Melburnians can be a territorial bunch. Our suburbs tend to define us, the northside gap is fodder for endless conversations and memes and, when we find a local venue we love, it doesn’t take too long to become part of the furniture.
In 2023, Molly Rose set about pitting multiple suburbs against one other with their Beers of the Burbs competition that involved venues in Richmond, Brunswick, Footscray, Preston, St Kilda, and Armadale. In true community fashion, it didn't just see those venues take part but their locals too with each collective finding ways to tap into their ‘hood to create something delicious to drink and have a small batch of it brewed by Molly Rose.
Ultimately, the winner was brewed to a larger scale and that champion was the world’s greatest suburb, Brunswick (OK, I’ll admit bias here).The Molly Rose crew landed on the idea of Stolen Lemons: an IPA featuring backyard fruit and za’atar, a spice blend that’s common in Lebanese cuisine and Brunny's many bakeries like A1 (another of the world’s greatest things). If you're a regular at A1, then you'll likely be transported straight there as you open the can and enjoy the distinct mix of savoury spices that come together as one.
That's joined by an equally zesty and sweet wave of lemon (this citrus is stolen after all, so might be a little ripe) while there's a further fruit punch by way of passionfruit. Overall, it's hard to think of a means to better capture the spirit of Brunswick aside from adding in some denim from Dejour and ruining an otherwise tasty beer. Fortunately, if you do have wilder ideas, then rest easy in knowing that another battle for the Beers of the Burbs is coming in 2024.
Will Ziebell
Published April 3, 2024 2024-04-03 00:00:00
