Frankly, Melburnian beer lovers are a lucky (spoilt?) little bunch. Certainly that was the view of plenty of out-of-towners at last week’s Beer Lover’s Guide To Australia launch. The most beer bars, the most breweries, some of the most adventurous brewers.
Well, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s soon to be another place to find a wide selection of both homegrown and imported beers. Purvis Cellars, long established as one of the best places to buy craft beer in the country, has recognised the growing demand for beer (it now represents around 30% of sales at the original store in Whitehorse Road) by opening a second, beer-only store in Richmond.
Like nearby Slowbeer, which opened last year, it will sell nothing but beer, taking advantage of the access Craig Purvis and his team already have to local brewers and the importers bringing in beer from across the globe. It’s under a new banner too: Purvis Beer, and may well be the first of many such outlets.
Occupying a small shop in Bridge Road, opposite the Town Hall, they’re going for “an earthy, natural timber look”, lining the walls with classic beer paintings and setting aside an area for tastings. It’s due to open on September 1, two days after The Crafty Pint finally goes live for Victoria, on the same day as a European beer dinner at the Courthouse Hotel in North Melbourne and a day before the second meeting of the rather grandiose-sounding Australian Beer Writers Guild. Blimey!
