Hallertau: Coatesville-Riverhead Highway

Hallertau's weekday evening menu offers more substantial fare like this marinated lamb rack. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

Herald rating: * * *

It's Sunday, I said to Bridget. "Let's go for a run in the country."

"Good idea," she replied. "You do that. I'll take the car."

Of course she would. For Santa was kind to Bridget, and found her an ever-so-lovely European touring car. And the day after Honey - the new baby - arrived, I went west with the young woman.

Our destination was Hallertau, which the marketeers call a "destination". The Bavarian original is 178 sq km of the classiest hop plants in the world. As Martinborough is to pinot noir, so ...

For our version you drive to the end of the Northwestern Motorway and go past lots of green stuff full of soft and cuddly future barbecue fare. When you get to the restaurant-cum-brewery-cum-winery, you recognise it by the gorgeous cars with soft tops and spoked wheels parked outside.

Here, they knock out boutique beers and fruit wines, and offer them in a slick lounge-bar and cafe-restaurant. Stephen and Hayley Plowman are the owners: Stephen is the brewer, while the menu offers "global cuisine".

Which means little plates of gravlax on toasted Parmesan, paprika-spiced grilled corn cobs, Asian-inspired noodles and salads, smoked lamb rump on feta and kumara mash, Scotch fillet with gruyere and horseradish on bacon and basil pancake.

Warning: those are only offered from 6pm on weeknights. We didn't reckon we were unusual in heading away from the city to a country brew-pub on a Sunday lunchtime - thought many Viva readers might like to do the same thing. And at that stage one has to choose from the brunch menu.

Where one, or two, will be offered all the usual concepts: smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on grain toast with capers or (you guessed it) bennies with ham and spinach on toasted bagel, corn fritters with bacon, Italian parsley and roasted red pepper relish ... just what you left behind in the Big Smoke.

Bridget chose blueberry pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and I went for the Plowman's lunch, and that is a pun on the owners' name. Crusty bread, cheese, cold meats and pickle. Or Piccallili, unless I'm mistaken.

But we were, as they say, only here for the beer. And the beer is remarkable. Plowman brews four varieties, offered in tasting glasses: a crisp and light German-style, tropical fruits and blueberries; a hoppy, citrus and malt American pale ale; a malty Irish red, caramels and chocolate malts and mocha; a light-tasting Bavarian black, roasted malts and bittersweet chocolate.

On the other side of the plantation, Riverhead Estate, they create things like kiwifruit, feijoa, apple and boysenberry wine. Although there is a small but perfectly informed wine list, Bridget wavered between the beers and a fruit wine with her pancakes. She was concerned that feijoa and blueberry might not mix. It turned out a light, refreshing palate cleanser.

We unlocked Honey and drove back to the city. "You're only happy," said Bridget, "when you're close to neon and concrete."

"Not so," I said. "I'm perfectly happy in Provence or Tuscany. But if you're going to drive for some distance, and then drive home afterwards, it has to be worth the detour. For the beer, it was. I think they need to re-think the brunch menu."

Address: 1171 Coatesville-Riverhead Highway

Phone: (09) 412 5555

Open: Tue-Fri noon-10pm, weekends from 9am

From the menu: Grilled prawns with Japanese mayo on sauteed capsicum $16.50; Fig and walnut stuffed pork fillet with baked apple and brandy-green peppercorn sauce $28.90; Chocolate whiskey cake with berry coulis $9.50

Vegetarian: Salads, pastas, mains

Wine: You're only here for the beer