News & New Brews

Redoak's Mild tap was replaced today with their Honey Ale (see Latest Showcase Tap list). The Mild was probably the slowest keg to move since we opened. It's not a bad drop but I reckon the fact that's it called 'Mild' has something to do with it. It's not particularly masculine is it?! Holgate's Big Red has temporarily replaced Rooftop Red as we had some of the keg left over after the Holgate Beer Dinner.

I'm thinking I'll change a round a couple of the regular taps, given the cooler seasons and all. Leffe Brune will replace Leffe Blonde and Hargreaves Hill ESB will replace Baron's Lemon Myrtle Wit. There's a couple of others I may change too. Watch this space.

Coming up on the Showcase Taps are Holgate's Dunkel Weizen, Otway Ale, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse (we have one keg left), Bright Brewery's Staircase Porter, Feral Rust Belgian Strong Ale,
Feral Belgium Wit and The Little Brewing Co.'s Wicked Elf Pilsner.

I had a good meeting today re the beer club. We think we may finally have a name which is good. We'll have a trial club meeting before SpecTAPular then launch it proper in July. Club meetings promise to be a great social outing if the plan works!

Finally, Matilda Bay have come aboard as the sponsor of our live music nights. We have some promotional stuff planned but it will be called Matilda Bay's 'Live @ The Local'. Rock on!

Just over 3 weeks till SpecTAPular..

Little Creatures bar in Fitzroy opening soon

I've heard that Little Creatures bar in Fitzroy is opening in just 5 weeks! The name is a secret but won't include Little Creatures apparently. I can't wait to check it out and work my way through their range (on tap).

The Normandy Ale House in Clifton Hill is close to launching too. Then there will easily enough beer friendly bars around to warrant some clever dick offering a mini bus tour which stops off for a couple at each one I reckon. Where do I buy my ticket?!

Could this be Melbourne's first Beer Tour Bus?

Boag's Wizard Smith's Ale a Sneaky Entry to SpecTAPular!

With considerable effort, I've managed to covertly sneak a keg of Wizard Smith's Ale from Tasmania and into the SpecTAPular lineup (although I've yet to figure out how!).

Of all the breweries I've approached around Australia to be involved with our first seasonal SpecTAPular, Boags is one of only two who were anything like hard work. Yes, I know Wizard Smith's Ale is not available on tap in Victoria but neither are most of the other festival beers. That's the whole point! A big part of any beerfest is having unusual or rarely found beers available for a special occasion.

The sooner some marketers realise that seeding certain or one-off beers on tap at festivals or in beer focussed venues the better as it's clever marketing (in my humble view). It would create a bit of a buzz (both kinds) for both the beer and the brewery and give them valuable feedback from the kind of people they want their beer to appeal to.

Staff Trip to Matilda Bay's Garage Brewery

Many of the staff car pooled early this morning and ventured to the mean streets of Dandenong South to visit upon Matilda Bay's Garage Brewery. The day was for staff to learn more about brewing and to taste MB's brews straight out of the tanks!

Thanks heaps to MB's Andrew, Benjamin, Neil, Jeremy and AG for hosting what was a great morning. Your wood fired pizzas rock and we can't wait for the hush-hush beers to grace our taps!

New beers tapped

Bridge Road Australian Ale, Alpha APA (replacing Lowenbrau Oktoberfestbier) and Holgate Mt Macedon Ale (replacing Franziskaner) have all been tapped on the Showcase Taps in the past 48 hours. Otway Pale Ale will be tapped as soon as either Bridge Road or Alpha kegs are finished!

We got a nice review in the Herald Sun today by Ed Charles (who attended the Holgate Beer dinner).

Holgate Beer Dinner Photos

As promised, here are some photos from the Holgate beer dinner last week. See y'all @ the next one (James Squire on July 9th).

Paul Holgate

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Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier finished

Big couple of nights at the bar despite the freezing temperatures!

The Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier keg didn't last long. I guess punters recognise the name so it moves faster. Not a bad drop though. Maybe we'll get more in for the Octoberfest SpecTAPular. Anyway, Bridge Road Australia Ale is up next followed by Otway Pale Ale. Then Holgate tap rotating three different styles through it..

Only 4 weeks to go til Winter SpecTAPular.

Lowenbrau Triumphator coming

This morning I found a way to get a couple of kegs of the formidable Lowenbrau Triumphator (pronounced Tree-Um-Fart-Uhr) Double Bock. BeerAdvocate: "Double Bocks or Doppelbocks are huge beers with enough malt packed in them to consider them a meal in its self. Generally having a very full-bodied flavor and darker than other bocks with a higher level of alcohol also." They should arrive by end of July.

Stein Carrying World Record

This is a great clip.

Sydney's Lowenbrau Keller Restaurant Manager Reinhard Wurtz stepped into the history books on last November after breaking the World Record for the 'Most One-Litre Steins of Beer carried over 40 Metres' after he managed to move an impressive 20 steins!

Local Beer Club in the planning stage

We've had a few planning meetings now about a monthly beer club at The Local Taphouse. The idea is to have a night once a month where interesting, different or rare beers (some bottled, some in keg) can be sampled (along with some food) and discussed in a social and fun environment. There will be more news about this as things are finalised. It does look like, however, that members who pay their annual club fee will have their own locker for their own glass. Kinda cool I reckon.

If anyone can think of a great name for the club, email me - steve@thelocal.com.au. If we use it, I'll give you a nice prize!

Two taps emptied so two new beers!

Grand Ridge Brewers Pilsner only lasted 5 days so we've just tapped a single keg of Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier, a Märzen/Oktoberfest imported from Germany. Read more about this style of beer.

Also, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse keg finished and we replaced it with the keg we actually ordered (!), Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel.

In the kegroom ready to go are Ben Kraus' Bridge Road Australian Ale, Luke Scott's Otway Ale and Matilda Bay's Alpha (American Pale) Ale.

Baron's Lemon Myrtle Wit will be replaced shortly with Hargreaves Hill ESB as a regular tap.

Holgate Dinner

Last night's Holgate Beer Dinner was a great success. We had a turnout of 26 people and the feedback we got about the beer and meal was A1. Photos to follow.

Thanks to Paul and Ian from Holgate for working with us to ensure it was a good night. I highly recommend making the hours drive to visit the Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend. They even have great accomodation upstairs. Thanks also to Ty and the kitchen staff. For the next week or so, we'll have a Holgate tap which will rotate the kegs we have left! Come one, come all!

Next beer dinner will likely be a degustation menu for James Squire on July 9th. Dr Chuck Hahn, Brewmaster, will be in town for this Tales n Ales night..

Dog Beer: What will they think of next?

Some people have simply too much time on their hands....

SpecTAPular Beer Lineup

Well, barring a few minor alterations, here's the final lineup for our Winter SpecTAPular on Sunday June 22nd. Promotion starts in a week or so and then we start counting down!

VICTORIA
2 Brothers Brewery (Growler Brown Ale), Bellarine Brewing Co (Bellarine Bitter), Bridge Road Brewers (Chevalier Hefe Weizen Dunkel), Bright Brewery Fainters Dubbel (Belgian Abbey-style Dubbel), Coldstream Brewery (Chocolate Winter Ale), Flying Horse Brewery (Dirty Angel Strong Dark Ale), Grand Ridge Brewery (Moonshine Scotch Ale), Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company (Robust Porter or ESB), Holgate Brewhouse (ESB), Jamieson Brewery (Son of a Beast Double IPA), Matilda Bay Brewing Company (Redback Pale Ale), Mountain Goat (Hefeweizen), Otway Estate Brewery (Prickly Moses Belgian Strong Ale), Red Hill Brewery (Imperial Stout), Temple Brewing Company (Temple Saison), The 3 Ravens Brewing Company (Uber Special Bitter ESB)

NSW
Barons Brewing Co. (Black Wattle Ale), Murray’s Craft Brewing Co. (Grand Cru Belgian Triple), Redoak Brewery (Vienna Lager), Northern Rivers Brewing Co. (Migration Strong Dark Ale), Malt Shovel Brewery (Mad Brewers Raspberry Wheat Beer), Paddys Brewery (Paddy’s Rye), The Little Brewing Company (Wicked Elf Pale Ale), Scharers Brewery (Scharer’s Bock), Potters Brewery/Hunter Brewing (Smoked APA), Five Islands Brewery (The Parkyn’s Shark Oil IPA)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Barossa Valley Brewing (Organic Pale Ale), Coopers Brewery (Dark Ale), Saltram of Barossa (Pepperjack Hand Crafted Ale)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Bootleg Brewery (Raging Bull Porter), Feral Brewing Company (Tusk IPA), Gage Roads Brewing Co. (All Malt Lager), Mash Brewing (Mash Black Lager), Jarrah Jacks Brewery (Pemberton Ale Kölsch), Little Creatures Brewing Company (American Pale Ale)

QUEENSLAND
Burleigh Brewing Co. (Duke APA), MT Brewery (Mountain Bitter)

TASMANIA
Two Metre Tall Brewing Company (Huon Dark Ale from hand pump), Moorilla Estate (Imperial Sweet Stout), Boags (Wizard Smith’s Ale)

ACT:
Wig & Pen Tavern & Brewery (Velvet Cream Stout)

Franziskaner Screwup & Hargreaves ESB

After ordering Franziskaner Hefe-weiss Dunkel THREE weeks ago (!), the keg finally arrived yesterday... but it was the Hefe-weiss NOT the Hefe-weiss Dunkel. Arrrggh!

Anyway, we've been told the screw up will be fixed today but in the meantime we've tapped the keg they delivered. Having been in Germany 18 months ago, I became partial to both the light and dark hefeweiss styles. It's great to be able to compare two great Hefeweizen's off tap given we have Erdinger as well..

We have two small kegs of the dunkelweizen coming and I'll send out a Beer Bulletin SMS when the first is tapped later this week.

Simon from Hargreaves Hill has dropped in another keg of his delicious ESB and will be giving us a regular supply so I can put it on a fixed tap for a few months. I'm just waiting for a free ale tap but it will be back on ASAP.

Some funny and not so funny news about beer

In yesterday's Age newspaper, it was reported that an Alice Springs man had buckled up his slab of beer but not his five-year-old son sitting next to it. Read it here. If it wasn't real, it'd be kinda amusing. It's not as it was Westvleteren 12 he was carrying.

The other article causing a stir in the beer industry relates to a speculated 300 per cent lift in tax on beer which could threaten the survival of the micro-brewing industry. It'll be interesting to see how that unfolds. At a time when good beer is increasingly finding a market, this would be a serious backward step.

James Squire Golden a sponsor of Tangerine

Our friends at Malt Shovel Brewery have kindly offered to sponsor our new film/advertising industry networking night, Tangerine, which starts on June 3rd and the first Tuesday of every month thereafter.

Colette Crespin, whose brainchild Tangerine is, has been working tirelessly to set the whole thing up. The website is now up and running.

Extreme Beer article.. and another review

This is an interesting article in the New York Times about extreme beer. I have read a lot about these American beers that push the boundaries (as well as sampling a few) and find it has fans and detractors in equal measure. Ask me another day and I'll probably say something different but today I reckon they have a place. It's good to challenge the status quo. Local Beertender James brought a bottle of Stone Ruination I.P.A back from LA last week and I haven't tasted anything (literally) since! As you can imagine, the aroma was floral, piney and fruity but while the flavor wasn't over the top.

Also, Deck of Secrets ran a nice piece on us on the front page of their website yesterday. I think we'll get our own card in their popular Bar Secrets card decks which would be kinda cool.

Little Creatures in Brunswick St, Fitzroy

Today's Age Epicure said that Little Creatures is finally close to opening its bar in Brunswick St, Fitzroy. I love the building (I made my own enquiries but it was too rich for our blood!) so it'll be great to see what they do with it.

Between Jeff (from Jamieson Brewery) soon opening the Normandy Ale House in Clifton Hill and Little Creatures, it's all going to give Good Beer a huge impetus in Melbourne, something we will all will benefit from (and enjoy!). Bring it on.

Hargreaves ESB and Holgate Menu

I tried the Hargreaves Hill ESB last night for the first time. Definitely the best HH beer I've tried yet. The passionfruit and stone fruit aromas were particularly enticing and the beer was bloody delicious. All the staff were drinking it for their knock-off. Ha ha! I can't see the single keg lasting very long on the Showcase Tap but I might try and get a few more from Head Brewer Simon. It could replace Leffe Blond, which we're having more availability issues with..

Redoak's Honey Ale replaced the Mild Ale on their Showcase tap this evening.

Tyrone (Head Chef) has finished the menu for the Holgate Beer dinner. OMG, I can't wait. To view the menu, click here. You can download all the info here. To book, text ‘Holgate dinner’ to 0447-LOCALS (0447 562 257) and we'll call you.

MX Review, Final 3 Breweries for SpecTAPular & New Taps

Today's MX Newspaper had a nice feature on The Local TH including a big photo. They even spelt my name right - a rare thing! Hopefully it'll get more people excited about our Local campaign to drink better beer.

I also love that they mentioned the bar's patron saint, Wilfred (photo right). I'm thinking t-shirts featuring Wilfred & The Local are not far away.

Also, we've locked in the final three breweries for the Winter SpecTAPular - Boags Brewery (Wizard Smith Ale, on tap in Victoria for the first time), Potters from Sydney and Mash Brewing from WA. I can't wait to reveal the 40 beers now but I counted 31 styles this afternoon. Watch this space.

Lastly, 3 Ravens Blond (Altbier) keg was all gone within 4 days. Hargreaves Hill ESB is now on that tap. We've also put Grand Ridge's Pilsner on (having sold out of Pipsqueak).

Tangerine - The Sweetest Short Film Night in Melbourne

Starting from Tuesday June 3rd, and run on the first Tuesday of every month thereafter, is Tangerine, The Sweetest Short Film Night in Melbourne.

For more information, the Tangerine website will soon be up and running.

Website Under Way

As well as this new blog, the construction of our website is finally underway. Photos were taken of the bar earlier this week and we hope it's all completed in time for our first SpecTAPular on June 22nd.

Beer SpecTAPular update

I've had a quite a few emails asking for more details about the Beer SpecTAPular including what's the final list of 40 breweries and tap beers. I don't yet have final beers although I can say there's approx 25 styles. The breweries are below..

The SpecTAPular will be on Sunday June 22nd from midday until 1am. We'll only have ONE keg of all 40 beers so you'd want to get there as early as possible to try all of them. There'll also be bands playing all day downstairs and will be available. The price will probably be $25 for a 'book' of 20 taster dockets (and includes a sausage or poffertjes (Dutch pancakes)).

Here are the breweries we've confirmed:

VICTORIA
2 Brothers Brewery
Bridge Road Brewers
Bright Brewery
Coldstream Brewery
Emerald Hill Brewery
Flying Horse Brewery
Grand Ridge Brewery
Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company
Holgate Brewhouse
Jamieson Brewery
Matilda Bay Brewing Company (Garage Brewery)
Mountain Goat
Otway Estate Winery & Brewery
Red Hill Brewery
Temple Brewing Company
The 3 Ravens Brewing CompanY

NSW
Barons Brewing Co.
Murray's Craft Brewing Co.
Redoak Brewery
Northern Rivers Brewing Co.
Malt Shovel Brewery
Paddys Brewery
The Little Brewing Company
Five Islands Brewery

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Barossa Valley Brewing
Coopers Brewery

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Bootleg Brewery
Feral Brewing Company
Gage Roads Brewing Co.
Jarrah Jacks Brewery
Little Creatures Brewing Company

QUEENSLAND
Burleigh Brewing Co.
MT Brewery

TASMANIA
Two Metre Tall Brewing Company
Moorilla Estate

ACT
Wig & Pen Tavern & Brewery

Breweries win Gold

Congrats to Christian and and Ewald from Trumer Australia. Trumer beat 72 other breweries from around the world to win the best German-style Pilsner at the recent World Beer Cup in the USA. We're mighty looking forward to celebrating with you.

Congrats also to James Squire who took out Gold for the Bohemian-Style pilsner. Awesome effort for an Australian brewery. Maybe it's time we gave it a run on our taps!

And finally, to Matilda Bay Brewery who won 'Grand Champion Brewery', Holgate Brewhouse who won 'Best Victorian Beer' and Redoak who won 'Champion Small Brewery' at the 2008 Australian International Beer Awards.

Beer events - Holgate dinner & 1st SpecTAPular

A 4 course beer dinner hosted by Paul Holgate and the brewing team from Holgate Brewery is coming up on Wednesday May 21st. You can download all the info here.

Our first seasonal beer festival - Beer SpecTAPular (Winter '08) - is locked in for Sunday June 22nd. Put it in your calendar now! Why? Because we have lined up 40 different beers (in approx 25 different styles) on tap from 40 different Australian breweries. Watch this space for more info.

A Blog Virgin No More

Well here's the first posting. The idea of this blog is to keep those interested up-to-date with what's going on @ The Local TH and what's planned. I'm a complete novice so welcome suggestions!

Showcase taps as of today are:

1. 3 Ravens Blond (Altbier)
2. Redoak Mild Ale
3. Jamieson's 'Son of a Beast' Double IPA

Showcase taps coming up include Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss Dunkel, Hargreaves Hill ESB, Matilda Bay Alpha (American) Pale Ale, Bridge Road’s ‘Australian Ale’, Grand Ridge Gippsland Gold, Moo Brew Dark Ale, Little Creatures Rogers and Coopers Pale Ale.

If there's something you'd like to see on tap, send me an email.