# Brewery Self-tour



## atomicfr33x (10/6/09)

About a month ago the missus & I did a road-trip of some breweries close to Melbourne.. Holgate Brewery (Woodend), Grand Ridge Brewery (Mirboo North), Red Hill Brewery (Red Hill).. and it was a mix bag experience.

*First we drove to Holgate Brewery (Woodend)*
Woodend is a cute town, tempting to move there for a bit of the quiet life without being too far from civilization.
The beer on tap (and bottled to take away) was great. The tasting paddle was well organised. We checked out the accomodation, but didn't actually stay the night, it was good. The pub was a bit kitchy but it was full of locals and some tourists, which was a good sign.
The food. Let me put this as mild as I can.. the food at Holgate Brewery is shit. It's all deepfried, shortcut cooking. It makes McDonalds look like a Michalen rated resaurant. We had the fish and the parma.. it was revolting.. what a let down.. there wasn't even a ploughman's platter on the menu..

Go for the beer; not the food.

*Second we drove to Grand Ridge Brewery (Mirboo North)*
This place was chockers and we had to book ahead/
This beer is awesome! I have had it on tap in Melbourne, and it was great on location too.
The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Apparently they have put on a new chef this year, locals told us. OMG the food was amazing!!! We had gnocci (which melted in your mouth; like some Italian old lady from Tuscany had made it .. WOW) and we ordered a steak .. very very good too..
The only thing not great was the location. It looks and feels like and old RSL club from the 1960's. But hell, I'll be going back regularly anyway from Melbourne.
Apparently the brewery & restaurant will be moving to better diggings soon.

Go for the beer, die for the food, close your eyes!

*Third we drove to Red Hill Brewery (Red Hill)*
Great location. They have a cafe, the food was fine. It's not pub food; it's more geared for the Toorak crowd (yuppies & Range Rovers). 
I had a fish pie with minted mashy-pees; very nice. The missus couldn't find anything worth ordering (there was approx six things on the menu). I came there for the Scotch Ale; it was good on tap for a change.

Go for the beer, there's not much else.


Before xmas this year we'll do a self drive tour of the breweries in Northern Victoria; I'll do another review then.


----------



## peas_and_corn (10/6/09)

atomicfr33x said:


> *Second we drove to Grand Ridge Brewery (Mirboo North)*
> 
> This beer is awesome!



Are we talking about the same beer?


----------



## brendo (10/6/09)

I have to say that I really do think that Grand Ridge has lost its way in recent years - the beer simply is not up to its previous standards.

What was a brewery putting out some good beers is now, in my opinion, pretty disappointing.

Glad you enjoyed the trip though. I was up at Holgate a few weekends ago (hadn't been for a few years) and loved it. Didn't eat there, but you have gotta love the two handpumps at the bar - pour a damn fine beer too :icon_drool2: 

Brendo


----------



## dpadden (10/6/09)

agree, I bought the gift box from Uncle Dan's and wouldn't buy any of them again....maybe its better fresh outta the tap???


----------



## peas_and_corn (10/6/09)

Paddo said:


> agree, I bought the gift box from Uncle Dan's and wouldn't buy any of them again....maybe its better fresh outta the tap???



At the risk of derailing the thread, for me the flavour issues don't taste like age issues, but rather beers which are just unbalanced and have some off flavours that taste more like bad yeast management and that flavour you get in bad extract beers.


----------



## brendo (10/6/09)

peas_and_corn said:


> At the risk of derailing the thread, for me the flavour issues don't taste like age issues, but rather beers which are just unbalanced and have some off flavours that taste more like bad yeast management and that flavour you get in bad extract beers.



agreed... it seems more of a process issue rather than aging/post packaging mistreatment/travel.


----------



## Simpdogg (10/6/09)

Yeh i gotta agree, Grand Ridge isnt what it used to be... 
I took some friends there s while back and got more reaction about the tiger snake in the table rather than the beer... 

Still better than a VB


----------



## notung (10/6/09)

Put Tooborac Hotel on your list then. It's on mine.


----------



## haysie (10/6/09)

:icon_chickcheers: Go the Grand! Their record of award winning speaks for itself. A beersnob , I reckon their stout is the best available in Dan`s, awesome winter drop.


----------



## Leigh (10/6/09)

hahahaha, Red Hill is the holiday destination for those from Toorak, so it's gotta be expected that they have the kind of cuisine LOL

I mentioned this elsewhere, but Grand Ridge have installed a pastueriser for their finished beers (except Yarra Valley Gold), I suspect this is what changed the beer taste. I'd like to taste before and after the pastueriser.


----------



## atomicfr33x (24/6/09)

w0w.. i didn't realise i was surrounded by beer snobs.. regardless of Grand Ridges crime against humanity (or beer) they still have some great brews.. although i find their Supershine to be too much; the Gippsland Gold is perrrfect..


----------



## manticle (24/6/09)

atomicfr33x said:


> w0w.. i didn't realise i was surrounded by beer snobs.. regardless of Grand Ridges crime against humanity (or beer) they still have some great brews.. although i find their Supershine to be too much; the Gippsland Gold is perrrfect..



My own experiences of GR have been positive although I haven't had one for years but I'm not sure you can put the above comments down to snobbery. People try beers and they like them or they don't. I've made my thoughts clear on most Matilda Bay beers I've had (to the chagrin of many other posters who think they are the beez neez [ha beez neez ha]) - I wouldn't call it snobbery.

Anyway good trip. I'm keen to check out Holgate - I'm disappointed to hear about the food.


----------



## Count Vorlauf (24/6/09)

Re the food at Holgates: I really enjoyed the steak and ale pie that the kitchen makes there, baked with their Porter. The bar menu is exactly that - a bar menu in a pub in a country town. A bit rich to complain about fried food when you order fish 'n' chips and chicken parma. If I recall, there's a separate restaurant menu for more 'upscale' options - probably for the Toorak crowd...

Looking forward to trying the steak at Grand Ridge. They keep their own cattle - spent-grain fed!



atomicfr33x said:


> About a month ago the missus & I did a road-trip of some breweries close to Melbourne.. Holgate Brewery (Woodend), Grand Ridge Brewery (Mirboo North), Red Hill Brewery (Red Hill).. and it was a mix bag experience.
> 
> *First we drove to Holgate Brewery (Woodend)*
> Woodend is a cute town, tempting to move there for a bit of the quiet life without being too far from civilization.
> ...


----------



## manticle (24/6/09)

Count Vorlauf said:


> A bit rich to complain about fried food when you order fish 'n' chips and chicken parma.



To be fair, he did complain about DEEP fried and anyone who deep fries a parma is a nuffy.


----------



## Goofinder (24/6/09)

Count Vorlauf said:


> Re the food at Holgates: I really enjoyed the steak and ale pie that the kitchen makes there, baked with their Porter. The bar menu is exactly that - a bar menu in a pub in a country town. A bit rich to complain about fried food when you order fish 'n' chips and chicken parma. If I recall, there's a separate restaurant menu for more 'upscale' options - probably for the Toorak crowd...


I stayed there back in March and had dinner in the restaurant there (along with the tasting paddle and a few more beers in the bar). I thought the food was fine and the dessert made from the porter went down rather well with a glass of the same.

Nothing beats waking up to the smell of a mash though... :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:


----------



## Count Vorlauf (24/6/09)

manticle said:


> To be fair, he did complain about DEEP fried and anyone who deep fries a parma is a nuffy.



Deep fried parma? Sounds like Scottish cuisine!


----------



## hairofthedog (24/6/09)

surely there food cant be any worse than there beer i had a stubbie of there esb there pale ale & there pilsner today & couldnt finish any of them they all had a strange taste in there finish a bad grainy flavor that spoilt all of them :icon_vomit:


----------



## manticle (24/6/09)

I tried the stout and a couple of others at the fed square showcase a few months back and it was lovely. Maybe some microbreweries struggle with consistency or maybe we all just have different palates?


----------



## Bribie G (24/6/09)

manticle said:


> To be fair, he did complain about DEEP fried and anyone who deep fries a parma is a nuffy.



Parma seems to be a Victorian thing, we don't get it in QLD thankfully. In the UK it's the food that drunks snack on staggering home from the pub (probably better than when I lived there and you would stagger home with a plastic cup of curry and a bag of chips, dip a chip in the curry, suck it off and eat the chip, dip the next chip in the curry, suck it.....)


----------



## manticle (24/6/09)

A good parma is not to be sneezed at. I worked as a chef for a few years under the guidance of some amazing chefs (including the former head chef from vue de monde) but I'd never turn my nose up at a good parma. There's good and there's not so good.

Tell me you've never staggered home drunk nibbling on something best left unsaid and thanked the world the next day that you did so?

By the way - I was never a patch on Ryan Clift but a man several years younger than me was an amazing inspiration and taught me a heck of a lot in a short space of time.


----------



## bullsneck (24/6/09)

Had a massive night in Bendigo about a year back. Popped into Holgate's on the way home the next day (don't worry, I had a designated driver - I was in no state to drive!).

I had a hand pumped ESB. Well, it cured my hangover and we ended up spending a good 3hrs there.

The Holgate Pilsener is a nice drop if your thirsty on a hot day. Goes down a treat.


----------



## wakkatoo (24/6/09)

BribieG said:


> Parma seems to be a Victorian thing


mmm, Mrs Parma's :icon_drool2: 



BribieG said:


> In the UK it's the food that drunks snack on staggering home from the pub


Our version is a kebab...


----------



## atomicfr33x (27/6/09)

BribieG said:


> Parma seems to be a Victorian thing, we don't get it in QLD thankfully. In the UK it's the food that drunks snack on staggering home from the pub (probably better than when I lived there and you would stagger home with a plastic cup of curry and a bag of chips, dip a chip in the curry, suck it off and eat the chip, dip the next chip in the curry, suck it.....)



A great Parma is a good way to judge a pub's worth (beyond the beer).. I'm sure Gordon "F**king Donkey" Ramsey would even judge a pub on it's Parma.. 

Great Parmas can be found at the Young & Jackson Pub (Flinders St, Melbourne), Mrs Palmers (Lt. Bourke St, Melbourne) and Portland Hotel (at James Squires Brewhoues (Russell St, Melbourne). Not at HOLGATE.


----------



## manticle (27/6/09)

And the keepers arms on peel st near vic market.


----------



## kegpig (27/6/09)

holgate does a great parma and the pilsner washes it down a treat


----------



## HoppingMad (27/6/09)

Holgate Temptress :super: Double IPA/Hopinator - rocks too. Food? Who cares when you can go liquid?  

Grand Ridge - Have to agree with the beer snobs and say the brews have gone skewiff in the past two years. They need to lift. They still have most awarded brewery on the label but have they been getting gongs in the last couple of years? Heard their head brewer left or something and quality has dropped.

Red Hill - Used to rate their wheat really high and seems to have lost something of late. Darn shame as I love good wheats. The space they have is nice and they grow their own hops though which is pretty cool. That said wasn't blown away by their hop harvest beer either - very belgian tasting with lots of fusel alcohol notes. A bit weird. But maybe that was the point - I guess it's a limited release.

Hopper.


----------

