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When Molly Rose Brewery first opened its doors in 2019 in a Collingwood backstreet, northside craft beer lovers rejoiced. Though it’s not difficult to find the local brewer’s creations at bars and good bottle shops around town, there’s something to be said for drinking at the spot where all the beer alchemy takes place – from the fermentation process to that final frothy pour.
In March 2023, the brewery enticed locals further with an ambitious expansion involving a takeover of the building next door, the add-on of a leafy beer garden and the hiring of creative new Thai-born chef, Ittichai Ngamtrairai, who dished up arguably one of the city's best value Chef's Table experiences.
Though Ngamtrairai may have since left Molly Rose to return to Scott Pickett's Matilda, the magic of the unique brewery-slash-gastropub-slash-bar remains. From Wok Wednesdays and Sip and Slurp laksa nights on Thursdays (and even the hosting of a culinary star-studded laksa festival) to custom gin-making masterclasses and workshops run by local creatives, there's always something cool happening at this inner north hive.
The venue itself is hard to define, a narrow warehouse hodgepodge of drinking and dining areas, each with a different sense of purpose. If you’re all about a beer-matched meal, here you can enjoy a very good one. Snack on pork jowl skewers with satay and smoked yoghurt, Thai-style fried chicken or excellent watermelon tartare with whipped tofu, or if you can't decide, go all out with the $69 Feed Me menu.
If you'd rather just pop in for a cocktail, the staff here know their stuff and will happily make a suggestion tailored to your preferences.
For beer lovers who prefer to sink their frothies among the silver vats, there’s a seat by the separate bar in the space next door. The brewery's founder, Nic Sandery, is known for creating excellent brews that combine traditional styles with playful new riffs. You can hear him geek out about this stuff with guests over at his podcast, Do You Realise That You Have The Most Beautiful Taste??
Right now, I'm loving the crisp and refreshing Pare Pair Pear, a juicy saison mixing Packham and Bosc pears that have spent the autumn and winter months ageing in a barrel-fermented saison. I also can't get enough of a hazy citrus ale, the aptly named When Life Gives You Lemons.
On a recent visit, I also sampled from the new véraison range, which is Sandrey's small-batch selection of gins and pastis. The pepperberry gin is a favourite, best tried with pickled ginger liquid via the brewery's new cocktail In a Pickle.
Molly Rose Brewery is a well-known beer producer, one of the most daring in Melbourne right now, but what they’ve got going on in Collingwood is exciting all on its own. If you’re a liquor lover who lives north of the river, a chat with the experts here is an unmissable experience.