Pubs in Canberra

Been to a good pub, or bad, lately? Found a bar with a great selection of beer? Looking for a new local or somewhere to visit on holidays?

Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Thursday Jan 27, 2011 5:50 pm

Cool, after reading the Wig & Pen website (click on History), it seems that:

"To complement this range of fine beers, the Wig and Pen provides great meals and regular live music. On Sunday afternoons you can take part in (or just come and listen to) the Wig and Pen's Muso's Jam Session."

http://www.wigandpen.com.au/Front_Page.htm

I'll be there this Sunday afternoon then. Apparently I can order a meal on Sunday afternoons (Seems to be implied from the above.) And, while listening to their wonderful live music, I'll do some calculations and report back :wink:
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Oliver » Friday Jan 28, 2011 7:28 am

Excellent idea, Lob.

I look forward to the report so that I know whether to head there in a couple of weeks.

Cheers,

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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Tourist » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 9:03 am

Personally, I am grateful to have a world-class brew-pub (The W&P) just down the road. The (multi-award-winning) beer is top-notch and the food is not overpriced.

I don't really think you can compare it to the Labour Club in Belco, which is riddled with pokies, no atmosphere etc. (I won't mention the food :)~ (edit - I thought this was a "puke" smiley)).

Lob is having a gripe because of the price, yet has a gripe at other places with lack of choice - I challenge him to name me a place in Aus that has a wide range of craft beer at $4.50 a schooner. W&P and Zierholz are great places to go for a few beers. They are not for having massive benders.

Please do yourself a favour and ignore Lob's litte tantrum.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 5:15 pm

Tourist wrote:Personally, I am grateful to have a world-class brew-pub (The W&P) just down the road. The (multi-award-winning) beer is top-notch and the food is not overpriced.


Beer, agreed. The food though comes either from the fridge (ie cheese board - last time I ordered this I only got 5 crackers!) or Ploughman, etc, or the FREEZER: Fish & Chips, etc. It's lazy, easy to prepare, mostly unhealthy, and uninspired food. When was the last time you heard someone say "Hmmm Dinner/Lunch, where can we go. I Know, The Wig & Pen." I'd rather pay more and get something FRESH. Reminds me of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares...I can just imagine him going off his F...king head regarding the W&P Menu...

Tourist wrote:I don't really think you can compare it to the Labour Club in Belco, which is riddled with pokies, no atmosphere etc. (I won't mention the food :)~ (edit - I thought this was a "puke" smiley)).


I mostly agree. I've never actually had the food there, when I went there for lunch last week, we stood in line and then thought, na f--- this. (Ended up having a 'liquid lunch.') There's Senior meals for $11, and the rest of us pay round $15 and up for the usual boring Club fare. There's two things that make it bearable: $4.50 Zeirholz, and the Deck out the back - well away from the Pokies, and it's mostly smoke-free. I mostly joined because my wife works just down the road, and don't get me started on Pot Belly...

Tourist wrote:Lob is having a gripe because of the price, yet has a gripe at other places with lack of choice - I challenge him to name me a place in Aus that has a wide range of craft beer at $4.50 a schooner. W&P and Zierholz are great places to go for a few beers. They are not for having massive benders.


There isn't, and that's my point. Why doesn't someone open a bar/pub that ticks all the boxes? - Good quality beer, reasonably priced, great fresh food made by a competent cook, great atmosphere. How hard can this be? The W&P IMO only ticks the first box. Sometimes the atmosphere is okay, but I find the place is often either too busy (ie Fridays after work) and you can't get a seat, or completely dead - ie tomorrow (Sunday afternoon) when I go there to listen to their "Live Music".
I probably did get a tad picky regarding the MDF table Tops, the only ones likely to get cancer are the poor buggers working in the factory that manufactures this cheaply made furniture.

Tourist wrote:Please do yourself a favour and ignore Lob's litte tantrum.


I have been rather moody lately. Probably good advice : )
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Tourist » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 6:19 pm

Dude, it's pub food! Where do you go to get unfrozen chips, anyway?

I went to the Local Taphouse in Sydney - have you been there? Seems to be the sort of thing you are after, but the prices are up there with micro's such as W&P.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the W&P - as a member of the Canberra Brewers, we are well supported by the pub and head brewer, Richard, who lets us in on his recipes, techniques and good humour. He tries our beers and gives feedback, improving our beer and knowledge of brewing. I am sure this support extends to pretty well anyone who is interested in beer and brewing. If you see the brewer around, go and have a yak. As an added bonus, the beer is fantastic!

My extra $ is always well-spent.

If you want to hang shit on the W&P website, go for it - nobody cares but you.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 7:13 pm

Tourist wrote:Dude, it's pub food! Where do you go to get unfrozen chips, anyway?


I grew up in NZ in the 70s and 80s, and I could get unfrozen fish & Chips Everywhere. Big slabs of tasty fleshy white shark, with batter that didn't fall off. The chips were cut in shop from real, fresh, potatoes. In Canberra everything is brought in prepared, ready for the kitchen staff to place in the deep fryer. If the W&P wanted to "lift their game" they could. Farmers Markets are open every Sat morning. Why not buy Potatoes fresh and local, rather than Frozen McCain that's been shipped from who knows where? Why is this so hard for these lazy Canberran pubs, bars, clubs, and restaurants? Quality isn't always perfect in NZ also, but can still get great food, coffee, and beer in Wellington in lots of places (though still on the pricey side), yet it's the same population as Canberra.

Tourist wrote:I went to the Local Taphouse in Sydney - have you been there? Seems to be the sort of thing you are after, but the prices are up there with micro's such as W&P.


Red Oak in Sydney make excellent "hand cut" chips, But the % of pubs providing real potatoes is probably 0.5% or less. Pathetic really considering how inferior frozen spuds taste. (Not to mention their higher carbon footprint.) Thought about trying out the new brew pub in Manly, they're about as pricey as W&P. My main problem is that I drove around the US for a month drinking fantastic beer, locally made, no bullshit fraud tactics. Not to mention the unbelievable prices. I get back to Australia, and Jesus Christ. It's the prices everywhere, the sh__ burgers, the *fraud* everytime I walk into bottle store, etc, etc. The other day I bought a 6 pack of "Pikes Oakbank" Pilsener from Dan Murphys Phillip. From the label I was under the impression it came from a small brewery in the Clare Vally, SA. As I was drinking the first stubbie and thinking 'hmm this tastes rather bland' I started to read some of the very small print at the very bottom on the back label "BREWED AND BOTTLED UNDER LICENCE BY AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT BREWERIES..."

Tourist wrote:I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the W&P - as a member of the Canberra Brewers, we are well supported by the pub and head brewer, Richard, who lets us in on his recipes, techniques and good humour. He tries our beers and gives feedback, improving our beer and knowledge of brewing. I am sure this support extends to pretty well anyone who is interested in beer and brewing. If you see the brewer around, go and have a yak. As an added bonus, the beer is fantastic!

My extra $ is always well-spent.


At some point, no matter how good the beer is, if the prices keep going up, you reach a point where you think, "these pricks just think everyone in this town is a f---ing rich public servant on 100K a year". For me it was the last major price increase about 10 months or so ago. I remember, a schooner would cost me about $1 more than, say, Coopers Pale at the Uni Pub. Suddenly, after the last price hike, it was a lot more for a schooner, but you could still get "value" by buying by the pint. That's when my attitude to the W&P changed. I drive everywhere; Why should I pay a lot more because I prefer to drink by the schooner? There's a *lot* of beer in a pint. Some of the W&P's beers are of a higher alcohol content.

Tourist wrote:If you want to hang shit on the W&P website, go for it - nobody cares but you.


Mate, it so so incredibly easy to update a website. If you're a business and you go to the trouble of setting up a website with menu prices, what's on, etc, etc, then it's downright unprofessional (and rude) not to maintain it. All you need is CuteFTP and Dreamweaver:

Open Menu.html etc in Dreamweaver. Make changes to the text - no harder than using Word. Save.
Open CuteFTP and connect to the Server. Move changed files from the Computer (on left pane) to the Website (right).

I'll agree to maintain their website for them if I can get schooners of their Rumpole Pale for $5.80 : )
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Tourist » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 8:03 pm

Thanks for your insights.

I think you have some issues that are bigger than the W&P.

All the best.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby matr » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 8:09 pm

lob wrote:I grew up in NZ in the 70s and 80s, and I could get unfrozen fish & Chips Everywhere. Big slabs of tasty fleshy white shark, with batter that didn't fall off. The chips were cut in shop from real, fresh, potatoes. In Canberra everything is brought in prepared, ready for the kitchen staff to place in the deep fryer. If the W&P wanted to "lift their game" they could. Farmers Markets are open every Sat morning. Why not buy Potatoes fresh and local, rather than Frozen McCain that's been shipped from who knows where? Why is this so hard for these lazy Canberran pubs, bars, clubs, and restaurants? Quality isn't always perfect in NZ also, but can still get great food, coffee, and beer in Wellington in lots of places (though still on the pricey side), yet it's the same population as Canberra.


I'm sure they are still doing flights back to NZ.. Maybe we could round you up enough coin for a fair? Geez I though Poms were bad. :roll:


lob wrote:Red Oak in Sydney make excellent "hand cut" chips, But the % of pubs providing real potatoes is probably 0.5% or less.


It's called running a profitable business mate.... Why would you pay some one to go down and buy your potatoes, wash them, peel them & cut them when you can get frozen for half the price? It's also determined by the market and what people want and are willing to pay for. There is probably only 0.5% of pubs using real potatoes because 99.5% of people are happy with the frozen variety at a reduced price. They don't produce 1 million Ferrari F40s every year when the market is screaming out for a budget price commodore..

lob wrote:At some point, no matter how good the beer is, if the prices keep going up, you reach a point where you think, "these pricks just think everyone in this town is a f---ing rich public servant on 100K a year".


Maybe if you put this amount of effort into work / study whatever... the cost wouldn't bother you.. I mean really we are talking a couple of dollars here!! And as far as your rant goes on BUL. Don't friggin buy it.. easy. You are aware so why worry about other people they probably like it.... I don't give a shit if they brew BUL. I brew my own to avoid that..

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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 8:49 pm

matr wrote:I'm sure they are still doing flights back to NZ.. Maybe we could round you up enough coin for a fair? Geez I though Poms were bad. :roll:


I didn't say it was perfect. It rains a lot in Wellington, and the big one (quake) can't be too far away. The coffee is excellent though, and you can still get very good fish and chips.

matr wrote:It's called running a profitable business mate.... Why would you pay some one to go down and buy your potatoes, wash them, peel them & cut them when you can get frozen for half the price? It's also determined by the market and what people want and are willing to pay for. There is probably only 0.5% of pubs using real potatoes because 99.5% of people are happy with the frozen variety at a reduced price. They don't produce 1 million Ferrari F40s every year when the market is screaming out for a budget price commodore..


So you're quite happy to explore making the best beer possible, but when it comes to (the accompanying) food....

matr wrote:....as far as your rant goes on BUL. Don't friggin buy it..


I don't buy BUL. Not on purpose anyway. I've only bought it by mistake. Peroni recently because until recently it was imported from Italy. It is hard when the only referrence to being BUL is in very small print at the base of the slab. And Pikes Oakbank Pilsener because, i dunno, I was tired, and there were lots of words on the back label, mostly in reference to Clare Valley. I was in a hurry, etc. If you don't give a rats arse about the BUL scam, then don't read any of the posts on it. I couldn't give a rats arse that you don't give a rats arse...
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Saturday Jan 29, 2011 8:53 pm

Tourist wrote:Thanks for your insights.

I think you have some issues that are bigger than the W&P.

All the best.
Paul


"Issues"..."all the best"...wtf. That's pretty weird stuff. I may rant and rave a bit, but Jesus, I just thought it was a bit of back and forth banter, free-thought, constructive criticism, etc.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Tourist » Sunday Jan 30, 2011 8:45 am

lob wrote:
Tourist wrote:Thanks for your insights.

I think you have some issues that are bigger than the W&P.

All the best.
Paul


"Issues"..."all the best"...wtf. That's pretty weird stuff. I may rant and rave a bit, but Jesus, I just thought it was a bit of back and forth banter, free-thought, constructive criticism, etc.

I didn't see that anything constructive could come out of this and I was getting bored.

Just trying to be polite...while pointing out the obvious.

Sincerely, though, all the best.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Sunday Jan 30, 2011 1:01 pm

Maybe the grass isn't greener overseas after all. According to this post, most of the UK pubs are serving frozen fish & chips as well : (

http://gridskipper.com/archives/entries/064/64358.php

Last good fish n chips I had, I cooked myself, following this recipe:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s1657536.htm


I'm not having a go at the Wig & Pen here, but rather almost all pubs/bars/clubs in NSW and the ACT [dunno too much about the situation in other States], how hard would it really be to tell McCain (or whoever supplies their frozen chips, wedges, fish, meat patties, schnitzel, etc) to go jump. Here's a recipe that is dead easy to prepare in advance, easy to cook, and could be served with a salad or mash potatoes and steamed veges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TALoFeZQm4


That's it, I'm done with this topic. Sorry Oliver, can't be bothered going to W&P today. I suggest you go there just to see what all the fuss is about. Yeah, the beer are very good.
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Saturday Feb 05, 2011 2:22 pm

Went into Zeirholz brew pub (Fyshwick) for lunch and some beers. First visit, and already see myself becoming a regular. It was packed at 12.45pm, but the seating arrangements are good (multiple long tables than can accommodate lots of patrons.) Can't believe I've never bothered to check this place out before. Hand cut wedges (yeah, from real spuds) are $8, and most meals are between $12 and $18. Pints of beer are $7 and 1/2 Pints $4. They have light beer (which I didn't sample) for $5 a Pint. Tuesday to Friday Happy Hour (4.30 - 6pm) beers are $6 a Pint/ $3.50 1/2 Pint. I forked out and get the Platter for 2 ($40), and sampled 4 beers (amber, german ale, pilsner, and wheat.) Here's the pics, including a closeup of what chicken schnitzel should look (and taste) like.

Image

Image

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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Oliver » Saturday Feb 05, 2011 5:40 pm

lob wrote:The other day I bought a 6 pack of "Pikes Oakbank" Pilsener from Dan Murphys Phillip. From the label I was under the impression it came from a small brewery in the Clare Vally, SA. As I was drinking the first stubbie and thinking 'hmm this tastes rather bland' I started to read some of the very small print at the very bottom on the back label "BREWED AND BOTTLED UNDER LICENCE BY AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT BREWERIES..."

When this beer first came out (possibly mid-90s?) it was brewed by Coopers at their old Leabrook brewery. At that stage it was a pretty good beer. It disappeared from the shelves for a while.

I have to agree with your take on it now though, Lob.

Oliver

EDIT: I was aware there was a Pike's Oakbank Beer/Ale, but not Pilsner. Perhaps this is a new beer?
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Monday Feb 07, 2011 5:29 pm

I think this one is fairly new, with nothing to do with the small SA brewery in question, other than it's name and image (small SA microbrewery.) It tastes very much like BUL Peroni.

I think Independent Brewers must have recently decided they didn't have a small microbrewery "product" from South Australia on their books, so went about creating one by brewing some beer at their brewery (Sydney?), paying X amount ($$$) to some little-known small South Australian winery (with a small brewery operation); Then letting their marketing department do the rest...

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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Monday Feb 07, 2011 5:52 pm

I particularly liked: "....similar hand crafted philosophy to the original brewery."

How far will this fraud and stupidity go before the regulators [our piss-weak, too much regulation is bad for the economy/Capitalism, wankers sitting on their fat asses in Canberra) stand up to these thugs. I'm sure if Margaret River (WA) red wines were made in the Hunter Valley (NSW) Under Licence the law(s) would have been changed pretty quickly to stamp out such fraudulent practices. But it's only beer, so who gives a rats...

" Oh no, yes we make the wine in the Hunter, but the soil conditions are actually very similar, in this particular winery anyway. And, er, the winemaker from WA actually comes over to supervise. Oh we do tasting all the time to ensure quality control. And don't forget about the carbon produced transporting wines from WA to the Eastern States. If it does tastes a little different to the WA Product, probably due to its freshness I'd say..."
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby Oliver » Wednesday Feb 16, 2011 7:01 pm

OK, so I went to the Wig and Pen last night with a colleague. Tried their three hand-pumped ales, all served at 8-10C.

The first was a Marv's Man Mild (very pale and quite hoppy. 3.1%). According to the tasting notes it's brewed with Golden Promise malt and American Citra, Simco and Cacscade hops. A very nice drop.

The second was a Wig and Pen Pale Ale, which is 5.0%-5.3% and brewed with Australian and NZ hops. Another tasty beer.

The third was the Brewers' IPA, 5.7%-6.0%, brewed with "Marris (sic) Otter, Pale Med and Dark Crystal" (should there be a comma in there somewhere??) and Fuggles, East Kent Goldings, Pilgrim and Brewers Gold hops. The adjectives for this little wonder are amazing, sensational, tremendous. I could go on. It had a lovely biscuity flavour, with subtle bitterness (not IPAish, really) and a fruity nose. I really, really enjoyed it. One of the most enjoyable beers I've ever tried, I think.

Anyone else had this, and if so can you suggest a commercial beer that is similar?

Cheers,

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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Thursday Feb 17, 2011 4:08 pm

How much change have you got from the $200.00 you walked in with? :wink:
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Wednesday Jun 29, 2011 9:25 am

Interesting article in The Canberra Times : )

http://tinyurl.com/43mz52b
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Re: Pubs in Canberra

Postby lob » Thursday Aug 18, 2011 8:08 pm

Zeirholz are opening a brewery/bar on campus at Canberra University. I believe It'll open sometime late 2011. Source; Plans are on display on campus:

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