Brew Craft Beer Pub
107 The Strand, Tauranga
Ph: (07) 578 3543
www.brewpub.co.nz
I had just finished an 11-hour day at work when I walked into Tauranga's Brew pub. I was tired, hungry and very thirsty - which was lucky, because the first thing the staff brought to the table was a tray of beer for me to taste-test.
Brew Craft Beer Pub is the brainchild of award-winning Croucher Brewing, which makes some of the best craft beers around. The pub also offers a great selection of other New Zealand beers, a food menu of affordable and delicious pub meals, and an exclusively New Zealand wine list. Oh, and some of the best cider you will find in Tauranga.
The team opened the first Brew in Rotorua back in April 2011, and last August they decided to share the love with the rest of the Bay, setting up in The Strand.
It's relaxed, with regular live music - the kind of place you can go for rowdy drinks with friends or a romantic dinner for two. Or you can do what I did and take your two favourite blokes: boyfriend and dad.
My boyfriend is a chef (French-trained, no less) and he is fussy when it comes to eating out. My dad, on the other hand, is a man of few words when it comes to food - he is happy as long as he has a beer in his hand, so Brew was definitely a good place to be.
Cheeky Irish barman Gerrie presented us with one of Brew's Tasting Racks ($18). You get to choose four beers (or ciders) of your choice, which are served up in 200ml glasses. We opted to try the pale ales and got a quick briefing from Gerrie about what made each one so different. The smooth and slightly fruity, multiple award-winning Croucher PA ($12 a pint) was the ultimate favourite, along with the Croucher Nuclear Free Anzus ($14.50), created from a blend of hops from Australia, New Zealand and the United States, hence the name. The Golden Eagle Citradel ($9), from a Christchurch brewer, smelled amazing with real citrusy tones. But it's a "girls' beer'', according to the blokes, who prefer their drinks "less flowery''. I liked it. The final brew on the tray was Epic Pale Ale ($9), an extremely hoppy pale ale that regularly makes an appearance in our fridge at home. The boyfriend is a fan.
Food at Brew includes bar snacks starting from just $6.50, gourmet pizzas - like the Moo 'n' Blue, topped with steak, blue cheese and candied walnuts ($24) - small plates, entree-sized dishes - like semolina-coated calamari ($8.50) and pan-fried market fish served with poached egg ($8) - and, of course, mains that cover all the bases: chicken, venison, lamb, pork belly and vegetarian.
Dad went straight for the aged scotch fillet ($29.50) that came atop a bacon and potato rosti, wilted spinach and portabello mushroom. Served with black pepper cream sauce, it was quickly demolished between another beer - a Croucher Pilsner this time. The "small plates'' menu (think tapas but better) is the idea of head chef Dan Moore - and it rocks. Especially if you are like me and suffer from meal envy.
During happy hours (every Tuesday and Friday from 7-9pm) you can mix and match any three for just $20, a great deal since they are all decent entree-sized. The rest of the the time they range from $5.50 up to $12, and are still worth every cent. We bravely tell the staff to choose for us, and our smiling waitress Tina serves us twice-cooked smoky hoisin pork belly ($9), which comes served with a pear and apple puree and balsamic reduction; port thyme and chicken liver pate, which comes with a mountain of crisp, thinly sliced toasted foccacia ($8.50); crumbed mushroom and brie risotto balls, with a side of red current relish ($8.50), and my favourite, seared scallops on cauliflower puree and topped with crispy bacon (two for $8, or three for $12). I had three and could have eaten 10 more.
After five years of living in Australia, where many of the restaurants serve scallops sans roe, these huge, juicy beasts were total perfection. Days after dinner, the girls at work were still telling me to stop going on about them.
The risotto balls were overshadowed by the other three dishes for me. Even the pate, which I am not normally a fan of, had me double-dipping. It was lush and topped with a winter fruit syrup that was both tangy and sweet.
The crackling on the pork was crisp and the belly soft, and it comes served as a main - which I will definitely order next time.
The boyfriend was smiling and not telling me how he would have cooked his meal differently (win!) and after a few too many beers we ended up catching a taxi home. If you haven't been to Brew yet, make a booking tonight. It's modern, easy and we left with big smiles on our faces.
Along with the small-plate deal, during happy hour Brew offers selected beers, wines and spirits for $6. It also holds a Beer Club on the first Thursday of each month, where you can sample four beers and meet the brewers ($20).
A new autumn menu from March 1 will see steaks served for $15 on Thursdays.