The Best Beers of 2023, Our Favourite New Pubs, and a Bill Granger Tribute
On imbibing, vibing, and the king of scambled eggs.
The Best Beers of 2023
I love beer, and feel incredibly lucky to be living in Melbourne at this particular junction in history, where craft beer producers and large breweries alike release a near constant stream of innovative takes on fermented barley and hops. Not unlike a young Rod Stewart arriving at manhood during the dawn of the era of free love and sexual liberation in the 1960’s, I plan to make full use of being born into this good fortune, and pursue the latest and greatest in brewing with the fervent titillation of Rockin’ Rod prowling a SoHo nightclub in his prime pomp. Here is the definitive best beers of 2023 list, just in time for all of your social lubrication requirements this festive season.
5. Hop Nation Rattenhund Classic Pilsner
Footscray’s preeminent craft brewery hit the big time in 2023, expanding the port-side brewery and adding a sublet pizza offering to their neighbourhood gaff. Traditionally Hop Nation are proponents of the hazy and sour arts, so Rattenbund was a pleasing foray into the malty, bitter realms I more readily frequent. An excellent caramel sweetness and aromatic hop finish characterise this brilliantly bitter pilsner.
The beer for: gifting your VB drinking Dad
While listening to:
4. Deeds Brewing Counter Clockwise Dark Czech Lager
In fair Glen Iris, where we lay our scene, ever-reliable Deeds Brewing had another stellar year. These guys churn out consistently enticing limited release beers, with one in particular bringing back fond memories of the cooler months. This dark lager is flavoured with chocolate and smoked malts, a hint of vanilla and coffee rounding out the body, a cleaner finish than its deep porter hue would imply. Here’s hoping it returns for the 2024 hoodie season.
The beer for: winter nights by the fire pit
While listening to:
3. Mountain Culture Status Quo Pale Ale
2023 saw the scourge of the kombucha-isation of IPA’s reach new lows. There is now very little separating us from what is considered beer, and what is carbonated Just Juice pineapple crush. I do not reject the IPA, in fact, there are many excellent examples of them; Mountain Culture’s juicy, dry New England style release a particular highlight. An ideal hot afternoon respite, and at an insistent 5.2%, a delightful pre-barbecue aperitif.
The beer for: stoking an appetite whilst lighting the charcoal
While listening to:
2. Molly Rose Scarf Weather Spiced Amber Ale
An all too fleeting Autumn release, this delight is now sadly discontinued. I’d have guessed the mature, subtle introduction of ginger and cinnamon to an American amber ale would be almost impossible, but Molly rose to the occasion. Smooth orange aroma guided this toasty, malty beer to pleasing completion; absolutely brilliant brewing.
The beer for: cool autumn evenings in the garden
While listening to:
1. Bright Brewery Hellfire Amber Ale
In a year of innovations, collaborations and limited releases, this is the beer I found myself most readily returning to. Robust, warm malt flavour with a nutty, floral finish, it remains light in the glass, the perfect meeting point of refreshing and reflective. I love the red-tinged golden brown colour contrasted with the surprisingly sharp carbonation; just delicious.
The beer for: toasting the end of 2023
While listening to:
The Best New Pubs of 2023
The Albion Hotel, Collingwood
Restored to its former glory, The Albion recently relaunched under the guidance of Bodriggy Brewing owners Pete Walsh and Anthony Daniel. The space was, until recently, Perry’s Refreshment Club, a sort-of events space from the Blackhearts & Sparrows team that never really reached any sort of continuum. The Albion’s newest incarnation makes much more sense; a welcoming horseshoe bar draws thirsty punters in, the wood-panelled walls dotted with all sorts of cosy nooks and crannies for discreet drinking.
Around the corner in the space’s slender dining room it’s surprisingly high-end Latino fare; I do not envy the staff explaining aguachile and tiradito to parma-hunting patrons, but I applaud the effort. On our visit, a pleasingly crispy battered and cheese-stuffed jalapeno taco is a bit of a mess, a good idea badly executed; the giant peppers dwarf the tortilla, which duly falls apart. The aforementioned taradito, not quite a ceviche but similar in flavour profile, is a brilliantly bright and refreshing summer starter, if not one in need of something crispy to scoop everything up with. Our market fish, barramundi, is sensational; perfectly cooked on a sweet Peruvian pepper puree.
The food is good, but I foresee it needing to be made more agreeable to the average pub-goer to really hit the heights The Albion aspires to. Beers on tap, understandably with a Bodriggy bent, are a delight, a Paloma seltzer on tap a surprisingly full bodied exemplar for non-beer options.
The Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne
The dormant Courthouse, once a hatted gastro pub of repute, relaunched in 2023 under the guidance of the team behind neighbouring Parkville’s Naughton’s Hotel. Naughton’s regulars will know what to expect; considered, produce-driven cooking reminiscent of the great British pubs “with rooms”, with an emphasis on in-house production. The Courthouse takes this up a level, adding proper British hand-pumped ale to the offering; in a city where interchangeable lagers dominate proceedings, the taps here offer a welcome respite.
In the kitchen, it’s not your average pub food; stracciatella with a deftly dressed zucchini, hazelnut and pickled chilli salad smeared over house made focaccia. A clean and refreshing kangaroo carpaccio, lifted with a finger lime salsa verde and crispy shaved asparagus, plus all the schnitzels, burgers, steaks and pies a pub connoisseur could ask for. Staff, vibe and fitout are immaculate. Time will tell what notoriously tricky North Melbourne locals will make of the Courthouse, but it’s a welcome addition to the top tier of inner suburban restau-pubs.
https://thecourthousenm.com.au/
The Mona Castle, Seddon
Australia exists in a post-Merivale pub climate. The prevailing myth is that pubs are communal, relaxed places where all are welcome. This is true in some places, but as it relates to the majority of new pubs, you are much more likely to find a heavy design focus and $6 oysters than you are a comforting, traditional example of the artform. At Seddon’s Mona Castle, the balance is met with aplomb, and no other suburb could better reflect the careful balance.
The tree-lined designer cottage aesthetic that is the pearl of the western suburbs demands a certain degree of refinement, and the Mona offers that: warm wooden joinery, okay cocktails, and Moreton Bay bug rolls. But what the Mona does best is cater to the west’s working class heart with respect; this is a proper front bar, where locals tip back pots of draught over yarns and house-made dim sims.
It can be loose, and there’s a genuine, authentic buzz in the venue that’s hard to capture in a design studio. And if you’re lucky, the patron saint of the inner west, part-owner Tom Liberatore, will jump behind the taps and dish out frosty pots like handballs from the bottom of the pack.
Bill Granger 1969-2023
I was very sad to learn of Bill Granger’s untimely passing on Christmas Day. Granger existed in the sort of quiet, humble ecosystem that truly skilled restaurateurs inhabit; he never promoted himself as the globetrotting phenomenon that he secretly was, and always gave an air of gentle modesty. In truth, Granger was arguably the most influential Australian food identity of his generation; the refined and focused food at his eponymous Darlinghurst cafe more or less invented the modern Australian brunch aesthetic.
Granger’s empire expanded across Sydney to the UK, where he would ultimately call home. He would open 8 restaurants in Japan, plus venues in South Korea and Hawaii, and produce countless cookbooks, TV series and articles. In helping to open Surry Hills’ Billy Kwong in 2000, Granger helped platform one of Australia’s most vital kitchen voices, the inimitable Kylie Kwong, who summed up Bill nicely:
“He celebrated people and accepted them for who they truly were. Everyone who knew Bill remembers how non-judgemental he was; he saw the sunlight in everyone in every situation”.
As a tribute to one of Australia’s most beloved food identities, you could do worse than whipping up a batch of his iconic hot cakes this weekend. Vale Bill.
Bill Granger's ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter
