Beervana aims to surprise the beer-curious on biggest culinary weekend in the country

Beervana runs across four sessions on Friday and Saturday. Photo / Supplied

A two-day celebration of beer returns to the capital on what could be "the biggest culinary weekend in the country" all year.

As Beervana kicks off today, on a weekend that overlaps Dine, Burger and Cocktail Wellington, punters have their pick of the capital's best offerings in food and drink.

Beervana manager Ryan McArthur said their post-2020 return would be a milestone year, and the biggest festival they had put on in a long time.

"We've been aiming to get Beervana to the central weekend in August for quite a while," he said.

"If you're going to come to Wellington from anywhere in the world, or if you live in Wellington, it's the best weekend for beer, food and drinks.

"It's got to be the biggest culinary weekend in the country in a year, if not of all time."

More than 80 breweries will be exhibiting at Beervana this weekend. Photo / Supplied

Running across four sessions over Friday and Saturday, the beer festival aims to welcome around 16,000 people.

But it's not only for beer enthusiasts – with more than 80 breweries on offer, McArthur said their aim was to delight and convert the beer-curious.

"This is a place where your ideas of what beer is can really be challenged.

"And we also have lots of cider, lots of mead, there's some wine as well, and the food is of such a high standard.

"Even if you turned up and you were still not convinced by beer, you're going to find something there that you'll have a good time with."

Beervana falls on Wellington's biggest weekend in the culinary calender. Photo / Supplied

In its 20th year, Beervana would also be hosting a number of milestone birthdays, with Wellington breweries Parrotdog and Garage Project turning 10, Renaissance brewery (Blenheim) celebrating its 15th, and Tuatara (Paraparaumu) turning 21.

There would also be some new faces at the festival, including Cowabunga Brewing coming down from Auckland, and Derelict Brewing from Christchurch and Kaikōura exhibiting together.

McArthur said they aimed for the festival to surprise its visitors.

"We try to make it the premier celebration of the brewing industry and its creativity, and we also aim for it to be exciting.

"We want people to turn up and see something they wouldn't expect to see at a beer festival – this isn't 'yeah the boys' drinking in a park, this is for everyone."

Beervana runs across four sessions, 11am - 4pm and 6pm - 11pm on Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14.