BREW | Craft Beer Pub, on Tutanekai Street's 'Eat Street', is the home of Rotorua's own Croucher Brewing Co. Opened in April 2011 by Croucher Brewing's Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory, it set out to give Rotorua its very own craft beer pub — and has since grown from humble beginnings into one of the city's busiest eateries.
The beer comes straight from the source: BREW pours the full range of Croucher Brewing's local beers on tap, alongside the best other New Zealand craft beers brought to town. It isn't just about the beer, either — the pub also pours its own Pink & White Geothermal Gins, plus local wines and cider, so everyone at the table has something to raise.
The kitchen keeps pace with the taps. BREW is renowned for big, tasty and good-value dining — hearty plates made for post-adventure appetites — and Hoppy Hour runs from 4pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with savings on selected drinks and food. Daily deals and happenings are posted regularly for regulars.
The recognition has followed: Outstanding Bar at the 2023 Rotorua Hospitality Awards and in 2021, wins in 2017 and 2018 (Monin Outstanding Bar), and again in 2013 and 2014 — six wins in the nine years the awards were held — plus #7 in Hospitality Business Magazine's Top 10 New Zealand Beer Venues in 2014 and the Emerging Business title at the 2013 Westpac Rotorua Business Awards. BREW is also a proud supporter of the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club's First Response Unit, a free rescue service for users of the Whakarewarewa Forest. Find BREW at 1103 Tutanekai Street, open Monday to Sunday from 12pm til late; call (07) 346 0976 for bookings and inquiries.
Step onto 'Eat Street' — Rotorua's Tutanekai Street — and you'll find BREW | Craft Beer Pub, the self-declared home of Rotorua's own Croucher Brewing Co. Opened in April 2011 by Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory of the award-winning Croucher Brewing, BREW began with a simple conviction: Rotorua deserved its very own craft beer pub. After six weeks of graft, the doors opened, and from those humble beginnings BREW has grown into one of Rotorua's busiest eateries.
BREW is owned by the team behind Croucher Brewing, which means the full range of Croucher's local beers flows on tap, seven days a week. If that isn't enough for the committed hop hunter, the team also brings the best other New Zealand craft beers to town, so there's usually something new in the glass — adventurous ales for a city that calls itself the home of adventure.
And it isn't just about the beer. BREW pours its own Pink & White Geothermal Gins — a fitting nod to the geothermal city they call home — alongside local wines and cider, so everyone in the group has a reason to raise a glass.
A pub is only as good as what comes out of the kitchen, and BREW is renowned for big, tasty and good-value dining — the kind of hearty plates that make sense after a day on Rotorua's trails, lakes and geothermal attractions. The message to arriving diners is characteristically confident: check out the menu, grab some friends and head on in — you won't be disappointed.
Timing your visit well pays off, too. Hoppy Hour runs from 4pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with savings on selected drinks and food, and daily deals and happenings are posted for those who like to keep an eye out.
Rotorua's hospitality industry has voted with its feet. BREW was named Outstanding Bar at the 2023 Rotorua Hospitality Awards, following a win in 2021, and previously took the Monin Outstanding Bar title in 2017 and 2018, plus Outstanding Bar wins in 2013 and 2014, with finalist spots in 2015 and 2016. All told, the pub has won an incredible six times in the nine years the awards were held. Further afield, Hospitality Business Magazine ranked BREW #7 in its Top 10 New Zealand Beer Venues in 2014, and the business took out the Emerging Business category at the 2013 Westpac Rotorua Business Awards.
BREW's ties to Rotorua run deeper than taps and tables. The pub is a proud supporter of the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club's First Response Unit — a free rescue service for users of the Whakarewarewa Forest. For riders and hikers who've worked up a thirst in the forest, a post-adventure pint at the place that helps keep the trails safe feels like a fitting way to end the day.
BREW opens every day from 12pm until late, on 'Eat Street' at 1103 Tutanekai Street in central Rotorua. Bookings and inquiries can be made by phone on (07) 346 0976, through the online booking form, or by emailing bookings@brewpub.co.nz; general enquiries go to brew@brewpub.co.nz. If you'd rather enjoy BREW at home, food is available for pick up or delivery through the pub's online ordering page, powered by UberEats.
Whether you're chasing the latest Croucher release, after a genuinely local night out, or simply want a big, hearty meal at a fair price, BREW delivers on its own sign-off: great beer, wonderful food and personal service. Cheers — from the BREW Crew.