Lads of Mancavea, thanks so much for your invite and thanks for allowing me to assist in devouring the whole pig! I'm hope that you enjoyed some or all of the Aussie Craft beers we tried and as requested, here is a list of what we sampled in case you want to track them down. I've attached links to each of their websites which is often the best way to find out where you can buy some for yourselves.
Also as I mentioned, Beer Cartel/Porters Artarmon is close by and a one stop shop for craft. Tell them Dan the Beer Snob sent you!
1. Young Henrys Natural Lager
2. Feral White ale
3. Feral Golden Ace
4. Black Duck Irish Red ale
5. Kooinda Pale ale
6. Wayward India Red Ale
7. HopDog BeerWorks Horns Up IPA
8. Little Brewing Co's Mad Abbot Dubbel
Adios team
Dan the Beer Snob
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
UPCOMING BEER SNOB EVENTS
HOSPITALITY EST.
7pm Friday 19th April | $90
No concession price available for this class | Participants must be 18+
Join us for a night of Aussie craft beers and gourmet bites! Special guest Dan the 'Beer Snob' Hampton will be showcasing another great selection of his favourite brews while our chefs create some delicious dishes to accompany. On the menu; USE style pork ribs, lamb and pea bruschetta, spicy patatas bravas, Vietnamese chicken drumsticks, mini beef sliders and ricotta doughnuts with chocolate ganache to finish.
hospitalityest.com.au/beer-snobs
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hospitalityest.com.au/beer-snobs
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FOREST LODGE7pm Tuesday 9th April | $65
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BEEF & BEER MASTERCLASS
MUMU GRILL CROWS NEST
every 2nd saturday, most wednesday arvos... and sometimes Sunday
mumugrill.com.au/beef-and-beer-masterclass
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Good Things Happen After Dark
AS SEEN IN THE BEAST MAGAZINE
By Rhys Kane on December 15, 2010 in Food
I always love a trip down to Coogee. It has that chilled seaside vibe that makes me happy to live in this area. My normal visits to Coogee are daytime trips to the beach, followed by brunch at one of the many great cafes. Coogee Cafe on Coogee Bay Road is a favourite. It’s a busy place that serves great food and a mean latte. The all day brekkie menu always tempts me when I’m in the area, so when I heard they now open at night I was keen to try it out.
The evening enterprise is run by husband and wife team Dan and Emma Hampton, whose passion for the place and the food they serve is immediately evident. They have made some nice touches to give it an atmospheric night-time vibe: low lighting; new pictures on the walls; and special ‘after dark’ menus. The room is dark and cosy with only a handful of tables; it feels more like a small restaurant than a cafe. There are also a few tables on the footpath with a glimpse of the water. We arrived on a miserable ‘La Nina’ evening and the place was packed – always a good sign.
The selection of beer bottles hanging in the window is not only a sign of the owners’ love of beer (Dan is a director of Beer Snobs, an Aussie boutique beer appreciation company), it’s also an indication of the brews they have available. There are good crisp lagers as well as a number of boutique ales, of which the English ale is particularly pleasant. They have the best and most varied beer list I’ve seen in the area, and the staff will happily recommend them to you with expert knowledge and advice on what will go well with the food. There are also five whites and five reds to choose from, and a cocktail du jour.
The menu is clever. Most of the dishes have two prices, for a small or a large portion, so you can choose a selection of small plates, tapas style if you will, or opt for more traditional a la carte dining. It’s not an extensive menu, but there’s enough on there to get you thinking. We had some terrific battered dory with hand-cut chips as well as the immaculately tender beef served with an earthy herb salsa, which packed a good kick of chilli. The stand out though was the salt and pepper squid; it’s seriously the best I’ve ever tried.
For dessert we had a chocolate feast: a chocolate brownie, followed by a white chocolate and Baileys pudding that resembled tiramisu, and dark chocolate truffles garnished with M&M’s. The Mad Abbot Dubbel Ale, with its bitter chocolate notes, was the perfect accompaniment.
Dining in one of my favourite seaside cafes is now a luxury I can enjoy in the evening. Coogee Cafe ‘After Dark’ has everything going for it – boutique beers, fantastic food, and Dan and Emma’s passion for the place are an irresistible combo.
Coogee Café After Dark
Address: 221 Coogee Bay Road
Phone: 9665 5779
Seats: 30 inside, 10 inside
Open: Wed-Sun, 6pm-late
Price: Entrees $12-$16; Mains $17-$23; Dessert $12-$16
Cards: Everything except Diners
Licensed/BYO: Fully Licensed
By Rhys Kane on December 15, 2010 in Food
I always love a trip down to Coogee. It has that chilled seaside vibe that makes me happy to live in this area. My normal visits to Coogee are daytime trips to the beach, followed by brunch at one of the many great cafes. Coogee Cafe on Coogee Bay Road is a favourite. It’s a busy place that serves great food and a mean latte. The all day brekkie menu always tempts me when I’m in the area, so when I heard they now open at night I was keen to try it out.
The evening enterprise is run by husband and wife team Dan and Emma Hampton, whose passion for the place and the food they serve is immediately evident. They have made some nice touches to give it an atmospheric night-time vibe: low lighting; new pictures on the walls; and special ‘after dark’ menus. The room is dark and cosy with only a handful of tables; it feels more like a small restaurant than a cafe. There are also a few tables on the footpath with a glimpse of the water. We arrived on a miserable ‘La Nina’ evening and the place was packed – always a good sign.
The selection of beer bottles hanging in the window is not only a sign of the owners’ love of beer (Dan is a director of Beer Snobs, an Aussie boutique beer appreciation company), it’s also an indication of the brews they have available. There are good crisp lagers as well as a number of boutique ales, of which the English ale is particularly pleasant. They have the best and most varied beer list I’ve seen in the area, and the staff will happily recommend them to you with expert knowledge and advice on what will go well with the food. There are also five whites and five reds to choose from, and a cocktail du jour.
The menu is clever. Most of the dishes have two prices, for a small or a large portion, so you can choose a selection of small plates, tapas style if you will, or opt for more traditional a la carte dining. It’s not an extensive menu, but there’s enough on there to get you thinking. We had some terrific battered dory with hand-cut chips as well as the immaculately tender beef served with an earthy herb salsa, which packed a good kick of chilli. The stand out though was the salt and pepper squid; it’s seriously the best I’ve ever tried.
For dessert we had a chocolate feast: a chocolate brownie, followed by a white chocolate and Baileys pudding that resembled tiramisu, and dark chocolate truffles garnished with M&M’s. The Mad Abbot Dubbel Ale, with its bitter chocolate notes, was the perfect accompaniment.
Dining in one of my favourite seaside cafes is now a luxury I can enjoy in the evening. Coogee Cafe ‘After Dark’ has everything going for it – boutique beers, fantastic food, and Dan and Emma’s passion for the place are an irresistible combo.
Coogee Café After Dark
Address: 221 Coogee Bay Road
Phone: 9665 5779
Seats: 30 inside, 10 inside
Open: Wed-Sun, 6pm-late
Price: Entrees $12-$16; Mains $17-$23; Dessert $12-$16
Cards: Everything except Diners
Licensed/BYO: Fully Licensed
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A touch of craft for Coogee – A visit to Coogee Café – After Dark Share
(NOTE: The following is a review by Beer Bureau - photo is our own - to see original, click on http://beerbureau.com/a-touch-of-craft-for-coogee-%E2%80%93-a-visit-to-coogee-cafe-after-dark
Coogee is probably better known for its world-famous beach, backpackers and the notoriously fun Coogee Bay Hotel. One thing it is not particular well known for is its craft beer scene, which is scarcer than your chances of finding a four-leaf clover in an Irish-clover field.
This is something Dan Hampton and his lovely wife Emma are hoping to change, with their reenvisioned take on one of Coogee’s most popular cafés: Coogee Café. Turning the wildly popular daytime café into a laid-back boutique bar and restaurant after the sun goes down…
A little info about Dan
Dan has had a long association with craft beer. He is the founder of Beer Snobs and has been enlightening Australian palates for years with his own detailed knowledge of the booming craft-beer industry that has taken off within our great nation.
Not content with simply showcasing craft beers at various venues by way of matched ‘Beef and Beer Masterclasses’, ‘Hand-Crafted Beer Dinners’, ‘Stand-up ‘Beertail & Canape’ Parties’, ‘Barefoot Bowls and Boutique Beers’, and ‘Beer Games’ events (visit the Beer Snobs website for more details), now he seeks to make his own mark on Sydney by creating a boutique beer-and-wine focused establishment on the eastern shore, just a stone’s throw away from the beach.
The Decor
The venue itself is an utterly relaxed affair, and yet manages to maintain a casual intimacy; ideal for its location. In our eyes it’s the perfect amalgamation between a beachside café and a boutique bar you could possibly hope for.
With a few tables outside on the sidewalk, the majority of seating is found inside, but by no means is After Dark a large venue. It is, however, perfect for couples and small groups of friends looking to share good food, over better beer (or wine, if you’re that way inclined). Dan and his team have their work cut out for them, as they have to redecorate and restock every night after the café closes at 5pm; giving them only one hour to have everything ready when they reopen the doors at 6pm.
While the venue aims to cater to the boutique beer and wine market, they certainly don’t feel the need to overdo things; keeping the decorations simple and unpretentious. You’ll find your cutlery and napkins in old Produce Cans that have been given a new lease on life, and at the front of the restaurant lies a very simple hanging beer display; showcasing of some of the boutique beers that have come through its doors and letting passers-by know that if you want mass produced swill, you should go somewhere else.
The Atmosphere
Coogee Café – After Dark was still only in its second week of business when we stopped in for a chat with Dan to see how things were travelling thus far.
It was early on Wednesday night (After Dark is open Wed – Sun 6pm till late) and a good assortment of people of all ages were relishing the good food, relaxed atmosphere, and the personal service from Dan and his wife. Of course deciding on which of the 25 Australian craft-beers was up next to aid their degustation list was a hard task for many.
With such a laid back atmosphere and attention to service, this boutique restaurant and bar puts pride in its person-ability and not just what it has on the menu. The staff will go out of their way to talk to you and make you feel welcome as much as they can, although with literally a three-man team running the entire operation we expect they’ll quickly become busier than a beehive once word spreads.
Craft Beer huh?
Not wanting to limit the beers on offer, Dan only buys a limited number of each beer and once they’re gone, they’re gone. This allows him to constantly rotate and evolve both his beer menu and the palates of the customers that walk through the door. With a great selection of beers to choose from, hailing from all over Australia, he even had a few which I hadn’t be able to manage to get my hands on, which was great to see.
Beers are only served in the bottle and ranged between $5-11. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about beer, his menu is divided up into simple yet entertaining categories, like ‘ranga brews’ (amber), ‘paler than a stout’ (pale ales), ‘get me some chocolate’ (porters and stouts), and our favourite ‘you can really taste the water’ (lagers and pilsners).
Dan is more than happy to talk to you about the beer on offer and for a change customers now have access to a restaurant owner that really knows what he is talking about when it comes to beer. He can offer paired food and beer recommendations, and as long as he isn’t too busy, really lets his personality and love of craft beer come out over some honest conversation. Naturally both Emma and Tim have their own opinions as well. You can find all three of their individual food and beverage thoughts and recommendations up on a blackboard for all to see.
Grub’s up
Of course what’s the good of an abundance of craft beer if you’ve got nothing savour in-between sips, with this in mind Dan sent his best mate Tim to man the kitchen and cook up some scrumptious looking grub. Choose between entrees/nibbles for around $5, mains between $15 – $20, sides $6 – $8, and top it all off with desert or a cheese board for $12 – $25. The food looks fantastic, the majority simply served on a stylish wooden chopping board or a contemporary white plate.
The Verdict
While this boutique venue is certainly only in its infancy, it’s great to see someone thinking outside the box and giving a café – that’s normally closed after the hours of five – a new lease on life; and a great lease at that.
With little else in the area specialising in craft beers, it is only a matter of time before this boutique bar hits its full stride and dominates the previously craft-beer neglected area. Dan is more than happy to see new faces, and treats his customers as he would his mates, which just adds all the more warmth, feeling and sense of welcome to an already vibrant little hotspot.
Coogee is probably better known for its world-famous beach, backpackers and the notoriously fun Coogee Bay Hotel. One thing it is not particular well known for is its craft beer scene, which is scarcer than your chances of finding a four-leaf clover in an Irish-clover field.
This is something Dan Hampton and his lovely wife Emma are hoping to change, with their reenvisioned take on one of Coogee’s most popular cafés: Coogee Café. Turning the wildly popular daytime café into a laid-back boutique bar and restaurant after the sun goes down…
A little info about Dan
Dan has had a long association with craft beer. He is the founder of Beer Snobs and has been enlightening Australian palates for years with his own detailed knowledge of the booming craft-beer industry that has taken off within our great nation.
Not content with simply showcasing craft beers at various venues by way of matched ‘Beef and Beer Masterclasses’, ‘Hand-Crafted Beer Dinners’, ‘Stand-up ‘Beertail & Canape’ Parties’, ‘Barefoot Bowls and Boutique Beers’, and ‘Beer Games’ events (visit the Beer Snobs website for more details), now he seeks to make his own mark on Sydney by creating a boutique beer-and-wine focused establishment on the eastern shore, just a stone’s throw away from the beach.
The Decor
The venue itself is an utterly relaxed affair, and yet manages to maintain a casual intimacy; ideal for its location. In our eyes it’s the perfect amalgamation between a beachside café and a boutique bar you could possibly hope for.
With a few tables outside on the sidewalk, the majority of seating is found inside, but by no means is After Dark a large venue. It is, however, perfect for couples and small groups of friends looking to share good food, over better beer (or wine, if you’re that way inclined). Dan and his team have their work cut out for them, as they have to redecorate and restock every night after the café closes at 5pm; giving them only one hour to have everything ready when they reopen the doors at 6pm.
While the venue aims to cater to the boutique beer and wine market, they certainly don’t feel the need to overdo things; keeping the decorations simple and unpretentious. You’ll find your cutlery and napkins in old Produce Cans that have been given a new lease on life, and at the front of the restaurant lies a very simple hanging beer display; showcasing of some of the boutique beers that have come through its doors and letting passers-by know that if you want mass produced swill, you should go somewhere else.
The Atmosphere
Coogee Café – After Dark was still only in its second week of business when we stopped in for a chat with Dan to see how things were travelling thus far.
It was early on Wednesday night (After Dark is open Wed – Sun 6pm till late) and a good assortment of people of all ages were relishing the good food, relaxed atmosphere, and the personal service from Dan and his wife. Of course deciding on which of the 25 Australian craft-beers was up next to aid their degustation list was a hard task for many.
With such a laid back atmosphere and attention to service, this boutique restaurant and bar puts pride in its person-ability and not just what it has on the menu. The staff will go out of their way to talk to you and make you feel welcome as much as they can, although with literally a three-man team running the entire operation we expect they’ll quickly become busier than a beehive once word spreads.
Craft Beer huh?
Not wanting to limit the beers on offer, Dan only buys a limited number of each beer and once they’re gone, they’re gone. This allows him to constantly rotate and evolve both his beer menu and the palates of the customers that walk through the door. With a great selection of beers to choose from, hailing from all over Australia, he even had a few which I hadn’t be able to manage to get my hands on, which was great to see.
Beers are only served in the bottle and ranged between $5-11. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about beer, his menu is divided up into simple yet entertaining categories, like ‘ranga brews’ (amber), ‘paler than a stout’ (pale ales), ‘get me some chocolate’ (porters and stouts), and our favourite ‘you can really taste the water’ (lagers and pilsners).
Dan is more than happy to talk to you about the beer on offer and for a change customers now have access to a restaurant owner that really knows what he is talking about when it comes to beer. He can offer paired food and beer recommendations, and as long as he isn’t too busy, really lets his personality and love of craft beer come out over some honest conversation. Naturally both Emma and Tim have their own opinions as well. You can find all three of their individual food and beverage thoughts and recommendations up on a blackboard for all to see.
Grub’s up
Of course what’s the good of an abundance of craft beer if you’ve got nothing savour in-between sips, with this in mind Dan sent his best mate Tim to man the kitchen and cook up some scrumptious looking grub. Choose between entrees/nibbles for around $5, mains between $15 – $20, sides $6 – $8, and top it all off with desert or a cheese board for $12 – $25. The food looks fantastic, the majority simply served on a stylish wooden chopping board or a contemporary white plate.
The Verdict
While this boutique venue is certainly only in its infancy, it’s great to see someone thinking outside the box and giving a café – that’s normally closed after the hours of five – a new lease on life; and a great lease at that.
With little else in the area specialising in craft beers, it is only a matter of time before this boutique bar hits its full stride and dominates the previously craft-beer neglected area. Dan is more than happy to see new faces, and treats his customers as he would his mates, which just adds all the more warmth, feeling and sense of welcome to an already vibrant little hotspot.
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