When coming to Queenstown with my beer loving partner and wanting to do something different as part of our stay, we decided to try this tour. It allows you to visit some places outside of Queenstown without the hassle of arranging your own transport and is loads cheaper than getting taxis. You can visit 4 stops along the way and finish in town with 2 more options to get exclusive discounts with your Hop on Hop off wristband. So is a great way to spend an evening or start off a night in Queenstown!
We were picked up by Jo at 5pm, a friendly and knowledgeable guide who made the tour an easy and enjoyable experience. On the drives between stops she really got to know us and told us about the stops and area in detail. We visited Altitude brewery first, where the sun was just setting behind the mountains so was lovely to enjoy the view with our first beers of the evening. They offer lots of different options and give you a taster of the different styles of beverages they brew.
We then went to Arrowtown and stopped in at the Fork and Tap for an hour which is a cosy and busy pub of an evening with plenty of beer, wine and drink options. We shared a golden lager which was refreshing and a red ale here which was something different my partner liked the sound of and it didn't disappoint.
Jo then picked us up and took us to Arthur's point and Cargo at Gantleys, telling us about the area and the Brewer's Batch that Cargo do here. My partner settled for a pint of strong ale which took him nearly the whole time here to drink! And I was able to try a few different options and was advised by staff to find something I really enjoyed. We popped into Strikebowl to check the score of the rugby and would have stayed for a drink if we weren't due to be picked up for our last stop.
Here we went to Searchlight brewery that is hidden away but a cool brewery and space. They offer a range of options including their sours and hazy beers that are more to my partners taste but we both had a flight to try some of their draughts. We could have happily spent all evening here! Chatting about brewing and beers. We then headed back to Queenstown and still had the option to visit 2 places in town.
On the whole, we indulged in a lot of beers over the evening but there are also wine, spirits and ciders. We wouldn't have been able to visit these places otherwise so is an ideal way to spend an evening!