# Newcastle! Where To Drink?



## bevdawg (13/7/11)

So the wife and I will be in Newcaslte for a weekend in a few weeks time. She's driving and not drinking, and I'm very keen to take advantage of this and find some good pubs/bars to have a drink. Can anyone in the know point us to some decent venues? Of course, they must have a good selection of craft/micros on tap


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## Bribie G (13/7/11)

I'll be down there for a couple of nights 1 and 2 Aug and will also be having a snoop around.


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## Goldenchild (13/7/11)

bevdawg said:


> So the wife and I will be in Newcaslte for a weekend in a few weeks time. She's driving and not drinking, and I'm very keen to take advantage of this and find some good pubs/bars to have a drink. Can anyone in the know point us to some decent venues? Of course, they must have a good selection of craft/micros on tap



hey mate maybe Albion hotel havent been here but seen an add for this place and have thought about the short trip up from my place.

checked there web page and it had a full listing of beers. unfortunately not many of the crafts are on tap. but i pretty wide sellection none the less.

If you are after some beers for the hotel though a short 20min drive south from newcastle will take you to Warners Bay where theres a bottle shop with over 900 beers.

I went there the other day and was not dissapointed.


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## Josh (13/7/11)

bevdawg said:


> So the wife and I will be in Newcaslte for a weekend in a few weeks time. She's driving and not drinking, and I'm very keen to take advantage of this and find some good pubs/bars to have a drink. Can anyone in the know point us to some decent venues? Of course, they must have a good selection of craft/micros on tap



Where are you coming from?

How far is she prepared to drive?

Murray's is only an hour up the road.


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## Ducatiboy stu (13/7/11)

Head out of Newcastle to Cesnock, and go to Potters Brewery.... Especially if the wife is the pilot

Its the closest thing to heaven around Newcastle...Their Kolsch is :icon_drool2: 

The Brewey at Queens warf has great views over the harbour, you can watch the HUGE coal ships come in... and the food is nice to... Best lunch spot

Hit Hamilton or Beaumont St for a feed....

Newy can be a bit hit & miss as far as microś on tap

You could allways head up to Rutherford and visit the famed Bulls Head Brewery... :icon_chickcheers:


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## Tony (13/7/11)

there is a place on the foreshore.... i cant remember the name of it. They have a big list of very nice euro, pommy and belgian beers in a fridge...... i had a nice lunch there and let the wife drive my WRX home...... i left with a wobbly boot 

I will see if the wife remembers......


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## Bribie G (13/7/11)

I'll just be on foot (and boy will I be tired as I'm coming from QLD) - and staying on Hunter street itself. Anything in that area or just Tooheys and Pokies pubs?


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## dmac80 (13/7/11)

Tony said:


> there is a place on the foreshore.... i cant remember the name of it. They have a big list of very nice euro, pommy and belgian beers in a fridge...... i had a nice lunch there and let the wife drive my WRX home...... i left with a wobbly boot
> 
> I will see if the wife remembers......



Possibly Silo bar Tony?

The Mary Ellen in Mereweather has a very large range of nice beers on tap too. I'll also second a trip to Murray's and Potter's Brewery, their beers are always great...


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## kelbygreen (13/7/11)

not sure of pubs but warners at the bay (bottle shops) is a great place I spend to long in there and seem to come out with nothing I hate to much choices lol


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## Tony (13/7/11)

Yep Silo

http://www.silolounge.com.au/

drinks menu

http://www.silolounge.com.au/newcastle/menu4.pdf

They have Brewdog "sink the bismark" at 41% for $210 a glass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hers is a rough map:

http://www.silolounge.com.au/map_newcastle.asp

There are a lot of pubs im Newey..... not all of them great... some of them awsome.

As Stu said..... the Queesn warfe brewery (next to the big penis) is a good spot..... always a band on, food is good and they have a few nice bers on tap..... I usually hit the Alpha pale ale on tap there but i think they have Murrys on tap now as well.


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## Josh (13/7/11)

Josh said:


> Where are you coming from?
> 
> How far is she prepared to drive?
> 
> Murray's is only an hour up the road.



And yep, as previously mentioned Potters is about the same distance. If she's prepared to drive a few hours, you could make a day of it and go to both.


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## brocky_555 (13/7/11)

Here is a little run down of a couple of the pubs around town :

The Albion hotel - This pub is in Wickham on Hannel st. This pub is pretty good if not one of the best, good selection of local and a few internationals and awesome food. They have rotating taps so I could not tell you what they have on tap at the moment because I haven't been there in a few weeks.

Silo bar - This cocktail lounge / bar is situated in the honeysuckle precinct on the edge of the harbour. This place has a wide selection of Belgians, German ales and other European fare and they make a pretty good cocktail for the missus pricey but a good selection none the less.

The Dockyard - This place used to just have the odd interesting beer among the the trendy shit that is usually sold in these types of places, also in the honeysuckle area they have got a really good selection now and good food. 

The Brewery - Right on the harbour it has a reasonable selection but the best views in town. Decent food a great place for a Sunday session. They used to brew their own beer there long ago but the kettles have long gone from this place and hasn't been a real brewery for quite a few years.

Murray's brewery is well worth a visit but it is a bit of a hike from the city 

The Mary Ellen - This pub is in merewether on glebe rd had a decent selection of beers but I think the locals have had the say and most of the good adventurous beers have been taken away but a good feed can be had here also.

That is but a few of the watering holes that this city has to offer but most of them are g
Toohey's and pokies but that's what the punters want.


Murray's Bre


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## goldstar (13/7/11)

Silo bar has a good range of beers in bottles but The Dockyard further up Honeysuckle has better beers on tap.

There's also The Clarendon just up from Honeysuckle towards Darby St that has special micro's on draft. Darby St and Honeysuckle are both great for something to eat. Queens Wharf Brewery is great for the view, and they have Alpha pale ale on tap. 

Beaumont St has the Northern Star, which has the full complement of Malt Shovel beers on tap, including Mad brewers beers. Then there's Murrays Brewery and Pottters Brewery. Both brilliant!!


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## Ducatiboy stu (13/7/11)

When I lived in the Upper Hunter, I would ride down to Queens Warf Brewery on sat/sun with mates just to have lunch and watch the boats come in..

Funny how we never got hassled with our Ducatiś and Moto Guzziś, but the Harley riders where told to keep there bikes off cause they took up to much room on the foot path :icon_cheers:


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## Nobby (13/7/11)

+1 for the Mary Ellen, my mates oldman owns it, 30 taps at last count when i was down there in Feb..and 
the snitzels are an institution..always manage to get kicked out when im with my mate  but at least
they have the decency to phone you the next day too let you know you left you meat tray behind.. :icon_cheers: 

also the Nags head at Adamstown..another top joint for a beer before going to a Knights game.. :beer: 

didn't get time to hit the new bars down on the foreshore down near the old woolsheds so i couldn't comment on them, 
but i hear they're pretty good for a few stub's..

Cheers,


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## Bribie G (13/7/11)

Mary Ellen sounds the go, I'll be photographing Terraces in Newcastle East and the Cathedral area in the morning, sounds like a good cab ride for lunch :icon_cheers:


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## Phoney (13/7/11)

A mate of mine is the publican of the Clarendon hotel on Hunter st. He always has a good range of craft brews on tap, and it's probably the nicest pub in Newcastle.

admittedly, I have affiliation :wub:


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## Bribie G (13/7/11)

Good one, I'll stroll up the street from the CBD Hotel on the Monday and have a peek. :icon_chickcheers:


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## Ducatiboy stu (13/7/11)

I like Newcastle as a city... it has a nice feel about it..

Maybe we should have a meet there. I can get there for a weekend. 

catch up with old and new friends

And my Bro lives there, so I have a place to stay :icon_chickcheers:


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## booyablack (14/7/11)

I also recommend the Clarendon Hotel. It is very close for you Bribie if you're staying at the CBD. They have two guest taps that change every month. Last month they were Moo Brew's Velvet Sledgehammer and a Lord Nelson beer. They also have lots of variety in the bottle and last Friday they had some brewers from Little Creatures visiting and giving out free taste tests.


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## Sammus (14/7/11)

Yeah another +1 for Clarendon and Mary Ellen, probably the only places you can find a half decent tap beer in Newwy. Check out Warners at the Bay if you can get there, the bottle has an amazing selection of beer.


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## clifftiger (14/7/11)

A quick run down as far as I know at present:

Adamstown Bowling Club - (where Hunter United Brewers club meets) Murray's Nirvana and Hunter Bock on tap (a wee bit from the city centre)

Mary Ellen - as of last week included Moo Brew Velvet Sledgehammer and Pale Ale, Mountain Goat Steam Ale, Hofbrau Maibock, Schofferhoffer Hefe, S&W Pacific Ale, Kronenbourg, Hoegaarden, Little Creatures Bright Ale (normally a regular tap here, but I don't like it so don't check) and bottles of Budvar Dark for $5 - sadly the Coopers Vintage Ale not on

Clarendon - Little Creatures Pale regular tap plus 2 guest - I believe now is 4 Pines Kolsch and Pale 

Albion - haven't been for a couple of months, last I knew was S&W Pacific Ale, McClaren Vale Ale, White Rabbit White Ale

Northern Star (Hamilton) - full range of James Squires on tap - Pilsner, Golden, Amber, IPA and Porter - always has the Mad Brewers release on tap when out. One of the few pubs anywhere that has IPA on tap - all at $5.90 an imperial pint and on one of the best eating strips in Newy (no affiliation, just my work local)

The Brewery - used to have Alpha Ale on tap not sure if still does

Pickings are slim from here on. Honeysuckle you will find Dockyard with perhaps Murrays Whale Ale and Dark Knight, and Schofferhoffer or Erdinger. Silo as mentioned has good bottle range - you can do worse than a pot of Mussells and a Belgian from here.

Cliff


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## MHB (14/7/11)

I was going to suggest we go to the Hairy Mellon (Mary Ellen) for those from out of town, its fairly central and has a good range of beers, the food is pretty good and its only about $10 by taxi to everywhere, if anyone wants to keep drinking after.
Mark


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## Rurik (14/7/11)

The Wicko ~ bog stadard Australian pub but it has whale ale on tap. Good pub grub.


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## [email protected] (14/7/11)

+1 Adamstown Bowlo.

Home of the Hunter United Brewers (HUB) plus Murrays Nirvana and Hunter Beer Co. Bock are only $4.30 a schooner...

Chhers
Booz


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## Muggus (14/7/11)

[quote name='The Ol' Boozeroony' post='794858' date='Jul 14 2011, 10:45 AM']+1 Adamstown Bowlo.

Home of the Hunter United Brewers (HUB) plus Murrays Nirvana and Hunter Beer Co. Bock are only $4.30 a schooner...[/quote]
And a stones throw away from Mugs Brewery/Chateau Mugaux...  

I think everything else has been covered...it's not hard to get a good beer in a pub up here.


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## aktim (14/7/11)

I just got back from having a Vale Ale and a Stone Pacific Lager at the Albion Hotel in Wickham. While there I spoke with Corey Crooks the owner, he said, "they were adding 10 taps and will soon 20 taps and 1 hand pull. All but 3 will be devoted to craft beers". This is great news for Newcastle but probably not soon enough for your weekend. There were still plenty of great beers to be had on draft and in bottle.


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## bevdawg (15/7/11)

Big thanks for the big respone! Cheers all... you can all sleep easy knowing I'll now be able to trick... I mean enjoy the sights of Newcastle with my wife and sample some great beers. Def going to try and check out Murrys or one of the other breweries out of town. is Murrys the pick of the 3 (guessing it is)?


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## Rurik (15/7/11)

I would put Murrys and Potters on the same level, and while I am ranting it is worth seeung Blue Tongue just for the size.


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## Josh (16/7/11)

Rurik said:


> I would put Murrys and Potters on the same level, and while I am ranting it is worth seeung Blue Tongue just for the size.



My sister in law turned up at Potters yesterday and was told there was no bottled beer to take away. So if you plan on taking some home, I'd recommend Murray's.


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## Gulpa (17/7/11)

+1 for the Clarendon. Was there last night and they had Coopers Vintage on tap. Thats as far as I got any of the others but had a good selection.


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## bevdawg (8/8/11)

Thought I'd do a little update for those who care...

So we visited Newcastle for a few days, and managed to score some decent weather for winter time.

Checked out a few places:

Clarendon Hotel. First night was here... pretty bust little place, food was decent. I got the ribs, def reccomend! They had an OK assortment on tap and the barman was very helpful and said they'd be getting more on soon. I had a Fanny's from Burleigh Brewing, and a White Rabbit dark ale. They seem to be proud about having White Rabbit on tap around there? 

After the Clarendon we went down to the waterfront to check out Silo, who advertise in Beer&Brewer as being Newcastle premiere boutique beer venue.... umm, did I miss something? We had a look and they only had 1-2 taps? Must have been bottled? Anyway, the vibe didn't look too impressive so we went nextdoor to the The Dockyard where it was pumping. They had some reall good tap beers AND they had awesome bottled beers... I had a Rogue Dead Guy ale and a Renaissance IPA, good prices as well...

Next day we walked around town, had a few local brews... Tooheys Old, terrible! Checked out the Brewery, nice spot, had an Alpha Pale ale that didn't taste as good as I'd had before... That night we went to Mary Ellen for some grub. Parma was OK, seafood basket was great. They had some great beers on tap, pick of the bunch. The atmosphere is not the greatest here, but too much like a TAB/Sports bar & bistro... but the beers made up for it. Shame I'd just missed the very well priced keg of Moo Brew Stout! Bugger...

Next day we went to Potters Brewery... we were there at 11am, I give em that, but no service and bit of a ghost town. We eventually got served some drinks. I had the paddle... some nice beers. The Pale was the standout (I think). Then it was off to Murrays. We did the little tour, was quite cool to see the brewery shed in action! Always gives me hope when I see a small brewery rocking along... the old 'I could do this one day'. Had a pricey pizza here that was AWESOME and worth it. Sat around in the sun for 3 hours chugging back 2IPA's... mmm tasty! Got a Shawn's Fault BIPA and an Imperial IPA for the road, headed back to the airport and cruised off! 

I'm lucky to have a great wife!!!


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