Terrigal & Hunter Valley Trip

[kirem]

is the queens wharf a brewery? Doesn't look like it is, there should be a law against calling yourself a brewery when you aren't, even if it was one and isn't now it should be illegal. It just confuses real beer lovers.

 

[Tony]

I htink they used to brew their own beers, i remember trying a few years back when i was a younger fells.

 

[pokolbinguy]

From memory they do have their own locally made beers.... can't name them off the top of the head though.

 

[///]

funny how I have always started at Potters at 7am in the morning, and never seen much reason to move any further.

The charm of the brewers and the good drinking beer makes it hard to move along. If your there whilst Josh is about, do me a favour and write in the guest book that 'you think he is hot, my mobile # is xxx....' . He is one with the ladies on brewery tours....

Scotty

 

[m_peve]

I'm pretty sure that the Queens wharf brewery used to brew on site (They had a Brewery Bitter if I remember correctly). Not sure if any of the equipment still resides there for tourists to look at. I believe that they are (or were;these things seem to change swiftly) strongly connected with the Blue Tongue brewery and usually have them all on tap.

It's a very nice location to sit and relax on a nice day. Food is a bit hit and miss for the price. I've had good and bad meals there. Beer is mainly Blue Tongue ( I can't remember the Brewery Bitter last time I was there - probably gone!!). They have been known to release seasonals and trial brews from Blue Tongue but these would be very rare now that production at BT has stepped up.

One of the Newcastle locals can probably provide more up to date info.

Pete

PS Scotty,
You do give Josh a hard time :super:

 

[Josh]

is the queens wharf a brewery? Doesn't look like it is, there should be a law against calling yourself a brewery when you aren't, even if it was one and isn't now it should be illegal. It just confuses real beer lovers.

They used to have a pretty good ginger beer.

As for Terrigal, go fishing off the point. Seen some nice fish caught off there when my mate was living at Gosford.

If you're a bowler, the Avoca Beach Bowling Club will welcome you on their rollup days. Not sure what days it's on, but I did it once when I was bowling. Good group of guys, packed though. 4s on both greens the day I played. You'd have to call ahead for that.

 

[Weizguy]

I htink they used to brew their own beers, i remember trying a few years back when i was a younger fells.

Yep, they used to brew on premises, but that was before they discovered the music of the pokies, and the extra bar space where the brew equipment used to live.
The house beers are brewed by Bluetongue, and U might get lucky and they'll have a rare Bluetongue seasonal on tap.
FWIW, they have two house beers, a fairly decent bitter reminscent of Tooheys New (surprise) and an alcoholic Ginger beer that the girls just love, plus many bottled beers in the fridge. I'm going there this Saturday to see some friends, so I'm happy to report then.

Oh, and it's happy hour every day from 5-7 PM, with cheaper prices on house beers. U could phone to check if they still do that.

No affiliation, but worth a look at the harbour view, perhaps.

Seth

 

[leeboy]

Hey,
Food is great at Potters Brewery, my work Christmas party was there last december and the food was tops. If you are there on a weekend, you may wish to book. Gets pretty packed out that way.

As a novocastrian, if it's good beer you want to drink give the brewery (queens wharf) a miss. Not only do they no longer brew their own, but rumour has it that they financed 25% of blue tongue which would explain them having all 3 plus the seasonal on tap. However if you are wanting to take the missus somewhere nice. Its great on a sunday arvo there with a live outdoor band sitting by the water, feed is alright too.

If you are after a good watering hole in newcastle other than potters. The Mary Ellen at merewether is worth checking out. They have heaps of beers on tap including
Little Creatures Bright ale
Alpha Pale ale -mat bay
Barking Duck - mat bay
Beez neez, Redback, Boehian Pilz, Hoegardeen, and a few other german heifz. Quite a good selection really. Hope this helps
Brew on...

 

[kirem]

I cut my trip short and now I am back in Mildura.

The Potters was simply fantastic and I highly recommend a visit. Their beers are some of the best craft beers I have tasted.

I will post a longer post of my trip later on.

pokolbinguy, I went to Mount Pleasant, paid homage and did a tasting. I took a few bottles of your 1996 Lovedale Semillon off your hands. I saw you there next to me, you were talking flat out to a group of tourists. I waited a little to have a chat with you but it seemed you were going to be a while and there was beer waiting at Potters.

I didn't get to go anywhere else other than Potters, got tasting beer and thought that was good enough for me. Slipped through the cheese place and got some good washed rind and hunter olive oil and headed back down the freeway.

Full report on the beers and brewery to follow.......I am still on cloud nine after my visit.

Cheers,

Kirk

 

[shamus]

We spent 3 nights at Potters last week. The beer and food was great, we even got a taste of an unreleased batch that has been conditioning for 6 months. Its a lager that spent a week or 2 in a used red wine cask. We had it basically straight out of the conditioning tank so it wasn;t carbed or anything but it was definitely the strangest beer I've ever had, almost like a hoppy red wine. I'll have to buy a bottle when it gets released.

 

[Kingy]

ginger beer at QWB is awesome make sure you get a pint. im a novocastrian born and bred. Nothin like havin a coldie on the water on sunday arvo

 

[kirem]

Its a lager that spent a week or 2 in a used red wine cask. We had it basically straight out of the conditioning tank so it wasn;t carbed or anything but it was definitely the strangest beer I've ever had, almost like a hoppy red wine. I'll have to buy a bottle when it gets released.

Yeah I tried that as well, I quite liked it. I thought I was told it was'red ale' put in an unwashed oak barrel after it had been just emptied of red wine.

I thought with just a touch of carbonation maybe 1-1.2 it would bloody good. They need to get a hand pump system and put it on tap through that.

 

[Trent]

Kirem
I know that most of brokenwood's wines come from outisde the hunter (like their Rayner shiraz) but the mistress and graveyard are both single vineyard hunter wines, and absolutely sensational. At $55 and $95 a bottle respectively, they are a bit pricey, but well worth the money.
As far as the Brewery goes, I recall drinking alot of Nobby's Pale on student nights in the mid to late 90's ($2 a pint, IIRC), and my mates used to drink Newcastle Old, a black beer. Used to get some mean hangovers on a thursday! I found the ginger beer a touch too sweet for mine, and was cloying after the first pint. Pity they got rid of the brewery itself, would be a great spot for a brewpub.
As for the potters anniversary ale, Keith described it as creamy vanilla, and I have to agree with him. The shiraz from the barrel adds a real touch of complexity, IMO. Keep your eyes peeled for the "hop monster" though, I was lucky enough to be there last week when that was getting brewed. Smelled sensational. Hop monster may not be the official name but

 

[kirem]

I was just having a dig. I used to work at the winery that crushed into a tanker and sent the Rayner vineyard off to brokenwood. pre-fermentation maceration......
Don't get me wrong I am a staunch supporter of Hunter wine.

I had a look at their hop plants whilst I was at potters. Josh was trying to get them picked inbetween entertaining us.

I remembered during the afternoon about Josh being a ladies man and had a bit of laugh on him.

 

[shamus]

. Keep your eyes peeled for the "hop monster" though, I was lucky enough to be there last week when that was getting brewed. Smelled sensational. Hop monster may not be the official name but

I was there a day or 2 before they started the Hop Monster, its brewed with the hops that they have growing on site. I thought the red wine beer would be better with high carbonation, aparently the brewers can;t agree either...