Darlo Brewshare - Beer is the new Black

Tuesday night in Darlo we had our quarterly BrewShare gathering for homebrewers. Here is the wrap up of 'Anything Black' BrewShare by the mistro himself - Jordan:

Well we asked for it, and we got it. Homebrewers from around Sydney (and some interstate) gathered at large last night in the downstairs bar of The Local Taphouse Darlinghurst. This BrewShare saw no less than fifty people show off their deepest, darkest DIY offerings - a great indicator that the Sydney homebrewing scene is not merely growing but thriving.

The first brews cracked came accompanied by healthy doses of pizza and fries. With 28 odd brews to criticise and applaud ahead, a small feast off the bat proved a key strategy in the night's success.


Despite the theme 'Anything Black', a few maverick brewers broke the mould with some lighter elixirs, necessitating the 'open class' division. For the most part it was a stout fest - Oatmeal Stout, Choc-Cherry Stout, Coffee infused Milk Stout, Imperial Bourbon Stout, traditional stout, bizarre stout, and everything in between (did I mention the Black Pilsner? Thanks Doc). Wow, what a creative bunch! The vibe in the room was both competitive and encouraging, fun and remarkably inspiring for all involved.


At night's end, it came down to Ben, Jez, Jack and Orion's beers. Four great brews, but only one could take the title of best beer in BrewShare and the prize pack from Dave's Homebrew in North Sydney. So Dave and myself, characters of high discernment that we are, sniffed, swirled, quaffed and critiqued until deciding on a winner.


Orion's 'Intergalactic Voyager West Coast IPA' took out the open class division, while the big win went to Jez Fletcher's ironically titled 'Jabberwock Midstrength', an imperial stout of the richest order. Vivacious yet smooth, weighty yet balanced, this winner was clear cut.

As tradition goes, this BrewShare closed with a vote to determine the style to showcase next time around. The greatest applause went to the mention of 'obscure styles'. Free of the stylistic restraints of commercial brewing, we ask all brave homebrewers to venture into the 'obscure' and join us for the next installment of BrewShare at The Local Taphouse. The date will be announced shortly.

Jordan