Sierra Nevada Tap Showcase Line up in St. Kilda

Just another event to add to your growing list of things to do this May! 

Join Sierra Nevada's Steve Grossman on Monday, May 20th when 10 of Sierra Nevada's best brews are showcased on our taps.

The line up is as follows - your old favourites and some special treats thrown in:

Pale Ale
Torpedo
Porter
Stout
Kellerweis
Ruthless Rye

Scotch Ale
Schwarzbier
Barrel-Aged Bigfoot 

Ovila Abbey Quad with Plums 

This event is FREE and no bookings are required, simply join us in the upstairs bar from 6pm.

Menu for St.Kilda's Brewers & Chewers Event announced

The menu for Good Beer Week event Brewers and Chewers has been announced!

Lucky guests will be dining and chatting with brewing 'royalty', drinking delicious beers from said royalty and enjoying the most scrumptious three-course menu around.

Entrée
Beet cured ocean trout, celeriac remoulade, toasted crumbs and horseradish.

Main
The Local's roast pork, sweet potato gratin, buttered sprouts, Chantenay carrots, parsley, rose and date salad, jus.

Dessert
Honeycomb ice-cream, chocolate stout brownie, hazelnut praline, butterscotch sauce

There are still tickets available, so book here and get in quick!

Surprise Mom with a bottle of Prosecco at St. Kilda Taphouse

Don't be a cliché this Mother's Day and give flowers - treat your Mum to a lovely Mother's Day lunch at The Local Taphouse. 

We know Mum might not be into beer, so that's why we're offering her a delicious bottle of Prosecco for bookings of 6 or more. But if she is keen on the amber goodness - then there's a tasting paddle with her name on it. On us. 

'Cause Mums are the best!

Email here or call us on (03) 9537-2633 to make a booking.

The Critic’s Choice Top 100 Beers of 2012

Over the past week at The Local we have been tapping the daily countdown for The Critic’s Choice Top 100 Beers of 2012.  These are the top twelve beers in Australia according to The Beer Lovers Guide and that are on tap today.

St. Kilda Ale Stars get a special visit from friends across the ditch

A very special edition of Ale Stars will happen on Tuesday the 21st May at 7pm.

Two of our favourite Kiwi Breweries, Yeastie Boys & Garage Project, will be in the house and bringing some of their amazing beers for us to try (line up to be announced).

Don't miss this great night - tickets can be purchased here and are limited, so you must have a ticket to enter, no walk-ins will be allowed for this special event.

The usual great food, beers and entertainment will ensue and at $40 it's a bargain.

Email us for more info and see you there, Bro.

The Critic's Choice Top 12 beers on Tap this Friday, May 3th in St. Kilda

The Critic's choice is back for another year!

We're up to number 5 in the Beer Lovers Guide to Australia's annual Critic's Choice Top 100 beers.
 
The great line up of beers is being counted down each day here and all 12 of the top beers will be on tap this Friday May 3rd.

Keep up-to-date with the countdown online or via their twitter feed.

See you Friday afternoon to sample the Top 12 brews!

Come in Spinner! A big ANZAC Day at Darlo...

 

It was a spirited ANZAC Day celebration at The Local in Darlo with games of Two-up facilitated throughout the day by Taphouse 'Beer & Cellar Dude", David (Ossy) Osgood. Punters got right into the spirit of it from the start with $50 bets being laid down within the first few games...

For ‘The Critics Choice Countdown Top 100 Beers of 2012’ we tapped the delicious, Hargreaves Hill ESB, which was announced on the day at position number 10. This ale is a 'new world' interpretation of the classic English style that carries hefty bitterness from substantial dry-hopping with a selection of US, NZ, and Aussie hops. We'll be tapping all of the top 12 over the period of the announcement. Congrats today to Two Birds at number 5 with their Sunset Ale!

It was great see the crowd buying servicemen and women drinks, and new staff members Shelley and Nathan getting their beer knowledge on from behind the bar.

All in all, a fantastic day...

Book a function in St. Kilda & Win!

Have a birthday, engagement or any excuse to party coming up? Book a function with us in April, May and June and go into the draw to win 1 of 3 $500 bar tabs and 1 of 3 x Endota Spa vouchers.

Email us here for more details and contest rules. Winners will be drawn each month and notified by email or phone.

Endota Spa, 173 Barkly Street, St. Kilda (03) 9534 0066.  Email them here to book a massage/facial or spa treatment today.

Chuck delivers a Roundhouse kick to Darlo!

Last Wednesday saw the official release of the Illawarra Brewing Co./Local Taphouse collaboration beer, aptly named the "Chuck Norris Red Ale"; a) because it shares it's ginger colour with the famous action hero and b) because it delivers the biggest roundhouse kick to your taste buds, realigns your broken tonsils and BAM! kicks you again.

The beer itself is a carefully constructed blend of the new hop strain "Mosaic" and an assorted bag of malts including the German Carared, Carafa 1 and the Belgian Special B.

With some good ol' Western truckin' classics flowing over the sound system and the pint glasses well stocked the launch kicked off at 6pm and the taste anticipation was high as the complimentary Chucks poured over the bar for all to taste. With Delta Force 2 showing in the Louvre and Chuck himself signing autographs on the night, the atmosphere was as gripping as watching Bruce Lee pull Chuck's chest hair in Way of The Dragon.

As you can see from the photos, no hand was empty, no frown was upside down and no head went unlocked by Chuck!

The Local Taphouse would love to thank the brewers Dave McGrath, Shaun Blissett and Ashur Hall for making this beer such a special one and all of the people that attended the launch all walked away knowing that something unique was created that day -

 (oh yeah, and they also had a dance till close and travelled back home with hefty hangovers...) 

Stay tuned for more in the "Action Hero" series

Celebrate ANZAC Day with the footy & a game of 2-UP in St. Kilda

Join us this ANZAC day, Thursday April 25th, for a great game of footy, fantastic beer & 2-UP all afternoon.

Reserve a table with your mates and be a part of the action.

Book here to secure your table or give us a call on (03) 9537-2633.

Oh and there'll be cookies...

Good Beer Week events in St. Kilda! Get Involved - May 18-26th

We just can't wait for Good Beer Week, May 18th - 26th!

There are some great events around town, and we're putting on one of our favourites - Brewers & Chewers!

Join the following line up of great international and local brewers in a great night of delicious food, exceptional beer and fun company.

Jasper from Camden Town Brewery (UK), 

Jos from Garage Project (NZ), 

Eric from Brooklyn Brewery (USA), 

Brennan from Burleigh Brewing (QLD),

Ashur from Illawarra Brewing Co (NSW)

Leo from Birra Del Borgo (ITA) 

Scott from Bright Brewery (VIC) and

Tim from Hop Dog (NSW)

This dinner party incorporates elements of "meet the brewer", speed dating and musical chairs, all hosted by the inimitable Pete Mitcham. Brewers are seated at each table until the bell rings and then they move on to a new table to start up conversation with a whole new crew.

Wednesday, May 22, 7pm $85.  Book here and don't miss out. Limited seats available. This event has sold out the past two years!

Next up is everyone's favourite combination, beer & cheese. Join us for 'A Beer & Cheese Experience" where we pair 5 delicious cheese with 5 memorable beers to delight and challenge your palate.  Open to cheese & beer novices through to connoisseurs.

Thursday, May 23, 7pm $45  Book here.

Last up is the High Country Brewery Trail Taphouse Makeover.

Join the High Country brewers as they release their inaugural High Country Collaboration Beer. Meet the brewers, enjoy the collaboration beer and other selected beers from their respective ranges on tap. This FREE event is one to mark on your calendar.

Friday, May 24th, from 4pm, FREE

For more information on event details please email us.

All ticketing is through the Good Beer Week website - follow the individual links to reserve your spot in these great events.

Bring on May!

Book a function in St. Kilda this Autumn and win 1 of 3, $500 bar tabs!

Function options at The Local Taphouse are endless - a cocktail party, a sit down dinner for 30, a relaxed BBQ, a farewell party with your own Bocce court - just drop us an enquiry and let us know what special event you'd like to celebrate.

As a special promotion, book a function with us in either April, May or June and go into the draw to win 1 of 3 x $500 bar tabs. A winner will be announced each month. Email here full the full set of terms & conditions.

Our popular 'Host a Roast' packages are perfect for a delicious Autumn meal. Choose your meat, choose your sides and optional dessert. Vegetarians and dietary concerns are easily catered for so no one has to miss out!

Email us today for your function pack and menus!

St Kilda Bonza vs Darlo Black & Tannin - - Fight!

Last Wednesday, the Darlinghurst Ale Stars descended upon the Local Taphouse for the highly anticipated launch of the Ale Stars brews.
This was the first time that anyone in Sydney got a chance to taste the beer that the Sydney Ale Stars went up to Hunter Beer Co to brew (Black & Tannin), as well as the St Kilda offering (brewed at Mornington Peninsula Brewery), the BONZA IPA.

To start off the night, we invited Hunter Beer Head Brewer Keith Grice up to talk about one of his favourite beers; his own Hunter Bock. A beautiful bock, with rich caramel and toffee notes, this one was the perfect start to a very boozy evening. Keith talked us through the recipe, and how he's changed it recently, tweaking it to deliver the flavours that you'd expect from a bock.

We then moved onto a delicious Black Imperial Pilsner brewed by our very own 'Ale Stars Czar' Doc from Doctor's Orders Brewing. A beautifully balanced, yet very extreme beer, this found a really nice middle ground between getting dark flavours without being too thick or roasty, and being very hoppy without being aggressive.

We then sampled the competition, the BONZA IPA that the St Kilda Ale Stars brewed at Mornington. Named BONZA for its mix of Belgian yeast and Aussie, New Zealand and American hops, this one was very fruity and spicy, coming from both the Belgian yeast and the pacific hops.

Finally, we got to the moment we were all waiting for. The tension in the room was palpable as the final beer was brought out. The Black & Tannin, a huge, rich Baltic Porter aged in Hunter Valley Shiraz Barrels. Needless to say, the crowd loved this beer, enjoying its layers and complexities. The Ale Stars had wanted to make a big, bold, ambitious beer, and in that, they succeeded.

The interstate fight continues... say tuned.

The CHUCK NORRIS to Launch in Darlo

On the 10th March 1940 a deity was born. One whose physical prowess, cowboy hat and ginger beard were known to all and a man that neither god nor goddess could possibly hold down.

His name – CHUCK NORRIS

To celebrate this man, 73 years later - The Local Taphouse decided to mosey on down to Illawarra Brewing Co with one mission – To brew a beer in the style, colour and grace that no man could resist and thenceforth came “The Chuck Norris Red Ale” with the addition of the new hop varietal “Mosaic”

This collaboration ale is a beer born of genius, passion, and a love of all things Red. The malt bill is split between English and Australian Pale malts for it's foundation and then turns to the continent for the specialities. With German Carared, Carafa I, and Belgian Special B, the Chuck Norris displays a depth in malt body and palette that comes together like a roundhouse kick.

Mosaic is a new hop varietal from the American North West which displays all the wonderful characteristics that you could expect from the Yakima Valley with aromas of pine, citrus and tropical fruits with great bittering qualities to boot. When it hit the shores of Australia this summer it seemed the obvious choice so we got it in and started planning. 

Mosaic was added seven times throughout the brew and fermentation from the mash, first wort, kettle, and two dry hop additions to get the full breadth of what this hop had to offer.

The result is a beer with clean crisp bitterness, subtle pine and mellow malt body finishing with a tropical fruit pow pow PUNCH!

After some keg races, a BBQ bacon and egg breakfast and an open bar that included the full range of Illawarra’s crafty creations, the beer was born.

Style: Mosaic Single Hop American Red Ale

IBU: 33

ABV: 5.9%

OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY

The Local Taphouse Roof Garden

Wednesday 3rd April – 6pm-8pm

Entry to all, even if you’re small!

Free Autographs to be signed on the day…. By somebody

Twitter: #chuckdarlo

Like Chuck Norris counting to infinity-twice, you'll be left wanting your pint to never end*

(*oh yeah, and this beer only comes in Pint size! Because Chuck Norris doesn't do small)

Ale Stars launch their first ever brew! St Kilda wrap up...

Last Tuesday saw the highly anticipated launch of the Ale Stars' Brews from both Darlo and St. Kilda Taphouses.  Black & Tannin & BONZA (from Darlo and St. Kilda respectively) went head to head in a battle of the brews.

We warmed up our palates with the delicious black imperial pilsner, Iron Lung, from  Doctor's Orders Brewing and then moved on Darlo's Ale Star effort, Black & Tannin.

Black & Tannin was brewed by Doc from Doctor's Orders Brewing, the Darlo Ale Stars team and head brewer Keith Grice of the Hunter Brewing Co. The result was a delicious Baltic Porter aged in an old Shiraz barrel - rich with notes of chocolate, tobacco, ash, pepper & spice.

Next up was the St. Kilda Ale Stars' effort, BONZA, a Belgian IPA.

BONZA, which stands for Belgian, Oz, New Zealand and America, was brewed at Mornington Peninsula Brewery with help of MPB brewer AG. We decided late to add a soft "J" at the end for the Japanese Sorachi Ace hops that were also added to the brew (i.e. BONZAJ).  Members of the St. Kilda Ale Star committee behind the recipe for the Belgian IPA were also on deck to speak about the brew and what how their idea of a Belgian IPA unfolded.

The brew had excellent phenolic aromas and character as expected from a good Belgian and the significant hop additions yielded tropical stone fruit flavours ensuring it was true to the IPA component of its name.

Our final brew for the night was a fresh keg of MPB's Imperial IPA, a perfect way to round out a great night.

Thanks to AG for creating this fantastic commemorative poster for us - there were rumours the Ale Stars will brew another beer with AG and the MPB crew next year. Fingers crossed!