# Coldstream Brewery Review [vic]



## brettprevans (22/6/09)

well since there doesnt seem to be a single place for all reviews of Coldstream Brewery, ive started one.

Rooky started a review of the pils here

I stopped in quickly on the way home the family so i didnt get a heap of time to taste what was brewery fresh.

Firstly thr palce. Nicely set up. Bar is a little small but if you dont do a roaring bar trade you dont need a big bar. Lovely cosey place. be great to have a meal or sit there all arvo and get stuck into some brews. Bar staff need to be a bit more attentive. There were a lot of thirsty people waiting for drinks and the staff seemed a bit oblivious.

anyway onto the beers

*Choc Winter Ale* - 4.5% only available at brewery on tap. $5 a pot
I was a little underwhealmed by this. I then found out it was from last year. The choc was very subdued and it was obvious that they had used actual choc and not just some choc grain. It was served too cold and needed to warm up to get any real choc taste. Body was good. This could be a cracker with some improvements. Then again, when it was made last year it may have been a cracker.

*Choc Porter *- only on tap, $6 a pot (I think)
Again served too cold. But very very tasty. Killed the previous beer. Great Porter flavours and colours. couldnt quite pick the hop. but it was shining through.

*Bitter* tap only.
Bitter on tap but didnt get to try it. The guy I was sitting next to said it was good but again served too cold. He preferred the Porter out of all of them. (by an aside I found out he was a homebrewer, so was his daughter. so I directed them here so he could join the community)

*Naked Ale* - No one seemed to have it. bottle or otherwise. dissapointed

I bought a pils and a cider (for the missus) as travellers. $6 each.

*Cider.* Missus didnt mind it. It didnt grab her and make her do kart wheels but she isnt a regular cider drinker and thought it was nice. I had a siup and it was as i remembered it. Clean, crisp and not too much sweetness. a lot better than your strongbows etc.
*

Pils. *
very very very dissapointed. Buttery. very buttery. so it was infected. I dpont expect that stuff sold from the brewery should be infected. it should have been quality tested. actually i was pissed off cause id been waiting all day to try it, finally got the kids to bed etc, sit down relax and get an infected beer. so I cant comment and what a nonn infected bottle tastes like.


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## brendo (22/6/09)

Hey CM2...

I think you were unlucky with the Pils... I have had it a few times now, and it is usually pretty good - both on tap at the brewery as well as takeaway 6-er.

Have had their Bitter - not a bad drop, but didn't think it was particularly to style.

Agree tho atmosphere wise - pretty good. Was pretty quiet when I was up there last time, so didn't have too many issues with the staff.

Brendo


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## brettprevans (22/6/09)

yeah i was annoyed with the pils cause i had heard good things about it. that was probably why i was so annoyed.

there were a few people there so i guess it could be classed as busy but there were 2 staff hanging around behind the bar doing jacks so that annoyed me. i guess it was also due to me not having a lot of time. 

great little establishment. might have to stop off again when ive got more time. or maybe on the way to the whiterabbit brewery.


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## rich_lamb (22/6/09)

I found the place is nice and cosy as you say - and the food is bloody magnificent.
The beers are a bit of a mixed bag; and they muck around putting different beers on Nitrogen which changes them completely. eg. I had the choc porter on Nitro and it was wonderful, then again later it was served pretty flat on C02 and was crap.

The locals seem to like the cider - mainly due to the alkyhol content I think. Though why they don't just drink their own moonshine I don't know  

For the distance to travel, and the pot luck on the beers, and the slightly steep prices I won't be a regular. But I won't steer clear of it either.


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## brettprevans (22/6/09)

yeah i forgot to mention that the porter has some nitrogen in the gas mix which probably made the differance., nice and creamy.


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## Eggs (30/6/09)

I love this place. We are more foodies than beeries, though i love my beer I cant yet review it with a truely educated palette 
like many on this site.

Id agree that the chocholate winter ale was dissapointing. I had it last year and found that it hade a weak and watery feel.
I love the bitter though. As for pricing, they are expensive but no more so than any other micro.

I've been going semi regularly since they opened ( may be once every couple of months) and id say the beer is improving.

food ive fount to be exelent. seasonal and local. menu changes often. These are things i realy look for in a place.
Service has generaly been good. Deserts have let them down once or twice. For atmosphere and service they beat 
hargreaves by a mile, they come out a point or two in front for their food, but i still prefer hargreaves beers.


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## Midnight Brew (8/7/09)

hey hey

Went there tonight and was lucky enough to get the last table right infront of the fire . The food was good but all i got with the steak was a potatoe and some spinach, think it needed a few vegies and chips but thats just me. the place was full up and had a really nice atmostfear to it considering it was a wednesday night. I tried the Winter Choolate Ale, The Bitter and my favourite of the bunch, the Pilsner. I'd defintly be going back there for drinks but doubt it for a meal but possibly a small nibble. I cant give the great and descriptive review of the beers but its the first time I've been to a micro brewery and the first time I've had a craft brew and a craft brew off tap, was very pleased and is giving me some inspiration to move off kits and an aim for a pilsner in extract brewing. Anyway thats my 5 cents, Cheers

Dicko


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## Eggs (14/7/09)

yep. you have to order your chips seperately, and they are easy to miss. at the bottom of the menu there are 'extras'.
the chunky chips are simply huge square cut chunks of tattie deep fried. Very nice REAL chips. though being fresh cut
potato the taste and quality does tend to vary a little.


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## JaffaMan (16/9/09)

We dropped in early today and tried the Bitter on tap, was pritty happy with it, expessially how creamy it was.
Grabbed 2 bottles of the pilsener to try tonight and another 2 of the naked ale.

Citymorgue2 I think the bitter is their naked ale, or am I getting confussed?
The discription for the bitter that was on the wall at the brewery is the same as the one on the naked ale bottles.


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