Hand Pump Ales In Melbourne?

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I don't think it counts as a hand pump if it's poured from beer taps that look like a hand pump when it's really served the same way as any other force carbed beer. :rolleyes:


I know its not the same but upon seeing hand pumps i still got all excited. had the Mornington Brown on Pump at the Great Northern but again I'm not sure the way the keg is treated, its certainly hand pumped, not just a replica pump tap as such, not chilled (perhaps a bit too warm for me, didn't seem like a celler temp, more room temp.) and the carbonation is very low, much lower than the bottles or other kegged is previously had.

oh and it was quite nice, best local brown ale I've had.
 
When I was in Wellington I noted that their hand pumped beers often come from a polypin (very big wine cask) which is filled at the brewery and presumably "live" beer, not pasteurised or force carbed. If polypins were available in Australia this could be a very viable option for micro breweries.

It's not new, the Hull brewery where Ringwood yeast originally came from in the UK did their ales like that in the 1970s and served on hand pump.
 
main struggle is going to be finding a place with a cellar and the will to do the work involved in serving and maintaining a proper cask... there's considerably more to it than just whacking on a keg.

Dont want to be a hater - but in 5-6 visits, penny blue's handpumped beers have never been in good condition. Flat and too warm.... and I'm not talking vs the australian "ideal" of ice cold fizzy beer. I'm talking about a cask thats not been properly maintained.

Cask ale requires infrastructure and skill - we can only hope that the two coincide in a Melbourne venue one day... so far I dont think teay actually have.
 
the loch brewery and gin distillery in loch, south gippsland have an Angram CO hand pump as well,

dark-ale-pint.jpg


https://www.lochbrewery.com.au/ales-tasting-notes/
 
Last edited:
Back
Top