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Thought it would be worthwhile making the effort to see a NZ icon. Drove out especially a hour out of our way to tour the brewery and eat there, etc.
Staff were friendly and very helpful. Limited menu, but good quality. Glad we never bothered with the tour, as nothing was working and we were told you don't go into the brewery anyway.
You can't buy a six pack of Tui from the brewery, but you can buy a floppy beach hat, most likely made in China, for $30. And apparently the printer that prints personalized bottles of beer, is usually broken, as it was when we visited.
I'd like to know how much DB Breweries spend on their marketing each year. How much their executives spend on travelling (pre-covid) and fancy "business" lunches and dinners each year. Yet seems they have no money to preserve and show off a heritage building such as the Tui tower. Such a beautiful, iconic, heritage building, left to rot in a state of disrepair. Hence no tours in the tower, as it's closed due to a Health and Safety directive from the company itself, we were told. On one section of the grounds, we were walking on a solid mat of moss/lichen, instead of tar seal! They have apparently never heard of something called a power washer. You'd think they'd take more pride in their brand/product, but I guess the numbers don't stack up in keeping the historic buildings in at least a minimum, acceptable order. Give the place (historic buildings) a power wash and a coat of paint, as a minimum, take some pride in your brand! Typical corporate greed, is what came to mind.
Ideally, get the place (historic buildings) into proper shape and actually allow tours in the iconic tower that people actually would love to see and experience. Sell your own beers (take aways)! Could really be so much more! You basically end up having a slightly expensive pub lunch in the middle of nowhere, for no apparent reason.
Would have rated it higher if it was just a restaurant/pub, but as a visit to what you are led to believe is an open brewery, very...
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Tl;dr: buy the Brewery Tour just for the added benefits, but skip the actual tour itself, that's not worth your time.
Full review: Since they do not tell you upfront, I'll do: be warned the brewery itself is actually closed down. The Brewery Tour is a sad display of faded glory. Not a single drop of beer is still being brewed here these days. Not in the beautiful (but run down and sadly decaying) classic TUI tower (- fair enough, that was to be expected), but also not in the massive hall that was built next to it, no not even in the little micro brewery attached to it. "Closed during COVID" and not reopened since. Whatever the reason, it makes the whole tour just a boring recollection of "Back in days..."- and "Here used to be..."-stories. Inside the micro brewery they'll have you take a look at some dust covered kettles and tanks, while the guide points at a poster that explains how beer is brewed. Wikipedia does a better job. This is not why you go on brewery tour. It lacks the distinctive smell, the rumbling and buzzing of machines and brewers, and actually seeing with your own eyes what magic it takes to turn just a bunch of plants, water and yeast into the golden foamy goodness we all so yearn for. Save your time and money for a brewery that's still actually up and running and brewing.
HOWEVER: for the $25 that the so-called tour sets you back, you do get a bunch of extras which in the end luckily made us feel like we weren't ripped off. First you get a big glass of beer in their onsite pub, plus another free beer in one of their partner pubs dotted across the country (just don't lose the voucher). That alone probably breaks you even. But then you'll also get a free beer glass, and 10% discount on buying beer and/or a shirt/sweater from the store. If you're not planning on redeeming any of these, don't do the tour. If you are, buy the ticket and skip the tour, or go and be prepared to be disappointed, or hope they've...
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The food at the Tui Brewery café is classic pub fare. I ordered the beef burger, which was tasty. The red onion was sliced too thick for my liking. Chips were crisp and hot. Others in our party had pizza's and chicken burgers. One pizza was under done the other overdone and one had all the cranberry jelly on one side of the pizza. Generally food presentation wasn't great but tasty enough. I also had a Tui beer, which was cold and refreshing.
The service at the Tui Brewery café was friendly especially as it was very busy. Orders are taken at the bar and then delivered to your table when ready - in our case about 45 minutes.
The atmosphere at the Tui Brewery café is relaxed and inviting, and there is a warm and cozy feeling inside. We were seated outside and unfortunately it was cold making for uncomfortable lunch. More to do with our light clothing rather than the venue.
The prices at the Tui Brewery café are reasonable. You can get a good meal and a beer for a fair price.
I would definitely recommend the Tui Brewery café to anyone visiting Mangatainoka. It is a great place to relax and enjoy a cold beer. There are also tours available of...
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