Beer and plenty of it…
When you read up on Michael Hope, the owner of the sprawling Hope Estate Empire, it is clear that he doesn’t do anything by halves. Wine, beer, rock concerts and now gin – he’ll always go big.
Over the past couple of months, there’s a fairly substantial renovation of the cellar door at Pokolbin. You’ve always been able to sample some beers and buy some wines – but it has gone next level with three distinct sections – Beer, Spirits and Wine. The beer section is mighty. 22 taps, 2 big Untappd screens and plenty of staff churning out tasting paddles as fast as the punters will order them.
Plenty of space, inside and out
And lately Hope Brewery has been going very big with their beers. Just about everything they are making has the word Imperial in it. Their sour series has been nuts with every fruit bomb weighing in at 8%.
One of their latest bevvies is an Imperial Hefeweizen. I racked my brains to remember if I’d ever seen one. Plenty of Imperial Hefe on Untappd, but I reckon this might be an Aussie First. Nothing subtle about this. The 9% booze is very evident, but there’s lots of the great Hefeweizen features – banana, clove etc It looks bloody good as well. Available in cans at the brewery (but I wish they’d sell singles) and on tap.
So for beer lovers, the Hunter has become bus worthy. Foghorn and Hope have good food options and plenty of beer variety. And it isn’t just about the beer anymore.
Hope Brewery: 2213 Broke Road, Pokolbin, NSW
back of the ferry 