Melbourne CBD’s very own one stop shop for beer, comprising brewery, bar and restaurant all under one roof. The Portland Hotel features one of James Squire’s fully operational Brewhouses in one corner of a bar that pours the brewery’s full range plus one-offs and seasonals brewed in house and the occasional Mad Brewers beers, making it what we like to think of as a gateway venue – the sort of place you can bring a newcomer to craft beer and take them from a gentle introduction to more full-flavoured beers.

The specials brewed in-house vary from those that offer different levels of US-inspired hoppiness, with the Portland Pale and one end of the scale and the Two Centurions at the other, to stouts and wheat beers. Every time a new one is launched, anyone signed up to the hotel’s mailing list is invited to come and sample for free before they go on general sale.

Other than the beers, the bar is a popular spot for people grabbing a bite to eat from the extensive menu of pub classics and those wanting to catch sport on the many TVs and large screen. The venue occasionally brews beers specially for big sporting events too, such as the 22 Yards ale for the Ashes cricket and Spear Tackle Ale featuring Kiwi hops for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Located inside one of Melbourne’s old hotels – a building with a long history both as a pub and, prior to the James Squire Brewhouse being installed in 2001, as one of Melbourne’s original “gentlemen’s clubs”, Santa Fe – it offers brewery tours from the Brewhouse Bar and hosts live entertainment throughout the week. Newcomers can work their way through the taps with one of the six-beer tasting paddles, while there are regular beer dinners too. The Portland is also a key venue during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.