New Zealand Craft Beer Symposium

Overview

It's a pretty clever move — and one that probably made you think about this event more than you might've otherwise. Rather than just calling the celebration of New Zealand's finest craft beers what it really is (aka a boozefest), the powers that be have labelled it a symposium.

That means that you can feel like you're partaking in something scholarly as you're sipping on brews from across the ditch. Given that you'll be able to sample a whole host of beverages you probably haven't come across before, there really is an educational side to it.

In Brisbane, two places are getting in on the action: Bloodhound Bar and The Scratch. At the former, you'll find not only the finest New Zealand tipples, but a menu of Kiwi-inspired dishes to match. At the latter, you'll get more drinks, Flight of the Conchords on repeat, and a 1 in 600 change of winning a trip to the Beervana beer festival in Wellington. Basically, whichever you pick you're in for an afternoon and evening of themed, informative fun. And it all takes place on Waitangi Day, which really couldn't be any more appropriate.