Guest Blogger - My brother

So I read my wee brother's blog, and thought he needed some help and also to get some Scottish beers represented - after all his blog is named after the Scottish word for beer!

So after a few too many of this magic beer - Houston Crystal Pale Ale brewed by the Houston Brewing Company I thought "Neil needs to blog about this".

"Brewed with Pride in Scotland" - its got to be good...

The Houston Brewing Company is a microbrewery - the beers are brewed in the basement of a pub in Bridge of Weir (a small town west of Glasgow) and this bottled beer is their latest brew. Like many pale ales, it is amber/ golden in colour and you really get the fruity / zesty hops coming through this beer; quite unusual for a Scottish ale - it almost reminds me of a golden blond beer from Belgium, but the body of the ale is a little lighter.

The barman was telling me that they are moving to a new location to brew their lagers and ales - it is good to see they are on the way up! Slainte (cheers)!

The Leann Blog - Neil's Good Beer and Pub Adventures: The Welcome Inn

The Leann Blog - Neil's Good Beer and Pub Adventures: The Welcome Inn: From an Irish local bar in Rozelle to a fantastic pub with a huge range of craft beer...

The Welcome Inn

The first time I went to the Welcome (many years ago) it was half an Irish bar and half a Rozelle locals pub - it was really nice, but nothing made it stand out from the many great pubs in Balmain & Rozelle for me...

Well the Welcome Hotel (http://thewelcomehotel.com/) has changed! What a list of craft beer - and it is a constantly changing list of beers on tap (an essential for to be a great bar for me). I went with the wifey on Friday night and it was awesome! Not only was there a range of beers I have never tried before - the "Brewery of the Month" (3 beers from the Grifter Brewery http://thegrifter.com.au/) was only $6! Bargain! I will be back every Friday night!

What a list of beers on tap!

A view of the bar from the back

I wonder what that guy in the yellow jumper is thinking? Maybe "What beer will I try next?" or maybe "Why am I wearing a yellow jumper?"

It still has that awesome Balmain/Rozelle feel to it - i.e. the small local pub, wooden bar tops and brick walls but now with more craft beers on tap than you can try in one night* (I want to test this, maybe with enough food I could get through them all...)

I started with the Grifter Pale Ale and then moved onto the American IPA - both were good, but the "MARNIE'S MAJORITY ALE" (American Ale) was the stand out for me... I will be on the look out for the Grifter range from now on.

I also have to give a shout out to the staff; they were fun and friendly which makes a small pub like the Welcome.

We had a booking in a tapas restaurant on Darling Street that night so we didn't order food but next time we might eat in the restaurant - it looks a great menu but it is a little pricey...  

A few years ago this place didn't stand out to me; now this place is the stand out of the area. 

Slam dunkel!

So the internet is a wonderful thing - I came across the Beer Cartel - http://www.beercartel.com.au/ in Artarmon, a bottle shop with over 750 beers from across the globe; amazing - you have to check this place out. I actually have to apologise to the beer gods - strolling around this little shop knowing very few of the beers and not knowing what to buy I actually thought "man, there are too many beers..." 

They have a beer club - they ship you a 6 pack or 12 pack every month from their huge stock list. It is $30 for a 6 pack and it is really tempting to get sent to you 3[x2] different beers (that chances are you haven't heard of before)... I am just trying to weigh up "is it good value"? i.e. a 6 pack of beer is around $22 but this is a mixed 6 pack with huge variety and discovering new beers... decisions decisions...

So off a work colleague and I go to the bottle shop (we work in Chatswood) and I picked up a few Holgate Brewhouse wheat beers without really reading about it, thinking it was a more traditional wheat beer opposed to a dunkel.

its dark and malty with an orangy head! 

500ml bottle - get in

I like a beer with a story...

Now, when they say on the label "bold and brimming with character" and "Dark & Caramel" Holgate wasn't kidding around! This is a serious dunkel! This is a beer for winter- drink now and take your time over it - too quick and the bitterness is too much, but if you chill out on the sofa sipping away you will enjoy this one! 

I did a bit of research on "how to drink a dunkel" and the general feel is "cool" and I get that, when I first drank it straight out the fridge it just tasted too bitter-y for me, but as I drank it and the beer cooled all the bold flavours came out and I really enjoyed it and I am glad I have a few more stacked in the fridge...

So head out, wander to the Beer Cartel and pick up a few beers (and grab a few from the Holgate range)...

Neil

Dove and Olive

Whoever Olive is, she is a lucky lady to be the owner of this pub!

What a range of beer on tap!

No, I have no idea why they put records on the table either.

This is a wayward charmer. Any pub that sells beers from wayward is a good pub in my eyes...

The food is reasonably priced and just decent pub food to allow you to continue drinking great beer.

Oh deer...

The pub is a 5 minute walk from central station (charmer street exit) so easy to get to and in Surrey Hills so many other great places around it.

We managed to grab a table as this is a busy bar which was perfect. I had 3 beers and each were different. Actually, I could have had 20 different beers they had that many on tap (I didn't actually count). That's even before exploring the bottle beer selection! 

I was standing at the bar and beside me were two girls who had no idea what to drink, even though the place was busy the barman still took his time to recommend what to drink based on what they normally drank- that's good service. And there was plenty of staff which was great as well. 

I also tried the Illawarra rust amber ale, it was a bit too malty / toffee-y English style ale for me and 'willy the boatman' golden ale. It isn't a typical golden ale (heavier than normal) and I couldnt drink too many but I will happily drink it again.

I was with the wife and she was wasn't too impressed with the wine list but that's ok, this is a pub for beer lovers. The pub was quite loud so I would probably go in a group (of beer lovers) next time.

They were advertising "beer wars" which is two breweries competing against each other- sounds awesome.... I will be back...

Dove and Olive... Pleased to meet you, I will be seeing you again and again!

Hopdog Microbrewery

So I was out on site today for a project near Nowra, NSW and I was told driving back home to Sydney I had to 'hop into' HopDog brewery (http://hopdog.com.au/). This is a brewery that used to produce 200L and is just in the process of upgrading to 800L... So a microbrewery and I am very greatful for the recommendation!

Why not buy a growler?!?

Those tin things in the back- that's where the magic happens and the yeast is added to the hops to make the thing we love... Beer.

The brewery has on tap all their beers so I got to try 3 of them - the spicy wheat beer (I bought a 6 pack and is in the picture above- not like a Belgium wheat beer and the spicy is just enough to give it a unique flavour), their pale ale (big fruit hops upfront , fantastic) and the red ale (odd first taste then the toffee flavour kicks in and turns into a good beer). I didn't try the brown ale or the chai pale ale (yip as in tea infused beer) With the upgrade to the brewery they were low on stock- otherwise I would buy the pale ale as well.

Two awesome things came out from piping into the brewery- 

1. I got to try a few new awesome beers

2. I got to chat to the guys that make it; man their passion and enthusiasm was unreal! It was a privilege to chat to them.

If you see this in a pub (The SG in the cbd stocks it as a few others in North Sydney) grab one. If you are down that way hop on in... 

Hawthorn Brewery Golden Ale

I take my role as beer and pub blogger very seriously... I will continue to try different beers to blog about... So this one is on Hawthorns Golden Ale.

Yes that's a picture of the beer in my kitchen... It's a good place to have a beer I reckon...

First look, it's light. Almost see through. First taste, I like the taste and the fruity hops that you get straight away. Second taste, it's just too light for me- it needs a bit more weight for me; James Squires Golden Ale could do with some of Hawthorn's fruitiness but I will go for a squire next time I reckon. 

Don't get me wrong, it's a good drink and a beer I will happily drink; it's just I want a little more from it.

Neil

Hotel Sweeney 13/06/14

So I head into town to meet friends and realise I am going to be early; what to do? Well after a lap around the QVB I decide on something else... I have really fancied checking out Hotel Sweeney in the CBD but it looks a dive so I have never actually wandered in... Well today's the day I tried it. Hotel Sweeney (http://www.hotelsweeneys.com.au/sweeneys/whats-on.html) is very close to the QVB and Town Hall train station.

A few of the taps on the Rooftop 

A different list down the stairs

Whoa! What a list of craft beer and spirits! Yes the place is in need of some serious TLC but it knows what sort of pub it is- one for people that love craft beer! The rooftop is small but it's the CBD... and how many places in the CBD has a rooftop garden? 

I am drinking the Kim brewery slammer tequila inspired beer; I get the link- full of flavours and it works. I couldn't have too many- the flavours are a bit intense but for one quick drink it's perfect. 

If it is a sunny day I will be back here - if its wet and you want to be inside... hmm it does need some renovations...

Better go - I am now late...

Dr Pilkingtons Miracle Cider

The wife and I have taken to making food shopping more interesting - we detour via a pub for a cheeky beer beforehand (note: the milk goes off if you go after food shopping). Living in Balmain, food shopping is often done in the Woolworth's in Darling Street and a common place we end up is in The Cottage and I came across Dr Pilkingtons cider. Now dont get me wrong, it was expensive for a bottle of cider, but I have to say it was fantastic. I would thoroughly recommend it to all - it might even get the "best cider award" hosted by myself.

Then to my surprise Dan Murphys stocked it! My advice, stock up on a few and enjoy.

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_727429/dr-pilkington-s-miracle-cider-500ml

Greenwood - North Sydney

This is the sort of pub you go to for a pint after work.

I'm drinking a Young Henry real ale and my friend is drinking a peroni (the Italian one, not the Melbourne one). Apparently not many places do "the real peroni" so she loves this place and I do too - it feels like a converted church with plenty of outdoor space. 

If it wasn't so damn cold I would be outside too. For food they do the usual pub grub and 7 pizzas so again, perfect for that cheeky mid week beer after work. 

It's the sort of place that has the usual beers on tap but with a few others - things like young Henry and Kosciuszko pale ale. Right back to slagging off the boss over an "Aussie pizza" and beer...

The Pumphouse

The Pumphouse bar - http://pumphousebar.com.au/

This is actually the first bar my wife and I have ever been to in Aus - when we arrived here we rented an apartment in Pyrmont so it was two minutes away. This makes it the place that I will always remember "wow, Australia has a lot of beers that I have never heard of [i.e. not Fosters or VB]", "European lager isn't really served here" and "this is an odd size of a beer - its bigger than a half pint, but it isn't a pint either..."

This is a place that is a microbrewery, serves a huge range of beers and rotates its pumps. That's pretty much the key ingredients to a great bar yet somehow I really dislike this place- it seems to lack atmosphere and it makes you a bit flat. Now normally I head there before or after a gig at the Arena so am in a pretty excited, yet this place seems to take it out of you. Simply -

Pros- new beers to try
Cons - atmosphere

Maybe try this place in the daytime and give it a wide berth in the evening.

Mojo Records Bar

Mojo Records - a store in the front and a bar in the back. http://www.mojorecordbar.com

The wife and I went on friday night, it was packed, but we somehow managed to find a small high table up the back. As you would expect, this is a bar about "not on the high street" music and it is a cool venue.

It doesn't stock the usual beers (I had to ask the barmen what they were) and it has a small wine list (no Chardonnay - how unaustralian!?- so the wife had a fantastic Margaret  River SBS) and I had to ask the barman about the beers on tab as I hadn't heard of them before which is a good sign.

I wouldn't come here with a group as it gets packed but its a bar that I love going to...

30 Knots 04/06/14

30 knots, http://merivale.com.au/30knots is on the first floor of the grand hotel.

On its website it talks about "craft beer" but it is just james squire and little creatures bright ale. Now I love 150 lashes, golden ale and little creatures (especially if you get a chance to go to little creatures brewery in Fremantle) but craft beer these labels are not. These are the beers you find in most pubs and are owned by big brewers.

It is a small pub with a nautical theme going on. Being bright and with high tables it was a great venue to catch up with friends and the burgers were $16 and did the job. It closes at 10 so you have to finish your drinks in the Grand Hotel (grand it is not) down the stairs. It's the sort of pub that's perfect to go with friends but it's also the pub you don't really have good or bad thoughts about - it's a pub.

Saying that, a night drinking pints of Little Creatures Bright Ale is never a bad thing.

Whats your favourite Little Creatures?

The SG 20/03/14

Hello;

So the SG, formally the spooning goat - http://llovegoats.tumblr.com/about

Great venue, nightmare to find. Go here but make sure everyone knows where to go and gives time to find it. Once you find the sign, you head down the stairs to this place you will be late so in desperate need for a craft beer. They have a small range of beers on tap and a range of bottles of beers. The thing about this place is that its all local NSW beers, and they rotate them around... fantastic - Golden ale, summer ales, kolsh from different small breweries... All pubs should be made to rotate beers.

After a few too many beers on a weekday we ordered pies- there were 3 of us so I ordered one of each on the menu and they were good. We should of ordered more TBH.

The best bit of this small bar is that we were sitting on a pac man table - so yes we played pac man... and there was an atari there as well (but someone played on it all night so we didn't get a go)...  that and this place played fantastic music all night, 70s punk rock to 90s rock and roll.

Right now you should be imagining a small dark pub, not with flash seats or decor but somewhere you want to go to. And you should go here.

I was surprised that a place like this was quiet, and from what I gather it is never packed which is great when you are catching up with friends.

Whats your favourite NSW brewery? I am thinking I might choose Wayward...

The SG; 32 York St, Sydney CBD