Little Beer Quarter

Walk down just the right obscure and uninviting Wellington back alleyway and you'll find one of Wellington's best boutique craft beer bars. They personally refer to themselves as the "beer geek heaven", but you can just call them Little Beer Quarter, or LBQ for short.

With fourteen rotating taps, two handpulls and over a hundred beers in the fridge, describing the place as 'well-stocked' might be a bit of an understatement. Besides the sheer quantity of beer available, the most impressive thing about LBQ is the palpable beer enthusiasm which permeates the air. The bartenders at LBQ really know a thing or two about the fermented yeast business. Ask them anything, and then let them introduce you to Your New Favourite Brew from an unheard of brewery situated in a rural town somewhere in New Zealand. They also stock quite a few mainstream and international labels, for those feeling a little bit more conventional.

In terms of looks, the place is best described by an obscure made-up category which yours truly will call 'quirky-minimal': a few nice dark wooden tables line the room, some gravity-defying potted plants float upside down overhead and lamps made out of empty bottles (beer, of course) provide the lighting.

If you appreciate fizzing liquid gold, LBQ is a necessary part your lexicon of Wellington drinking locations.