Australia
MELBOURNE
RECOMMENDED BY Tim Charody
Say "beer" and "Australia" in the same breath, and the image of a Crocodile Dundee–like character hoisting a huge can of Foster's Lager in proximity to a "barby" might come to mind.
Like so many stereotypes, this one may have had a whiff of truth in earlier times. But those days are gone. Like so many places that were once drowning in uninspired suds, Australia has wholeheartedly embraced the craft beer phenomenon, as Tim Charody explained. "The Australian beer scene is unrecognizable compared to what it was ten years ago (or even five years ago in many places). Before craft beer came along and gave us a few options, in most pubs you could only find one or two different beers to choose from. These were almost always lagers, one being full strength and another mid-strength (and since about ten years ago, a low-carb option popped up as well). If you wanted to drink anything different, you had to go to one of a handful of specialty bars that could be found in the capital cities, and chances are you would struggle to find anyone to go with you, because most people had never even heard of craft beer and sure as hell didn't want to pay more than $4.50 for a beer. The culture was all about quantity not quality. It was about drinking as much of the exact same cheap beer as you possibly could before the bar kicked everyone out onto the street. The main culprit for this beer culture was a law that was introduced after World War I that saw bars and pubs closing their doors and kicking everyone out at six P.M. This led to a phenomenon we called the 'Six O'Clock Swill.' These laws continued up until the late sixties, but the culture remained until quite recently.
"At most pubs these days, you can find at least six to ten beer options (often many more), and the general public is willing to pay a bit more for quality beer (but will generally drink less of them). While Australian beer consumption is at a sixty-five-year low, people are paying more than ever for beer and doing it quite happily."
No city has taken to craft beer like Melbourne. Melbourne may lack a signature opera house, but this vibrant city on Australia's south coast has long been recognized as the nation's cultural capital. Good beer is a perfect complement. "Craft beer is a relatively recent development in the city, and it has gone off like an atomic bomb," Tim enthused. "Melbourne has so much variety and so many little breweries in and around the city. These include KAIJU!, Exit, BrewCult, La Sirène, Cavalier, Kooinda, Moon Dog, Two Birds, Mountain Goat, and Hawthorn. All are considered to be some of the country's finest craft breweries, and they all call Melbourne home. It seems as though every week a new brewery is opening up, and the amount of craft beer–dedicated bars and pubs trumps anywhere else in the country. I wrote a top-ten list for Melbourne back in 2014, and by the time I returned in 2015, I managed to write another top-ten list with an entirely new list of breweries and venues … which was whittled down from a list of over thirty! That's how fast this city's beer scene is developing. If you love beer, then you will be busier than a mosquito in a nudist colony in good old Melbourne town."
Walk into almost any pub in Melbourne, and you're likely to find some good craft beer options. Tim shared a few of his favorite beer spots. "Moon Dog is a tiny cult-like brewery hidden in the backstreets of industrial Abbotsford that churns out brews with names like Chocolate Salty Balls, Perverse Sexual Amalgam, and Henry Ford's Girthsome Fjord. While Moon Dog's beers are named with all the attitude of a washed-up rock star, their taste won't let you down either. I guess I love going there because it is exactly what the Melbourne craft beer scene is all about. It's grungy, unpretentious, experimental, and most of all, heaps of fun. If you want to take your taste buds for a ride to the moon and back, then this is the right place. Cookie and Rooftop is another stop. While the elevator ride to the top floor is an adrenaline experience of its own, the ride is definitely worth it. When you do pop out on the rooftop bar above Cookie, you will feel like you have stumbled across Tarzan's bachelor pad nestled high in the trees of the concrete jungle—complete with Astroturf, burger shack, movie screen, and deck chairs. Just downstairs, on level one, is Cookie, with its two hundred–plus beer list from around the planet, a huge line of beer taps, and mouthwatering Thai food to keep you soldiering on. You really can spend all afternoon and night in the same building. Finally, there's the Nest, headquarters of a great Melbourne craft brewery called Two Birds (run by two best friends, Jayne Lewis and Danielle Allen). While the beers taste amazing fresh out of the brewery, I especially love this place because of the entire bar-dining experience. The restaurant-bar area is located smack-bang in the middle of a working brewery; you can literally smell the beer on the boil and hear the brewers chatting just meters away. There is nothing like sitting back with a fresh pint, watching the brewers buzz around you on forklifts, up and down the sides of fermenting tanks, milling grain and weighing hops."
A few must-tastes from Melbourne's ever-evolving offering include Acid Freaks ("a balsamic vinegar–infused porter brewed by the incredibly adventurous BrewCult"); Mountain Goat's Fancy Pants ("an amber ale that is a perfect balance between sweet toffee malts and light, fruity, spicy hops"); and La Sirène's Praline ("a Belgian praline beer that is literally liquid chocolate, the most incredibly moreish stout you could ever dream of").
TIM CHARODY is one of Australia's premier travel and television presenters, appearing on networks such as ABC, National Geographic, Travel Channel, and Fox Traveller. These days known as the Beer Pilgrim, Tim is out to uncover beer's amazing story. He's hopping around the world, one brew at a time, meeting great characters and digging up fascinating stories, to show there's more to beer than you think.
If You Go
Getting There: Melbourne is served by many major carriers from Los Angeles, including Quantas (800-227-4500; www.quantas.com).
Best Time to Visit: Melbourne enjoys a temperate climate, with warm to hot summers, mild springs and autumns, and cool winters. The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (www.gabsfestival.com) is generally held in late May.
Spots to Visit: Mountain Goat Beer (+61 3 9428 1180; www.goatbeer.com.au); Moon Dog Craft Brewery (+61 3 9428 2307; www.moondogbrewing.com.au); Cookie and Rooftop (+61 3 9663 7660; www.cookie.net.au); The Nest/Two Birds Brewing (+61 03 9762 0000; www.twobirdsbrewing.com.au).
Accommodations: Visit Melbourne (www.visitmelbourne.com) lists many lodging options around Melbourne.