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Tuesday 18 September 2012

Bull at a Holgate

Approximately 45 minutes drive north west of Melbourne is the quaint little Victorian town of Woodend.

Sitting proudly at the end of the main street the brewery is rich in history. Originally operating as The Commercial Hotel, it was a popular stopover for horse drawn carriages between Melbourne and Bendigo during the Gold rush years.

Now it’s a bloody good stop over for craft beer enthusiasts. 


I originally visited the brewery with my wife in 2009 as a curious beer drinker on a casual days drive to the area. Thanks to Holgate and their range of brews, that day turned into an overnight trip, and nearby accommodation was required to avoid a beer fuelled drive home. That wouldn’t be such a good idea.

The grand Holgate Brewery is very much multi purpose. Operating as a brewery, it is also a bit of a ‘local’ for…well…locals. It has a fine restaurant (more on that later) and upstairs even has 10 refurbished rooms for B&B style accommodation.

The latest visit to the brewery was a little more civilised. Lunch with my wife and parents. I won’t go into the food details too much but I do want to say that the meal was a complete surprise. Breweries often favour simple meals to accompany the beers. Wood fired pizzas for instance. Nothing wrong with that, but at Holgate there is real emphasis on a relaxed, high quality lunch. Beer is certainly not the only reason to visit.

You have the choice of ordering from the Bar Menu – usual pub fare such as fish and chips, parmas, bangers and mash etc, or as we did, sit in the restaurant area and dine on eye fillet, pork belly, mixed grill or game burgers. Beer is ever present in the ingredients and I do have to say, the ‘beer garlic bread’ was divine.


A lot of breweries in Australia are very much pitched at the beer drinker. Well of course they are. Stupid thing to say. But after lunch at Holgate I left thinking the place is perfect for anyone. No non beer drinker could seriously groan at being taken there when the food is that good. Besides, the well stocked bar offers plenty of wine and spirit options.

Anyway, enough about the food and history lesson. Holgate has a reputation for making one of the country’s most highly acclaimed dark beers, but also constantly produce seasonal beers of extremely good quality. As usual, we opted for the beer paddle so we could try everything on offer. Here’s a run down of the beers…


Pilsner (5.1%)
To me, Pilsners are a pretty small step from lagers and are only just on the craft beer scene. They are often described as a ‘session beer’ and are brewed for easy drinking. Holgate’s version certainly fits that description but is malty and hoppy enough to be a pretty damn good attempt. Rather Bavarian. Nice work.

Mt. Macedon Ale (4.5%)
Another ‘session beer’ to an extent, the Ale is very much Euro malts meets US hops. And it works. Goes down easily enough and is just a little complex on the pallet; meaning it will pretty much please all beer style drinkers.

Brick Kiln Road – Wheat Beer (5.0%)
Another homage to Bavarian beer, the wheat beer is very much what you’d expect – low on the hops and high on the yeasty, fruity taste. No ignoring the clove and banana aftertaste. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of wheat beers (largely due to disliking the taste of banana), but credit where it’s due. This was high quality and easy to drink. My non-beer drinking Mum even liked the taste of this one!

Gruit Expectations (6.0%)
I hadn’t previously come across this beer, and have to say it epitomises craft beer. It’s unique and complex in every way, and very tasty. It’s based on their Belgium Blonde recipe, but uses herbs and spices instead of hops. Like drinking a beer from the days of medieval brewing. This is one to be enjoyed whilst watching Game of Thrones


ESB (5.0%)
Holgate’s version of the classic English style ale is a complete winner. It quite literally is, as it’s won numerous awards over time. Along with Hargreaves Hill’s version, this would be my favourite ‘local’ ESB. English hops and crystal malts…it’s English. Special. And just a little bitter.

Hopinator (7.0%)
Wow. That’s all I’ve got. Wow. Our visit was the first time I’d tried the Hopinator and I’ve been drinking it ever since. Since my wife and I visited the US in 2011 we have been drawn to US style, big hopped IPAs or even better, double IPAs. Reminded me of Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum or Torpedo, to say you can really taste the floral/citrus hops would be a massive understatement. A brilliant beer for hop lovers.

Temptress (6.0%)
What can be said about the chocolate porter that hasn’t already? It’s award winning and highly rated (regularly features in the top 5 of the annual Critic’s Choice Top 100 Australian Beers). Cocoa, coffee and vanilla beans…it’s all in there. No Winter should pass without having at least one Temptress.


Double Trouble (8.0%)
A Belgium style Abbey Ale, at 8% this one has an immense alcoholic kick but is brilliantly smooth. Toffee flavour with a hint of rum, this is very much a sipping beer to be enjoyed over a massive wedge of cheese. Well named (it matters); this was very much enjoyed, even without the cheese. 6 pack to go thanks!

Anyway, that’s probably enough for me. In summary, Holgate Brewery is an awesome place to visit for either a quiet drink or a delicious meal. Even better, do both and stay the night!

Can’t wait to go back.

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

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