Restaurants With Good Beer

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Kai

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I'm sure we've all been in a similar situation:

You're out for a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant with great food. You look at the wine list, which has a good selection, and one as long as your arm. Then you flip over and see... VB, West End, Crown Lager, Boags or Cascade Premium, green imports, Cascade Light, Coopers Pale Ale and maybe Sparkling Ale if you're lucky.

However, I'm sure that we have all run across at least one restaurant in our lifetime that does not neglect the beer side of their drink menu. And if you haven't, then I'm sure you'd like to know of a few places. I thought it might be useful to recount tales of restaurants that support good beer, and provide details so other ahb'ers can use this information to better plan their dining experience, and to support dining venues that deserve it.


My inspiration for this thread was SoHo restaurant on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide. I went there last Thursday night, and was most pleased to discover a beer list that, on top of some of the standard beers, included Mountain Goat Pale, LCPA and the Cascade Four Seasons beers (albeit they were still on summer thanks to low demand). And, if you really feel like paying through the nose then you can get a magnum of Chimay Grande Reserve. The food itself is excellent though the night can be expensive, especially if you have a few drinks. It'd be a great place to take the missus, for those of you after a few brownie points with some nice beer to boot.

What restaurants do you know of that cater to the discerning beer drinker?
 
I had the same experience with "The Barn" in McClaren Vale last year.

They have a wine cellar that would make a wine buff weak in the knees, so I was scoffing to my wife about how crap the beer selection was sure to be...

I had to eat my words. They had a fair smattering of aussie craftbrewed beers inc. LCPA, about 4-5 belgians, and i think ... an english or two.

Very pleasantly surprised, and great food and service too.
 
I forgot about The Barn, I've been there too but it was in the middle of a winery crawl. I remember walking up to the desk and being very distracted by the selection of beers prominently displayed to the left. I enjoyed the Boar's Rock Lager, though I have heard erratic reports of it.
 
I just spent 2 weeks in Darwin, on the last night I found the Deck Bar at the top end of Mitchell st, they serv all knids of imports from Belgium, Germany, UK, Japan etc. Bit expensive, however who cares when it's works shout!. The food wasn't too bad either.
 
I can't go past (neither can Kai it seems!) Grumpy's Restaurant in Verdun SA (near Hahndorf) :rolleyes:
Wood-fired pizza, steak, fish, hand made ice cream and of course the good stuff...Grumpy's beer!
Six different beers out of the all-grain micro on tap at all times, currently the Honey Wheat, Genuine Pale Ale, Red Baron 80/-, Heysen Oatmeal Stout, TomCat CAP and the fast disappearing Triple A Amber.
Coming soon are a Californian Steam Beer, Smoked Porter and the Drunk Arab's Oktoberfest.

Check it out www.grumpys.com.au

tdh
(the Grumpy's Brewer)
 
Jackson's on George is where my next Restuarant experience will be due to the 17 beers on tap claim, one of which is Chimay White!!!!.....
 
For Perthites,
I found a good range of albeit, Organic beers, mostly UK and Aussie I think. available at the Sandcastles resaurant in South Tce Fremantle, however this was only shortly after they opened, and I get the impression most places start with good beer then give it away after it doesnt sell..

Case
 
For Perthies, Alt Heidelberg. I'm pretty sure I've spelt it right.

They're a german restaurant in Northbridge. Tasty enough fare for a cheap price, and a nice range of german beers. Schneider Aventinus, Aecht Schlenka Rauchbier, Weihenstephaner range etc.

They also have cheap pints of microbrewed beer, which I suspect is from the same brewery that supplies KK's in Nedlands.
 
mikem108 said:
Jackson's on George is where my next Restuarant experience will be due to the 17 beers on tap claim, one of which is Chimay White!!!!.....
[post="67806"][/post]​

wow, last time i was there, admittedly several years ago, it was basically vb & fosters and was a bit of a hole. has it gone "upmarket" ?
 
Ditto, red...re Jacksons

Freshest tasting Nastro Azzuro I had was Zia pinas, Botany Rd, Mascot.

Italian if you havent guessed.

Pizza,pasta and other italian dishes, pretty ridgey didge I ty, memories of the trip in '76 ^_^
 
pbrosnan said:
Hey Kook,

What's KKs in Nedlands?
[post="67959"][/post]​

A karoeke bar near UWA. It's just down the road from Steve's.

Havent been there in a few years, but when I was there last they served random microbrewed beers. All german in style (Hefe, Dunkel, Helles etc).

It aparently used to be called "The Last Drop".
 
woa - I work a few hundred metres from there !

Just need to polish up on the kareoke skills a bit (where's that Niel Sedaka CD.....)
 
It is the Last Drop.
Part of the Elizabethan Village/Darling Range/Last Drop empire.
Funny how the brown ale sold in the Armadale outlet tastes very similar to the bock served at the trendier Nedlands outlet.
 
Yes the J on G is still a bit of a hole, the food menu is nothing special just pub food. Most of the tap beers are Mega swill, the Chimay did go down well but at $9.50 a glass......

What is good though is :
The Bit Brasserie
12 Water lane, Neutral Bay 2089, NSW Australia

PH + 612 9953 9999




Premium Quality Imported Draught Beers from Germany
Bitburger Premium Beer 300ml 500ml
Unique in its taste and famous for its exclusive Bit freshness, Bitburger uses only the best ingredients and is Germanys No.1 draught beer. Alc 4.8% $5 $8

Kstritzer
A black bottom fermented beer, with a unique malty aroma and a mild hops finish. Alc 4.8%
$5
Erdinger Wheat Beer
Traditionally brewed beer from Bavaria, using only the purest water, the finest hops & wheat in accordance with Germanys purity laws since 1616. Alc 5.3%

$5 $8

Bottle Beers
Gsser Dark Austria $6.50
Gsser Pale Austria $6.50
Fohrenburger Austria $6.50
Peroni Italy $6
Corona Mexico $6
Old Speckled Hen England $8
Heineken Holland $6
James Boags Australia $6
Cascade Premium Australia $6
Cascade Light Australia $4
Hahn Light Australia $5
Crown Lager Australia $6

Schfferhofer Kristallweizen Germany $9 L
Becks Pilsener Germany $6
Erdinger Wheat BeerDunkel (Dark) Germany $9 L
Warsteiner Germany $6.50
Duvel Belgium $9
Hoegaarden [Grand Cru ] Belgium $7
Chimay Bleue
Blue Tongue Lager & Ginger Beer Belgium $10

woohoo...
 
For those of you in the West go to Little Creatures in Mews rd. Fremantle.
Good food, good beer & there is even wine for those who prefer.
The photo next to my sign-in here was taken at Little Creatures.
 
Jim - Perth said:
For those of you in the West go to Little Creatures in Mews rd. Fremantle.
Good food, good beer & there is even wine for those who prefer.
The photo next to my sign-in here was taken at Little Creatures.
[post="68440"][/post]​

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider Little Creatures a restaurant.

Just a great brew pub with quality beer and food. If we're including pubs and bars as restaurants I'd have to recommend the Belgian Beer Cafe on St Georges terrace. Mussels in hoegaarden :)
 
LC's - Kicking off my Buck's do there Sat... Nothing like a PA straight from the bright beer tank!!!
 
kook said:
Jim - Perth said:
For those of you in the West go to Little Creatures in Mews rd. Fremantle.
Good food, good beer & there is even wine for those who prefer.
The photo next to my sign-in here was taken at Little Creatures.
[post="68440"][/post]​

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider Little Creatures a restaurant.

Just a great brew pub with quality beer and food. If we're including pubs and bars as restaurants I'd have to recommend the Belgian Beer Cafe on St Georges terrace. Mussels in hoegaarden :)
[post="68458"][/post]​

Jeez Kook you have been away a while. The Belgian is on Murray St.
 
What about Brisbane?
I tasted my first LCPA on Friday after work, at The Brewhouse (previously Auroras) on Albert Street. That's a brewpub though, and the atmosphere is a little... shallow I guess. Michaels probably has a decent beer list, but I don't think I want to sign a check for my soul for a meal.
Cheers is another brewpub in Spring Hill, good beers but Rudi might put a bit too much crystal in. Maybe I'm just a hop lover... that's quite likely.
I'm sick to death of restaurants that consider Crownies premium beer. But, I guess if I found a place that sold Schneider Weisse or some nice Belgians, I'd spend $500 a week there.
 
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