Something's Brewing in Wellington

Something that I took for granted whilst being here until quite recently is the large number of craft breweries in and around Wellington.  I immediately noticed that the overwhelming choice of beer here was, obviously, better than the average beer in the States.  I was very happy about this, especially since I can't even consider Bud Light and MGD "beer."  I need substance in my beer.  I need hops.  I need flavor.  I need body.  So thank you Wellington for being awesome.  I must say though, the beers here are a lot hoppier than they were back home, so if you're not used to that, then you have been warned.  I generally don't go for IPAs or other beers that are especially hoppy here because they're usually hoppy enough.  I've heard that the New Zealand beer history started with Captain James Cook who would brew his own beer.  So beer goes back to the very (European) beginning of NZ.  Pretty dang cool.
Of course, there are a select number of beers here that aren't craft beers, but I notice that these are more the "working man's beer".  These are the beers that sponsor sporting events and are (kind of but not really) cheaper than others.  On the whole, though, I have found, in Wellington, that Mac's and Montieth's to be the biggest brands around.  Mac's is technically a craft beer, much in the way that Sam Adam's is in the States.  It's a big company, but it's crafty nonetheless.  Mac's has a brewbar in Wellington, so it brews on site, which is pretty awesome actually.  The food's pretty delicious too...

Yummy selection-- I'm a fan of the Sassy Red. Also, notice the pull tab tops. America, you have much to learn. (photo courtesy of www.macs.co.nz)

Now, Montieth's isn't a craft brewery, as it's owned by a big corporation, but it's still brewing beer that is at a higher end than the aforementioned crap beers.

In Wellington alone, there are at least six craft breweries, including ParrotDog and Garage Project, the latter being pretty close to where I live actually.  Garage Project is super new, so they don't have much beer.  Yet.  I wish I would be around in the next few years to see what they do.  ParrotDog is a little bit more established, and I think one of my favorite things about them is ordering the BitterBitch beer.  Yes, you read that right.  They're a funny bunch of crafty bastards.

Let's all laugh at the funny name!

Other notable and delicious breweries are 8 Wired, Yeastie Boys, and Tuatara.  I mean, really if you weren't satisfied with one company, you could definitely find a different one to fit your needs.  Generally, I base my decision on what's cheapest.  Is anyone surprised?

Not THAT kind of tuatara!

Now where do you find all of these delicious beers, you ask? Well good thing there is a handy dandy craft beer tour guide you can find online at the Craft Beer Capital.  I told you, they take it very seriously in Wellington.  This guide shows you all of the yummy bars in the city that are technically "Craft beer bars," including the one my friends work at.  I have unfortunately only been to six of the thirteen bars, but I will conquer them all, don't you fear!  So far I'd say Fork & Brewer would be my favorite.  If you are looking for a wide selection of beers, good food, a reallllly relaxed atmosphere, and a sweet display of taps, than this is the place to go.

All of the taps are different utensils/random crap. There's a flute for one tap pull. I kid you not.
 (forkandbrewer.co.n)

There are also random festivals all the time if you just need to know the latest about the craft beer scene.  Just a few weeks ago, there was Hopstock, which showcased beers made from this year's hop harvest.  I tried a few, and they were amazing.  This festival involved 12 bars and 8 beers.  It was really about showing how amazing this fresh beer was and giving publicity to a lot of great bars in the area.  Are you getting that Wellingtonians are into the beer thing yet?  Maybe?

In August, I hope to attend Beervana, which is basically just all these breweries coming together to show themselves off.  Last year, there were 96 breweries present, with 271 beers between them.  While this isn't necessarily just for craft beers, it is a really important convention for breweries across New Zealand, and of course it happens in Wellington.

I know that was a kind of crash course, but I hope it opened up some of your eyes to this small little capital's love of beer.  From me to you, cheers!

My Not-So-Exciting Hiatus

Hi everyone. So sorry for the delay in writing, but really I've not been up to much other than working. It doesn't help that we also didn't have internet at my flat for a week and a half (let me tell you, it felt like a millenium to internet-junky me). We, luckily, had internet installed three days ago, so I feel much better about everything now.
Like I said, though, I've been working 36-45 hours/week for the last few weeks, which has been exhausting. I didn't think you all would be super interested in my day-to-day activities, so don't think I was neglecting you! The most interesting thing I've been doing in the past three weeks, though, is that I finally started volunteering at the Wellington SPCA. I decided on this back in November or December, but they didn't have any volunteering orientations until last month, and it took them two weeks to get back to me after that. So, finally, I'm settled in. I work in the dog run with all the lovely doggies in need of lots of love! If you'd like to check any of them out, go to the SPCA Flickr to look at some pictures. My average duties as a volunteer are to help clean out their kennels, rotate the dogs in the play area, and take dogs for walks. It's been great for me to de-stress and help out some really sweet dogs.
I've also been trying to go on some good walks around Wellington with some friends. I went over to Makara Beach, which is a good 40 minute drive from my flat on the West Coast, to go on what was supposed to be a little trek. We ended up walking for three and a half hours. The views were absolutely stunning though and reminded me of why I came over here.

Sun's still bright at the beginning of the walk

That's actually the South Island in the distance 

Beautiful wind farm in the hills

Same as the first picture, but sun is going down. This took way longer than anticipated

I've also been taking smaller treks closer to home, but it really allows me to see the city and the surroundings in a completely different way. Being above everything else gives me perspective and clarity. Oh, and it's free. That usually is pretty awesome when you're a poor expat. Until next time!

View of Wellington Airport and surrounding suburbs from Brooklyn Hill.

Of Trees and Ferns

After my walk/picnic today in the lovely Wellington Botanic Gardens, I started thinking about the large amount of strange foliage here in New Zealand. In the gardens, there is a particular plaque which I like which explains why the Southern Hemisphere has such different vegetation than the Northern one.

But most importantly, we should discuss the Pohutukawa tree. It's crazy in bloom right now, and let me just say that I didn't know what it was until I googled "New Zealand tree with red fluffs." It looks like this:

LOOK HOW CUTE THESE FLUFFS ARE

I feel like it's a New Zealand attempt at a truffula tree.

Yes, I see a resemblance.

So apparently the Pohutukawa tree is considered a NZ staple around Christmastime, and like everything else essentially Kiwi, there's a Maori legend involved. This one says that a young Maori warrior wished to climb to heaven to avenge his father, but fell. The red fluffs represent his blood. I'm sure it sounds a lot more serious if you don't refer to them as fluffs...

This is by far my favorite of the NZ trees, but they have some really awesome, prehistoric looking trees. Mostly, it just seems really jungly and like a scene from Jurassic Park here. Seriously though. I always feel like I've just stepped into the jungle. My North American/European self is not really sure how to handle it.
Oh! I almost forgot the most Kiwi of all the plants. How could I?? The silver fern is an icon of everything that is New Zealand, in case you weren't already aware. The All Blacks (the national rugby team), as well as many other sports teams use the silver fern as their logo. It's called ponga in Maori, and it is seriously EVERYWHERE. It's so Kiwi that if someone has it as a tattoo, you can guarantee that they are either from NZ or are practically in love with the place. 

Unofficial Kiwi flag

But I like the ferns. I think they're cool, and it reminds me that I'm in New Zealand, and I'm lucky to be here every time I see them.

I particularly like when they're just sprouting or whatever you call this action