Few people know Aussie beer like renowned writer and brewer Willie Simpson, so when he calls a venue “the best beer bar in the land” it’s time to pay attention. Since opening early in 2008, The Local Taphouse in St Kilda has been tearing through 200 different beers a year on its 20 taps and fighting the craft beer cause in an area of Melbourne that has seen its pubs slowly disappear from the landscape.

With wood panels and beer memorabilia creating a warm and welcoming traditional pub feel reminiscent of a vintage 1930s European beer tavern, the bar opened by self-confessed beer nuts Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone is at the forefront of the crusade for better beer. It hosts monthly Ale Star beer appreciation sessions, BrewShare evenings for home brewers and seasonal, themed SpecTAPular beerfests that draw huge crowds to sample beers rarely, if ever, found on tap anywhere in Australia. Tasting paddles allow drinkers to sample a range of beers before deciding on their favourites while Monthly Showcases give brewers the chance to put their entire range of beers on tap at once.

With a great upstairs beer garden, tasty pub grub cooked – and matched – with beer, more than 70 carefully selected bottled beers and knowledgeable bar staff, it’s little wonder the bar has picked up a swag of national awards – or that Steve and Guy have already opened a second Taphouse in Darlinghurst that’s bringing the revolution to Sydneysiders.