Hand Pulled Beer In New Zealand

I’m personally of the opinion that beer tastes much better and cleaner when served from hand pull (or “beer engine”), than when it’s served through the mainstream “keg and tap” system. This is both because of the sharp taste added by the CO2 used to force the beer out of the keg through the tap, as well as the generally too low temperature keg beer is served at. I know I’m not the only person who thinks this way, as Camra, the beer consumer organisation of the UK with over 160,000 members only considers beer to be “real ale” if it’s served this way (or directly from a bottle, can or other container where it has gone through secondary fermentation). Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be many places in New Zealand that serve hand-pulled beer, so it can be hard to find, especially if you’re new to the country or to a specific location.

To help you find these tasty venues (and help me keep track of them), I’ll try to maintain a list of all the venues that serve beer from hand pull in New Zealand here. Of course I don’t know all of them yet, so I’ll add to the list as I discover more, and I’d also be very grateful for comments if you know of any places that are missing.

Venue City Address Hand Pulls
Craft Embassy Christchurch Level One, The Terrace, 126 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch 8011 6
The Free House Nelson 95 Collingwood Street, Nelson 7010 3
The Workshop Nelson 32c New Street, Nelson 7010 2 (capacity for 4)
Little Beer Quater Wellington 6 Edward Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 2
Moon Under Water Christchurch 152 Somerfield Street, Somerfield, Christchurch 8024 2
The Beer Engine Porirua 31 Whitehouse Road, TÄ«tahi Bay, Porirua 5022 2
The Malthouse Wellington 76 Willis Street, CBD, Wellington 6011 2
One Fat Bird Wellington 162 Karori Road, Karori, Wellington 6012 1(2)
Heyday Wellington 264a Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 1
The Rogue & Vagabond Wellington 18 Garrett Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 1
Salt and Wood Collective Waikanae 11 Ngaio Road, Waikanae 5036 1
Hashigo Zake Wellington 25 Taranaki Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 1
Urbanaut Brewery and Tap Room Auckland 597 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland 1021 1
Whistling Sisters Wellington 100 Taranaki Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 1
Bebemos Wellington 88 Riddiford Street, Newtown, Wellington 6021 1