Sydney brewery crawl

I rise at 11:15 AM. Feeling a bit groggy. I'm feeling the effect of that Murphy's XXX.

I make myself a nice cup of English breakfast tea. I’ve made sure to look inside every kettle before filling. Some weirdos shit in hotel kettles. I kid you not. I’ve seen it on the internet.

Andrew surfaces at around 2 PM. Just about in time for us to head over to meet Peter at Chuck & Son. Good news is that public transport is free today. Something to do with some strikes.

We get the train at Town Hall and ride a few stops to Sydenham. From which it's a bit of a walk. Some of it uphill, which I love. And it's raining. Even better.

We roll up at 3:15 PM and Peter is waiting for us. IPA for me, Pilsner for Andrew. Only schooner size, mind.

The Murphy’s XXX got to Peter, too.

"I'm really feeling my age." He says.

“Me, too.” Oh, to be eighteen again. Or 28. To be honest, I’d be happy enough with 58. 

“It was that last pint. It’s always the last pint that gets you.”

“Very true.”

It’s pretty typical brewery taproom. Large, spartan with an industrial edge. With plenty of open floorspace. Presumably for vertical drinking. Which is pretty typical of Aussie boozers.

The brewery is the latest project of Chuck Hahn, legendary Australian brewer. In collaboration with his son, obviously.

Peter recommends the Superdelic Stout. Which is, indeed, quite nice. Though maybe not quite superdelic. Rather disappointingly, it’s just named after a new variety of New Zealand hops.

We chat about brewing records. Fascinating stuff, I know. Peter is one of the few people in the world I can have these discussions with. I'm not going to miss the opportunity. For once, I’m not going to bore you with the details.

After a couple of beers, we get ourselves burgers. Which are pretty good, if a bit leaky.

Then it's time to move on. To Village. We catch an Uber. Bumping into Matthew just before it comes. It's just getting dark when we arrive at the brewery

Village houses the Wildflower brewery, but the taproom is run in conjunction with another brewer, Mountain Culture. Who are based in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.

It's a bit gloomy inside. And chilly. A wood stove attempts forlornly to provide some heat. A fire that would struggle to warm up a caravan, let alone this barn of a space.

Me and Peter order a hand-pumped Dark Mild. Andrew a Czech Pale Lager. It takes ages to pull the Mild. And all a waste of time, as it's undrinkable. We get a Czech Dark Lager instead. Which is pretty good.

Barrels line the walls. But it's rather wet inside. Andrew points to a hole in the roof.

“I don’t think the water is from cleaning the floor. It’s raining in.”

“Lovely.”

I’m not impressed.

“There’s an air of couldn’t give a shit about here, Andrew.”

“It is all a bit shit.” 

“I can’t imagine this is the best environment for barrel-ageing.” I say. “Cold in the winter, boiling hot in the summer.”

“At least they sell pints.”

“Er, half litres.”

“Close enough, Dad. You fucking pedant.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t get started with that again.”

After a while Aziz Tan and Karl Riseborough, the owner of Flat Rock, who's English, arrive. More beers are drunk and I flog a couple of books.

Time to move onto the final brewery in the crawl, Batch. Which has a bright taproom at the front, with all the shiny brewing things further to the rear. Which indicate a decent-sized brewery. 

Next door there’s a strip club. 

“That could come in handy later, Andrew.”

“Piss off, Dad.”

Peter and I get Elsie, a Milk Stout. Which is pretty nice. Not too sweet. And the nitro isn’t too offensive. I hope Andrew doesn’t notice after what I’ve told him about miytp being the devil’s work.

We order food from the Portuguese truck outside. A bifana for me. Without mustard. Very tasty. And just $15. Andrew isn’t hungry. Though he does have a few of the communal chips.

Noticing an Imperial version of the Milk Stout, Elsie’s Other Udder. I go for one of those. It’s a refreshing 8.5% ABV.

At 8:30 PM, the barmaid calls last orders. What is it with places closing so early? 9 PM is fucking ridiculous. Andrew gets himself a last beer. As always.

We get the Metro back into town. It's very flash. And rather like the Elizabeth Line in London.

I get to bed pretty early. Have to get up for a 10:35 flight. God knows how long Andrew stays up.



Chuck and Son's Brewing Co.
Unit 3E-3F/1-7 Unwins Bridge Rd, 
St Peters NSW 2044.
https://chuckandsonsbrewing.com.au/


Village
11-13 Brompton St, 
Marrickville NSW 2204.
https://wildflowerbeer.com/pages/village


Batch Brewing Company
44 Sydenham Rd, 
Marrickville NSW 2204.
http://www.batchbrewingco.com.au/