Wanna go to Camden Town?

Camden Town Brewery has hit our shores and we're showcasing their finest on tap, so come in for a few Britney Spears!

On tap:

* Hells Lager

* USA Hells (Unfiltered Lager)

* Pale Ale

* Gentlemen's Wit (Lemons & Bergamot)

* Camden Ink Stout (Nitro Sparkler)

Illawarra Brewing & The Local present Hawaiian Cookie Golden Ale

Illawarra Brewing Company & The Local Taphouse present the sophomore release in their collaboration series, and it is set to outshine the award-winning CHUCK NORRIS American Red Ale.

The HAWAIIAN COOKIE Golden Ale is a beer of summertime passion. The Pacific Rim hops deliver a tropical aroma that rings out like the song of a Polynesian siren, leading into a biscuity malt backbone reminiscent of your grandma’s Anzac bikkies, and finishes with a fresh mouth-feel that will no doubt blur the boundaries of platonic love like Blue Lagoon.

This is your excuse to bust out your Hawaiian shirt and in return we’ll give you a free pint and get you lei’d (excuse the pun..)

Sydney troubadours, Tropical Zombie will provide the entertainment in main bar from 9pm with their sun-kissed guitar licks, jungle-percussive bursts and dual lead vocals.

From 6pm the Rooftop Terrace will host the official launch and we’ll be turning it into a faux-tropical haven... so tropical in fact, you better start your Malaria meds now!!

DETAILS:

Thursday 17th October, 6pm

Ale Stars with Moon Dog

For this month we are hosting a special Ale Stars with the elusive Moon Dog Brewery from the rustic Abbotsford factory in back streets of inner-city Melbourne.

Moon Dog has been consistently unleashing a new breed of beer onto the Australian beer-loving public; blended styles, barrel aging, wild fermentation, while using some weird and wonderful ingredients. The beers are style-agnostic and irreverent with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek, and an attitude that says “Who cares? It’s only beer.”

We will be discussing (and drinking) the following beers; with dinner included:

Love Tap – Double Lager – 5.9%

Bock Naked – Dark German Lager with Chipotle – 7.7%

Mummy Have A Bite – Toffee Apple Amber Ale – 8.2%

Jumping the Shark – Cognac Barrel Aged truffled Imperial Stout – 15.5%

DETAILS:

Tuesday 22nd October, 7pm

Free entry for Ale Stars or BOOK ONLINE

UNCHAIN THE MOON DOG!!

Summer is coming with Game of Ciders

We are kicking off Spring with our first ever cider makeover together with 5 noble cider houses from across the kingdom.  

Darlinghurst Gets Goated

After a few months of smaller, more intimate Ale Stars sessions up in the middle level, we returned to the main bar due to the huge pull of Mountain Goat, the granddaddies of Aussie Craft Beer. We were joined by Dave and Luke from Mountain Goat, and they regaled us with stories of the breweries history, the colourful characters inside the brewery and the excellent beers that are loved by so many Aussie drinkers. We were also lucky to have our Ale Star Tsar Doc back in the house after a 3 month leave of absence.

The SpecTAPular British & Irish Lions come to Darlo and show us a roaring good time!

Now that all the games are done, the bruises have their ice-packs and the sea of red are going home victorious it's time to reminisce...

This month, there was an event like no other. It united rival nations under the one roof. That's right. Britain against Australia, at the Local Taphouse's UK vs AUS SpecTAPular.

Featuring 10 amazing craft beers on tap from the UK, and 10 awesome Aussie beers on tap, as well as a handpump pulling an English-style Cask Conditioned Real Ale (brewed at The Australian Brewery), it was a beer event like no other.

Everyone here got involved in a big way, we were visited by The Queen herself as well as the Spice Girls, Lions and Braveheart. 

But the big question on everyone's lips was "Who won?"

It's hard to say, but I think we can all agree that Beer was the winner on the day.

 

  

Stu 'Mario Bros' Mckinlay Skypes the Darlo Ale Stars

This month’s highly anticipated Ale Stars session, featuring Stu McKinlay from New Zealands own Yeastie Boys, was an epic night of colourful pants, questionable comedy, awesome conversation and extremely tasty beers. Our skype conversation with Stu was informative, fun and extremely engaging. Despite some of us being a little dusty from Good Beer Week and GABS the week before in Melbourne, everyone had a great time.

British Lions SpecTAPular - Darlinghurst

The Local Taphouse will hosting a British Lions SpecTAPular on Saturday 15th June as we welcome the British Lions to Sydney. The SpecTAPular is our festival in a pub event where we feature that day, 20 unique beers and 2 ciders across our taps. There will be 10 craft beers and 1 cider from the UK facing off against another 10 beers and 1 cider from some of our favourite Australian craft breweries.

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.

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!

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)

The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular needs you!

The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) is back for 2013 and is looking for 500 volunteers available for any of the sessions on Friday 24th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of May. GABS particularly needs volunteers with Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates to serve beer.

In return for volunteering, each GABS volunteer can attend a free session and will receive a festival glass, beer and food tokens. All volunteers will also receive an exclusive GABS volunteer t-shirt.

Interested? Click here.

Questions? Email here.

Willie Smiths Sydney Launch hits Darlinghurst!

 Willie Smiths Organic Cider held their official launch party on Sunday afternoon atop the rooftop of The Local in Darlo. 

With guests from Three Blue Ducks, Longrain, The Australian Brewery and Endeavour Beers - Andrew Smith (the Great-Great Grandson of the infamous Willie) gave a speech about the background of Willie Smiths while The Local's resident musician Alain De Carne provided a sunny Sunday acoustic session.

The Local Taphouse are excited to be working with Willie Smiths on such a truly distinctive Australian organic cider so feel free to drop on in, have a glass and grab a free apple from the tea chest!

facebook.com/williesmithscider
twitter.com/WillieSmiths

(Photo Courtesy of Regan Drew - twitter.com/ReganDrew)

Darlinghurst do a Masterclass in Cider

A few Wednesdays back, Darlinghurst invite James Kendell (from Small Acres Cyder) and Neill Cameron (from the Australian Brewery) to host a Cider Masterclass. It was super interesting getting the inside scoop on Australia's fastest growing alcoholic drink from two of the leading names in the business. 

We started off with a bit of a world tour of cider styles, starting in the historic home of the fermented apple drink, England. We had two English styles, the Westons Old Rosie Scrumpy and the Henneys 2010 Still cider. Some really interesting (and pretty funky) flavours in those ones.

We then took the Eurostar across the channel to sample some French apple cider and perry (or 'Poire', the french name for what we call Pear Cider). These had huge flavours that were a lot different from what we know as cider here in Australia. 

We then travelled back to Australia, and had a range of Aussie ciders, ranging from traditionally made still cider, oak-aged cider, commercial sweet cider and some craft-made cider. It was truly eye-opening to see just how much variation there was in such a relatively young market.  

Big thanks to Neill and James for sharing their knowledge and insight with us, and for hosting such an interesting night full of delicious apple goodness, it will certainly not be the last event like this so stay tuned. 

When 4 Pines came to Darlinghurst

Every month, a like-minded bunch of beautiful beer-lovers come and join us for our Alestars Beer Appreiciation evening. This past Wednesday we were also joined by the lovely guys from 4 Pines Brewing, Andrew and Chris, all the way from Manly. With them, they brought a handful of beers, 3 Single Hop Ales and their galaxy famous Stout. 

First up was the Hallertau Mittlefrüh Single Hop. Brewer Andrew Tweddell explained that they wanted to showcase the different hop-growing regions of the world, so what better place to start than with a classic German Noble hop? This one was the cleanest tasting of the lot, with all of the subtleties of the noble hop coming through. 

Next was Target hops from the UK. This one was rich and earthy, and more bitter than the Hallertau. Having this side by side with the Hallertau showed just how much impact hops have on the flavour, aroma and bitterness of a beer, despite sharing the same base recipe. 

The last single hop we tried was the very New-World style American hop, Centennial. A favourite of craft brewers for its potent buttering capabilities and its distinct grapefruit and line flavour, it was used more sparingly than usual so as not to overwhelm, but to illustrate the subtle flavouring possibilities. 

Finally, we were treated to the 4 Pines Stout, the first beer to brewed specifically to be commercially available in space. A rich, yet perfectly drinkable stout, this is a perennial favourite of Aussie beer lovers, and went down a treat the other night. 

We were also treated to a full explanation of 4 Pines' latest addition to their brewing arsenal, the huge new Brookvale facility that has just started production. Brewer Chris Willcock walked us through the challenges and advantages of the new system, and helped explain how each beer was brewed and the individual characteristics of each hop. 

Big thanks to Andrew and Chris, and everyone who came down to Darlinghurst for a lovely night of Beer, Trivia, Fun and more Beer. 

Ale Stars Brew Launch in St. Kilda & Darlo in March

The wait is nearly over!

Tues. March 19th in St. Kilda and Wed. March 20th in Darlinghurst, Ale Stars will be launching the very first ever Ale Stars' brew.  St. Kilda has redefined the IPA - making it Belgian in genre and Darlo is all over the underrated style of Baltic Porter. We can't wait to sample the beers and speak to the brewers themselves.  Check out the post here about the St. Kilda brew day.

AG from Mornington and Doc from Doctor's Orders will be at St. Kilda and Darlo Taphouses respectively and we'll be sampling two of their great beers as well.

Details:

Ale Stars Brew Launch - St. Kilda
Tuesday, March 19th, 7pm
$40 includes beer & food
Book here

Ale Stars Brew Launch - Darlinghurst
Wednesday, March 20th, 7pm
$40 includes beer & food
Book here

This is a very special Ale Stars not to be missed!

What happened at Darlo's 1st Brewshare of 2013?

On Tuesday 19th February we saw the first Brewshare of 2013 take place with home brewer Dave Gumm at the Helm. The theme on this occasion was anything with an Australian Hop in it. We had around 10 entries in the Aussie hop class and 4 in the open. Winner of the open class was Daniel with a cracking Rye IPA.

There were IPA’s, Wheat Beers, Lagers, Belgians and even a Californian Steam beer all made with Aussie hops. After a long time judging the Aussie Hop beers, there was a tie on one of the tasting tables, the final 2 beers were Bretts Rich Smooth Dark Wheat Beer and Michaels Belgian Golden Strong Ale that tasted as though it had been brewed in Belgium. Brett took home the $100.00 voucher for beer of the night.

The next Brewshare will be on Tuesday 28th May 7pm, and the style of the night will be Sour Beers.

If you think you have what it takes click this link, tickets are $20 and that includes nibbles too. 

Darlinghurst debuted Whisky In Wilfreds

Sydney has seen somewhat of a whisky renaissance over the last year or two lead by small bars like Baxter's Inn, Road House (Byron) and a few others that we're sure are in the fold and we thought we'd get us some of that sweet sweet whisky action so to kick it off we held our very first 'Whisky in Wilfreds' tasting night on Thursday hosted by David 'Fish' Fisher from Baxter's Inn. 

While our new whisky list isn't exclusively a Scotch list, we stuck to the scotch for the night with Fish taking us on a whisky tour all around Scotland.

First up was the Arran 12yo Cask strength, a great one to start with due to its lighter and sweeter flavour (despite its high strength). After that, we moved onto the Mortlach 15yo, the base whisky for Johnnie Walker Black and Blue. This one was also on the light side, with a complex and rich flavour. Aberlour A'bunadh Cask strength was next, and at 59% it was a big one with earthy and caramel flavours. 

After that we got into some of the peated whiskys, starting with the Caol Ila 1998, which was a massive peat bomb, huge and smokey!!
Finally, we got onto the Lagavulin 16yo, the crowd favourite, which struck a really nice balance between peat smoke and some lighter sweeter flavours.

Cosidering this was the first Whisky in Wilfreds, we had an amazing sellout crowd that were full of questions, red noses and enthusiasm and we hope that continues as we showcase the remaining 15 new whiskies that adorn our Main Bar walls.

The Local Taphouse is sending a big thanks to Fish and everyone who came! It was a super enjoyable and informative night.
So stayed tuned for more info to come regarding the next Whisky night coming soon.
(The Local Taphouse whisky list attached below)
($25 per paddle of 5 whiskies of your choice)

The Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst celebrate their 4th Birthday

Hear 'Ye! Hear 'Ye!!
The Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst have reached another milestone - our 4th Birthday
To celebrate 4 smashing years of IPA's, Ales, Porters, Stouts, Lambics and Lagers we are extending our 4th birthday celebrations out for a full week of events including complimentary beer, food, live music, DJ's and if the weather is warm on Sunday - a pool party.
This is not a joke - our Birthday Week 'o' love is going to go a little something like this...

MONDAY

We have a special "Meet The Brewer" event with Birra Del Borgo founder
Leonardo Di Vincenzo (Leo) - in "1933" (1st Floor Bar)
Free Entry - Complimentary ReAle "Extra" IPA on arrival - Paddle of BdB beers for $20 - 7pm sharp
TUESDAY
 Silent Cinema on the Rooftop presents "Be Cool"
$10 inc. headphones, complimentary glass of Innocent Bystander or Trumer Pils & popcorn - Doors 7pm
WEDNESDAY
ALE STARS presents "4 Pines in February"
Special guest :: Chris Willcock
$40 inc. all tasting beers on the night, nibbles & trivia - Doors 7pm - Louvre
LIVE @ The Local - Live music showcase feat Alain De Carne - Main Bar
THURSDAY
Jazz feat. Jess Beck
Make sure you're thirsty and on time to enjoy complimentary Stone & Wood 'Pacific Ale' from 6pm
We then have fantastic live Jazz from the Jess Beck Quartet  starting from 8pm - Main Bar
FRIDAY
The weekend has landed! feat. 'Harlem Knights' (Sax, Bass, Keys & Vocals)  

Nobody needs encouragement to drink so from 6pm we will be bringing around free Canape's freshly made by Head Chef David Thackray - delicious.
Then we have a fantastic appearance from Harlem Knights making their debut from 8pm - a soulful way to begin the weekend - Free Entry
SATURDAY
2013 'Hall Of Fame' inductions
Some may be recovering by the time Saturday rolls around but others will be ironing their Saturday best because we are about to induct them into the Hall of Fame. Every year we praise those who remain loyal to us and support our cause through thick and thin. These legends get their names eternally nailed on brass plaques to one of our three bars. Friends and family will be here so come on down and see how we celebrate passion! 3pm we start the pleasantries
Then bringing us the soundtrack to the sunset and Saturday night - DJ Mike Who  & Funkdafied's JC from 8pm -  Main Bar
SUNDAY
Acoustic Pool Party feat. Alain De Carne

Now it's time to recover in style and surround yourself by green palms, open sky, a cool mist and a shady umbrella; one would almost think it was the beach. Well it's not, it's our Roof Top Garden. Before you think you may need to head to the beach for a refreshing dip we need to add one more thing to our Roof top Garden, a Pool! So bring your bikinis and budgie smugglers and take a dip on our Roof.
Joining you is the very talented Alaine De Carne - after his debut last month the demand for this legend is unreal so he's yours for the day!
With $10 Bloody Mary's and $5 fries we gotta say "Happy Birthday"

Birra Del Borgo's 'Leo' is almost here in Darlo...

As some of you already know, here at The Local Taphouse we've been known to spice things up a little and we're about to do that now so get your Diary out. 

Below we have copied a blog we sent out a week ago regarding this Monday's 'Meet the Brewer'. Although this event has been very successful in the past we decided to switch it up slightly... 

Arrive for 7pm sharp, we have made all of the BdB beers available in a $20 paddle and here is the line up:

'Enkir' - Saison Pale Ale

'ReAle' "Extra" IPA

'My Antonia' - Imperial Pilsner

'Keto' "Reporter" - Porter

'Old Antonia' (Barrel aged)

'10 e lode' 

But before you get stuck into these beers please allow us to offer you a free 'ReAle' "Extra" IPA from 1933 (the 1st level bar)...

Then head to the Louvre where Leo will be talking about these sensational beers as we try each of them. There will be time for Q&A and more casual drinking. 

This is a free event, the perfect way to chill on a Monday night! 

Original blog: 

In 2005 the Italian village of Borgorose in the Rieti province would see the birth of craft beer like never before "Birra del Borgo"

Since then the Brewery has done so well that founder Leonardo Di Vincenzo has had to move to a bigger and better location. 

Leo was originally inspired by the English and Belgian technique of brewing craft beer, then using his PhD in biochemistry and passion for his Italian Heritage he created his own style. The result of this has landed Birra del Borgo on the international map. He has now worked with some well know names like Dogfish Brewery & more. 

Leo has recently left the Mediterranean coast of Italy and is joining us down under for a brief tour.
So on Monday February 18th join us here in 'The Louvre' (first floor) at The Local Taphouse from 7pm for our next instalment of 'Meet the Brewer'  

We will have a range of tap and bottled 'Birra del Borgo' beers available and Leo will be here to give us an insight into his methods, techniques and plans. 

There is no cost for this event, we are simply messengers in the world of craft beer.