The Beer Pilgrim West Coast Beer Trail 001

Words, Photography & Film by: Tim Charody on January 01 2015

The idea of coming to the West Coast to do a beer trail has been in the back of my mind for years, ever since I sipped on my first glass of Feral’s famous ‘Hop Hog’ Pale Ale in a little inner-city bar in Sydney.. It was the moment that made me think; ‘wow! If this is west coast beer and it still tastes this good after travelling the same distance as London to Moscow, then I’ve got to get to the source!’

But my decision to come here wasn’t just a big excuse to suckle at the teat of Feral Brewery, there are plenty of other reasons to make a pilgrimage to the West Side. Famous names in the beer world like Nail Ale, Little Creatures, Sail and Anchor, Bootleg, Colonial, Mash and Eagle Bay all call the West Coast home, not to mention great surf, cool locals, beautiful scenery, great local produce and Kevin Bloody Wilson.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised I just had to go – a week later I was on a plane to the other side of this huge island I call home.

I covered a huge amount on the Wessiide so I will be dividing this Beer trail into 4 separate instalments:

Fremantle
Perth
Swan Valley
South of Perth-to-Margaret River.

001 : FREMANTLE

I think a great place to start your West Coast adventure is Fremantle. Fremantle is a true beer-hub of the Perth region and a short stroll around this hip and happening little spot can take you to piles of incredible craft beer bars and breweries.

Here are my top spots in Freo:

Location: Cnr Marine Tce & Essex St, Fremantle

Opening Times: Mon-Wed : 2pm – late / Thurs-Sun : 11am-late

Popular Food: Bratwurst Hotdog, tomato relish, balsamic onions. Prawn skewers and bbq sauce.

Beer Options: The entire Matilda Bay range.

Phone Number: (08) 9432 4000

Website: http://theballandchain.com.au

Location: 47 South Tce, Fremantle

Opening Times: Mon-Sat : 11am-midnight / Sun : 11am-10pm

Popular Food: Lamb ribs with mint, pepita pesto and Italian Coleslaw. Battered Shark Bay Whiting with hand-cut chips.

Beer Options: Over 20 beers to choose from ranging from lesser known craft beers up to your mainstay Australian and imported brews. Also boasts a strong list of local craft options from WA.

Phone Number: (08) 9335 5405

Website: http://www.norfolkhotel.com.au

Location: 64 South Tce , Fremantle

Opening Times: Mon-Tues : 11am-11pm / Wed-Thurs : 11am-12am / Fri-Sat : 10am-1am / Sun : 10am-10pm

Popular Food: Beer and Beef steak sanga. Crispy skin salmon.

Beer Options: A proud pioneer and supporter of the local craft beer industry, pouring the entire Sail and Anchor range as well as a great selection of other local brews such as Feral, Nail, Mash and Last Drop.

Phone Number: 08 9431 1666

Website: http://www.sailandanchor.com.au

Location: 51 Cantonment St, Fremantle.

Opening Times: Mon-Sat : 11am-late / Sun : 11am-10pm

Popular Food: Seafood paella. Chili mussels and sourdough.

Beer Options: Plenty of local and imported beer options. This venue prides itself on it’s wide selection of local beers so whatever local brew you might be looking for, you can probably find it here!

Phone Number: (08) 9335 1351

Website:http://clancysfishpub.com.au/fremantle.html

Location: 33 South Terrace, Fremantle

Opening Times: Mon-Fri : 11:30am-late / Sat and Sun : 8:30am-late

Popular Food: Szechuan Squid tentacles. Sticky pork belly and seared scallops.

Beer Options: ’The Monk’ brew their own range onsite – Mild, Kolsch, Wheat, IPA, Pale Ale, Rauch, Porter and American-style Brown Ale as well as seasonals and one-off batches are all available.

Phone Number: (08) 9336 7666

Website: http://www.themonk.com.au