2 Brothers Brewery
2 Brothers Brewery is located south of Melbourne in the industrial part of Moorabin. It’s only open two days a week: Thursday from 4pm-11pm and Friday 12pm-12am and getting to the brewery is a bit of a trek if you don’t have a car. The facility is a renovated warehouse which now holds all necessary brewing equipment, kitchen, large seating area, and stage for live music. The seating was comfortable and spacious. They had eight taps with two ciders and a guest beer on tap. They also had a cask conditioned IPA. Overall the space was very cozy and the beer-tender was friendly and accommodating. I decided to try two of the beers on tap: The Taxi Pilsner and the Kryptonite Black IPA.
Taxi, 2 Brothers, Moorabin Pilsner ABV: 4.7%
Colour: Pale Gold Aroma: sweet cereal
Light to medium body with flavours of bread and sweet corn. Refreshing with a clean finish. Not overly complex, but a good representation of the style. On a really hot day this the kind of beer I would go to for my first beer. Also, this would be a great fish and chips beer.
Overall: 8/10
Kryptonite, 2 Brothers, Moorabin Black IPA ABV: 6.5%
Colour: Black Aroma: Roasted coffee beans, earthy, fruity
Full bodied Black IPA with roasted, toasted notes that give it a coffee flavor which plays along side a sweet caramel flavor. The hop character comes on strong at the beginning but fades and is over powered by the roasted malt characteristics. Very smooth with a little lingering sweetness on the finish. Overall it’s a really solid beer. I really like the malt characteristics of this beer, but it lacks the hop punch that I would associate with a Black IPA.
Overall: 7/10
Boatrocker Brewing Co.
This next brewery always comes up when I ask anyone the question: “Which breweries should I check out in Melbourne”? I was told (and had read online) that this brewery had a barrel room, specialized in barrel aged beers, and made a fantastic Berliner Weisse. I was hooked from the words “barrel room”. I had to go. The only downside is that the brewery is not very accessible by public transportation. Luckily, Christina was with me to play designated driver.
When I arrived at Boatrocker and walked into the “barrel room” I was immediately like the place. The “barrel room” is really a barrel warehouse with wood barrels lining the entire south wall and beyond. The bar is more or less in the middle of the room allowing for ample seating and has an open welcoming feeling to the space. The bar has multiple beers on tap, I would say room for at least 20 maybe more. The beer-tender was friendly, knowledgable, and didn’t mind guiding me in the right direction when choosing which of the three barrel aged beers they had to offer. He even offered to pour the barrel aged beer and let it come to room temp while I tried a couple of other beers. Classy move. Here’s what I ended up tasting:
Miss Pinky, Boatrocker Brewing Co., Braeside Raspberry Berliner Weisse ABV: 3.3%
Colour: Coral Aroma: Fresh Raspberry
Light bodied with wheat flavors punctuated with tart, acidic flavors. The raspberry comes in at the end to add a little bit of sweetness. The finish is dry and clean. Very refreshing. Don’t let the pink colour fool you, this is a seriously well made beer. I could drink a lot of this beer.
Overall: 9/10
Saison du Bateau, Boatrocker Brewing Co., Braeside Saison ABV: 6.4%
Colour: Pale Straw Aroma: Earthy, spicy
Medium bodied that carries flavours of black pepper, lemon, and coriander. A slight malt sweetness holds all of this complexity together and adds balance. Complex enough for the savvy beer connoisseur, but approachable enough for those just starting to explore the saison style.
Overall: 8/10
Roger Ramjet, Boatrocker Brewing Co., Braeside Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5%
Colour: Black with coffee coloured head Aroma: Bourbon, Vanilla, char, tobacco
So far I’ve used my own words to describe the beers that I’ve tasted, but on this occasion I found a write up on an Australian website dedicated to craft beer called, “The Craft Pint”(http://craftypint.com/), that puts into words exactly how I feel about this beer.
http://craftypint.com/beer/3651/boatrocker-brewery-roger-ramjet-2015
I have looked on the website for the author to give him/her credit, but haven’t found it yet. So, thank you to that person from Crafty Pint who wrote such an eloquent review of a exceptionally decadent beer.
Overall: 10/10
Beer Burps 