Tag Archives: pub

man up with some pale ales

4 Replies

It was that time of the month again – the Local Taphouse in St Kilda was having their monthly beer tasting night they call ‘Ale Stars’. I loved the first one I attended last year on festive ales, so bought my ticket nice and early and met up with a few friends for a good tipple. To start off my evening, I ordered a wheat beer. I’ve really come around to them in the last few months, probably as a result of visiting the Red Hill Brewery, and also because of attending the Victorian microbrewers’ showcase last year in October.

They finally let us in downstairs and proceedings began. First up, the esteemed Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. My personal tasting notes from the night tell me that this is the ‘manliest’ beer I’ve ever had, and ever enjoyed. Generally, when I say ‘manly’ what I really mean is the hops are very evident – on my palate this means bitterness. However, I am gradually coming to find this very bitterness extremely refreshing. It also creates a very floral, fragrant bouquet.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Next up, the Little Creatures Pale Ale. I was lucky enough to speak to both of the guest brewers, one of whom recommended the LC PA as an excellent starting point for beer newbies. I myself personally prefer their Bright Ale but that was probably because of my ex-housemate who brewed a superior clone of it. One of my favourite summer beers. No picture of the bottle this time, as all Ale Stars had it on tap. Hoppy, but definitely a subtler beer to the SNPA (it’s not hard!). Then we were treated to the lads at Kooinda Brewery. Much to my shock and amazement, this humble little microbrewery operation is just a few suburbs away from where I currently live (they are located in Rosanna)! A few of us in my group got quite excited about that.

We then got to taste their award-winning Pale Ale, which earned the brewery a bronze medal in the American Pale Ale international category. My notes tell me that it is the crystal Vienna malts that give it its caramelly quality, and I remember only once we were directed to pay careful attention to the bouquet that yummy apricot was present, mmm. They also use local hops. You can find Kooinda online and on Twitter at @kooindabrewery.

Kooinda Pale Ale

Last up, the first craft beer in Australia – the Matilda Bay Alpha Pale Ale. No picture as this was on tap at the Local. This was actually my least favourite of the ones we tested that evening…its flavour seemed somewhat thinner, less intense? Perhaps it was just palate fatigue. I’m not quite sure, to be honest. I do know that I need some help with describing beer taste better and intend to do some research and reading. The lads at Kooinda made sure we all got more of their Pale Ale after proceedings proper, and there were no complaints there. It was lovely to chat to so many friendly and passionate people – not just in the industry, but the fellow Ale Stars too. Newly arrived Tim from the UK was working the crowd a treat and seemed to feel right at home. I’m looking forward to next one on sour beers but expect my palate to be further challenged. As promised, I’ve picked up my photo game, and tried to get some better shots of the event, which you can view below.

The Local Taphouse on Urbanspoon

parma smash

7 Replies

I have a good friend, and recently, we’ve taken to meeting up every so often for a good old parma. My mate R also likes to bring his housemate N, and I like to drag along my Bit O’ Meat (my cheeky nickname for the partner). It’s been a fun habit – funny shit-talking, teasing, good pub food and hearty quantities of beer imbibed. What life is all about, really!

Time came for all of us to do it again, and I suggested we go to Mrs Parma’s, in the city centre. It’s in the very top end of Little Bourke St, which is ridiculously quiet, to my surprise. The staff are very friendly and there is quite the impressive array of exclusively Victorian microbrews available for drinking, both on tap and by the bottle. That night I had the Jamieson’s raspberry ale, the Holgate Temptress chocolate porter and a pint of a pale ale on tap I’d not had before. The wine list too is exclusively Victorian.

It was considered contentious by choice but I ordered an eggplant parma. I’ve actually had one before and was sold: no mean feat given that I actually quite dislike eggplant, quite odd for a vegie-lover. My eggplant parma came with the standard topping of ham, tomato and cheese, at my request (I feel like I cheated because there’s still meat on what is essentially a vegetarian dish. Oops!). My companions were a good deal more adventurous: R had the salami chicken parma, N a Mexican chicken one, and Bit O’ Meat bravely ordered a chicken ‘Parmageddon’, named thus because I believe it’s supposed to defeat you with its heat. I think it safe to say he survived!

the "Parmageddon" parmagiana

I rather like that the parma is (coincidentally!) shaped like Australia, giggle.

The parmas are very generous in size, and were cooked very well, but we all agreed that the price tag seemed a tad steep for what is essentially a Melbourne pub staple. I probably wouldn’t go back specifically for a parma, but definitely for drinks if I wanted to impress upon someone that there is such a thing as good beer (and that, even better, a fair bit of it is made in this state). Again, cannot fault the service. If you’d like to look at the beer menu and the other parmas not shown, I direct you to my Flickr stream.

It demonstrated perfectly that I am indeed a creature who likes to eat, drink, and stagger, if nothing else! So yes, beer nerds, it is worthy of your patronage (and I think I’m allowed to say that, being a beer nerd in training).

Mrs Parmas on Urbanspoon

just another beer tasting night

3 Replies

I don’t know about you, but beer tastings are not as common as wine tastings and the like!

However, Melbourne does seem blessed in that there are places you can go to learn more about beer and sample the wares of microbreweries, which are, admittedly, quite fashionable at the moment. I most definitely don’t have any problem with microbreweries and their products being fashionable of late as their produce is often fantastic and just as delicious as a good wine.

This was what led me to The Local Taphouse in St Kilda, on Carlisle St. I’d heard a fair bit about how they serve awesome beers on tap, and they tend to rotate what they have on tap fairly regularly too.

They also have a monthly event called Ale Stars. You pay $30 and are treated to generous tastes of four or so beers, with pizza for the evening. Usually the nights have a theme. Tonight’s theme was, rightly, festive ales.

The night is really informal, though you do get treated to someone guiding you through the beers on offer. Because our table was the made up of newbies, we got a bell to ring, in case we wanted further info on something, or if the room was getting too rowdy. As I remarked to one friend on my table, the crowd was like the beer version of the Stonecutters (obligatory Simpsons ref).

First up for tasting, the Meantime London (as in Greenwich, London) High Saison. This is what the peasants used to drink after working the fields, probably more applicable to Europe. It was also their payment. Aside from the unfairness of feudalism, what lucky bastards.

 

 

Meantime High Saison

This was quite a subtle ale, and reminded me a bit of a wheat beer. I’ve previously tried the Meantime IPA (India Pale Ale) and found the High Saison more to my liking. It’s very refreshing and clean on the palate.

Next up, the Red Oak Christmas ale.

 

Red Oak Christmas ale

(sorry it’s so blurry, I was taking photos as quickly as I possibly could). For me, this was like a savoury version of Christmas pudding – so you have all the associated spices of that pudding, except that it wasn’t all that sweet. This was probably my least favourite.

Thirdly, we had the Red Hill Christmas ale. Apparently, this is a difficult beer to make and we had the benefit of one of the brewers and part-owners of the Red Hill Brewery come and talk us through the beer. Extremely informative and tantalising. All Ale Stars participants got to take home a bottle of this gratis which was pretty bloody ace. Cheers guys!

 

Red Hill Christmas ale

I’d had this beer before: in late October, I had the pleasure of going to the Red Hill Brewery and tried the Christmas ale 2008 vintage which I found to be sweeter than this year’s version. I preferred this year’s incarnation because it’s less sweet and still very nommy. Not sure what I’ll drink my takeaway bottle of it with food-wise just yet, but intend to save it for something a bit special.

The brewer even passed around a sample of some of the hops that went to making this beer. They smell just like marijuana which isn’t really all that unusual, given that hops and the ganja are actually in the same family.

Last of all, the ‘manliest’ of the lot, the Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve.

 

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve

Why ‘manly’? To my tongue (and in case you’re wondering, I am female), beers that are very hop-heavy are always extremely bitter. I’m embracing them a bit more of late, but even a year ago, it tasted utterly vile to me. Once you get past the bitterness, hoppy beers are actually really refreshing – seriously, on a cruelly hot day, try something like…a pilsener. Just thinking about it now is making me crave it for the the sense of refreshment it brings.

Two of the more beer savvy lads on my table loved this – one, L, a homebrewer, and T. I must confess that the bitterness did get in the way for me. I couldn’t enjoy it on the same level as they did. Alas, I do belong to the weaker sex after all.

I absolutely loved my first Ale Stars night and am considering becoming a member – for $300 a year, you get your own shirt, an engraved tankard, and a gorgeous old-fashioned wooden locker to keep it in. Oh, yeah, and you get to try and learn about ace beer and spend an evening with some pretty friendly folk. Two of the lesser beer-nuts in our party seemed to enjoy themselves, which I think is testament to the fact that you don’t need to know anything about beer to come (though trivia will well and truly humiliate you!), just some enthusiasm.

Look forward to the next Ale Stars session! See more bad photos…

Edit: my only reader, most likely, has pointed out to me that I didn’t actually describe what the darker Christmas ales were like. My bad. The Red Oak and Red Hill Christmas ales are dark ales (reader has pointed out that one might even be a dark lager). So not as hearty and burnt-coffee like, like porters (I love porters!) which is a pretty flavoursome beer style. To me these ales were really dark, spicy (and sometimes herby) dark-coloured ales.

(Gem)

The Local Taphouse on Urbanspoon