SOBA is a delightful acronym for an organisation that worships great beer – the Society Of Beer Advocates is an organisation that promotes not only great beer but outstanding hospitality venues and moderate beer consumption. Local Co-organiser for SOBA in…
We are now into the middle of Nelson Beer Week with the exciting flavours of MarchFest just a few days away and the men responsible for MarchFest are starting to get a little nervous as the biggest day on the…
A little building that was formerly a church in Collingwood Street became a pub in 2009 and has very quickly gained a reputation as one of the very best in the country. It had its genesis in quarterly beer fetes…
Writing this column often has me pondering about just how much our food and beverage choices have changed over the years. When I think back 30 years we used to spend a day ‘doing the wine trail’, that meant we…
When I started writing this column towards the end of 2014 the good folk at the Nelson Mail and I all thought I might be able to find enough food and beverage stories to tell for about a year but…
The McCashin brewing story started way back in about 1980, a time beer making and selling was totally dominated by two corporate brewers, Lion and DB, and the concept of boutique craft beers hadn’t even begun to ferment. When we…
An Irishman and Englishman walked into a pub, they sat down and had a few beers together, what happens next? They decide to start brewing their own beer of course. Phil McArdle & Chris Brown actually met at the climbing…
The Nelson region is blessed with many things that make summer great – sunshine, safe beaches, rivers with easy access, fantastic fishing in the sheltered bays, wonderful cafes and restaurants, many artisan producers of everything from bread and cheese to…