New Zealand Craft Beer Symposium 2017

Love Kiwi beer? Then you need the NZ Craft Beer Symposium in your life.

Returning to venues across Australia once more in the first week of February, it sees some of the finest brews from across The Ditch hit taps at some of our best beer venues.

The Symposium also offers you the chance to win a pretty sweet prize too: every pint of Kiwi beer purchased at one of the participating venues puts you into a draw to win a trip for two to New Zealand, which includes snowboarding/skiing at Mt Ruapehu, entry to Beervana and handy things like flights and accommodation.

Sending beers your way this year are Hop Federation, 8 Wired, Garage Project, Epic Beer, Yeastie Boys, Kereru Brewing Company, Tuatara Brewing and Liberty Brewing Company.

UPDATE: If you're in Melbourne, you can catch a Kiwi craft beer pioneer too.

Fraser McInnes was the creator and owner of the legendary Bar Bodega in Wellington – the original craft beer champion in the city, along with The Parrot and Jigger, and a founder of Tuatara, which sold to DB (Heineken) in January 2017. 

Described by Symposium organiser Paul Stieglbauer as a raconteur, he'll be offering a spot of kiwi beer history lesson countered with a few tall tales at the times indicated below in the list if participating venues:

VICTORIA

• The Catfish – Fraser McInnes will be there from 6pm on Feb 3
• Carwyn Cellars – Fraser will be matching NZ beer & cheese from 2pm to 4pm on Feb 5 (ticketed event)
• East of Everything
• Beer DeLuxe Federation Square – Fraser is there from 4pm on Feb 6
• The Palace Hotel South Melbourne – Catch Fraser from 4pm on Feb 4

NEW SOUTH WALES

• Hotel Sweeney's
• The Welder's Dog

QUEENSLAND

• The Scratch
• Black Bunny Kitchen 
• Tippler's Tap 
• Bloodhound Bar 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

• Wheatsheaf Hotel 
• NOLA Adelaide

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

• The Dutch Trading Co
• The Pourhouse
• Clancy's Fish Bar - City Beach 

TASMANIA

• Saint John Craft Beer

The Symposium runs from February 1 to 5, 2017, but different venues will be taking part on different dates so check their individual Facebook pages (linked above) to confirm the dates for your nearest one.

NB: If you're reading this before it kicks off, head to the event page on Facebook and click GOING to go into the draw for a $200 bar tab during the Symposium at your favourite venue on the list.