From boutique breweries to well-loved distilleries, these are the best places to enjoy quality brews in Ōtepoti / Dunedin. This South Island city is known for its food and drink scene, and it is a must-visit destination for beer lovers. Each of these breweries and distilleries has plenty of personality and individuality. They’re never pretentious and always enticing. These are the spots to enjoy a craft beer, meet with friends and discover something new. Experience the art form that is brewing and distilling in Dunedin.
1. Emerson’s
One of Dunedin’s best watering holes is Emerson’s Brewery. Located in the centre of town, near the Otago Harbour, Emerson’s has become an institution in Dunedin. This story started after Richard Emerson lived in Edinburgh (the Dunedin of the Northern Hemisphere). Inspiration and determination stirred in Richard and in 1992, on Grange Street, Dunedin, Richard brought his newfound skills home and brought his dream to life, opening Emerson’s Brewing. A few years of hard work and dedication later, and this Dunedin-born brewery is now a much-loved gem. The brewery is spacious and inviting, with open ceilings, outdoor tables and the odd nod to Richard Emerson’s love of trains. Bar snacks and share plates make Emerson’s the ultimate place to socialise with good people over great food and beer. Brewery tours are a great way to see the magic, before sitting down to enjoy a tasting paddle of brews. Grab a few riggers, flagons or cans of your favourites to take away from the cellar door before you leave.
Head to the Emerson’s website to see what’s on tap at the cellar door each week.
2. Noisy Brewing Co
For a smaller boutique brewery, you can’t go past Noisy Brewing Co. Certainly cool and unassuming, this is one of those Dunedin breweries that you don’t want to miss. The beers on tap are forever changing, with new and intriguing flavours coming to the table daily. Try their milk stout with toasty coconut and almond notes, or their latest hazy pale ale to keep the lovers of hops happy. Food is served from their neighbours, Ironic Cafe & Bar, and comes to the brewery in biodegradable takeaway vessels. Cheese rolls and twice-cooked Hunsi Pork are the ideal accompaniment to a cold glass of tap beer. When the sun’s out in Dunedin a visit to Noisy for cold beers and some Korean fried chicken is the perfect idea.
In true boutique brewery nature, Noisy Brewery Co has been known to get its hands on a selection of Cell Division brews from time to time. Cell Division is a small-scale brewery producing farmhouse and sour beers. The scarcity of Cell Division creations adds to the intrigue, and true craft beer lovers will enjoy a taste of these quirky beers.
3. Speight’s
Speight’s is undoubtedly a part of Dunedin’s identity. An icon since 1876, the tri-star brand has instilled its ‘pride of the south’ motto in the roots of this city. Visit this brewery for a tour through the historic site, to fill up or drink from the Speight’s water tap with fresh spring water, or to pick up a few takeaways, fresh from the cellar door taps. The building on Rattray Street draws plenty of attention as it’s home to Dunedin’s Speight’s Ale House. Go from tasting beers at the brewery to dining in the ale house for one ultimate experience. Speight’s Ale House Pubs can be found across the country, with most major cities and towns having their own legendary version.
Of all the Dunedin Breweries, this is one of the best places to enjoy a jug and a slice of Dunedin history. Taste the beers that have stood the test of time. The flagship gold medal ale still stands strong. Speight’s beer is a reflection of the changes over the ages too, with ‘new’ brews like the Speight’s Summit Ultra and 0% lager Summit Zero to meet demands and give the people what they want.
4. Sandymount Distillery
On the rolling hills of the Otago Peninsula sits Sandymount Distillery, an artisanal distillery crafting premium gins, vodka and liqueurs. These spirits are award-winning, but it’s the sustainable nature in which they’re crafted that makes them so noteworthy. Solar power runs the stills (the apparatus used to distill liquids), making Sandymount Distillery New Zealand’s first carbon-neutral distillery. The surrounding Dunedin environment inspires the distillers, and ingredients like wild botanicals, spring water and natural flora are sourced straight from the Sandymount Estate. Handcrafted spirits like Lovers Leap Dry Gin and Gull Rock Vodka are made in small batches and can be bought online. Visit this distillery in Sandymount or try a gin cocktail made with a Sandymount product in one of Dunedin’s bars.
5. No8 Distillery
Creations like No8 pineapple rum and their limoncello are ever-interesting and tantalising. Hibiscus gin and their family recipe absinthe are examples of what makes this Dunedin distillery so great. A generational affair, this boutique distillery made the people of Dunedin happy when it opened, thanks to owners who have distilling in their blood. Now located on Hanover Street in the centre of town, No8 Distillery is the place to go for gin tasting or a distillery tour followed by a cocktail-making class. Join the passionate team for one of their daily tasting sessions (five days a week) or embark on a foraging journey with master distiller Julian to get a taste of how they forage for native plants and flowers around Dunedin.
6. Arc Brewing Co
If you’re looking for beers that would be hard to replicate, aren’t produced on a massive scale and are just plain tasty, Arc Brewing Co is your place. This Dunedin brewery is tucked away in Blueskin Bay, and the appeal of this destination adds to the experience. Drive 20 minutes (ish) out of Dunedin central, heading north up the coast, and pull into this beachside brewery. While the pro brewers are on the tools, they entrust local food trucks to feed the thirsty punters. This is one of the best Dunedin breweries to visit time and time again. Arc Brewing Co is a great spot for weddings or other private functions for those looking for a relaxed, character-filled venue.
Take time to explore the area and roam around Doctor’s Point Reserve to soak up what the outskirts of Dunedin are all about.
7. Dunedin Craft Distillers
Down near the Otago Harbour on Roberts Street is the home of the Dunedin Craft Distillers. This is the place where distillers are crafting spirits from bread. Over 7,000 kgs of surplus bread has been turned into spirits by the keen crew at Dunedin Craft Distillers. This alone is enough to entice locals and visitors to their ‘Bread to Bottle tour’ to discover just how this process works. Tour the brew house and distillery and sample their spirits alongside some bread and crackers. These small group tours are a unique thing to do in Dunedin that will stir the senses and get your creative mind flowing. Who would have thought that tonnes of bakery products that were destined for landfill could be turned into award-winning spirits?
Try their Dunedin dry gin and their cacao vodka. Visit the Saturday Otago Farmers Market to try their mulled gin in winter!
Find out more about the great range of breweries, bars and distilleries in Dunedin here.
This article was created in paid partnership with Dunedin NZ.
