Two Go Beer Mad In Melbourne. Day One

This is by no means a travel diary, it’s simply my tasting notes on the incredible range of beers that are on offer around Melbourne. With just five days up my sleeve, and the fact that I was there for my 9^th wedding anniversary, I didn’t have time for brewery tours where I could pick the brains of the local brewing nobility.

So thanks to suggestions from the lads on realbeer.co.nz and a friend of mine who writes for Lonely Planet, my lovely wife and I headed for the places where I could make the most of Australia’s capital of craft beer.

First stop - Beer Deluxe Federation Square.

#1 - True South Dark Ale (Draught) - 5% ABV

Pours a dark, deep brown. Creamy soft brown head. Bitter in the nose relatively thin in body but it delivers a refreshing burnt coffee hit. The bitterness lingers nicely on the tongue.

A really nice drop for the first sample.

#2 - Bridge Road Beechworth Pale Ale (Draught)  - 4.8% ABV

A hazy, dark straw. The slowly rising bubbles suggested it would have a fairly good body and it did. Massive passionfruit and sweet orange hop aroma. Lots of fresh smelling hoppiness there too, as if fresh hops were floating in the glass. Very excited by this. Hops and more hops. But it’s not too big on the bitterness. After the sweetness faded, the bitterness lingered for a while. 

A delicious beer.

#3 - Holgate Brewhouse - Temptress Chocolate Porter (Bottle) - 6%ABV

 Opaque black, thin white head. Delicious coffee, vanilla and caramel aroma. Label says it has been infused with Dutch cocoa and whole vanilla beans. It smells like a dark chocolate steam pudding. Very chocolaty on the palate. Sweet in front and bitter at the back of the throat. Sweetness lingers as does a hint of roasted coffee beans.

#4 Stone and Wood Pale Lager (Draught) -

Pale straw with plenty of carbonation and a thin head. Crisp clean aroma, a touch of lager yeast. Subtle balanced malt flavour and a crisp bitterness to finish. Nothing lingering - nothing spectacular.

So that was the first taste. 

After a bit of a freshen up we wandered off to Mrs. Parma’s for a few more and a couple of her legendary parmas.

  #5 White Fox Arctic Lager (Draught) -

A deep golden lager with a lovely malt aroma despite being served very cold. A nice bite of bitterness and carbonation on the tongue. There’s a little fruitiness there but it fades quickly and the crisp bitterness remains. It helped ease the intesnsity of the tomato on the parmas well.

#6 - Hellfire Amber Ale (Draught) - 5.5%ABV.

Pours a hazy, pale amber. Had a blocked nose so couldn’t enjoy the passionfruit hop flavours described in the menu. When my nose did clear I could taste a touch of honey and a peppery finish.

#7 White Rabbit Dark Ale (Bottle) - 4.9%ABV

A dark amber ale with a soft carbonation. A smooth, round malt nose slightly sweet with a little burnt caramel. Nicely rounded flavour too. A touch of sweetness with a little subdued dark malt and just a little hop bitterness to finish.