Who let the dogs out? Woof, woof, woof-woof! Well, friends and lovers of beer let’s rejoice! The world’s first carbon negative brewery finally arrives in Sydney, there is a lot to learn and a lot to celebrate.
The reality started when Kevin 07 was in power when Punk IPA was born. Two Scotsmen (decided weirdly not to focus on whisky) and instead got into serious debt, brewing & craft beer first selling it at markets in Scotland.
The journey of mateship reads like a band groupie travel list; expanding from Scotland to the UK, US, EU and hurrah our land of down under starting in Brisbane, then Melbourne and finally, come to mumma…Sydney. So now that’s four breweries and over 100 bars worldwide.
At Daily Addict we are mad about sustainability and dogs. So to welcome a brewery of this standard who plant trees for every beer sold, donate their malt to local farmers and tap into solar power to operate. Well, we are in.
Brew Dog’s huge new ‘kennel’ is in South Eveleigh. It’s potentially the biggest tap room in NSW holding 720 inside and 190 in the beer garden. The old locomotive factory could not have found a better use and with a price tag of $3.2m its redesign by award-winning architects Studio Y, has created a stunning space. The taproom is designed around the original workshop machinery collection on display, retaining the stories and scars of the building’s previous custodian. It’s an immersive and historic experience.
We rock up on a Wednesday lunchtime. The outside pavement area is already packed with punters and a few dogs. It’s like stepping into the beer halls of Belgium or Prague. An illuminated bar with over 40 taps is the first thing which draws our eye. Behind the main bar is the kitchen with big, bold illuminated sign that says ‘BREWDOG’ er, yeah, we kinda got it!
It’s a farm-to-table comfort food menu – which is 50% plant-based and spans vegan and vegetarian options, burgers, wings, pizzas, bowls, and salads. Plus there are the all-year-round specials such as 2-4-1 Vegan Mondays and All You Can Eat Wings for $25 on Wing Wednesdays.
We kick off with a fun share platter of nicely spiced buffalo chicken wings, super crispy southern fried chicken strips, corn pops, fries, sweet potato fries, blue cheese dip, garlic mayo. A plate of calamari rings arrives next which means its time for BEER!!
For the indecisive paddles are the way forward and I choose Juicy Pale, Buoys of Summer, Punk XPA and the staff selection Brown Snake Ginger Beer. Even before we landed on this selection the staff were great, allowing us to try a few at the bar which is really helpful with a range of beers this good. No surprise that Punk was one of my favourites, its got some hoppy notes but really nicely balanced with malt and an edge of bitterness. The ginger ale is wonderfully quaffable and a schooner in the sunshine has my name all over it. Also great to see a good range on non–alcohol beers too.
Onwards to their famous burgers. Cluck Norris is one of their best sellers. Between two seeded patties are generous layers of chunky buttermilk fried chicken, avocado, red onion, cajun mayo and coriander. Its a two handed affair which makes me very happy.
A knife impales a very impressive Patriot Burger, as if to state this burger means business. It is a thing of beauty as bacon is stacked on top of a melted cheese loaded 7oz beef patty with pickles, onion, lettuce, smokey BBQ sauce. It’s a big boy and puts other burgers to shame.
With all this dude food, we lighten it up with a vegetarian asian noodle salad. Its a lovely tumble of soba noodles, nori, red onion, edamame, chilli, beansprouts, snowpeas, peanuts, soy & ginger dressing. Yes, we could have added chicken, haloumi or plant based chicken to make it a more substantial bowl, but when the burgers are the main event this zippy dish is perfect.
There is a lot to howl about here: the space, the design, the food, the ethics and of course so if you have had a ruff day, or a good one the beers are outstanding. Just make sure you can hold your licker!
BrewDog South Eveleigh, Bays 1 & 2, Locomotive Workshop, South Eveleigh 2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, Sydney
Hours: Sunday – Wednesday 11am – 10pm, Thursday – Saturday 11am – 12am
