So on this wet and windy day we all met up for a pint at The Welcome Hotel, upon entering you could almost picture being in England or Ireland... miserable weather but great beer! Tucked away on Evans Street this pub survives on its reputation and what a reputation it has! Being a small intimate pub The Welcome overflows with atmosphere, whether it is the old coasters and scotch labels on the walls, the old beer ads or the open bar which allows you to see what's happening in the rest of the pub. It lives up to its name and is extremely welcoming and every time you enter the pub, a warm feeling of friendliness comes over you - a sense of belonging, even if it's your first visit or you've been drinking there for a life time.
For all of us out there that enjoy a good beer garden, you won't be disappointed with The Welcome. Nestled out past the restaurant and the main bar the pub opens up to reveal a beer garden to rival all contenders.The garden running around the walls houses lovely ferns, which on a nice afternoon block out the sun and seem to have a cooling effect - and on a warm sunny day this does seem to be the most popular spot to be.
Well we had talk about some beers, or I'm going to rattle on about how great this pub is for at least another ten paragraphs and bore you all to death. They have the usual suspects on tap - Carlton Draught, Toohey's New, Guinness, Kilkenny, Coopers Pale Ale and a Cider. But it's not the standard beers you read our blog for, so here we go.
John Boston, Pale Ale
Dan: I was actually surprised to see this beer on tap at The Welcome. A lot of places are running the Boston Lager on tap, but in my humble opinion the Pale Ale is a real gem of a brew which appeals to both lager and ale drinkers alike. Indeed, this shining beacon of beeriness has enough bitterness for the hop fiends out there and is by no means "heavy going" making it nicely sessionable for pretty much anyone. Were you surprised with this one too Karl?
Karl: Dan I have seen John Boston pop up in a few bars now too. This Pale Ale is more of a German Style with a lovely fruity aroma and flavour, with a slight hop aftertaste - Dan I must be a hop fiend, because I didn't get much bitterness out of this beer at all. This is a very tasty beer and can easily be knocked back all year round.
Morland Brewery, Old Speckled Hen
Karl: Okay Dan I will try not to talk about this one tooooooo much. Old Speckled Hen is in my top 5 favourite beers of all time, so to have this cheeky little number on tap at my local (well one of my locals, this is Balmain), is a huge draw card... also to have it pumped off nitrogen means I seriously find it hard to drink anything else at The Welcome. Old Speckled Hen is not a beer that has been around for centuries (unlike the Mortland Brewery that was first founded in 1711); its inception came from brewing a beer to mark MG's 50th Anniversary in 1979. Old Speckled Hen boasts a strong floral fragrance and a lovely toffee and malty flavour that make this one of the most drinkable beers in the world. At a ABV of 5.2% this does net get in the way of the magnificent flavour. So Dan are you as big a fan of this beer as me?
Dan: I'm actually quite impressed with your history knowledge here. All I know is that they used to have this at my local bottle shop for $15 a sixpack. Incidentally this is the first international beer we have reviewed for our blog and not a bad choice either! The lovely toffee flavour is the most distinctive element of this beer for me and the maltiness drags you back to the bar repeatedly. If you are a Kilkenny fan then I would heartily recommend Old Speckled Hen and having it pumped of nitrogen is... pure genius (Guinness pun not intended).
There is a beautiful atmosphere at The Welcome and it is nice to see some top quality beers on tap too. The beer garden is up there as one of the best in Sydney, and with a fantastic bistro out the back this is one local that is worth making the journey over to Balmain for.
Until next time.
The Welcome Hotel
91 Evans Street
Balmain/Rozelle
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