Good day (not g’day, I’m not making some attempt to fit in) from Melbourne, where I’ve caught some tennis, explored the countryside, and explored the vibrant beer and food scene in this city. Some beer highlights of my visit so far:
A charming brewery taproom in a former gold mining town designed like a country pub with plaid carpet and wood paneling
A neighborhood brewery wedged into the tiniest of spaces, started by two very competent homebrewers-turned-pros
Countless breweries that are outfitted with their own kitchens with a wide variety of foods, from mundane pub food to upscale pan-Asian
I’ve still barely scratched the surface in this city, so I’m already plotting a return visit here. When folks told me I would love Melbourne and that it would remind me of New York, I was skeptical, but they were right. It’s an incredibly easy place to get around, and it’s a vibrant, diverse city. Yes, you’ll have to travel 11,000 miles to make the comparison to New York yourself, but it’s worth it at least once in a lifetime.
Sixpoint opens new Brookfield Place taproom
Sixpoint has planted its flag in Manhattan for the first time with the opening of their new taproom at Brookfield Place, at the corner of Liberty Street and West Street in Battery Park City. The new taproom features a long bar, TVs, a full kitchen, and a retail shop with packaged beer and merch for sale. Much like the taproom in Downtown Brooklyn they opened last year, the beer selection includes a lineup of Sixpoint’s year-round favorites and seasonals, one-off “Mad Scientist” beers brewed in their Red Hook, Brooklyn location, and beers from sister breweries Victory and Southern Tier. The food menu, which will roll out fully next week, currently features beer-friendly foods like pretzels, sliders, wings, nachos, and sandwiches, but will soon add main courses like Chili-Bourbon Chicken, Fish and Chips, and Steak Frites.
The taproom is open Monday-Friday 4-9pm, Saturday, Noon-9pm, and Sunday Noon-7pm. Next Monday, January 22nd, they’ll mark their grand opening with an expanded menu and hours (Monday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm, Sunday 11:30am-8pm), and come Spring, they’ll open their covered outdoor space on their patio, which you can already see under construction. You can keep tabs on upcoming events and enhancements on their Instagram.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,315
Total breweries visited in 2024: 31
Total breweries visited in Australia: 91
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #3303, Fixation Brewing Company - The Incubator, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia (Visited 17-Jan-2024)
Normally I write about a noteworthy brewery in this space. This is not to say that Fixation was not noteworthy, but there was one beer on my visit to this spot in Melbourne that made me remember how small the beer world is: a Pink Boots Society collab called Maberon, an American Pale Wheat Ale that you can probably guess the inspiration of. Indeed, it’s practically a dead-ringer for Bell’s Oberon, and it was brewed by a Michigan native who lives in Melbourne, and most importantly, it’s summer here, so it’s seasonally appropriate. I love tribute beers, and this was one of the best I’ve ever had.
One More Thing
I’ll have a less abbreviated version of the newsletter next week will a full download from this trip down under. In the meantime, if you happen to be reading this Thursday night and you’re not at The Grand Delancey for their Notch Brewing event, you should get there. Notch has been a brewery I’ve admired from afar for many years, and it’s so great to finally have their beers in New York City.
Cheers,
Chris
Hey Chris, I guess you're nowhere near Brisbane...but if you happen to pass through there, say hi to Ian Kennedy at his brewery https://www.instagram.com/hoppersbrewingco/. He & his mate stopped by my store for beers, on consecutive days a few weeks ago. They are trying to replicate "American-hazies", so they hired an head brewer from the USA. Cheers mate!
New Zealand last April and then again,plus Australia, just 9 months later, let alone all of the other travels in between. and i thought me doing Japan in March followed by Taiwan in November was going to be a lot...