Golden Bay microbrewery 'hot' travel destination

The Mussel Inn, although remote, is named alongside luminaries such as Guinness (Dublin), Monstein (Switzerland) and Cascade (Hobart) in the 10 top brewers.

Last year, a "beer bounty" offered by the Mussel Inn assisted the cull of thousands of possums. The inn exchanged a handle of beer in return for every possum tail delivered.

Built in 1992 by the Dixon family, the inn is described on its website as "Kiwi woolshed meeting Aussie farmhouse in style". A two-hour drive from Nelson, it is 17 kilometres from Takaka on the way to Collingwood. Next direction: keep an eye out for parked cars. A "land" telephone pole with old cellphones nailed to it is perhaps indicative of being removed from the rat race. You might spot a celebrity face among the patrons (a colleague swears that he saw George Harrison, of Beatles fame, there one night).

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