Your Craft beer guide to Melbourne, Australia

So you are travelling to Australia, and coming to Melbourne, or better still maybe you’re lucky enough to live here. Maybe you are one of the enlightened folk who like to drink craft beer, you favour taste over all else, you support the local brewers and when you are in a foreign city you like nothing better than heading to the local bar and having a few local craft beers. So what do you need to know.

Weird Melbourne only things…..

The main size of beer is called a pot. It’s 10 oz for you Americans, 285ml for the rest of the world. You can get a pint or a schooner (15 ozs). You order a beer by saying ‘a pot of insert beer name thanks.’

Unlike Americans, we don’t tend to sit at the bar, which is a shame, it means it’s a bit harder to talk to random strangers (one of the things I love about travelling in the US).

Unlike the rest of the world we watch a sport called AFL or Aussie rules (in winter) or Cricket (in summer). For AFL you need to understand that there are 10 teams in Melbourne, so we don’t all barrack for the same team and if sport is on, there will be groups of people cheering at different times. And you won’t understand the game.

We eat a thing called a Chickern Parma – it’s awesome, order one. If you want the best one, and some great local craft beers so to Mrs Parmas in the City.

Oh and our beer will seem really expensive (if you are from the US) – this is because we have high taxes and unlike Americans we actually pay our bartenders real wages, this is also why you don’t need to tip them.

The Craft Beer Scene…..

It’s not as developed as the US, it’s pretty solid in the inner ring suburbs, South Melbourne, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond, Brunswick, St Kilda will all have good craft in most bars.

What is good Melbourne based Craft?

Mountain Goat are the oldest Craft brewers in Melbourne, but are now owned by Japanese brewer Asahi (make of that what you will). Bridge Road, Mornington and Holgate are widely available sort of local (within the state of Victoria) established brewers worth a look. Two Birds, Hop Nation are both solid. Moondog make some of the most unusual beers around. Fixation & Kaiju both make a great US style IPAs. La Sirene is probably the best of the lot though, amazing saisons and sours and always worth a look.

Where to drink?

The best two bars are Alehouse Project in Brunswick (say hi to Alex for me), Local Taphouse in St Kilda. Carwyn cellars is worth a look but is a distance from central Melbourne. If you what a traditional Aussie pub then The Great Northern in Carlton is good as is The Palace in South Melbourne. If you want to buy bottles to take home, then Slowbeer in Richmond or Collingwood is good, as is one of the many Blackheart and Sparrow stores. If you are in the Tourist areas (the CBD) then Beer Deluxe at Fed Square is good or HopScotch on Southbank to drink in, Hopscotch even beer on site.

How about a Brewery Visit?
Then go see Moondog in Richmond, Hop Nation in Footscray or Stomping Ground in Collingwood. If you are in regional Victoria, well then try Black Dog, Bridge Road, Holgate or heaps of others.

So now you are all ready – I hope to see you for a beer sometime soon.