Lonely Planet highlights Wellington as best destination for beer tourists

Wellington best for beer tourism. Photo / Pixabay

Wellington is the best place in New Zealand for tourists to have a pint, according to a new Lonely Planet guide written specifically for beer-lovers.

A worldwide network of travel writers and beer journalists have contributed to the guide, covering the best bars and breweries in 30 countries.

Wellington, Melbourne and Perth are the pick of the Oceania region, the book says.

"It might be wet and windy for much of the year in Wellington but there are always sunny fruit flavours in a pint glass to banish the blues with New Zealand's distinctively tropical take on pale ale and IPA," it says.

"Wellington has an extremely strong array of breweries and craft beer bars, making it a compact and cool city to tour."

Melbourne is Australia's "ale capital" while Perth is home to some of Australia's first craft brewers, according to the book.

Auckland, Blenheim, Dunedin and Hamilton are also highlighted as beer-related spots to visit in New Zealand.

The book guides tourists to the best breweries to visit in each city, as well as each brewery's must-try beer. A few local sights are also included for tourists who manage to leave the pub.

Lonely Planet's Global Beer Tour will be published in May.