Congratulations to the 6 Hall of Famers who joined a few special others in having their names engraved on the bar this past Friday as we celebrated their induction along with the Taphouse's 5th Birthday party.
The 6 new Hall of Famers are:
Kelvin Jewell
Ray Moraga
Gerard Herbert
Karl Siemon
Lachlan Toose
Jack Harangozo (Fiance Steph took the pledge on his behalf as he was interstate)
With their right hand raised and their left hand holding a beer, all our inductees recited Wilfred's pledge and their plaques were revealed on the upstairs bar!
Celebrations with great food and delicious beer continued on into the night and we can't wait until next year's birthday party - where our next lot of Hall of Famers will be named and inducted - will it be you?
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.
There's never been a better time to join the St. Kilda Ale Stars - Australia's best beer appreciation society. Each new membership will receive a complimentary season's pass to the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) this May (valued at $65 + $20 worth of tokens), plus lots of other great member benefits. A season's pass allows the holder to attend all 5 GABS sessions over the May 24 - 26th weekend.
Held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7pm, each Ale Stars session focuses on a different theme. One month, it might be a particular style of beer, a Skype chat with an international brewer or a visit from a local brewer with some rare treats. Open to everyone from beer novices right through to beer experts, Ale Stars is a great community of people with a common focus...celebrating great craft beer. Beer samples, great food, trivia and more are included in each session.
Memberships for new members are $360/year which includes the following great value items:
*12 x consecutive sessions to Ale Stars (from when you first sign up, normally $40 each) * a $75 gift card on your birthday * an Ale Stars shirt, locker, key and a 400 ml mug * the Mug is great value - 400 ml and you only pay for 310 ml with each drink - 90 ml savings with each drink. (The mug may be used anytime you visit the Taphouse, not just during an Ale Stars session).
* 1 x Seasons pass to GABS 2013 May 24-26th
A direct debit plan is also available. For more information please contact us here or book directly online here.
Casual attendance is also available and costs $40 per session. Tickets can be bought monthly via our website's event diary.
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 Taphouse in St. Kilda has just celebrated 5 years of great craft beer, food & all around good times. Check out this link to see the very first day of trading in 2008.
To celebrate this important birthday, we're throwing a bit of a party on Friday, Feb 22nd.
There's great food happening from 6pm in the upstairs bar, a special Hall of Fame ceremony inducting our most loyal supporters at 6pm, some delicious Pavlova birthday cakes popping out during the night and a few other surprises.
Come down and celebrate your Local memories from the past 5 years with live music tunes from The Pearly Shells, great beer and some good times!
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"
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.
After months of planning and a carefully constructed recipe it was time to make the magic happen...
Last Saturday an enthusiastic group of Ale Stars headed down to Mornington Peninsula Brewery for the first ever Ale Stars brew day.
Arriving early due to the new peninsula link, we ducked around the corner for a coffee and returned to kick off proceedings at 10am. Within seconds, head brewer, former Darlo Ale Star Tzar, and general friend of the Taphouse, Andrew 'AG' Gow, had us drinking his new single hop Mosaic IPA straight from the tank which was set the tone for a day that would be more tasting than brewing for most of us! The Mosaic IPA was delicious and fortunately we have a couple of kegs of it Taphouse bound very shortly.
Leading the brew charge for the Ale Stars was Derek a who moonlights at MPB as a part time brewer. Fosters may have misleadingly suggested that Crown Lager's 5th ingredient is time due to its long, careful brewing process (whatever), but we can say with confidence that Derek's sweat is the 5th ingredient in this little Belgian IPA.
We took turns in picking up a shovel or staring pensively at the brew, we ate pizzas, but mainly we sampled the delights of the brewery. AG took us through a tasting of his beers and told us the MPB story so far and the grand plans for expansion that is due to happen anytime now. After that we sampled some more. Then we took some samples for the bus ride home.
Thanks to all Ale Stars who took part in the day - we look forward to tasting the beer at our March Ale Star session.
Also, a massive thanks to AG and Matt for having us all down at the brewery. A big thanks to everyone else at the brewery for their hospitality on the day as well - we were all extremely well looked after. And thanks to Lauren (Cam's mum) for driving us down there and putting up with the noisy ride home.
UPDATE: Having just spoken to AG almost a week after the brew, he reckons this is "going to be a really good little beer". After a few days with the hops dominating it has mellowed a touch and the Belgian yeast character is starting to come through.
We are only 10 days away from our first Brewshare of 2013!!
For those who are not familiar with Brewshare, once every quarter Dave Gumm from Daves Home Brewing hosts a night here at the Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst which allows home brewers to bring along their creations and sample each others beers. Each time the group vote which beer is the winner, they then set the theme for the next Brewshare. The group split up, discuss individual techniques and methods whilst nibbling on tasty treats from the kitchen.
The theme this time is 'Any beer with an Australian Hop used in it'. It's a simple and straight forward task but what other ingredients and flavours will the home brewers come with? How does one rise to the top in this challenge? What will make his or her brew the best, better than the rest?
Tickets are only $20 which includes tastes of the other brewers beers and nibbles from the kitchen. If you think what it takes and you want to join in click here.
Given that The Local Taphouse has been known as your 'typical man pub' based on the fact that we focus on wonderful craft beers, we do actually want the women out there, in here too.
The long awaited instalment of Barley's Angels is almost here. This time 'Beer Diva' Kirrily Waldhorn has again come up with a timeless match of Beer & Cheese; a true pleasure for the palate.
Those not to familiar with Barley's Angels pay attention.
Barley's Angels is a fantastic female society whom focus their attention on craft beers and other delights which go hand in hand with beer. They meet up with like minded girls and have a great night discussing the ins and outs of the topic, this case being 'Beer & Cheese'
The event takes place on Tuesday 26th February in the private and beautiful surroundings of The Louvre, (on the first floor) Local Taphouse Darlinghurst from 6:30pm.
Tickets are $35, that includes all of the beers and cheese.
Tickets are limited so don't hesitate in following this link and joining in the fun. It's time to leave the boys at home while the women enjoy the Local pub.
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.
Well the time is almost upon us, the time to take a trip down to the Hunter Valley Beer Co. and create a delicious Shiraz Baltic Porter.
Members of our monthly beer appreciation society, Ale Stars, and friends are taking to the road this Saturday after months of hot debate and anticipation. At the December Ale Stars event, we finally decided on what style to go for and by more than majority share, we voted on a Shiraz Baltic Porter.
So, headed by our very own Ale Star Tsar & founder of 'Doctors Orders Brewing' Darren 'Doc' Robinson, brewing will begin this Saturday.
Playing host to this event will be the infamous Keith Grice from the Hunter Valley Beer Co. Keith has organised a delicious lunch and a tasting of 10 of his beers.
This is a 'one off' event and not one to be missed. Whether you are an Ale Star, were an Ale Star, or just love beer and are interested in the creation process, this is the road trip you need to be on.
The bus will be leaving the Local Taphouse (Darlinghurst) this Saturday 9th February on the South Dowling side of the building at 9:30am. The bus will return to Darlinghurst at roughly 6:30pm.
There are only a few tickets left so please make sure you book sooner rather than later by following this link. Tickets are $75 each.
It's almost a whole year since the last 4 Pines Ale Stars, but after such a fantastic 12 months, how could we refuse the chance to get them back?!
St. Kilda
Ale Stars
Tuesday, 19th February, 7pm
Darlinghurst
Ale Stars
Wednesday, 20th February, 7pm
Both St. Kilda and Darlinghurst will have a special visit from 4 Pines Chief Brewer Chris Willcock and Darlinghurst will possibly be able to meet Chris' partner in crime, head brewer Andrew Tweddell (TBC - the guys are flat out but we're hoping to have both on the night).
We'll be sampling their award winning Stout along with three of their Single Hop reserve beers. We'll also hear how these marvelous creations came about and more about the story of 4 Pines. There will be time for Q & A plus the usual challenging trivia and a delicious dinner.
Tickets are only $40 to join like minded people and have a great night.
This Saturday, the St. Kilda Local Taphouse Ale Stars are brewing their first beer - a Belgian IPA - at Mornington Peninsula Brewery and we're organising a great road trip to take part!
This great day is open to everyone who loves beer! Join us for a relaxed Brew Day down the Peninsula - brewing, lunch, samples of beers and all that MPB can offer us.
Ticket price includes return transport from the Taphouse, lunch and beer samples. The bus will leave 8:30am and return at approximately 6:30pm.
For all those interested, the beer will be featured at our March edition of Ale Stars.
For more information email here or book your tickets here.
No need to make a fuss this Valentine's Day - book a table with us, enjoy a complimentary glass of sparkling, wine or beer, indulge in a special menu and impress your special someone. Alternatively, get a group together and enjoy a night out with great food and beverages.
We're taking reservations right up until we're booked up - reserve your place and stay out of the dog house!
Email here or call us (03) 9537-2633 for more information.
