Pumphouse Bar

Valentines Day @ Pumphouse

2012-02-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day @ Pumphouse

$40 for a dozen Oysters and Two glasses of De Perriere Blanc De Blanc!

Valentines Day can sure get you in a tangle. Should we make a big deal of it this year? Or should we ignore it? Much, of course, will depend on your current marital status. Singles amongst us can use the high pheromone activity to great advantage if prepared to. So much expectation, so much attention suddenly given to your single status- disproportionate perhaps to the importance of it! There are great opportunities for singles to cash in on the wave of romance. However this blog is actually not a guide to picking up on Valentines Day. Sorry if you found this after typing that very same question into google.
This concerns those in relationships that indeed have chosen to do something for the day. You still might also be in that very same tangle. Are we being more or less romantic by marking the day? If great romance is defined by spontaneity then is planning the occasion unromantic by definition?
True romantics often say to their partners “Every day is Valentines’ Day with you darling”. The social mavericks will often shun the day given its’ obviously commercial nature. You are not alone if you feel unsure exactly how to appropriately mark the day.

Here at Pumphouse we are running a great special for those looking to make Valentines Day plans. The $40 Oyster and Champagne deal gives you great leeway. Yes you’ll need to book a table so you lose a tiny element of surprise- but this gives you options. You are not locked into a 10 course digestation epic where by you are so full you can barely get out of your seat. You aren’t stuck in a cinema whereby the duration of the film becomes the centerpiece of your plans. You haven’t blown the budget on a night of theatre which perhaps puts too much pressure on the performance to create the exact mood you are looking for.
You are also perfectly located right in between Darling Harbour and China Town so you and your partner can get to us relatively easy from anywhere. You can use the Light Rail, Bus, Train or even Ferry to get well within walking distance. Spending the night worrying about being the designated driver is certainly not conducive to romance either!

So to all the lovers out there…don’t tie yourselves in knots, Valentines Day @ Pumphouse gives you enough options that you can still have a planned night of unplanned romance!

Australia Day @ Pumphouse

2012-01-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

Australia Day @ Pumphouse- We’ll Bring The Backyard To You! Beer Tastings, BBQ, Triple J’s Hottest 100 and the Cricket on the big screen!

When you think of National Day celebrations, images of Germen Lederhosen and Scottish Kilts spring to mind. The Irish even bother to put a parade on before the trip to the pub, but Australia Day has its own quirks;

1) The traditional Australian Of The Year controversial acceptance speeches

2) The “uproar” after aforementioned speech is made

3) A slightly underwhelming Fireworks display (come on NYE was only 26 days ago…can’t we do a 3D Laser show re-enacting Boony drinking a tinny?)

4) I think we might sail a few old ships around Sydney Harbour at some point in the morning but it is hard to tell with all of the other boats around anyway!

5) The serious debate over whether Australia Day should indeed be on this date at all given it is a solemn occasion for many Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians alike.

All of the above points are however quintessentially Australian- disagreements have been in our national fabric for hundreds if not thousands of years leading up to Federation. There are many Australians that still don’t approve of the National Anthem and want it replaced with Waltzing Matilda for example. So it is no surprise to this author at all that there are four essential unifying forces on Australia Day each year that we can agree on

The four pillars of our National Day are;

Beer

Music

Cricket

Snag Sangers

Pumphouse has brought out the big guns this year in every department for Australia Day 2012.

Beer: Our own specialty brews with free tastings including the classic Thunderbolt Strong Ale. Plus we have Holgate and the ever-popular Stone and Wood Brewery as very special guests! Stone & Wood Lager and the classic Pacific Ale ON TAP!

Music: What else but the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown? Pumphouse is an official venue!

Cricket: There are few more enjoyable sights in life than a rampant Australian attack ripping through the great Indian batting or bowling line-up! Here is hoping David Warner is batting!

Snag Sanger: The taste of a freshly barbequed snag with just the right amount of sauce, fried onions and mustard is an almost religious experience. I proudly worship at the church of a big booming Australia Day sambo.

So are you out and about this Australia Day? We’ll bring the traditional Aussie Backyard Experience to you! We have the absolute essentials all under one roof. We even have a waterfall feature right outside the bar for a quick cool down!

It all kicks off officially from 1pm Australia Day…hope to see you there

“When deciding between the legend or the truth, I stick with the legend”

2012-01-09T00:23:00.000-08:00

The Pumphouse- Still Spinning Yarns…Some of them are even true!

For regular visitors to the Pumphouse, it almost goes without saying that we have a story to tell. Up until now however…it sort of hasn’t been said! With so many new visitors to our great city of Sydney- our beer history is an oral one- told by our bartenders through the years in the best possible way…while you are drinking one of them!

Apparently however, this new contraption known as the“internet” is a medium whereby these same stories can be told outside of a pub, quite nifty. So here is a summary of some of the absolute drivel our bartenders talk about when you visit them.

FAQ 1: What ARE those 3 massive industrial lamp shades above the bar?

Drivel Answer: They are the original turbines from the Pumphouse when it was an actual Pump House, operational up until its close in the 1970s. They were carefully restored by hand.

Real Answer: Given they are made of fiberglass that was one forward thinking turbine design for early industrial Sydney! They are a custom built lampshades worth about $20,000 and were installed during the re-opening in 1999. Bartenders have been known to throw a muddling stick at it just to prove to our guests the material is not steel!

FAQ 2: What is that building next to the bar?

Drivel Answer: The building next door is owned by Neil Novotel, a French philanthropist.

Real Answer: It is a hotel called the Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour.If you stay there you can charge your beer tab to your hotel room. Scarily convenient.

FAQ 3: Where did you get the steel beams in the roof from?

Drivel Answer: The steel was ullage from the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Real Answer: Unknown!

So there is but a small sample of questions we get. It is funnier however when guests get revenge on us with some equally tall stories, for some reason, several punters believe THEY built the Pumphouse. Claims include:

“I built the original woodenfloor…this very floor you are now standing on”
The building was constructed 1891.
“ Thunderbolt used to be 20%-I drank it here”
Whilst it crept up to as much as 9% according to the original brewer, David Taylor, at no stage did we get to 20%!

Other random notable quotes that are factually questionable:

“I used to play cricket for Zimbabwe”
“I used to swim here before Darling Harbour got re-developed”
“This place used to fit about 2000 people in”
“I’m Snoop Dogg’s manager” (Whoops, that one was true…sorry Snoop Doggs manager)

So please let us know through some fairly tall stories you may have- as Tony Wilson’s character in 24 Hour Party People once said

“When deciding between the legend or the truth, I stick with the legend”

Pumphouse Christmas Survival Plan.

2011-12-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

Mention “Christmas” to a beer fanatic and they would say what it felt like when they first drank Mikkeller on tap. But the ACTUAL Christmas is upon us and can only mean two things:

1) Seeing members of your family say and do embarrassing things

2) Using point 1 as an excuse to drink outstanding Christmas seasonal beer.

You need a battle plan for the next 48 hours- make the right decisions now or you’ll be drinking Dad’s emergency plonk supply from the wine club in about 2002.

I highly recommend manipulating your families Christmas plans in the name of beer.

Here is your battle plan for Christmas:

*You have the best part of a day to secure a quality source of craft beer so;

a) Purchase Sierra Nevada’s Christmas Beer- Celebration Ale from Pumphouse take-away

b) Ensure if having Christmas Dinner out it is in walking distance of the Pumphouse and buy Nogne-O’s outstanding God Jul on tap

c) Create a “drama diversion” if cooking the Christmas dinner at home. Claim the dog ate the Christmas turkey you haven’t purchased yet. Do so at the latest point in time to create false sense of panic about lack of as yet unmentioned venue change.

NB: If not a dog owner, claim stray wild dog ate Christmas Turkey

d) Call cousins and let them know you have switched venues due to aforementioned dog. let them know to bring $70 per person.

e) Answer call from father asking why cousin called to confirm venue switch

f) Directly lie to father and book table at Pumphouse for $70 per person set menu.

g) Switch savings funds that wife/husband/significant other thought was for aforementioned turkey. Use funds for beer.

h) Directly lie to wife/husband/significant other

i) Refer any opposition from family to venue switch to a compromise offered at point B above.

With a flawless plan such as this to back you up, this year can be the disorganized yet beautifully messy Christmas you’ve always dreamed of.

Good luck.

A Norwgian Craft Beer Miracle

2011-11-27T23:48:00.000-08:00

If you type "Norwegian Beer" into Wikipedia, you'll find the read is, ironically,quite sobering. Even the quickest skim read will reveal that Norway, despitebeing built on perhaps one of the strongest beer cultures in the world, has almost lost all trace of this in thecompetitively stifled industrialisation period of the past 50 years.

The shortversion: Norwegian beer operates within a virtual duopoly. Carlsberg-Ringnesand Hansa Borg to be precise. Micro-brewedbeer in Norway just went from the farmhouse to the outhouse. If you operate apub in Norway, you are only allowed to choose ONE beer supplier of these two.At one stage in the early 20th century it was even outlawed to brew your ownbeer in your own house. Once publicans choose their supplier out of the two,the beers Norwegian consumers drink beer that cannot exceed 4.75% (or class Dbeers) otherwise the excise prices stronger beers out of the market. The onlyway to consume beers stronger than 4.75% is at a Vinmonopolet (Wine Monopoly Store).

The end result of all of this is best put by the Norwegian BrewersAssociation; they reveal 92% of all beer consumed in Norway is lager.

At this pointI think it is appropriate that followersof the Pumphouse Bar have a quiet moment of reflection to honour all of thegreat beers that never got a chance in Norway...

...Thank you.So with this bleak picture of market intervention in Norway comes the biggestquestion of the story;

How in helldid Nogne O become of the world's much loved micro-breweries?

KjetilJikiun, founding brewer in 2002, made the decision that only with a close-knitand extremely dedicated team could you possibly attempt to turn this recenthistory around. Over a period of 5 years, Kjetil and co would work for free. In other words, anyone who has survived what Kjetil callshis "natural selection" recruitment policy must therefore be prettydamn committed 5 years on. I would suggest that all at Nogne O in 2002 werecompletely and utterly mad.

As locals atPumphouse can attest, the beer itself is stunning. Aku Aku (Nogne O'sLemongrass Ale) is simply one of the best beers ever put on tap here. Our GMPeter Emery openly names Nighthawk Breakfast Brown Ale as his favouritebeer...meaning Pumphouse staff will indeed use this as emotional blackmail ifNogne O is ever threatened with delisting!

All in all,the Norwegien beer experience tells us we are pretty lucky to be in Australia.Whilst there are the similar themes of market dominance by majors, at least youcan still have beer advertised on television, find a boutique section in yourlocal bottleshop increasingly easier and also see two major breweries sittingside by side on tap.

Don't bealarmed, over the summer we will still have an almighty whinge here atPumphouse concerning the Henry Tax Review's impact on micro-brewing, low-carb"beer" and Strongbow. We will also probably say something disparagingabout the VB Warnie doll too.

So what is the big deal about Rogue? And Why Does The Pumphouse Sell It?

2011-11-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

" Rogue will be David, only this David doesn't really care if the stone hits the giant or not. Just the idea of throwing the stone is exciting"

As the "Dare Risk Dream" ethos of the US micro-brewing pioneer suggests, there is an almost magnetic attraction to an underdog such as Rogue Ales. Furthermore, an underdog that doesn't care if it ever has it’s "day" is just plain dangerous to the brew-by-numbers majors. Rogue, starting from one of many typically humble beginnings of the US craft beer revolution in 1988, have never taken a backward step when challenging the modern day beer palate. But this is not a blog about that...well, not exactly.

Rather than cut and paste bits and pieces from the Rogue Ales website and throw in a few useless and inaccurate Aussie-centric tasting notes (like a Coopers Sparkling but hoppier etc etc), I'd much rather get to the bit where we explain why these great beers sit in our fridges today. You see, it’s not necessarily because brewmaster John Maier brews some of the best Pales, Stouts or any other beer style you care to mention. It is not even the novelty of having a drop of Oregon's finest on the complete other side of the world. It is because Rogue makes beer EXCITING.

As a rule of thumb in marketing beer in Australia, we are generally left with the metaphorical Carlton Clydesdale- safely pottering around the landscape. Never bolting, just plodding along. Beer is code word for lager and lager is code word for chemical laden flavourlessness. Put Lara Bingle in a bikini with it and move on. Given the distinct lack of choice in the vast majority of bars, pubs and clubs around the country, you couldn't really blame the consumer for never wondering if something else is out there, because, invariably... it hasn't been. Do you really think the next Tooheys beer release would be a joint venture with an organic doughnut factory that is flavoured with maple syrup and bacon? No, me neither.

To complicate matters, mention "American Beer" to most Australians and from 9/10 you'll hear about the laxative effects of Budweiser. It is an understandable perception, but one that bars like the Pumphouse must always challenge. We're not tucked away in some "funky" lane in "funky" Melbourne - we are slap bang in between the Stuffed Koala souveneir shops of China Town and the Paddlepop Lion themed play parks of Darling Quarter, Sydney. In other words we must be absolutely out of our minds to continue our tradition of selling craft beer here! Especially in an area where the once thriving wharves no longer exist, not since prior to the Darling Harbour development... coincidentally also in 1988.

But we do take up the challenge of selling India Pale Ales to Mums and Dads that just took the kids to see The Wiggles. We don't preach to the converted, we convert them. We are the home of our own brew - the 6.4% Thunderbolt, named after a bushranger and brewed by the original King...David Taylor. A tradition continued by the very talented Matt Donlan to this day. We started this craft beer trip before Juan Antonio Samaranch said "And the Winner Is - Sydney" firing the chain reaction that lead to a hotel being built where the once mighty Tankstream Brewery once stood.

We sell Rogue because we are Rogues. Kindred spirits. Beer tragics. Guilty as charged.

Cheers...and welcome to the new Pumphouse blog!

Josh Cooke (Store Dude)

PS We have nothing against the Paddlepop Lion.