St Andrews Brewery
I am a beer agnostic. Ale, Wheat, Stout, I really don’t care as long as it is high quality. It must have flavour. There is nothing worse than entering a new establishment and ordering a Pint and receiving something that destroys your taste buds for the rest of the session. And here lies that the reason I love taste paddles!
St Andrews Brewery has taken the Mornington Peninsula by storm. A former race-horse training facility it has been converted into a Brewery. Yes, it is rich boys with a lot of money doing a hobby but if they do it right you can’t deny them.
A brewery needs something unique to stand out. Back in the day when a brewery was a brewery it generally was its age. The move to hipsters/millennials type breweries has evolved into a series of clones. They are generally in an industrial area, they have a semi-industrial décor, they serve beer at ridiculous prices and the food is generally pretentious.
St Andrews has been very clever in what they have created. It draws on the property’s history to enhance the character and unique feel of the property. Sitting in converted stables is pure genius, they are the right size for a group to feel part of the pub but at the same time private enough to enjoy each others company.
However I digress, we know all this is just bells and whistles. What matters is the beer, if you are a brewery and you produce a poor product, then you don’t have long in the trade. St Andrew’s taste paddle gives a beer drinker a glimpse into each flavour and makes an educated choice about what to continue with for the rest of the afternoon.
Let’s cut to the chase, the beer is good, really good. In fact the best micro-brewery beer I have had in a long time. The owners have worked hard at producing a beer that has enough originality that you can identify it as St Andrews but conforms with type enough so you know which family of beer it belongs.
The Pale ale, known as 6 Furlongs, left me with just the right amount of bitterness. It is hoppy without being overpowering.
The Lager, called The strapper, is a more straightforward old school beer. It reminded me of what my grandparents used to drink before the beer needed label. Remember when the conversation went like this, “Son, get me a beer from the fridge” “Yes pop.” This poor generation will never know that simplicity, “Son, get me a beer from the fridge” “Yes Pop, an IPA, wheat, Lager, golden ale, pale ale, American, low carb, low alcohol….” Poor kids. The strapper is a throwback to when beer was beer.
The Golden Ale is known as box 54. A summer type beer with a good amount of hoppiness, this is a quality beer that has a great aftertaste.
The final of the four is the Cloudy Pilsner or Race day. This is the easiest to drink for those who are not beer connoisseurs. It has a fruity and crisp taste being a Czech style beer.
Obviously, I progressed from the paddle bar to the Strapper, for the rest of my session. It does what good cuisine does and took me back to the childhood days. The taste and smell reminded me of my old pop, I felt as if I could even smell the tobacco from his packet of “drum”.
By far the best brewery on the peninsula and could well be the best in the state.
5 grubs
