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

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.  

Heretic showcase to appear in Sydney at the end of the month...

her•e•tic 

 [n. her-i-tik; adj. her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik]

1. anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.

Thursday 26th September sees the first kegs of Miscreant (a sour ale in the Flemish red ale style) and Dead Weight (a malty, English-style barleywine) ever tapped in Australia.

The Sydney line up also sees a keg of Evil Twin - their delicious amber ale + bottles of Shallow Grave Porter, Evil Cousin West Coast IPA and their Rye Pale Ale, Gramarye!

If you already booked your flights to Melbourne, cash them in - no need. 

THURSDAY 26th SEPTEMBER 

5pm onwards 

Mountain Goat returns to Ale Stars in St. Kilda, Darlo

So, it's been a while since the Mountain Goat crew have been at Ale Stars Beer Appreciation Session.

We've missed them and they've missed us.

This month, Will and Dave are back and in the house to officially launch "The Naz" Mocha Porter. We'll sample three of their other brews + "The Naz", there will be good food, fun and all things Goat.

Details:

St. Kilda
Date: Tuesday, 20th August, 7pm
BOOK HERE

Darlinghurst
Date: Wednesday, 21 August, 7pm
BOOK HERE

See you there!

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. 

See the Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2012 countdown on Australia Day here!

The ‘Hottest 100’ Aussie Craft Beers of 2012 are being announced tomorrow (Australia Day) and a record number of voters have had their say.

Will Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale take the crown again or will two-time winner Little Creatures Pale Ale snatch back the title? Or will a new beer receive the honour for 2012?

The countdown last year saw a significant spike in visitor numbers to the websites of our supporters Australian Brews News and Crafty Pint where it provoked vigorous discussion and debate. Join in the conversation tomorrow via Facebook or Twitter (official hashtag is #h100beers).

The results will be revealed in the table below or on the Australian Brews News and Crafty Pint websites, Facebook and Twitter pages in lots of 10 beers from 12.40pm before counting down the final 10 beers at five minute intervals from 2.10pm. The #1 ‘hottest’ Aussie craft beer of 2012 will be announced at 3pm!

Both Taphouses are also tapping the top ten beers as they are announced so come and join in the fun!

Funkdafied presents Mr Thing in Darlinghurst!

The Local Taphouse & Funkdafied preseent Mr Thing live on the decks this coming Saturday! 

Mr Thing is over from the UK gracing us with his incredible skills and techniques. Winner of the 2000 World DMC Scratch championship and current holder of the DMC World Team Scratch Championship with The Scratch Perverts; this show is not to be missed! 

The night will kick off from 7pm where DJ Rolls Royce (UK) will show us why he is quickly becoming one of Sydney's 'in demand' turntable stars. There will be a handful of other DJ's bringing you your soundtrack to what will be an epic night. 

There will be funk, soul, hip hop and more. 

A gold coin donation is all we ask; and that you bring your dancing shoes and your party animal.... 

See you all here!! 

Join the Darlo Ale Stars Road Trip to brew a beer at Hunter Brewing Co

Feel like getting out of town? Feel like escaping for the day with like minded folk and getting involved with the brewing of a special one-off beer? Well, we have the answer. 

On Saturday 9th February we have organized a coach to collect us from Darlo Taphouse at 9:30am and take us to the Hunter Valley's Hunter Beer Co. for the day. 

The Ale Stars Tsar, Darren 'Doc' Robinson, will be heading the tour with the Taphouse crew, Hugh and Cellar Manager Ossie.

Hunter Brewing Co Head Brewer, Keith Grice, will be there upon arrival to take us around and show off a few of his own creations. There will be beer tasting and a delicious lunch organised for everyone, a small tour and a Q&A as well. A special Ale Star brew is also being brewed that day too which will be great to observe. The beer will be tapped at the March Ale Star session on March 19 alongside the Ale Star brew from the Melbourne Ale Stars.

We will arrive back at the Taphouse around 6:30pm. Tickets are $75 which includes return travel, lunch, a tasting paddle of beer and a rollicking great time.

It's looking to be a great day not to miss, so book in here.  This could be a sell out event so don't hesitate!

For more information email dom@thelocal.com.au 

Silent Cinema Season 3 launching in Darlinghurst 2013!

(Rocky Horror Picture Show Dec '12)

2012 brought us the year of many things – one of those things was a unique Tuesday night event called ‘Silent Cinema’. It has been a huge success and we, alongside our partners Trumer Pils and Innocent Bystander are very proud to announce that Silent Cinema will be extending its arms deep into 2013 with Season 3 beginning in January.

For those of you playing at home, $10 will get you a pair of wireless headphones, a bowl of popcorn, a free glass of Innocent Bystander or Trumer Pilsner and a chance to impress your Tuesday night date with the sunset as your proverbial background.

Doors open at 7pm, screenings usually start at 7:45pm which gives you enough time to order some dinner off the menu and soak up the atmosphere.

The previous two seasons provided us with an epic scope of cult-cinema and we aren't here to do things by halves so we’re giving you another 12 hand-picked gems for you to enjoy.

To kick things off is the original ‘Wall Street’ and we travel the way down the list with the comedic styling’s of ‘Hot Fuzz’ through to the criminal dramas of ‘American History X’

See you here. Every Tuesday

Happy New Year

8th January - 'Wall Street' - book here

15th Jan - '300' - book here

22nd Jan - 'Back to the Future II' - book here

29th Jan - 'Inception' - book here 

5th February - 'Hot Fuzz' - book here

12th February - 'Gran Torino' - book here

19th Feb - 'Be Cool' - book here

26th Feb - 'American History X' - book here

5th March - 'Blow' - book here

12th Mar - 'Batman Begins' - book here

19th Mar - 'American Gangster' - book here

26th Mar - 'Predator' - book here

For any queries please email: dom@thelocal.com.au or call 02 9360 0088.

               

Growlers and Squealers filled for the last time in Darlo

The bars in the Darlo Taphouse are now busier than ever and it's become harder and harder to deal with the process of filling growlers so when the current kegs sell out, we unfortunately won't be filling or selling growlers or squealers for the forseeable future. There are a few left though and the bottles are still for sale until they run out.

Locally (relatively speaking!), we can recommend the Australian Brewery & Hotel or Beer Cartel (Artarmon) for your growler fills. 

Thanks to everyone who supported the initiative.

The 'Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2012' poll is now open for votes

Voting for The Local Taphouse's Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Brews of 2012 poll begins today.

Supported by Australian Brews News and Crafty Pint, the H100 is now in its fifth year and sees thousands of craft beer lovers from around Australia vote for their five favourite craft beers of the year.

All you need to do is select your FIVE favourite craft beers of 2012 and one randomly selected voter will win a case of each of the top FIVE beers (if not available, we'll keep going down the list until we have 5 cases).

Voting for the 'Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Brews' poll closes at 11:30pm on 15th January 2013 and the final 100 beers (listed from #100 to #1) will be announced on Australia Day on our blog, Australian Brews News and Crafty Pint. For those who want to know the results from last year, click here.

We ask that people only vote once. The beers must have been brewed in 2012 in Australia by breweries other than CUB's and Lion's main operations (i.e Matilda Bay and James Squire are eligible). The beer must have been commercially for sale in kegs or bottles.  Breweries are not permitted to offer prizes, incentives or inducements of any value in exchange for votes for their beers. Any clear breaches of this rule will lead to the votes being disqualified. We also reserve the right to remove votes that appear to be manufactured, or votes that we deem to be false. 

Thanks to Andrew Mitchell (Ale Star #D26) who has again developed this year's poll which is hosted by Pretty Clever Consulting.

Less than a week until the Last AleStars in Darlinghurst for 2012

With less than a week to go, and with the last Ale Stars of 2012 really taking shape, you can see that our Cellar Manager David Osgood is not only model material, but he is also now in possession of the beers you want and need!

The line up for next Wednesday's Ale Stars is looking something like this...

Local Taphouse & Bridge Road Bar Series presents "13 Hours on a Bus"
Bear Republic's "Racer 5"
Doctors Orders "Zephyr"
Nogne O "#500"

As Christmas is lurking around the corner like one of Santa's drunken little elves we thought it would only be right if we had a few prezzies and surprises for you as well but you'll have to wait until Wednesday night to see what they are...Okay we'll give you a clue, could they be a special guest? Another beer perhaps? Some cool merchandise or Miranda Kerr filling up your glass on the night? You'll just have to wait. (Please note: Miranda Kerr odds are at 10:1)

We've also taken our theme and come up with a delicious dinner for everyone as well so don't fear. 

Trivia will be focused on this years events regarding The Local Taphouse, Beer news in Australia and a few other cheeky ones too. 

Tickets are a mere $40, doors open at 7pm and the good times will no doubt go till late. 

If you haven't booked yet, please click here. 

Hope to see you all here! 

Darlo's BrewShare Report from Sydney Craft Beer Week

November's BrewShare was intimate with only about 10 beers entered but what we lost in quantity we certainly made up for in quality. The style for this night - beers under 4% - was decided at the previous BrewShare so we had an English Mild, light IPAs and a Berliner Weiss.

Anna and Olaf’s Berliner Weiss won the day with its almost lemonade sourness with Michael's British Mild coming a very close second. Best Other Beer was Ben's American Red Ale (also a great beer but at over 6% not quite to style).

The style for the next BrewShare is Anything With Australian Hops! We also decided that the BrewShare after that, in May, will be Sour Beers. So, if you think you have what it takes to create an outstanding brew then do not hesitate in get brewing and book in for February's edition of BrewShare on February 19th starting at 7pm. Tickets are only $20 which gets you some tasty treats on the night too. Click here to book.

Thanks to Dave's Home Brew for their continued support.

Christmas Gift Giving Ideas from The Local Taphouse in Sydney & St. Kilda

Everyone loves getting awesome, original and wicked gifts for Christmas, so that's why we've put together some awesome, original and wicked things for you to give your friends, family (and favourite Local bartender?) this holiday season across both our Sydney & St. Kilda venues.

Life, Beer it it, T-shirts

Nothing says "I love beer!" more than a Local Taphouse "Life, Beer in it." T-shirt. Available in Men's and Women's sizes, at $30 they're the perfect T-shirt to wear around town and it won't break the bank.

A Night out on You - Gift Voucher

A Gift voucher for The Local Taphouse - in any denomination you wish  - is available for those tricky people on your list.  Redeemable for food and/or drink. Speak to our friendly bar staff who can organise one for you.

Join Australia's Best Beer Appreciation Sessions - become an Ale Star

Perfect for the avid beer lover, or for the beginner who wants to learn more, an Ale Stars membership gives the gift of beer (and great food) all year round. The membership includes 12 x Ale Stars session, a $75 birthday voucher, an Ale Stars shirt, locker, ceramic mug with discounted beer prices & more.
Email here for more information.

For more information email us here or give us a call on (03) 9537-2633 for St. Kilda.

Sydney can be contacted on (02) 9360-0088 or emailed here.

Happy gift giving!

Women of Beer gather again for Hildegarde

Here's a great report on the new beer from the Women of Beer. It will be tapped before you know it.

All Australian, all female, collaboration beer The Women of Beer present Hildegarde’s Biere de Garde The Women of Beer collective has once again come together from around the country to create a limited-edition beer, brewed at the Matilda Bay Port Melbourne Brewery. Attached are some images of our brew day, packaging day and the final, delightful product. 

The all-female brew crew includes the talents of Matilda Bay’s Chloe Lovatt, CUB’s Aine O’Hora, Old Salt’s Sam Füss, Red Hill’s Karen Golding, Two Birds’ Jayne Lewis, Hargreaves Hill’s Beth Williams, Beer Girl Bites’ Tiffany Waldron and the Beer Diva, Kirrily Waldhorn. Proceeds of this collaborative brew will be put towards a number of initiatives to support women in the Australian beer industry, through the Australian Pink Boots Society. 

This has been possible by the generous support of donors including Matilda Bay, Grain & Grape, Bintani, Cryer Malt and Pemara Labels. The beer is a rustic Biere de Garde, 6.7%, in stylish 750ml champagne bottles. It is to be known as Hildegarde’s Biere de Garde. A French farmhouse ale which translates to “beer for keeping”. Specialty ingredients used in this brew include the French hop varieties Strisselspalt and Triskel,a new breed hop. French oak chips were also utilised to add a hint of wood to this rustic beer. The final product is a coppery colour, funky farmhouse ale, delicate hop character with a touch of oak on the palate. A refined, highly drinkable, and eminently interesting brew. Like the Women of Beer themselves. Hildegard von Bingen was a nun, scribe, composer and feminist credited with being the first to author the preservative power of hops in beer and the inspiration for this beer.

Ale Stars in St. Kilda and Sydney get on the Dark Horse!

Both Sydney and St. Kilda Ale Stars have a very special session coming up this November.

Dark Horse Brewery from Marshall, Michigan will be tapped (and in bottles) and enjoyed for the first time in Australia.

We'll be sampling the following beers with make up some of their "part time" series & their special "Holiday stout" series:

Double Crooked Tree IPA

Sapient Trip Ale

Scotty Karate Scotch Ale

Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

St. Kilda session details

Date: Tuesday November 20th
Time: 7pm doors open
Cost: $40
Included:  4 x beer samples & food

Book your tickets here or pay at the bar or on the night.

Sydney session details

Date: Wednesday November 21st
Time: 7pm
Cost: $40
Included: 4 x beer samples & eats

Book your tickets here.  This is an event not to miss!

The classic film 'Heat' is showing tomorrow night at Darlo's 'Silent Cinema Under the Stars'

With summer approaching Silent Cinema on the roof terrace is going great guns with full houses most Tuesdays. Tomorrow night we are showing the classic heist move Heat. Get there around 7pm and you can book on the door! We will be announcing the full summer schedule soon!

Meet one of the world's top 50 brewers at Darlo this Monday!

Do you want to meet one of the world's 50 best craft brewers tomorrow night (Monday)?! We might all be getting over the fantastic Sydney Craft Beer Week but we have one last hurrah. Christian Skovdal Andersen from Denmark's BeerHere will be at the Taphouse rooftop bar for a free evening beer tasting on Monday night (tomorrow).

BeerHere is considered among the 50 best breweries in the world so don't miss out on this opportunity to chat to one of the greats and taste some of his great beers. Everyone welcome so just turn up from about 6pm.

Epic Ale Stars in Darlo is, well... Epic!

A sell out crowd packed in downstairs tonight to hear Luke Nicholas of Epic fame talk about his beers for our SCBW installment of Ale Stars.

We tasted the Portamarillo : a collaboration between Epic and Dogfish Head using Tamarillo fruit from NZ, the First Batch Pale Ale, the Coffee & Fig Imperial Oatmeal Stout and finished things off with the aptly named Hop Zombie. What a selection!

Massive thanks to the 80+ peeps who showed up to hear what Luke had to say and to Doc for keeping Luke in line ;-)

eXtreme beer goes off in Darlo

We tasted some amazing beers last night with the boys from the Beer Lover's Guide. Their new book, the "Complete Beer Service and Sommelier's Manual", was handed out to all who came hot off the press. A fantastic guide to all things beer which was well received by all. The beers themselves were wacky and big and no doubt there were a few sore heads this morning!

There are still heaps of fantastic events to check out at Sydney Craft Beer Week. Our Epic tap makeover starts today (Wednesday) and to book for Epic Ale Stars with special guest Luke Nicholas and his amazing hoppy beers, click here.

Or for a wonderful 5 course dinner and a chance to get up close and personal with some great brewers and their terrific beers, click here.