In my last story, I told you that the beer at The Green Dragon was made locally. Well, today is your lucky day because I am going to tell you where that brewery is and how you can get there. But first, you’re probably going to want the name of where we are going. It’s Good George Brewing, of course!
You can probably do that research on your own, but you want a real “boots on the ground” first-hand account of the place, yes? Ok, good. Here I go…
It’s in Hamilton.
Ok, are you still with me? Yes? Great.
This was an impromptu visit for us because we had only planned on Hobbiton and then driving back to Auckland. It was well worth it. Anyway, back to it!
After leaving Hobbiton, it will be an approximately 45-minute drive into Hamilton proper. When you input the name into your GPS make sure you put Good George Dining Hall in there. Otherwise you’ll be finding the head office which is definitely not the place for eating and drinking.
It might not look like much on the outside, because it used to be a church, but on the inside it is warm (literally, on this day) and inviting.
Looking over the menu we saw that they didn’t just do beers. They had numerous ciders, wines, and hard alcohol options for purchase as well. Yes, all of it (except the wine) is made by the good folks at Good George. I am saying that because their logo was on the labels of the drinks. I may be jumping to conclusions but dare I say that they make it all in house? Yes. I’m going to not even research this further and boldly claim that!
Ok, I researched further. I don’t want to look like an ass and boldly claim something that could be a lie. “All brewing, distilling, bottling, and canning is done on site.” – Good George website. No outsourcing done here. Just good, local, quality drinks and food.
There are plenty of things to choose from on the menu. If you’re a beer person, fantastic. Ciders? Yeah, they’ve got that. Maybe you’re a bit of a wino, but in a responsible way? Oh yeah, they have that too. You like something a bit harder? Yes yes. I mentioned all of their menu choices just above but I feel the need to reiterate.
Not knowing what to try we each went with our own tasting rack.
I am not one to pull the wool over one’s eyes and I won’t be starting now. Each drink was unique and flavourful. The rosé cider was probably my favorite. I tend to gravitate toward hazy and sour drinks so the refreshingly aromatic cider was delightful. We did also eat here but by the time the food arrived I devoured it before I could get a photo/before I could remember to take a photo.
After finishing our food and bev we wandered over to the little storefront inside the dining hall. There you could buy canned or bottled versions of some of the drinks on tap. We found a lemon gin (a gift for someone else) and a passionfruit cider (for us). Let. Me. Tell. You. I wish I had more of the cider. We brought it allllll the way back home and saved it for ourselves. I miss it dearly. I want some more.
Good George is a welcome compliment after spending the morning in Hobbiton. It was a great place to unwind, reflect, and enjoy some truly tasty food and drinks. If you get the chance, please visit them.
Thank you for visiting and I will see you next time!
John Kidde Writes 