Bars

The Age

Friday February 29, 2008

Larissa Dubecki

Fancy a hefeweizen? How about a lambic? These bars serve some unusual brews.

Penny Blue

2 Driver Lane (off Little Bourke Street), city, phone 9639 3020

At first glance, this pretty little bolthole down the obscure laneway that houses older sibling Money Order Office looks like your typical fancy-shmancy CBD bar. And the plush lounges, objet d'art lighting and wall-of-wonder wine collection (behind bars, to thwart any lightfingers out there) would seem to go perfectly with the fabulously frivolous cocktails and rarefied snack menu on offer (fenugreek cauliflower fritters, anyone?). But look a little harder and you'll find some serious joy for the beer lover. More than 40 varieties of the stuff, for starters, with plain old big-name Aussies augmented by a global cornucopia including oak-aged lambics and hefeweizens and names such as Dark Isle Leatherwood Porter, Schofferhofer Hefeweizen and Blue-Vue Kriek.

Emerald Hill Brewery

20 Ross Street, South Melbourne, phone 9696 5491

A converted garage in South Melbourne is home to a microbrewery started in 2006 that has an already growing reputation, winning two bronze medals for their pale ale at last year's Australian International Beer Awards. It's down to brewing brass tacks during the week but on Friday nights the roller door goes up and the joint is thrown open to the public, who can enjoy the artisan drops among the tanks and beer-making paraphernalia. Along with the pale ale you'll find a German-style wheat beer (with banana and clove-like flavours) and an oatmeal stout made from six different grains and bearing notes of coffee, caramel and chocolate. All beers are made without preservatives and additives and are bottled by hand. Drop in any time after 5pm; spirits, wines and soft drinks are also on the list.

Beer De Luxe

Federation Square, city, phone 9663 0166

George Christopoulos, the man behind Melbourne's two Belgian Beer Cafes, took ownership of Federation Square's Upper and Lower House just over a year ago. He has refashioned the space into a church for the beer-worshipper, with an 85-plus list of lager, stout, wheat beer, ale and the lesser-known Trappist (beer from one of seven breweries in the world - six in Belgium, one in the Netherlands - run by Trappist monks). The macro outlook of the always-evolving list traverses the likes of Sri Lankan Sinha Stout, Czech Budejovicky Budvar, Birra Moretti La Rossa from Italy, and Canadian white beer Blanche de Chambly, while the microbrews include Victorians Temple Pale Ale and Mildura Brewery Mallee Bull. There are a few added incentives: a "beer garden" with a difference, overlooking Flinders Street, plus beer-appreciation courses (as if anyone needed a course to appreciate beer).

© 2008 The Age

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