My favourite bottle
shop in Sydney has to be 'Liquor On Oxford' on Oxford St in Surry
Hills. It had doubled in size since my last visit, they occupied two
plots and had knocked the wall through creating this big double sized
space of amazingness. The thing that really stood out in my mind was
how good the selection of wines and spirits used to be, along with at
the time, some very fancy imported beers. I was happy, overjoyed when
I saw a couple of fridges full of craft beers from all over
Australia, New Zealand, some from the USA and even a few from England
with some classics from Belgium and Germany. A mix of some very fine
beers.
One beer out of the
bunch really stuck out, like a cat amongst the pigeons but not
causing a disturbance as such. I'm yet to buy it or try it, 'Sorachi
Ace' by the Brooklyn Brewery out of NYC. An epic Saison, hopped with
a rare and quirky hop Sorachi Ace, a hop I'm told is so unique and
delightful that it is almost a king of the hops. When perusing the
selection I couldn't help my eyes being drawn back to it. It wouldn't
escape my mind and my view. No matter how hard I tried it was there.
Saying this, it's a surprise to me to how I didn't buy it, maybe the
fact it was $25 a bottle was putting me off. I was staring at it for
so long and so hard that it was like I'd unconsciously undressed it.
The cap was off, the first bit of Carbon DiOxide had escaped the
bottle. Its aroma had been released, but it hadn't, the lid was on
and the bottle was still on the shelf in the fridge safely behind a
double glazed glass door. If I'd stared that hard at any attractive
woman, I would have been reprimanded or had my wrists slapped as the
least possible form of punishment. If I had telekinetic powers I
would have had my eyes removed.
About half an hour had
passed, looking at all the wines, spirits and beers time was getting
on. It was inappropriate to be in there for so long, empty handed and
without a clue. I eventually left with a couple of bottles of wine
and two different beers from a Victoria based brewery, 2 Brothers.
Sold on the names
mainly, a Belgian Brown Ale called 'James 'Belgian' Brown' and a
Baltic Porter. I started on the Baltic Porter as it was the beer of
lesser strength. A gorgeous Porter, I haven't seen it on tap yet but
when I do I will buy it, again and again and again. I don't know what
makes a Baltic Porter a Baltic Porter, maybe the style, differing
slightly from the London style but to be honest I don't know by how
much and what. Maybe a lighter malt character, I'm not sure.
I have to add that when
I picked the beers out of the fridge I didn't know how much they
costed. There was no ticket on the shelf and I didn't think to ask,
maybe if I had I wouldn't picked those beers after all. They ended up
setting me back over $20 for the pair. I suppose it really does pay
to ask.
James Brown shuffled
his was out of the fridge, his top popper off and the dark brown
liquid slid out the glass like the man himself over the dance floor.
He gave us his moves and this beer did what it could to replicate the
'Godfather of Funk'. A kind of Trappist style Brown Ale. If it was
given to you at a blind tasting and you didn't know it was Australian
of origin, you would instantly assume it were an actual Belgian beer.
Very soft and smooth
and sweet like a treacle tart. A lovely drop, a bloody delicious
beer. I split the bottle into three small glasses. My mum had a taste
of the glass that was destined for my dad and enjoyed it so much that
she polished it off for him. It was unanimous, a great beer, enjoyed
by all of us.
Couldn't find a website but here's a little bit about the best liquor store in Sydney
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