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7 pubs in seven hours

The Auckland Beer Mile is not a challenge, but a destination: seven establishments spanning Mt Eden to Morningside, each championing independent brews. Britt Mann steps out to imbibe the vibe.

The Auckland Beer Mile was not designed to be ticked off in seven hours. The bounty of its establishments is best savoured over a few days, giving the liver a chance to regenerate and the memories a good shot at survival. But in the interests of a deadline, I meet the Mile’s co-founder Luke White to traverse some of the country’s leading craft beer makers and pourers, concentrated in a 3.2km-stretch of Auckland’s city fringe. White, who helms the online craft beer shop Beer Jerk with fellow Brit, Matt Eats, based the concept on London’s Bermondsey Beer Mile, whose railway arches frame a string of artisanal brew bars and bottle shops.

Brothers Brewery, 5 Akiraho Street

Train and bus services run the length of the Beer Mile, but we set out on foot, beginning our odyssey at Mt Eden’s Brothers Brewery with a paddle of five beers ranging from a kawakawa saison to a hazy pale ale, more of which is being concocted a stone’s throw away.

Once a leather-working factory, the brewery is fronted by a row of 12 taps and furnished with wellworn couches and signs saying things like ‘‘Warning: Forklifts’’. The space is a whimsical marriage of the industrial and the family-friendly; the outdoor area becomes a playground on weekends.

With capacity for up to 200 punters, Brothers is well suited to larger groups. To line the tum, Juke Joint, a feature of every Brothers Beer site, specialises in Southern-style barbecue.

Galbraith’s Alehouse, 2 Mount Eden Rd

A short toddle takes us to Galbraith’s Alehouse. The stately former library is Auckland’s answer to a traditional English pub, with warm wood panelling and burnished taps spouting their signature ales and lagers.

The cask-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurised ‘‘real’’ ales are hand-pulled and served at cellar temperature. With lower carbonation and often a lower ABV, they’re produced in a strictly defined process rarely undertaken in New Zealand, in which the yeast stays live until the bitter end.

We sip our tasters at a picnic table beneath a pastel umbrella in Galbraith’s’ terraced garden where the pub’s kitchen sources some ingredients – there are lighter plates for al fresco dining and a more substantial main menu, beloved for its Sunday roasts.

The Fridge & Flagon, 2/2 Shaddock St

Our next stop is The Fridge & Flagon, perhaps Eden Terrace’s best-kept secret. White cheerfully admits his Shaddock St bar, based in the Beer Jerk warehouse and spilling into its loading zone, is rather hard to find. But seekers are rewarded with Auckland’s widest range of craft beer.

This includes White and Eats’ own creations from their brewing project Small Gods, whose hallmark is collaborating with other brewers to resurrect ancient styles for the modern drinker. Today, we’re drinking Elvish Juice, a grapefruit dip-hop IPA, Lucifer’s Share, a whisky-fortified scotch ale and The Fall, a fig Belgian dubbel.

The Fridge & Flagon is an inclusive space where City Rail Link engineers and activewear-clad women are all enjoying pints when we arrive. White and Eats foster that community spirit: there’s a running club on Monday evenings, food trucks on selected Fridays, and Sunday sessions with a rotating cast of DJs.

Churly’s Brew Pub, 1A Charles St

It’s a decent hop to Churly’s, the spiritual home of Behemoth beer which opened in 2020 following a successful crowdfunding campaign. A former muffler shop, Churly’s is helmed by Andrew Childs and his wife Hannah; Andrew runs the brewing side of the business while Hannah oversees hospitality and HR. She also operates her nose-to-tail butchery on site – you can order the Italian-style charcuterie products from Churly’s’ menu.

Behemoth has a reputation for its astonishing output of new brews – at least two a week. Hazies account for about 40 per cent of Behemoth’s offering, Andrew tells us. ‘‘We didn’t start the fire, but we definitely chucked gasoline on it.’’

Patrons are encouraged to sit at the bar to chat to a boilersuited staffer or a fellow beer lover. We pull up a stool and discuss the merits of the area with the bartender while sipping an American strong ale, a cookies and cream milk stout, a lager (among the Behemoth beers currently on tap for cricketgoers at Eden Park), a blueberry/ blackberry maple sour and naturally, a hazy IPA.

Garage Project’s Kingsland Cellar Door, 357 New North Rd

Wellington’s Garage Project led the charge in showing Kiwis what craft beer could be with their apparently insatiable appetite for experimentation and an aesthetic that’s endlessly eclectic.

These characteristics are on technicolour display at the brewery’s Auckland cellar door, which, in addition to its 12 taps pouring beer fresh from the capital, is packed with merch and paraphernalia.

The off-licence offers tasting paddles, pre-bottled brews and takeaway flagons. At this point in the afternoon, having sampled 20 beers so far, I couldn’t look a full pint in the eye anyway.

First up, Dirty Water – not a beer, but brewed like one, with the beeriness replaced with fruity flavours. Next, Ha¯ pi Daze, the popular Pacific pale ale, Fresh Jan (Garage Project brings out a new hazy IPA every month), Ten, a double IPA celebrating the brewery’s decade in business, a vanilla and honey porter, and Thor’s Cup, a Norwegian farmhouse ale brewed at Garage Project’s Wild Workshop. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a big slurp of the latter almost takes my head off. But once I recover from the sour punch, its smokiness shines through like a revelation.

Urbanaut Brewery & Tap Room, 597 New North Rd

Chris the photographer drives us the last leg of the Beer Mile; we’re two hours behind schedule and Urbanaut’s new digs await. I hasten to add we were perfectly capable of walking.

Like most of the venues on the Auckland Beer mile, the Morningside brewery is dog-friendly.

Co-founder Simon Watson joins us for a chat in the breezy warehouse, aglow in afternoon sun. Sixty per cent of Urbanaut’s beers are special releases, available for a month or so before becoming a delicious memory.

The brewery also has an unofficial monopoly on cool cans: 250ml cuties brimming with high-ABV brews and double-ended ‘‘blenders’’ with flavours designed to be mixed.

We try a Living Beer (fermented in the can and infused with hibiscus, yuzu and szechuan pepper), a chilli lager, a lamington hazy IPA and another single-hopped with the gloriously tropical El Dorado variety. We wash it all down with smash burgers (there are meat and plant-based options), loaded fries and halloumi fries battered in Urbanaut’s Kingsland Pilsner.

605 Morningside Drinkery, 605 New North Rd

After seven hours and 30 beers, I’m ready to head home. But there’s one venue left to visit, and 605 Morningside Drinkery is the next best thing to unlocking your own front door.

The sort of place where regulars’ polaroids adorn the walls and Chris the bar manager probably greets you by name, 605 is Morningside’s neighbourhood dive.

Owned by Six60 bass guitarist Chris Mac and his wife Mel, the bar hosts live music and stays open late. Whether you’re in the mood to party or sit back to soak up the vibe, the final stop on the Auckland Beer Mile meets you where you’re at.

The Big Beer Mile Day Out is happening February 5, 12-8pm. Check the Auckland Beer Mile’s Facebook and Instagram pages for details and updates. Everything the writer consumed along the Auckland Beer Mile was courtesy of the establishments.

Focus Food & Drink

en-nz

2022-01-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

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