The Pumphouse

The Pumphouse in Sydney has been around for a long time, in various guises and functions. I first became familiar with it in the 80s, where it vied with the Lord Nelson as the beer lover's venue of choice.

At the time, it produced a few ales in-house, including Bulls Head Best Bitter, Federation Ale, and the classic Thunderbolt strong ale....... I have done some very silly things after drinking 5 or so pints of Thunderbolt.....

The Pumphouse has reestablished itself among the top beer venues of Sydney. Good friend Barney & I dropped in there last night (as the first stop on a two-stop tour... more to come on that). I was excited by many things; a BrewDogs beer on tap (their 5am Saint, a hopped red ale), three house beers (including Thunderbolt), and a range of bottled beers that demands serious attention.

The guys behind the bar are falling over themselves to give you a tasting, and will talk the leg off the proverbial chair given half a chance.

The highlights for me were the 5am Saint, the full range of Murray's beers, including Angry Man, Shaun's Fault, and Spartacus, and also, at long last, some Sierra Nevada ales from California. There were other Americans there as well, such as Rogue etc., but I aimed straight for the Sierra Nevada Torpedo, and was not disappointed.

I think you'd need a good week to get through the beers on offer here. In the 80s and 90s, another Sydney venue, Jackson's on George, boasted of its range of beers, and awarded those who made their way through the range. This of course not only promoted irresponsible alcohol consumption, but irresponsible choice of beer.... you had to drink the rubbish as well the good stuff to get your gong.

I don't expect the Pumphouse would go down this path. Besides, the variety of beer available these days is wide and everchanging; people will keep coming back just to see what's new.

Life's too short to drink bad beer (to paraphrase the late Len Evans). I suggest, however, allocating a reasonable chunk of it to attending the Pumphouse. You won't be disappointed.