# Normandy Ale House



## jimmybee (24/8/08)

i went the Normandy Ale house last night, micro beer selction was very impressive!

on tap they had...

- the beast - i have always liked this in bottle but from the tap so fresh and tasty
- son of a beast - bloody hell, hop aroma reaches of of your glass and smacks you around, nice (9.5 abv!) 
- holagate hopinator, very nice
- holgate ESB, very very nice - a favourite now
- clifton hill ale - made for the pub

there were more on tap, but can't remember (rubs sore head... :beerbang: ) they had a fantastic selection of bottled beer covering all styles as well

if any melbournites are in the area head down and try it out - well worth it

cheers Jimmy


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## Mercs Own (24/8/08)

jimmybee said:


> i went the Normandy Ale house last night, micro beer selction was very impressive!
> 
> on tap they had...
> 
> ...



Where is it?


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## reVoxAHB (24/8/08)

Mercs Own said:


> Where is it?



It's at 139 Queen's Pde. Clifton Hill. 

I was up there about a month ago- ordered a Holgate ESB.. the bar girl poured a Hargreaves ESB by accident. When I pointed out her mistake, she poured the Holgate and let me keep the Hargreaves at no charge  .

Holgate's ESB is a great drop, perhaps truer to style than the Hargreaves.. but the Hargreaves (more in a US style) is a spectacular beer.. drool-worthy :icon_drool2: .. likely my new craft-favourite atm.

The ambience of the Normandy could use a swift kick in the ass, imo. The lighting was up so bright (at 7PM) I felt like they'd called 'last drinks' and were trying to rush me out of there... lame music, Big Brother on the plasma. New owners and likely going thru growing pains.. beer on tap (and bar staff) top notch, however.. and with that as a focal strength, they should pull thru alright. It's a big venue and they'll make a killing if only they can fill it. 

reVox


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## jimmybee (24/8/08)

agreed with the atmosphere comments, there seems to be all the 'old mates' who drink carlton draught still there... including the bloke who fell flat on his face.... :blink: the place need some work for sure, it'll only get there with support from the people who appreicate the product they are serving.


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## Thirsty Boy (25/8/08)

Great beers on the list - pity that after three visits (since the sign went up saying they were open and ready to go) I am yet to actually be served a glass of the beer I ordered when I first went to the bar.

The pub had a "bar" which seems to have been deliberately left in a condition which wont drive away the old Carlton drinking regulars, but... I haven't seen either of the other two quite extensive spaces open to the public yet.

The beers on tap weren't all available and of the ones the supposedly were, the barmaid wasn't able to change an empty keg and one of the other beer wouldn't pour properly. I know they are new (although the sign did go up a month or so ago...) but if you are going to open a bar whose plain focus is good beer, and you want to attract a beer connoisseur crowd - well, I can dodge a Carlton swilling drunk with reasonable grace, but only if the beer experience is good. So far it hasn't been.

I hope this place gets better, I really want it too. But if they take too long to pull their socks up, they will lose the beer geek crowd and they might as well pull out all the fancy kegs and just go back to serving VB to guys in flouro vests and overalls. For gods sake, hire a decent cellar person and train the staff properly, and perhaps more than just one of them... the Draught swillers were getting sick of waiting and were pouring their own beers and leaving the money on the counter.

I'll go back in a few months time, but that will be visit number 4 for me, and if it hasn't improved - the Terminus is just up the road, and those guys actually know how to run a beer focused pub.

TB


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## Steve (25/8/08)

Thirsty Boy said:


> Great beers on the list - pity that after three visits (since the sign went up saying they were open and ready to go) I am yet to actually be served a glass of the beer I ordered when I first went to the bar.
> 
> The pub had a "bar" which seems to have been deliberately left in a condition which wont drive away the old Carlton drinking regulars, but... I haven't seen either of the other two quite extensive spaces open to the public yet.
> 
> ...



"old Carlton drinking regulars"
"a Carlton swilling drunk"
"guys in flouro vests and overalls"
"Draught swillers"

"a beer connoisseur crowd"
"beer geek crowd"

Final score = plebs 4, snobs 2 :lol:

Sounds like you're better off at the Terminus. It cant be that bad surely? I could understand it if the flouros are throwing bottles at each other?
Cheers
Steve


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## Thirsty Boy (26/8/08)

Steve said:


> "old Carlton drinking regulars"
> "a Carlton swilling drunk"
> "guys in flouro vests and overalls"
> "Draught swillers"
> ...



Well, the bar was in fact at least half full of guys in flouros and overalls, quite some few of whom were doing a reasonably good impression of swilling back beer, that while they were having to pour it for themselves, looked to be coming out of a Carlton Draught branded tap.

I too wear overalls and flouros to work and have on occasion been guilty of swilling my beer rather than savoring it. On quite a few of those occasions over the last decade, it was at the Normandy Hotel, which is/was a favoured watering hole for several of the guys from my cricket club.

It appears to have changed only in as much as there are now more beers on tap. Not a bad thing in and of itself by any means. I'm perfectly happy with a working class pub with good beer. But if the pub is going to go to the trouble of calling itself the "Normandy Ale House" then it at least needs to get the Ale part right; and in my experience it isn't getting that part right. 

As far as the snob part - well thats not about whether I am happy to drink there, its about whether they want to stay in business as a destination for beer connoisseurs or not. Because lets face it - the Bob the Builder crowd and and the beer geek crowd aren't exactly a homogeneous group (no whining form builders please... I include plumbers, truck drivers, sparkies, chippies _and_ brewery workers etc etc in the generic grouping) The place is big enough to cater for both and let them mix at their discretion rather than be forced to because only the smallest of the three bar areas is open. 

You're right. I am better off at the Terminus and for the next couple of months I will trundling up there or to the Royston when I want a good beer/pub experience. If and when they get the beer right at the Normandy, I'll be a regular no matter what the crowd is like. The place and the idea behind it has plenty of potential, and hopefully it will reach it. But I have given it three tries and for now I'll leave it up to others to make their contribution to breaking it in. Its not "that bad"... its just not that good either, and I have other choices that are good. I can afford to wait for the Normandy to improve.

Thirsty

edit: to make the bulldust I am spouting at least halfway logical


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## Andyd (26/8/08)

For those coming along to the Micro tour at ANHC, we'll be finishing the night at the Normandy... should be a great night.

Andy


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## BrenosBrews (30/8/08)

Andyd said:


> For those coming along to the Micro tour at ANHC, we'll be finishing the night at the Normandy... should be a great night.
> 
> Andy



Cool, any idea what the itinerary will be at this stage?


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## wabster (30/8/08)

Andyd said:


> For those coming along to the Micro tour at ANHC, we'll be finishing the night at the Normandy... should be a great night.
> 
> Andy



I'm really looking forward to the Micro Tour, for me it will be a great start to the ANHC after the judging on the Thursday. I went to the Holgate brewpub at Woodend and enjoyed their ESB immensely, so the comments about the beers available at the Normandy are making me slobber majorly  Cheerz Wabster


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## jonbob (8/12/08)

I dropped by the Normandy on Friday night, but it was locked up with a lot of black plastic covering the windows. Does anyone know what's happening there?


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## son of alecart (14/1/09)

Looks like its gone tits up Jon. I live round the corner and there is an "Auction" site out front now. Shame, but there you go..


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