Ross
CraftBrewer
- Joined
- 14/1/05
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I took my wife for lunch at the new micro in Bulimba (Oxford 152) the other day.
The dcor of the place is very minimalist complimenting the new face of Bulimba high street, which has become a mix match of trendy eateries, boutique shops & a wonderfully refurbished old fashioned cinema.
The lunchtime menu was small but quite varied & I chose the Tazzie oysters ($27 a doz) followed by battered barramundi ($22) with side order of green beans in almond butter ($6). Jacky, keen to go & give the shops a whirl, went with just the steak sandwich ($15). The food, like the dcor, was minimalist, with the oysters presented beautifully on ice in a sloped bowl but with only a slice of lemon to accompany. The Barramundi was presented in the same style with 3 battered fillets on a bed of crispy fries, accompanied simply with some tartare sauce. The open steak sandwich was put together in Turkish bread, again on crispy fries & looked extremely appetising. The presentation & taste of every dish was excellent.
Now the real purpose for the visit the beers - Suffering with a cold, was not the ideal way to be tasting these beers & probably the reason why they seemed to lack aroma, but here goes anyway:
Started with the Oxford 152 (mid strength $3.80) This was very disappointing, tasted to me like a typical megaswill Aussie midstrength, no discernable aroma & quite bland.
Followed with the Pale Ale ($3.90 as were all the full strength beers) This was a huge improvement & served interestingly, unfiltered, looking more like a wheat beer. This was a typical American style ale with lovely aroma & a taste to match. Not in the league of something like LCPA, but enjoyable nevertheless.
Followed with Oxford cloudy (wheat beer) my experience of wheat beers is very limited & Grant (assistant brewer) told me later this was their hardest beer to get consistent quality - but I found this a delight. Not sure how true to style it was, but extremely refreshing.
Finished with a few glasses of the Oxford porter more of a brown ale in my opinion, but definitely the highlight of the visit. Beautiful chocolate & coffee on the palate (just wish my nose could have enjoyed the subtle aromas that Jacky informs me were definitely there). Grant later revealed that they add 1.5kg of ground coffee to a batch, as they find this is the only way to get those coffee notes (which inspired my Brazilian porter, mashed yesterday).
Jacky went off to peruse the shops while I requested a tour of the micro. Brennan the owner/head brewer had just left, so I was introduced to Grant, who took a 45 minute break from his duties to show me around & who turned out to be a pleasure to chat to. The micro was bought from England & instantly recognisable, with its wooden clad coppers, as from the now defunct Firkin chain (What went wrong there? Hadnt realised these wonderful pubs had called it a day). The micro is in a glass fronted room enabling clear viewing. The Oxford holds public & private beer appreciation evenings providing both beer & nibbles with the brewers in attendance, for approx $20 a head, which would make it a good venue for a beer club outing.
I hope to visit again soon, when my palate can do the beers more justice & to take Grant a bottle of english bitter (he's NEVER tasted one) - Is there anywhere in Brisbane that brews authentic English bitter?? Surely there's a market for it...
The dcor of the place is very minimalist complimenting the new face of Bulimba high street, which has become a mix match of trendy eateries, boutique shops & a wonderfully refurbished old fashioned cinema.
The lunchtime menu was small but quite varied & I chose the Tazzie oysters ($27 a doz) followed by battered barramundi ($22) with side order of green beans in almond butter ($6). Jacky, keen to go & give the shops a whirl, went with just the steak sandwich ($15). The food, like the dcor, was minimalist, with the oysters presented beautifully on ice in a sloped bowl but with only a slice of lemon to accompany. The Barramundi was presented in the same style with 3 battered fillets on a bed of crispy fries, accompanied simply with some tartare sauce. The open steak sandwich was put together in Turkish bread, again on crispy fries & looked extremely appetising. The presentation & taste of every dish was excellent.
Now the real purpose for the visit the beers - Suffering with a cold, was not the ideal way to be tasting these beers & probably the reason why they seemed to lack aroma, but here goes anyway:
Started with the Oxford 152 (mid strength $3.80) This was very disappointing, tasted to me like a typical megaswill Aussie midstrength, no discernable aroma & quite bland.
Followed with the Pale Ale ($3.90 as were all the full strength beers) This was a huge improvement & served interestingly, unfiltered, looking more like a wheat beer. This was a typical American style ale with lovely aroma & a taste to match. Not in the league of something like LCPA, but enjoyable nevertheless.
Followed with Oxford cloudy (wheat beer) my experience of wheat beers is very limited & Grant (assistant brewer) told me later this was their hardest beer to get consistent quality - but I found this a delight. Not sure how true to style it was, but extremely refreshing.
Finished with a few glasses of the Oxford porter more of a brown ale in my opinion, but definitely the highlight of the visit. Beautiful chocolate & coffee on the palate (just wish my nose could have enjoyed the subtle aromas that Jacky informs me were definitely there). Grant later revealed that they add 1.5kg of ground coffee to a batch, as they find this is the only way to get those coffee notes (which inspired my Brazilian porter, mashed yesterday).
Jacky went off to peruse the shops while I requested a tour of the micro. Brennan the owner/head brewer had just left, so I was introduced to Grant, who took a 45 minute break from his duties to show me around & who turned out to be a pleasure to chat to. The micro was bought from England & instantly recognisable, with its wooden clad coppers, as from the now defunct Firkin chain (What went wrong there? Hadnt realised these wonderful pubs had called it a day). The micro is in a glass fronted room enabling clear viewing. The Oxford holds public & private beer appreciation evenings providing both beer & nibbles with the brewers in attendance, for approx $20 a head, which would make it a good venue for a beer club outing.
I hope to visit again soon, when my palate can do the beers more justice & to take Grant a bottle of english bitter (he's NEVER tasted one) - Is there anywhere in Brisbane that brews authentic English bitter?? Surely there's a market for it...
