Brisbane Lions Craft Beer Appreciation Society

[WheildonTheAxe]

Welcome to the Brisbane Lions Craft Beer Appreciation Society. Discuss craft beers and adjacent experiences, whether for Lions gameday inspiration or beyond.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

There are heaps on the way.

One Drop Brewery in Botany, not far from the airport.

Otherwise Marrickville has plenty of options. Nothing much around Olympic Park though.

Ah, my specialty topic!

Depends on your transport - as Clugga mentions, there's One Drop at Botany, and there's Slow Lane around the corner and Beer Fontaine just down the road. All are fantastic options and easily chainable into a mini-crawl, but you'd be looking at an Uber there from the airport and then another to get to a train station to get out to the stadium.

Marrickville and the Inner West is awesome, there's always something new. St Peters through to Marrickville train stations gives you a good dozen or more options - but again, not really on the way.

There's not much on the western line. There's Paddy's near Flemington Station (average, and generally slips well under the radar), Public House Petersham/Small Batch and Oxford Tavern at Petersham (the only stop I bother with), and Akasha at Five Dock (great IPAs, not near a train station). Out at Parramatta you get Riverside but then you've not only overshot, you're also in for quite a walk because the light rail isn't running yet.

The best blend of convenience and decent beer would be either Surry Hills (Royal Albert/Keg and Brew/Dove and Olive/Sydney Brewery) next to Central or duck out to Newtown (Union Hotel, Mountain Goat, Young Henry's, Hopsters, Buddy's Bar, and more). There's also Noble Hops and BrewDog near Redfern.

Akasha in Five Dock, Batch in Petersham.

I was inspired to turn this into a thread!

I have decided nothing is speaking to me in the same way that Marrickville is. Last time I was there wildflower was closed for a holiday, so that is a must. I probably want to get back to Philter but there's so many choices. I've been to Batch's other two venues but that looks like it's close to a station and I agree they are nice.

My plan is to Uber from the airport to an as yet undecided brewery and make my way Stanmore station by foot. Then I can get either T2 or T3 to Lidcombe and transfer to Engine. Does that sound like a plan? Any pitfalls for new players?

(Side note, this was all much easier until Sydney won).

 

[Johnny Bananas]

This thread probably belongs in The Den.

Anyway, I've been quite into Holgate's new range of German-style beers, their Dunkel was surprisingly good.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I was inspired to turn this into a thread!

I have decided nothing is speaking to me in the same way that Marrickville is. Last time I was there wildflower was closed for a holiday, so that is a must. I probably want to get back to Philter but there's so many choices. I've been to Batch's other two venues but that looks like it's close to a station and I agree they are nice.

My plan is to Uber from the airport to an as yet undecided brewery and make my way Stanmore station by foot. Then I can get either T2 or T3 to Lidcombe and transfer to Engine. Does that sound like a plan? Any pitfalls for new players?

(Side note, this was all much easier until Sydney won).

Been to Young Henry's?

 

[Grasshopper17]

I was inspired to turn this into a thread!

I have decided nothing is speaking to me in the same way that Marrickville is. Last time I was there wildflower was closed for a holiday, so that is a must. I probably want to get back to Philter but there's so many choices. I've been to Batch's other two venues but that looks like it's close to a station and I agree they are nice.

This is my old stomping ground. It's not craft but directly across the road from Sydenham station is the General Gordon Hotel. For 6 years I lived literally next door to it.

It burned down in 2017 (yes, I was living next door to it at the time!). Would you believe, a gas bottle randomly "exploded". On a quiet Monday afternoon in the middle of August, literally 3 days after they had announced they were closing down for "renovations".

Legit? Or a BRAB insurance job? You be the judge.

Anyway, turns out it was the best thing that happened to it. Before the fire it was one of those grimy "old man pubs" with the smell of stale tobacco permanently thick in the air, old pool tables everywhere and all the character of a puddle on a hot day.

Now, it's fantastic. It's a bright and breezy sports bar with a gorgeous dining and outdoor areas. Highly recommend making it your first stop if you get off the train at Sydenham.

Back on topic, big fan of Batch, Philter etc. In fact, the walk from Sydenham station, up Sydenham Rd, then turn right onto Victoria Road, which becomes Enmore Road and suddenly you're in Newtown. The number of craft breweries on what is literally a half hour walk would get well and truly into the double digits I reckon.

Keep following Enmore Road and you arrive at Newtown station. Hop on a westward train in time for the game.*

There's your Saturday sorted.



*Counterintuitive but it is sometimes quicker to get one from Newtown back (east) to Redfern, then west from there. Many of the trains stopping at Newtown will be "all stations" trains which are far slower than the limited stop trains that run from Central.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

This thread probably belongs in The Den.

Anyway, I've been quite into Holgate's new range of German-style beers, their Dunkel was surprisingly good.

Oh good suggestion. Can I move it?

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

Been to Young Henry's?

Yep. Have found there beers to be great but not amazing. Very happy when a crap pub has the newtowner on.

 

[Jivlain]

Oh good suggestion. Can I move it?

I already did

 

[dlanod]

Back on topic, big fan of Batch, Philter etc. In fact, the walk from Sydenham station, up Sydenham Rd, then turn right onto Victoria Road, which becomes Enmore Road and suddenly you're in Newtown. The number of craft breweries on what is literally a half hour walk would get well and truly into the double digits I reckon.

Keep following Enmore Road and you arrive at Newtown station. Hop on a westward train in time for the game.*

There's your Saturday sorted.

From memory, you'd go Bob Hawke, Batch, Philter, Sauce, Mixtape, Grifter, Wildflower, Hopsters, Young Henry's.

Pickled Monkey is going to open there at some point, not sure if it's ready yet.

*Counterintuitive but it is sometimes quicker to get one from Newtown back (east) to Redfern, then west from there. Many of the trains stopping at Newtown will be "all stations" trains which are far slower than the limited stop trains that run from Central.

As someone who usually heads west from Newtown, it's just about always quicker to go back to Redfern if you're heading anyway past Burwood/Strathfield. Those all stations trains absolutely crawl.

 

[dlanod]

I was inspired to turn this into a thread!

I have decided nothing is speaking to me in the same way that Marrickville is. Last time I was there wildflower was closed for a holiday, so that is a must. I probably want to get back to Philter but there's so many choices. I've been to Batch's other two venues but that looks like it's close to a station and I agree they are nice.

My plan is to Uber from the airport to an as yet undecided brewery and make my way Stanmore station by foot. Then I can get either T2 or T3 to Lidcombe and transfer to Engine. Does that sound like a plan? Any pitfalls for new players?

(Side note, this was all much easier until Sydney won).

Just a heads up, from Stanmore you'll need to change at Burwood/Strathfield to switch from the Inner West line to the Western Line. It looks you're safe from trackwork, but I'd budget a bit of extra time for the switch.

If you like your IPAs, make sure you swing by Kicks on the way to Stanmore - fairly new guys, not right on the main brewery trail, but doing good stuff (venue is prototypical craft brewery style though).

Wildflower is doing joint ventures with Mountain Culture now too, so you'll have a fantastic choice there - I'd almost not leave (and I would do food there if you're peckish). Of the others, Batch is fine - the beer's good but the venue isn't anything special, so it's skippable if you've had them before. The Bob Hawke Leisure Centre is more an stylistic choice than actually about the beer at this point. Mixtape does a couple of their own but is more of a beer bar, but the broader selection is usually really really good (similar to Hopsters). Grifter is a classic now and nice and close to Wildflower, more on the easier drinking styles but with idiosyncratic twists).

The other close area is St Peters Station - between there and Sydenham there's Brickworks (tiny, wouldn't bother unless you're a completionist), Future (new hotness on the Sydney scene, very IPA focused), Chuck and Sons (Chuck Hahn's new craft joint, haven't gotten there yet), and Willie the Boatman (their beers are always decent but the novelty can be hit or miss in their bigger venue).

 

[Grasshopper17]

From memory, you'd go Bob Hawke, Batch, Philter, Sauce, Mixtape, Grifter, Wildflower, Hopsters, Young Henry's.

Pickled Monkey is going to open there at some point, not sure if it's ready yet.

Yep, and a couple of those I don't think were even open when I moved north, so I may have under-budgeted here.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

Update: if I'm reading the timetable correctly, the Olympic Park express (thanks Grasshopper17 ) stops in Redfern. So I'm thinking I start at Wildflower, work south to Philter or Bob Hawke for a feed, jump on train at Sydenham and change at Redfern. Is that a plan?

Edit: or finish at St Peter's as dlanod suggests. Would that be more reliable than Sydenham?

 

[dlanod]

Update: if I'm reading the timetable correctly, the Olympic Park express (thanks Grasshopper17 ) stops in Redfern. So I'm thinking I start at Wildflower, work south to Philter or Bob Hawke for a feed, jump on train at Sydenham and change at Redfern. Is that a plan?

Edit: or finish at St Peter's as dlanod suggests. Would that be more reliable than Sydenham?

Sydenham would be better with the industrial action - Metro back to Central should be quick and reliable.

 

[Tom14]

This is my old stomping ground. It's not craft but directly across the road from Sydenham station is the General Gordon Hotel. For 6 years I lived literally next door to it.

It burned down in 2017 (yes, I was living next door to it at the time!). Would you believe, a gas bottle randomly "exploded". On a quiet Monday afternoon in the middle of August, literally 3 days after they had announced they were closing down for "renovations".

Legit? Or a BRAB insurance job? You be the judge.

Anyway, turns out it was the best thing that happened to it. Before the fire it was one of those grimy "old man pubs" with the smell of stale tobacco permanently thick in the air, old pool tables everywhere and all the character of a puddle on a hot day.

Now, it's fantastic. It's a bright and breezy sports bar with a gorgeous dining and outdoor areas. Highly recommend making it your first stop if you get off the train at Sydenham.

Back on topic, big fan of Batch, Philter etc. In fact, the walk from Sydenham station, up Sydenham Rd, then turn right onto Victoria Road, which becomes Enmore Road and suddenly you're in Newtown. The number of craft breweries on what is literally a half hour walk would get well and truly into the double digits I reckon.

Keep following Enmore Road and you arrive at Newtown station. Hop on a westward train in time for the game.*

There's your Saturday sorted.



*Counterintuitive but it is sometimes quicker to get one from Newtown back (east) to Redfern, then west from there. Many of the trains stopping at Newtown will be "all stations" trains which are far slower than the limited stop trains that run from Central.

Love Philter. The red ale is one of my all time favourites.

I have no knowledge whatsoever about the craft brewery scene in Sydney but if anyone wants a few recommendations for Melbourne, let me know.

I highly recommend Bright Brewing if anyone sees any cans, or decides to go to the alpine region in Vic for a holiday. Just went there for the second time and its a lovely brewery on the river. Had a few good King River Brewing drops there as well.

 

[dlanod]

I have no knowledge whatsoever about the craft brewery scene in Sydney but if anyone wants a few recommendations for Melbourne, let me know.

My yearly draft nights in Melbourne and a random game a year in Brisbane is usually an excuse to try and squeeze in whatever's new in town. Melbourne is so much easier though, because Brisbane's best breweries are both far flung and a lot are difficult to get to without a car.

Can't tell you much about Adelaide (one visit a couple of years ago - the Hills breweries were impressive though) and Perth (one visit 8 years ago) though, but I order a bit from Rocky Ridge which is a good sign.

I've been to (or at least tried) most in rural NSW as well on family road trips, at least until the South Coast opened half a dozen in the last two years.

I highly recommend Bright Brewing if anyone sees any cans, or decides to go to the alpine region in Vic for a holiday. Just went there for the second time and its a lovely brewery on the river. Had a few good King River Brewing drops there as well.

The High Country is great - my wife and kids love the area for the bushwalking and cycling, so I get to check out the brewery scene. Bright is good, Bridge Road is really good, but the one time I went to King River they smashed it out of the park with variety and quality. The couple in Mount Beauty are decent too. Bright's positioning is fantastic though, a fair chance for top 5 of the places I've been to (Cupitt's, Dangerous Ales, Gurney's, Macallister's, Hemingway's (either) and Felons are all competitors).

 

[Tom14]

My yearly draft nights in Melbourne and a random game a year in Brisbane is usually an excuse to try and squeeze in whatever's new in town. Melbourne is so much easier though, because Brisbane's best breweries are both far flung and a lot are difficult to get to without a car.

Can't tell you much about Adelaide (one visit a couple of years ago - the Hills breweries were impressive though) and Perth (one visit 8 years ago) though, but I order a bit from Rocky Ridge which is a good sign.

I've been to (or at least tried) most in rural NSW as well on family road trips, at least until the South Coast opened half a dozen in the last two years.


The High Country is great - my wife and kids love the area for the bushwalking and cycling, so I get to check out the brewery scene. Bright is good, Bridge Road is really good, but the one time I went to King River they smashed it out of the park with variety and quality. The couple in Mount Beauty are decent too. Bright's positioning is fantastic though, a fair chance for top 5 of the places I've been to (Cupitt's, Dangerous Ales, Gurney's, Macallister's, Hemingway's (either) and Felons are all competitors).

Yeah next time I visit the High Country I'm going to have to schedule a visit to King River itself - just wasnt time on this trip with the hikes we had planned. Their Red IPA was incredible, and their take on an irish stout was also excellent.

Shoutout to the Porepunkah Pub for having them on tap and their excellent menu as well, one of the best country pubs I've been to.

 

[dlanod]

Yeah next time I visit the High Country I'm going to have to schedule a visit to King River itself - just wasnt time on this trip with the hikes we had planned. Their Red IPA was incredible, and their take on an irish stout was also excellent.

Shoutout to the Porepunkah Pub for having them on tap and their excellent menu as well, one of the best country pubs I've been to.

That reminds me, the Star Hotel in Yackandandah gets a recommendation too if you like craft beer and American BBQ. I was so stuffed at the end of that night.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

All this talk of red IPAs is so dear to my heart.

There are actually some really good pockets around Brisbane they don't require a car. I went to working title on the weekend while I was up there and that was delicious. That area has Range, Green Beacon, Newstead and Revel via ferry.

I checked out Hiker (moved into the old semi-pro/Black hops venue) and Future Magic on game day (plus easy time which isn't great but very near the Gabba). West end has some serviceable options too.

As for Melbourne Tom14, my favourite area is definitely around Collingwood where you have Molly Rose, The Mill, Stomping Ground and Bodriggy. Unfortunately Fixation and Range's Melbourne outpost just closed. Fox Friday in Richmond is great. There are other great places peppered about but not in the concentration of Collingwood.

 

[Tom14]

All this talk of red IPAs is so dear to my heart.

There are actually some really good pockets around Brisbane they don't require a car. I went to working title on the weekend while I was up there and that was delicious. That area has Range, Green Beacon, Newstead and Revel via ferry.

I checked out Hiker (moved into the old semi-pro/Black hops venue) and Future Magic on game day (plus easy time which isn't great but very near the Gabba). West end has some serviceable options too.

As for Melbourne Tom14, my favourite area is definitely around Collingwood where you have Molly Rose, The Mill, Stomping Ground and Bodriggy. Unfortunately Fixation and Range's Melbourne outpost just closed. Fox Friday in Richmond is great. There are other great places peppered about but not in the concentration of Collingwood.

Molly Rose is my favourite in Melbourne. I don't really like sours or goses but I don't mind the Molly Rose ones.

Their dark largers and stouts have long been my favourite. A 4-4.5% stout is the absolute sweet spot to me. Molly Rose used to have one of the best red IPAs too in the Mr Fox which hasn't been sighted since covid, but last time I was there after the Collingwood game they had a double Red IPA which was delicious and did not taste like it was 8%.

Range is great as well, black hops (RIP the one near the Gabba) also good. Slipstream and Helios also Brisbane favourites of mine, as well as Aether. And shoutout to my favourite bar in the world, the Scratch in Milton for consistently having the best taps and events.

 

[dlanod]

Can't believe Brewski closed - I went there once and that selection was simply fantastic for a small bar.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Sydenham would be better with the industrial action - Metro back to Central should be quick and reliable.

Yes I keep forgetting about the Metro. I caught this for the first time from Waterloo to Martin Place today. Holy crap it is quick! Amazing what you can do when you put those glass walls up to stop people jumping out onto the tracks.

Mind you I still wonder about the overall travel time, considering you have to basically go all the way down to the Earth's core just to get on board in the first place. And then back up again when you arrive.

 

[dlanod]

All this talk of red IPAs is so dear to my heart.

There are actually some really good pockets around Brisbane they don't require a car. I went to working title on the weekend while I was up there and that was delicious. That area has Range, Green Beacon, Newstead and Revel via ferry.

I checked out Hiker (moved into the old semi-pro/Black hops venue) and Future Magic on game day (plus easy time which isn't great but very near the Gabba). West end has some serviceable options too.

I made it to Hiker last time I was up and had a car (as well as Slipstream, they're always a personal favourite) and simple to say they blew me away. Enjoyed everything.

The Valley/Newstead and West End are the two places in Brisbane where you can really do craft beer crawls. Other than that I've made it out to Aether/Fink and Slipstream/Helios, but basically it's where there a couple in close proximity - and it's a real hike.

As for Melbourne Tom14, my favourite area is definitely around Collingwood where you have Molly Rose, The Mill, Stomping Ground and Bodriggy. Unfortunately Fixation and Range's Melbourne outpost just closed. Fox Friday in Richmond is great. There are other great places peppered about but not in the concentration of Collingwood.

Burnley closing has upset me. They were one of my reliables down there near the city, along with Clifton Hill.

 

[Tom14]

I made it to Hiker last time I was up and had a car (as well as Slipstream, they're always a personal favourite) and simple to say they blew me away. Enjoyed everything.

The Valley/Newstead and West End are the two places in Brisbane where you can really do craft beer crawls. Other than that I've made it out to Aether/Fink and Slipstream/Helios, but basically it's where there a couple in close proximity - and it's a real hike.

Burnley closing has upset me. They were one of my reliables down there near the city, along with Clifton Hill.

Hadn't seen that Burnley were closing, that stinks. When I lived in Richmond I'd walk over there, have a few beers and then go to the Royston Hotel afterwards for dinner.

 

[dlanod]

Yes I keep forgetting about the Metro. I caught this for the first time from Waterloo to Martin Place today. Holy crap it is quick! Amazing what you can do when you put those glass walls up to stop people jumping out onto the tracks.

Mind you I still wonder about the overall travel time, considering you have to basically go all the way down to the Earth's core just to get on board in the first place. And then back up again when you arrive.

WheildonTheAxe I realised today that you can also go Sydenham to Redfern on the train in addition to getting to Central on the Metro, so you've got double chances to make any trains so I'd definitely head there at the conclusion.

 

[dlanod]

Ticked up 5000 beers in Untappd tonight somewhat unexpectedly too