The Free House

This is a great family pub - lovely atmosphere, plenty of space for the kids tp play out doors and fully fenced beer garden so they can’t wander off! They sell a great range of craft beers and of course non-alcoholic options for the littlies, plus a good snack menu.

Just the best bar in Nelson for a whole lot of reasons - the best range of indie craft beers, best live music (in the yurt) and best place to take a takeaway to eat - they’ll even give you plates and cutlery and wash them up after.

Out of all the bars on my list The Free House has the most unique and endearing character to it. Set in an old restored church building - It's name refers to the fact that it's not tied to any brewery - no they're free to pour whatever beers they please. This is great for us beer drinkers as whenever you rock up for a bevvy you can be sure that The Free House will be serving the best NZ beers on offer right now. If you're famished after a few brews the lads at the bar can order you up an awesome feed from award winning Nelson restaurant Mint Dining Rooms who make a mean Sunday roast! Soak up some of that Nelson sun shine out in their beer garden or take in a live gig in the massive yurt out back - either way you're in for a pretty special experience and some delicious NZ brewed beer.

My Favourite craft beer venue in Nelson - the Freehouse has an ever changing selection of craft beers from all over the country. This pub is not tied to any one brewery so you’ll get a great selection of best New Zealand beers to try. Set in a converted church, there’s plenty of room outside to sit in the sun, or a warm fire inside in the winter, plus a great schedule of live music.

The coolest pub in Nelson is the Free House, with it's old churchy feel, excellent election of ever changing craft beers and general unpretentiousness. You'll find local music in the Yurt, local beers at the bar and local people lounging around chatting, enjoying a beer or playing card games in the corner. It's everything a local pub should be.

There's a lot of love to give for award-winning craft brewpub, The Freehouse. It's consistently voted by the world's top travellers as a great place to enjoy a pint. And while I can't argue the fact that the brews here are excellent, they also do an incredibly amazing beef burger with organic meat and homemade balsamic tomato dressing. It's everything you want in a burger - hearty, meaty, juicy and, most importantly, is washed down perfectly with one of The Freehouse's 500 beers.

True to it’s name, ‘The Freehouse’ has an extensive selection of craft beer, as it isn’t tied to a brewery. Ironically, it’s an old church, with a yurt out front that often hosts live music events. I especially like to bring guests here to have a beer at sunset - the sun pours into the courtyard. It’s neighbourly enough that you can even bring kids - they have toys. Something really cool, is that they allow you to order food from the Indian across the road, or even better, Stefano’s Pizzeria will deliver. Staff at The Freehouse might even give you plates with knives and forks with which to eat your Indian!