Bar Fred 10/04/13

"Shut in B.E.E.R.S."

Attendees: Cam, Sarah, Richo, Joey, Pig
Price: $5-$16 for bottled beers, majority around $6.50. Good price for nice bottled beers.
Location: 797 Nicholson St. Near the corner of Park St.
Ambiance: Definitely an über-local, lounge room type vibe. Faint aroma of Mary Jane floating through the place, care-free and relaxed atmosphere.
Character: Done in an American bar/pizza joint style. Long and narrow venue makes it feel cosy regardless of how many people are in there.
Decor: Functional chic. Decorations are utilitarian- part storage, part decoration- large jars of pickled onions, or big containers of oil line the walls. Lots of pretty beer bottles let you know why you're there. There's a lot going on, but still feels minimalist, it isn't overdone. Beautiful feature-mural of giant birds done in a tribal, Native American sort of style. Highlights the room.
Comfort: Not enough communal tables, but plenty of seats at the bar. If you don't get the one communal table, could make group situations quite isolating. There's an area at the front for pizza dining, or a couple of couches out the back for some cozy-ing. They can (and do) change the seating arrangements around so they are flexible and I'm sure accommodating if there were multiple large groups.
Patrons: Feels like your neighbours are having a beer with you. No suburb imports, highly contrasting with last week's endeavour.
Staff: Old mate is legendary. Not averse to a shut-in for dedicated punters, he hates to see the party stop. Closing times are pretty arbitrary. Staff are very knowledgeable of their beers and are more than happy to help you with your decisions.
Selection: No tap beers, but a fantastic selection of local and international craft beers. The bottled selection makes tap beers obsolete, and having taps would change the whole dynamic and crowd of the venue.
Beer Garden: On street tables, but not much.
Weekly Specials: Front half of the bar is a pizza joint that is quite cheap and apparently pretty yummy.
L.S.R.: Self-dimmer equals a self determined LSR depending on your mood! Although overall there are a few too many lights. Music was chill and ambient, although old mate isn't partial to letting you change up the music.
Amenities: Beautiful flower artwork in the women's, the men's have palm trees growing out of the troughs to satisfy your jungle desires.
Top Suggestion: Increase the amount of group seating. If you are with a group of more than three people, there may not be adequate seating for you.
Field Notes: At the time of finishing the review, we're here twenty minutes past official closing time and there has been no mention of last drinks, or any pressure whatsoever to wrap things up.
Memorable Quotes: "I've had a few shit haircuts in my day. I've had multiple types of mohawks." -CLG
"This is a place I could come every day after work if I was an alcoholic." -RW
"Its like choose-your-own-adventure lighting." -RW
"Feels like I'm drinking leaves." -SK
"Can we have one more drink, or do you want to close?" -AT. "Eh, who am I to say no?" -The owner.

Arbitrary Score: 95!

When you stay back an hour and a half past closing time on a Wednesday night sinking beers with the owner, sharing stories, knowledge and joints, you know you have found the ultimate local hangout.

The Great Northern 01/04/13

"The Come-Back B.E.E.R.S."

Attendees: Cam, Sarah, Jamie, Willsy and Richo (Michael and Ned left early).
Price: $9.20 for a pint of Carlton Draught. Rest of the beers range from $10-$13.5, a little expensive, but expected for the boutique beers.
Location: 644 Rathdowne St, North Carlton
Distance: 10 min ride from Wello.
Ambiance: No longer a 'local' vibe. Should be a great pub to come to anytime, but has been 'too discovered'. The Northern has gone for a 'bigger is better' attitude and has sacrificed some of its charms along the way.
Character: The building is a beautiful old traditional drinking establishment, with nice bare brick walls. Great character.
Decor: Needs a bit more thought. Sloppy placement of pot-plants, overly cluttered and claustrophobic, even when empty. Too many T.V.s that distract you from conversation.
Comfort: Way too many seating options. They have tried to cram in as many tables and chairs as possible which makes it a bit uncomfortable. They only place you feel like there is any breathing space is at the bar. There are a couple of booths outside that provide a welcome sanctuary from the hustle bustle of the rest of the place.
Patrons: Hard to effectively judge on Easter Monday, but from previous experiences it seems to be normally fulled with 'suburb imports,' an older, outer suburb crowd, that have migrated for an inner-north experience. It should be a local, but people travel to come here.
Staff: A little bit jaded, perhaps from dealing with too many dickheads. But they were happy to have a bit of banter and a chat, perhaps they just seemed a little disinterested as it was so quiet and a public holiday.
Selection: The highlight of the place, 17 beers on tap with only Carlton Draught as the only 'masses beer'. Nice concentration on Australian craft beers, with a couple of great international choices to complete a fantastic beer menu.
Beer Garden: Very large beer garden, but way too packed with tables and chairs. Can barely walk through it, even when there is no-one there. The have a large separate outdoor bar which would be very helpful when it's busy.
Jamie had an issue with the stairs that led to nowhere, but as one of the staff pointed out to him, "It's about the journey!"
It would be a good place to watch sporting events, with projector screens and multiple T.V.s.
Specials: They have weekly steak nights and parma nights but the quality of the food drops dramatically on these nights. Also have a weekly trivia event.
Have an extensive menu and a large dining area, but the food is too expensive and not that great.
L.S.R.: Pretty close to spot-on. Music is loud enough to enjoy, but does not impede on conversation in any way. Well-lit to see your buddies, but not overly bright.
Amenities: Quite modern and clean, in contrast to the old building, but in a good way.
Top Suggestion: Declutter, take out some tables and chairs (and maybe some patrons with it), let the people enjoy a bit of space.
Field Notes: Fantastic huge bike racks out the front, catering to the bike-centric clientele of the area.
Memorable Quotes: "This beer's gutless" C.W.
"Sinkholes: Nature's greatest predator" J.H.
"I like hoppy beers...Oh! What's that taste?" S.K. (ummm that would be the hops Sarah!)
"General theme: Overkill" J.H.
"Northern equivalent to the Precinct" R.W.
"How'd he get on the telly? Hideous looking being" C.W.

Arbitrary Score: 76
The beer selection really bumped up the points for The Great Northern, which otherwise would be just another run-of-the-mill, soulless pub that caters to sports crowds and large groups.