a long day on the trails or slopes, but we particularly like late autumn. The ski season hasn’t started, the trails are quieter, and the taprooms fill with a different crowd, locals largely, and people who have been coming here long enough to know the difference. Beer suits the cold. It suits Wānaka in May.
A private Wānaka holiday home with few good bottles in the rack suits this kind of trip better than a hotel room.
Make it about the wine too
Central Otago’s wine country begins just east of Wānaka township. Bannockburn and the Cromwell Basin are under an hour’s drive; Felton Road and Burn Cottage are worth building an afternoon around. A region that produces serious pinot noir and takes its craft beer equally seriously is worth more than a single visit. Read our guide to wine tasting around Wānaka
At Release NZ, we manage a curated collection of private homes in Wānaka and the Southern Lakes. If you’d like help planning a stay around any of the above, get in touch