Hartland

So, Dan came up with a really good idea "lets create a blog about beer" and where else to tell me... that's right in a bar. Wild horses wouldn't have been able to stop me from being a part of a blog purely about beer. We just want this to be about good craft beer, which leads us to the first bar/pub/hotel off the rank... drum roll please... Harts Pub.

Situated in the historic Rocks area we have possibly one of Australia's best kept beer secrets. With an impressive 12 Australian beers on tap at any given time which change very regularly, friendly bar staff, great food (beware of the Rocks Poppers if you are not a spice fan), happy hours and a Harts membership card (read free beer) - you can see why we come here a lot.

Set over 2 levels with a bar on each floor and a cozy beer garden out the back, this is one place where you can settle in for a great session. Membership at Harts is free and whenever you buy drinks or food,10% of the total is kept as credit which you can cash in for anything... well more drinks or food, most likely drinks.....

Now let's get down to business. Harts boasts 4 house beers which are on tap all year round. There are 7 other taps which change very regularly -or when they run out and are always Australian (not necessarily NSW brews) and are always very good. Lastly there is one tap left for Cider. The 4 usual suspects are  "The Butcher","The Governor", "The Boxer"  & "The Hangman" and are brought to you by the Rocks Brewing Co.  All of these beers are $9 a pint and $5 for a half, there is also another size inbetween, a 3/4 perhaps?

As we were trying to be "professional", Dan and I opted for 2 tasting paddles. Each one consists of 4 beers of your choice (100ml) and are $10 a paddle.  Given we're not all that inventive we ordered the 4 Rocks Brewing Co. beers, of which "The Governor" was out - so a bit of switch hitting was in order. We ended up ordering the 3 other house beers in addition to the "Redhead Lager", "Schwartz Pilsner", "Burleigh Hef", "Feral Rye IPA" and the "Hop Hog IPA".

So lets start breaking these down.

The Hangman Pale Ale weighs in at 4.9% and is a perfect introduction to Harts.The malt is the first flavour that comes to mind and although it is an American style Pale Ale the hops are not overpowering so it is easily drinkable. There is also a slight citrus aroma which is quite appealing making the Hangman a solid session beer and one you will often find coming back to time and time again.

Next up is The Boxer Red Ale at 4.1%. In my opinion this is a classic Irish Red Ale, the malt comes through nicely straight off the bat (or is it the paddle?) and there are also some distinctive caramel and toffee flavours in there as well. I could have easily had a few pints of this but in the name of research split my 100ml glass with Karl and tried to contain my resentment. Did I say how much I liked this one?

The Butcher is a well bodied chocolate malty Porter with a silky smooth taste, an ode to dark beers and one I could imagine being slowly slipped whilst reclining in an armchair in front of an open fire on a winter's evening. It comes in at 5.5%, so not too strong and nowhere near as hefty as their stout brethen (which can be hard work on a hot summer's day). 

First non house beer for us was the Burleigh Hef, a decent hefeweizen from the Burleigh Brewing Co. in QLD (and who said the Queenslanders couldn't make a craft beer!). This wheat beer has a lovely citrus finish and a cloudy consistency typical of a hefeweizen. It is great for a couple, but we wouldn't class this as a session beer. For a pint it costs $12.50 and has an alcohol content of 4.9%.

Sydney's Barons Brewing Co. have just released their limited edition Redhead Lager. This cheeky little number has a fantastic fruity aroma with a strong and distinctive caramel flavour with a subtle citrus undertone. Similar to The Boxer this should be enjoyed in copious amounts. At 5% and $9.50 a pint this one is a no brainer.
 
For everyone familiar with the Macquarie Hotel you would know about the Schwartz Brewery. This is a great example of a German Pilsner and has been slowly creeping into pubs all over Sydney. Its pale golden hue is accentuated by its hoppy fragrance and taste. Perfect for a sunny afternoon session this can literally be enjoyed by anyone. It costs $9.60 a pint and has an alcohol content of 5%.

Next up we have the 2 Feral Brewing Co. beers - The Hop Hog IPA and the Feral Rye IPA. The Feral Brewery from W.A. make a diverse number of beers, ranging from Barleywine infused concoctions to Russian Imperial Stouts to good old fashioned Brown Ales. The Hop Hog IPA has plenty of hops (as the name suggests) and was ranked #3 in the Australian Best Beers Critics Choice last year. For people unfamiliar with hoppy beers we would recommend trying this on a paddle first. It's (even hoppier) big brother, the Feral Rye IPA at 7.5% is a perfect nightcap for beer lovers but take it from us you don't want to be hitting this all afternoon, as it really packs a punch! The Hop Hog IPA comes in at 5.8% and both beers are $12.50 a pint.

After the hard work of paddle tasting and note taking we felt a couple of quiet relaxing pints were in order as there were 2 beers on the board we hadn't tried yet - The Holgate Brick Kiln and Bridge Road Brewers Australian Ale, both from Victoria.

The Brick Kiln is a traditional Bavarian dark wheat beer made from imported German malts that leaves a decent bitter aftertaste in your mouth after the first sip. The colour surprised me as I was expecting it to be a lot darker but this is a damn fine Dunkel Weizen! It weighs in at 5.3% and is $12.50 a pint.

Since Dan and I grew up about a 30 min drive from Bridge Road Brewers it's a bit hard to be non-bias about this beer... we will give it a go. Bridge Road never fail to disappoint - and this is no exception. A classic example of an Ale offering a soft floral aroma backed up by a smooth fruity flavour, I could drink this Ale all night long - and at 4.4% it's easily done. A pint will set you back $12.50.

As Dan and I were about to call an end to our session, Harts managed to surprise us with the tapping of a new beer... how could we leave before a quick sample... okay a pint.

John Boston Premium Lager is a beer both Dan and I have enjoyed before. This is a lightly malted full strength lager, with a bitter finish. This was an excellent finisher to our beer tasting bonanza, at 4.9% and from our slightly hazy memory, pints were around $10.

When visiting Harts, make sure you take the time to go upstairs and read some of the quotes on the wall.

As a wise man once said - "Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy".

Until next time.

Harts Pub
Corner Essex and Gloucester Street, The Rocks
Happy Hour is Mon-Fri, 1700-1900 (house beers & members only)
Opening Hours: Mon-Wed 11am-Midnight; Thurs-Sat 11am-1am; Sun 11am-11pm