Bryon Bay Brewery

So when you think of Byron Bay breweries, you naturally think of Stone & Wood but to our pleasant surprise, we found the Byron Bay Brewery on the way to our hotel (the wife and I had a weekend up in Bryon; great spot!).  

This place was an arts factory, then a rock and roll venue and now a cinema and brewery bar - it is one massive bar! It is slightly outside of town with a free shuttle bus to cart you from the town to the place and there is plenty of parking outside. 

The band were playing outside (if the weather is bad they move inside) in the beer garden with a steady flow of people coming through the back as this is drop off point for the shuttle bus.

Yes thats a ukulele, amazing... 

The size of the place gives it quite an American feel to it and when it's quiet, this place will really struggle with an atmosphere and it's an area the Brewery can improve on [in my opinion] - when you go to places like Bentspoke in Canberra or other brew houses in Sydney or the Hunter Valley the thing that really jumps out at you is "we love making beer" and, to be honest, the Byron Brewery Bar didn't really give that vibe off. It felt sort of felt fake and a bit "generic formula for a large brew house" if that makes sense?  

as you walk in you see the brewing process

it's a big place!

As for the beers, they have five on tap and a special beer. The special when we were there was the Special Longtime IPA which sounded awesome but it had run out by the time we made it to the brewery unfortunately. 

I started with the pale ale and it was a beer anyone could happily drink, very easy and smooth.

The pale ale

The dark lager is a bit like vegemite - you will love it or hate it - you get a dark coloured lager, with toffee English ale flavours and smells upfront but it finishes slightly sweet like a pilsner lager. For me, it is was hot and sweaty when I drank it and it was the wrong type of beer to drink in the heat - come winter, I would give it another go. 

I finished with the "Premium Ale" - such a unique beer! It tastes like a full flavoured lager with more natural carbonation and a creamy finish - quite unique and really quite enjoyable! I think the place deserves a lot of credit for coming up with a few unique tasting beers, so well done!

If they could only make the place smaller, or split it up into different rooms etc, this would be a great place to hangout and enjoy a few beers, never-the-less, sitting in the beer garden in the back, listening to the band play here is an enjoyable night out...

Record Crate, Glebe

So the wife and I fancied somewhere a bit different to the usual pubs before we went for a Mexican dinner in Glebe so off we went to Record Crate - a vinyl shop and coffee shop by day and bar at night. 

It is right in the middle of Glebe Point Road so a perfect pre meal spot. While I chatted to the owner and discussed whats on tap, the wife looked at the wine list, which she wasn't all that fussed about. I reckon it must be very difficult when you are a record store, cafe, bar to meet all needs and get enough styles of wine on the list to please all. Maybe thats the downside of a slightly different and cool bar - size and storage will limit meeting everyone's demands... 

Is it music shop or a bar?

What an awesome combo, craft beer, tunes and an ability to buy said tunes! 

So they had three Mountain Goat beers on tap and also had an Angstrom Voltaic Pale Ale - I read about these guys the other day, it is brewed by a few mad scientists brewing some interesting and unusual beers in their spare time while working at Sydney Uni! So I had a to have the Angstrom... 

Ångström Brewery Voltaic Pale Ale 

I wouldn't of said it was a wheat beer and it is quite flat, a bit like an English beer, with a solid amount of hops going on upfront in true Aussie style but the taste dies away and just leaves the orange / mango scent. I hate to say it, but I struggled to find the 'whoa' with this beer... but I think it is because I like a bit more carbonation in my beer... I hope these guys do well but it wasn't for me... 

Goat... a great brewery.

Cheers for surviving the week!

When I spoke to the owner of Record Crate, I was asking him how he found out about the craft beers and he told me a friend runs a craft beer 'meet up' so is always on top of up and coming breweries. 

I would probably say this place is a bit like a cross between Mojo Records (but imagine everyone in the record store opposed to in the back bar area) and The SG (i.e. a bit retro, a bit different and serving some cool beers with some 60s and 70s tunes playing away). 

I think the fact that this place is a bit different, and the fact that there will be new and different craft beers on tap makes this a place to come back to. I kinda think places like this show why the Inner West really is the coolest spot in Sydney...  

A nod to the bottlo

So my posts to date have all been about pubs, breweries and their beers but there is an important area of "all things beer related" - the bottle shop. 

Too often bottle shops won't really stock a range of craft beers as the market is still small, [and the fresher the beer the better for 'crafties'] but there are a few that standout as great places to buy beer for that footie game on the TV or the BBQ...

So my favourite has been +Beer Cartel but it's not really that convenient to get to for me, or anyone really (it's in an industrial estate in the back streets of Artamon) so if are planning a party or event, head there to pick up some unusual and beers from all over the world. How they manage to get such a wide range of beers from every country known to man is impressive! And with the US, NZ and UK craft beer scene so good, having a place that stocks a decent number of beers from there and elsewhere is great. 

I also have to give +little bottle shop of Glebe a little/big shout as well as it too has a few very hidden gems, and considering it is small makes it even better.

But I have to say my 'go to' bottle shop is  +Balmain Wine Shop.   

The dedicated craft beer sign... that's a 'good sign' it's a good place.

a fridge of international beers

A couple of fridges of craft beers with a focus on inner west breweries

What I really like about it is that it has a focus on inner west breweries, which there are many, and many of them are some of the best in Sydney. But they also have a wide array of other craft beers over their many fridges! They also do a really good selection of world beers, from the bigger breweries (opposed to the more boutique breweries that the beer cartel offer) and they also have another couple of fridges full of your normal lagers and the traditional chiller room you walk into on a stinking hot day to cool down for slabs of beer (I love that term - slab of beer; it really is a better way of saying a crate!). I really do believe that Balmain Wine Bar has the formula - normal beers, through to global lagers with a big mix of Australian and then inner west Sydney beers all in the mix. Shortnecks, longnecks and slabs are all on offer. 

The only thing that is missing is growlers (a big bottle of 1.89 ltrs traditionally which you use to refill your beer with. The upside of them is it is cheaper as there is no bottling costs for the brewery but the downside is that it has to be drunk on the day otherwise it will go flat). 

A christmas stocking gift for beer lovers!

So I have read two articles (one from the thousands newsletter and the other in this months Beer and Bewery magazine) recently regarding beer soap - yes soap using the used hops when making beer and it struck me that this would be a fun and slightly unusual gift to give a beer lover. 

If you are in WA, head here http://www.thebrewersdray.com.au/index_files/beer_soap.html

If you are in Sydney, Young Henrys have it in the brewery bar or I am sure if you cantact them through the website etc http://www.younghenrys.com/ they will be able to sort you out.

Etsy have a number on offer too!  https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TheBeerSoapCompany

Failing that, the Beer Cartel will probably be able to sort you out with their many beer gifts online - http://www.beercartel.com.au/epages/BeerCartel.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BeerCartel/Categories/Gifts__Merchandise

For the international readers - 

If you are in the UK - Staustel Brewery can post it too you http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/article/brewery-launches-the-perfect-bar-of-beer-soap

If you are in the US - The beer Soap Co can help you out  http://www.thebeersoapcompany.com/ 


Merry Christmas, and remember to leave a craft beer out on Chistmas eve for Santa (and one for Rudolph too - he is sick of the carrots... ;)

'Santa' Neil

Bank hotel - Uncle Hops Craft Beer Bar

So I was in Newtown mid week and we meandered into the Bank Hotel for a cheeky mid week meal and a few beers. This place is huge! But there is a crafty surprise in the back of this place - the old back bar has become the hops bar - a craft beer cave where the taps rotate ever week.   

Like many other typical aussie pubs in the front bar...

Now anyone that knows the history of the Bank Hotel knows that it has certainly changed - it used to be a bit of a dive so the renovations have transformed the place.

Hop on to the back bar...

So it really feels like its a bar in a bar as it has its own name, doors and the bar staff wear different outfits. They also work in the Hops bar opposed to rotate between the Banks Bar and Uncle Hops.

Its a bar in a bar! 

You can really feel the different crowd that comes here, but there is a real limitation - it only serves beer - one of the group was drinking wine, so we had to set up a tab and she went to the front bar while we ordered our beers. You also have to order food at the front as well. This is the thing - while it is working hard to differentiate itself from being a "back bar" it limits itself to being just craft beer.  And that makes me ask the question - is this just a dressed up back bar to get more people through the door or is it something different - i.e. two stand alone bars, for different people, under one roof? I would like to see it really being more stand alone - to represent the different clientele and be another craft beer pub on the list and it doesn't feel it is quite there yet.   

Anyway, the food was tasty - I had the pulled pork burger and one of the others ordered a pizza and it didn't disappoint... 

Someone has stabbed my burger!!!

So for drinks, I ordered a Murrays Fred IPA, but it was a Wednesday, which meant that while they advertised the beers for the week, most of the beers won't arrive until Thursday so I think there was only 7 out of the 12 taps available (which still is a decent number!). They only offer middies and pints - awesome, pints should be the standard serve in my opinion! I do like how craft beer places are defaulting more and more to pints - I think the problem is that craft beer would be too expensive for a schooner, and that craft beers don't last as long so they need to get through the keg as quick as possible. 

I then asked the barman if he had Young Henrys Newtowner, and he didn't - only their Real Ale and Cider. Now, if I was mayor of Newtown, I would only offer a bar licence if they had the Newtowner on permanently on tap. Now I love rotating taps but the YH range should be locked in for Newtown pubs, but thats just my crazy thoughts! 
So I had the Australian Brewery Extra Hops Ale - as you can see below, small head, slightly dark body and full of hops! My mouth was tasting hops for days! It was a good solid beer to sit and have while chatting away. A bit like James Squires Copper Ale but with more punch.  

A pint or middy is the serving sizes... 

I finished the night with a Edge and Stillwater 'Angel of Zest'. I have never heard of Edge and Stillwater - it's a US brewery. It really was in the wrong order - this is a bit like a Saison and a bit like a Belgian wheat beer - big citrus flavours with the bitterness you want from a saison and a really light body. An interesting beer, and I have written about Saisons before here. I think this a good beer, but not my favourite Saison (but I think it was influenced by the Extra Hoppy Ales I had before!).

Overall, the staff knew their stuff, the refurb of the overall pub is good, and if you are in Newtown looking for a few craft beers after a visit to YH brewery, here is a half decent shout.  

Batch Brewery

So I had the pleasure of heading to Batch Brewery the other week and when I was telling a friend about this he told me "I often have a few beers there when cycling back home" and you what? He wouldn't be the only one... When we were there a number of people had cycling hats on the table which only added to the community feel this place had in abundance. 

those big tin things in the back is where the magic happens... My technical brewing knowledge is at an all time high... 

The crates that make the bar give this brewery a cool chilled out vibe.

I had a few different Batch beers before in a number of pubs in the inner west (Welcome Inn and East Village) and I had always known them for their full flavour so it was great to try a bit more of their range. 

We started with their APA and it was a great full full flavoured beer - fruity upfront and taste with a big kick at the end. Not overly bitter finish, more just a complimentary aftertaste.

We then moved onto the The Big Kahuna. A coconut brown ale. I don't know how to explain this beer other than to say it was malty and very unique - the coconut oil wasn't upfront but rather more obvious at the end of the taste where the bitterness has been replaced with a sweet finish. I only had a small jar of this (they serve all their beers in jugs or jam jars!) and I don't think I could drink much more of it but never-the-less it was an enjoyable experience! 

After a taste of the Big Kahuna we moved onto my favourite - the Indian Black Ale. A really great mix of more malty hops brewed for longer but in an IPA style. The outcome is a dark beer but has all the refreshing tastes and smells of an IPA. Not what you would expect when you look at it, but definitely a beer you have to try...

We finished with their Summer Farmhouse Ale which is a saison, which is an odd mix between fruit upfront taste, light body and then a sour aftertaste - somehow the beer morphs tastes! I never liked saisons until I tried one in Drygate (Glasgow, UK) but I really enjoyed this one at Batch.

The last thing I would say about this place is that due to it's size, what it has on tap is always evolving - I reckon if I blogged about this place in a years time it would be discussing completely different beers. 

Overall, a real neighbourhood gem that if you can get someone to drive you there, or in close proximity to cycle there, you have to pop in here. If you can get hold of an Indian Black Ale you would be a fool to pass the opportunity up.

Neil

Willie the Boatman Foo Brew Golden Ale

So how many people have heard of Willie the Boatman? Well not many, yet at every festival they go to, it seems to be the crowd favourite. We (the wife and I) had the privilege of going to Willie the Boatman on Daves Brewery Tour and we got a few bottles of their beers. Well the other day I had their golden ale. It is a great beer! I have always said with a golden ale, the thing that makes it work for me is that it has a light body but a decent amount of flavour on the tongue. This way Golden Ales can be a session beer - i.e. a beer you can drink happily all night. This is a great example of a great golden ale. 

their labels make great door hangers!

Golden in colour but actually a light body that you can see through...

A proper size for a beer, none of this 330 ml rubbish!

So the Foo Brew doesn't have too much smell on the nose, a light body and it has a slightly bitter finish that gives the beer a nice finish. I drank this on a warm evening after a day of exercise (tough mudder) so I was great need of refreshing beer. This was perfect for the occasion. I reckon in winter this beer lacks the big flavour but thats the awesome-ness of craft beer - this beer is perfect for a time and a place while their other beers (such as 'Todd's Trailer Ale' or 'The Crazy Ivan') are bigger in flavour and taste. While other refreshing beers such as Saisons or Belgian wheat beers you can drink, but not all night - a golden ale, such as Foo Brew, you can sit happily with and enjoy whoever's company you are with.

If you can find Willie the Boatman - http://www.willietheboatman.com.au/venues.html then grab one, or if you are in Marrickville, or are looking for an excuse to go to a small and really cool brewery, head to Marrickvile and then pop in to their new brewery you won't regret it... OK, I need a few more beers now - the pain of tough mudder is starting to kick in; what high strength beers do I have? Bugger it, it's whisky time!