G’day from Wanaka, New Zealand, where I’m sitting on a bar patio sipping on a pilsner while looking out over a treeless mountain range and a lake in the distance.
Not even a week in, I have to say this trip has been nothing short of amazing. Sydney, Australia is a bustling place full of amazing sights, great beer, and interesting people. Queenstown, New Zealand has to be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth, and Wanaka is easily in the running for that title, too.
But you didn’t come here to read about the vistas. So let me give you a few highlights as far as how I’ve adjusted to drinking culture in Australia and New Zealand:
Aussies don’t particularly mind when you want beer in moderation. In Sydney, a “middy” is almost universally offered as roughly a 10-ounce pour and priced on the menu accordingly. It’s also universally decried as a sign you’re wussing out.
Session Beer drinkers celebrate! Taxes in both nations are determined by the ABV, so the weaker the beer, the cheaper it is.
Alcoholic ginger beer is a huge thing here, at least relative to its popularity in the states. More than half the breweries I’ve visited have made and served one. I’ve yet to try one yet, though. I’ll report back next week.
A beer after a long, hard work day is still treasured here. The number of folks drinking beers after 5pm on weekdays at brewery taprooms while wearing hi-viz vests and work boots is noticeable here, especially for someone like me who works a desk job.
ICONYC has rebranded as Focal Point Beer Co.
Extreme Makeover: Brewery Edition! Long Island City-based ICONYC Brewing announced at their seventh anniversary party that they are rebranding as Focal Point Beer Co. It’s a overhaul for a brewery and brand that’s going through some changes as it enters its eighth year in operation.
The brewery moved their taproom into a new, much larger space earlier this year, just next door to their existing facility on the 12th Street Pedestrian Plaza in LIC. With room freed up by the taproom move, they’ve expanded their production space as well. With the opportunity to both draw more people to the brewery and distribute more beer, the rebranding may act as a reset for reaching new consumers — and old consumers who may have been confused on just how to pronounce their old name. The rebranding is also a slicker look for a brewery that’s trying to stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
The beer lineup remains largely the same, with a broad spectrum of offerings including lagers, IPAs, sours, and stouts at their taproom, which was officially christened at the anniversary party with an hour of free beer late last month.
Two New and Noteworthy NYC Beer Openings
Harlem Hops has come downtown to Chelsea. The acclaimed beer bar’s second location held its grand opening last weekend inside Market 57, the new James Beard Foundation-curated food hall at Pier 57 (at 11th Avenue and 15th Street). The market celebrates women and minority-owned businesses. The bar space in the market will serve draft and canned beers you can pair with tasty bites like meat and veggie pies, pretzels, and charcuterie. There’s even a custom beer brewed for the space. Market 57 is open daily from 11am-8pm.
Down in Brooklyn, Brewers Row has opened in Park Slope. The bar offers 20 draft lines, mostly local, an extensive can selection for takeaway, a polished vibe in the bar and a cozy backyard space just in time for outdoor drinking weather. It’s located at 228 7th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Street and open seven days a week — Monday-Thursday 2pm-midnight, Friday 2pm-1am, Saturday noon-1am, and Sunday noon-11pm.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,022
Total breweries visited in 2023: 126
Total breweries visited in Australia: 23
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #3,000, Wildflower Brewing & Blending, Marrickville, Sydney, NSW, Australia (Visited 1-Apr-2023)
I flew all the way to Australia to drink beer brewed by a Texan on the occasion of my 3,000th brewery. And a Texan, no less, that honed his skills at Jester King, which happened to be brewery #1,000. So when Nemesia, who was working the taproom on Saturday, came out with a bottle of Nothing Fancy, a wild ale that blended the house yeasts of both breweries, I was gobsmacked. There was no more perfect beer to celebrate this milestone.
I’d write more about this visit, but the memories will far outlast any words that could be written. There’s a reason I chose this brewery as my 3,000th, and even then, it exceeded my wildest expectations.
Long Read of the Week
I really don’t enjoy tooting my own horn, but ahead of the occasion of my 3,000th brewery, Dave Infante gave me the Hop Take treatment over at VinePair. Get to know how I’ve seen the scene change, what sets me off at breweries, and my stupidly stringent rules for adding a brewery to my list.
One Last Thing
I’ve been using this space lately to highlight unique features I’ve seen in brewery taprooms, but how about a brewery rooted in a unique theme? The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre in Sydney is an entire taproom dedicated to the Australian Prime Minister who led the country through most of the 80s — and the wood-paneled decor and furniture is truly a trip back in time:
But this isn’t just an homage to the PM — the founders sold him in on the idea of a Bob Hawke-themed brewery in the years before he passed in 2019. And those display cases in the pool room? They’re full of memorabilia and photos highlighting his life and accomplishments. This spot is truly one of a kind.
Cheers,
Chris
Enjoyed reading this!! Several brewers from 'down under' visit during hop harvest and I appreciate the scoop for some fun conversations! CHEERS TO YOU!