Tipples Beer Review #56 – Bonehead Brewing (Aust)

This week’s story is everything I like about beer, the social aspect, the localism and of course darn good beer.
This week myself and my lovely partner Jordan went to a new brewery which has opened up in the next suburb over from us – It’s called Bonehead Brewing and there is a lot to like about it.

I first heard of it when a excited workmate came to talk to me on a Monday morning a few weeks back, all excited that there was a new brewery within two streets of his house, and just a little bit proud he’d been there before I had, for my part I was a little annoyed that he had got there before me.

So this became our ritual for the next three weekends, first thing Monday morning he would come in a ask ‘You been to Bonehead yet?” I would also have to say not yet, I was insert annoying thing that wasn’t drinking beer in here but this weekend, knowing that I could have this conversation again I managed to make it there, even if it was at 4.30pm on a Sunday afternoon for a brewery that closes at 6pm.

I thought it would be quiet, we’d pop in have a few brews, likely talk to the slightly bored and worried looking owner and then I’d tell Reidy all about it on Monday morning, well although I got to discuss it with Reidy on Monday it was not quiet at all – nope it was packed.

Okay it’s not a huge place, maybe seats 50 but she was all filled up late on a Sunday afternoon, everyone in there was the same person, mid to late 30’s tired looking, small child in tow, and desperately clingy to a life pre children when they could go for a Sunday session. It looked like the owner’s where firmly in that demo too, there were a couple of kids playing upstairs in the ‘Office’ whilst their parents worked the bar.

But enough of the back story, most importantly how was the brews, we had four beers...

Sweet Pea MDL
I'm impressed by anyone who tries to brew a dark lager, a chocolate infused dark lager and you might even be my new best friend. Is this one good? well kinda, the flavours are all there in the start of the sip but they melt away too quick, leaving you with something not quite crisp enough to be a good lager, but lacking the chocolate maltiness of say a 2brothers Growler or a true chocolate stout.

Prickled pink
This is a picked berliner Weiss. Again it’s an easy drinker, sort of a halfway point towards a really interesting sour beer, it has undertones of cucumber a day pickle, a nice attempt but I don't think I'd go there again.

Junior Belgian blonde
is their best brew so far, it’s a well constructed, strict to style beer, light in colour a touch cloudy, very refreshing and well made.

Revered red ale
has a certain burnt quality which I'm not sure I'm okay with, this is another beer that I think could do with a little more
sweet malt to round it out a bit.

I’m so happy that this brewery has struck a chord with the locals in Kensington, it proves that a brewery done right can become part of the community in a matter of weeks. I’d like to see them push their beers a little, I understand what they are doing making the easy drinkers to get people in the door, and they have another 4 taps spare so I have a feeling, buoyed by the early success they will push it more.

So if you are in the inner city of Melbourne, Australia, head to Kengsington and Bonehead, you could even combine it with Henry Street brewery which is walking distance from there and have your own (small) brewery crawl.
As always this story is entered in @Detlev’s Beer Saturday competition, so check out the other entries here: https://steemit.com/beersaturday/@detlev/40-weeks-of-beer-madness-steemit-beersaturday-challenge-week-40-comes-with-40-sbd-in-prizes and vote before or on my comment on the main page if you want me to win.

Bonehead's awesome artwork