What People Drink in Christchurch: 7 Traditional Beverages

Straddling the Canterbury Plains between the Pacific and the Southern Alps, Christchurch drinks what its climate grows best. Cool nights, long sunshine hours, and dry nor’wester winds favor barley, hops, and crisp, aromatic wines. Post‑earthquake reinvention turned the central city into a network of taprooms and small distilleries with a strong local‑ingredient ethos.

From nearby Waipara vineyards to Banks Peninsula orchards, short supply chains shape the glass. Pubs still pour easygoing lagers, but you’ll also find expressive cool‑climate whites and pinot noir, heritage‑apple cider, contemporary gin with native botanicals, and emerging single‑malt whisky—each rooted in place and season.

Canterbury Draught, a regional pale lager long tied to Christchurch pub culture, is built on pale malt, clean‑fermenting lager yeast, and restrained New Zealand hopping. Fermented cool and lagered for clarity, it typically sits around 4.0–4.2% ABV. Expect a bright straw color, light bready malt, and a soft, balancing bitterness with a dry finish that invites another handle. Historically brewed at the city’s Canterbury Brewery—closed after earthquake damage in the early 2010s—the brand endured and you’ll still see CD badges on taps across suburban taverns and sports bars.

This is the beer of shared jugs and rugby nights, poured cold and uncomplicated. It pairs with pub staples like fish and chips or a steak sandwich, and it’s often the first round after work in neighborhood bars from the city center to Lyttelton. While Christchurch’s beer scene has diversified, this legacy lager remains a cultural marker: sessionable, familiar, and distinctly local in identity.

Christchurch embraced the modern New Zealand Pilsner—a hop‑forward, bright lager that showcases local aromatics. Brewed with pilsner malt and a clean lager yeast, it is cold‑fermented and conditioned to a precise sparkle, usually 5.0–5.5% ABV. The hallmark is the hop profile: vivid notes of citrus zest, passionfruit, and white‑wine‑like gooseberry, underpinned by a crackery malt spine and crisp bitterness. The nose can be intensely aromatic without heavy resin, making it a refreshing but characterful pint.

You’ll find it on tap in central‑city breweries and gastropubs where brewers lean into fresh hop seasons and short supply chains from Canterbury farms. Locals drink it by the handle with salty snacks, ceviche, or fried blue cod—anything that benefits from a cleansing finish. Daytime sessions in sunny beer gardens and early‑evening rounds before dinner are typical. For travelers, a New Zealand Pilsner poured at cellar‑door taprooms offers a concise taste of the country’s hop expression framed by a classic lager technique.

Just north of Christchurch, the Waipara Valley produces Riesling that thrives in long, dry autumns and limestone‑rich soils. Grapes are often hand‑picked to preserve acidity; cool stainless‑steel fermentation keeps aromatics bright. Styles range from bone‑dry to off‑dry, typically 11.0–12.5% ABV. In the glass, expect lime, green apple, jasmine, and wet stone; with age, classic kerosene notes may appear. Texture is taut yet mouth‑coating, with a laser‑clean finish that matches contemporary local cuisine.

Culturally, Riesling is the city’s go‑to for seafood and spice: order it with Akaroa salmon, green‑lipped mussels, or chili‑laced noodle dishes at BYO restaurants. Wine bars and bistros pour it by the glass year‑round, but it shines in summer lunches and spring evenings when diurnal temperature swings echo the wine’s tension. For travelers, a short drive to Waipara for cellar‑door tastings provides context—windswept vineyards, sun‑tracking slopes, and the sheltered valley that shapes those citrus‑driven, mineral wines.

North Canterbury Pinot Noir, sourced from vineyards stretching inland from Christchurch, balances ripeness with restraint. Primarily planted on gravelly river terraces and pockets of limestone, grapes are usually destemmed with some whole‑bunch fermentation for spice and structure. Maturation in French oak (often 10–12 months, modest new oak) preserves clarity. Typical ABV runs 13.0–13.5%. Expect red cherry, raspberry, wild thyme, and subtle forest floor, framed by fine, chalk‑edged tannins and fresh acidity.

In Christchurch, it’s the red poured for roast Canterbury lamb, wood‑fired duck, and mushroom dishes. Small wine bars highlight single‑vineyard bottlings, while restaurants feature back vintages that develop savory depth. Locals drink it through autumn and winter, when cooler evenings call for something layered but not heavy. For visitors, tasting Pinot Noir alongside Riesling in Waipara shows how geography and wind exposure translate into two distinct, food‑friendly expressions.

Banks Peninsula, rising just beyond the city, is dotted with old orchards that feed Christchurch’s cider presses. Producers blend eating apples with heritage bittersweet and sharp varieties, then crush, press, and ferment the juice—often with ambient yeasts—in stainless steel or neutral barrels. Some ciders are bottle‑conditioned for a natural sparkle. ABV ranges from 4.5% to 7.5%. Flavor skews dry and structured: orchard fruit, quince, blossom, and light tannin, with a refreshing, pome‑fresh nose and a bracing finish.

You’ll encounter these ciders at the Christchurch Farmers’ Market at Riccarton House, in city bottle shops, and at casual eateries, especially in warmer months. A chilled, dry cider is a staple for harborside picnics in Akaroa or with fish and chips after a peninsula hike. Historically, settlers planted apples for both table fruit and ferment; today’s small‑batch makers keep that tradition alive with low‑intervention methods and clearly labeled sweetness scales, making it easy to choose a style that suits your palate.

Christchurch’s gin movement reflects a broader New Zealand renaissance in small‑scale distilling. Neutral spirit is redistilled with juniper and native botanicals—kawakawa for green, peppery lift; horopito for a warm spice; and mānuka for floral‑honey nuance—alongside citrus peel and classic aromatics. Pot‑still and vapor‑infusion techniques are common, yielding gins at 40–45% ABV. The result ranges from citrus‑pine and saline coastal notes to herbaceous, bush‑toned aromas, depending on the botanical mix and cut.

Post‑quake regeneration left adaptable warehouse spaces where distillers now work close to consumers. Bars across the central city showcase local labels in G&Ts with lemon or feijoa garnish, or in martinis that spotlight texture and spice. Late afternoons on riverside terraces and evening cocktail hours are prime times to sample a flight. For travelers, gin offers a fast track to place: native botanicals in the glass echo the region’s flora as distinctly as any wine.

Single‑malt whisky in Christchurch is a newer tradition built on strong agricultural foundations. Canterbury‑grown malted barley and pure artesian water form the base; the mash is fermented and double‑distilled in copper pot stills, then matured in a mix of ex‑bourbon, ex‑sherry, and sometimes New Zealand red‑wine casks. Bottlings commonly sit at 46% ABV, with occasional cask‑strength releases above 50%. Expect honeyed malt, ripe stone fruit, vanilla and toasted oak, and, from wine casks, a thread of red fruit and spice.

Culturally, it’s a contemplative winter drink served neat or with a few drops of water at specialist bars and intimate restaurants. Local distilleries offer tours and tastings, highlighting grain provenance and cask selection—useful for understanding how climate and evaporation rates shape maturation. For visitors, a dram in Christchurch ties together the region’s grain belt, clean water, and patient craftsmanship, marking whisky as an emerging but credible piece of the city’s drinking identity.