Tipples Beer review #14 and Beersaturday18 – A Night at Beer Deluxe

So about five months ago I quit my job, in what I'm claiming was an amazing show of loyalty but was likely just the same reason I did it, 6 of the 9 people who worked for me quit as well.

Tonight I'm catching up with some the ones I liked the most for a good gossip. As we all work at different places now we picked a nice central location, Beer Deluxe at Federation Square, which if you are ever a tourist in Melbourne is the easiest craft beer bar to find in Melbourne, being in Fed Square the major piazza of Melbourne but beware its priced like a craft beer bar in a major tourist attraction.

The Yarra looking lovely in the early evening

From my new work it was a very pleasant stroll along the Yarra river to get here, and I snuck it in just in time for the happy hour so I'm starting with a pint of Hop Culture by Mornington Peninsula Brewery. It’s a session IPA which I think is just a pale ale that has succumbed to marketing. It is very drinkable and dare I say sessionable, with nice balance and big fruity hop tones.

The Hop Culture and a hint of the atrium in which the bar sits'

Next up La Sirene, in my opinion the best brewery in Australia. Through a mix up with the next to useless staff we have the *Wild Saison, which is a brilliant beer, but not what I requested from my former staff member when she headed to the bar. It has a great citrus smell with a hint of that wild yeast. The taste could best be described as, much like me, sophisticated with the great body, complex, barnlike and brilliant.

La Sirene Wild saison - complete with the fancy bottle

And now I've been to the bar we have the right La Sirene beer - a Black Saison Now these are rare beers around these parts, but I’ve loved every black Saison I’ve ever had, so I have high expectations. This particular one is a very unusual beer. It’s got a great silky mouthfeel, a very sour taste, I really like this, it’s very unusual but I think it works.

La Sirene Black Saison in all it's blurry goodness

As you can see from the above the photos were starting to get a little blurry, as I was a) drinking b) caught up in the gossiping, postulating and general bullshitting, so there are no photos of the final three beers, just so brief notes...

Malt shovel Black IPA This was a risk as Malt Shovel are a macro craft brand, owned by Kirin, and we shouldn't have gone here, there are almost no hops and no malt, it’s a nothing beer I don’t understand its purpose.

Feral Dark Matter - a stout which is sweet, soft and very drinkable, a touch roasty and pretty darn good.

So there you go, five Australian beers and heap of laughs on a Thursday night at Beer Deluxe. If you find yourself in Melbourne and you are looking for somewhere to go that is super conveniently placed you could do a lot worse than Beer Deluxe.

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