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    🍺Top 10 Craft Breweries & Taprooms in Wellington

    Last updated: September 2026

    New Zealand's craft beer capital — the must-visit names on the Wellington beer trail.

    1. #1
      Garage Project — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Wellington's most celebrated craft brewery, born in an Aro Valley garage in 2011; its Aro taproom at 91 Aro Street pours 18 rotating taps, with a second 30-tap venue on Leeds Street.

      Aro Valley / Te Aro
      craft beertaproombreweryAro Valley
    2. #2
      Fork & Brewer — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Central-city brewpub on Bond Street with around 40 taps of in-house and guest beers brewed on-site, and a multi-award-winning beer range you can watch being made.

      Wellington Central (Bond Street)
      brewpubcraft beertaproomCBD
    3. #3
      Parrotdog — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Lyall Bay brewery and bar on Kingsford Smith Street, with 17 revolving taps, cosy booths, a pool table and views into the brewhouse near the surf.

      Lyall Bay / Rongotai
      brewerytaproomcraft beerLyall Bay
    4. #4
      Heyday Beer Co — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Dog-friendly upper Cuba Street brewpub at 264a Cuba Street, pairing bold, experimental brewing with a bright, inclusive taproom and a games court out front.

      Te Aro (Cuba Street)
      brewpubcraft beerCuba Streetexperimental
    5. #5
      Choice Bros — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Small-batch brewery and bar-eatery down a private alley at 62 Ghuznee Street, with 20+ in-house taps of creative brews that bend traditional styles.

      Te Aro (Ghuznee Street)
      brewerytaproomsmall-batchTe Aro
    6. #6
      Panhead Custom Ales — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Cult Upper Hutt brewer at Brewtown, with a 16-tap bar and tasting room, a 600-litre pilot brewery and the Panhead Custom Kitchen famous for smoked-meat platters.

      Upper Hutt (Brewtown)
      brewerytasting roomBrewtownUpper Hutt
    7. #7
      Te Aro Brewing Co — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Wellington-rooted brewery now based at Brewtown in Upper Hutt, with a cosy taproom-restaurant in the old art-deco Dunlop factory, a full food menu and a warm fire.

      Upper Hutt (Brewtown)
      brewerytaproomBrewtownUpper Hutt
    8. #8
      Otto Champagneria & Beer Hall — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Featherston Street gastropub (successor to The Champagneria) at 125 Featherston St, with 11 rotating craft taps alongside champagne and cocktails.

      Wellington Central (Featherston Street)
      beer halltaproomcraft beerCBD
    9. #9
      Craft Beer Capital — Craft Breweries in Wellington

      Wellington's official craft beer trail and bar guide — the go-to map for planning a brewery-and-taproom crawl across the capital, with a souvenir-stamp passport.

      Wellington (region-wide)
      beer trailguidecraft beertour planning
    ~/guide/craft-breweriesLive · 2026

    New Zealand's craft beer capital — the must-visit names on the Wellington beer trail.

    Wellington bills itself as New Zealand's craft beer capital, with a dense cluster of breweries and taprooms across Te Aro, Aro Valley, Lyall Bay and the Upper Hutt 'Brewtown' precinct. These are the verified, must-visit names on the Wellington beer trail.

    This Wellington shortlist starts with Garage Project, Fork & Brewer, Parrotdog. The leading picks cover Aro Valley / Te Aro, Wellington Central (Bond Street), Lyall Bay / Rongotai, with strengths including craft beer, taproom, brewery, aro valley; compare the addresses, hours and local tips below before choosing.

    Rankings are editorial; read our ranking method and corrections policy.

    • craft breweries Wellington
    • Wellington taprooms
    • Wellington beer trail
    • Garage Project
    • Brewtown Upper Hutt

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    Ranked to the same editorial standard as this page, by the same team.

    Good to know

    Craft Breweries in Wellington — FAQ

    Our current #1 pick is Garage Project (Aro Valley / Te Aro). Wellington's most celebrated craft brewery, born in an Aro Valley garage in 2011; its Aro taproom at 91 Aro Street pours 18 rotating taps, with a second 30-tap venue on Leeds Street.

    Editorially — a ranking position is never sold, and no business can pay to move up this list. (BestWellington does sell advertising: sponsor banners and partner cards are labelled "Sponsored", and any advertiser appearing in a list is labelled too — see our Advertise page.) We shortlist from each venue's public standing (its Google reviews and local press at the time we check it), then order the list on local knowledge and confirm every entry is still trading. We do not hold our own review scores, so we publish no star ratings; each entry links straight out to its real Google reviews so you can judge for yourself.

    This guide ranks 9 craft breweries in Wellington, with the top 10 featured first. You can search and shortlist any of them, then open Google Maps, reviews or the business website directly.