Brewery Discovery: The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel

Brewery: The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
City: Sydney
Country: Australia

This week i visited the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel!

Wait…. Brewery AND hotel? Yes!

Imagine, instead of your regular hotel, staying above an awesome historic brewpub!

And no, you can't tap beer in the hotel rooms…..unfortunately.

The Lord Nelson is the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Sydney, established way back in 1841.
Moreover, it is also home to Australia's oldest pub brewery, or brewpub! With such selling points, i had to go check out this awesome venue!

The Lord Nelson

As the cities longest, continuously, operating hotel and the nations oldest brewpub, the Lord Nelson really has some history behind it!

It has had some different names over the years prior to the Lord Nelson, and as such was already the site of an existing pub. The building hosted, starting in 1831: The Shipwright Arms, The Sailor's Return, Quarryman's Arms and finally, in 1841, the Lord Nelson Hotel! The name being a reference to the British Naval mastermind; Horatio Nelson, but thats another story!

The Nelson today still looks much the same as it did when it opened (thanks to some restoration work based on an old photograph). The brewery itself was added in 1986.

Time for a beer!

But enough history for now..

The Lord Nelson really gives that historic feel when you step inside. Thick stone walls, historic decorations and an overall great atmosphere really made this an enjoyable visit for me!

Oh yes, and the fact that it was a historic brewery-pub-hotel….. that probably also contributed to me enjoying my visit :P

The Lord Nelson Pub

As mentioned, the Lord Nelson brews a number of different beers on site. These are available, straight from the source, at 6 rotating taps with mainstay and seasonal brews! Bottles are also available.

The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel Brewery

Once again, in Australian fashion, all craft brews were relatively light in terms of ABV. The strongest brew the Admiral had on offer was an 6.1% old ale, aptly named the old Admiral. Im not saying there is anything wrong with light ABV brews, it is just something which i have noticed as a kind of trend here during my time in Sydney.

But I'm going off track, back to the Lord Nelson!

Fleet Wheat, an attempt at a Hefeweizen

First i tried the Fleet Wheat, sparking my immediate interest as i had not yet come across an Australian brewed Hefeweizen.

And, in all honesty, i still haven't come across a real Australian brewed Hefeweizen.

The brew was nice, refreshing, and tasty, but it did not bring forth the characteristics Hefeweizen taste which i was expecting. The name leads to disappointment, whilst in terms of taste, there is nothing wrong with the brew itself..

However, as i understood it, this was a new brew and as such might still be subject to some experimentation.

Victory Bitter Pale Ale!

The second brew, Victory Bitter Pale Ale, was a nice and refreshing pale ale. In terms of name accuracy, a definite "Victory" over Fleet Wheat!

Nelson's Blood, i hope not

Last, but definitely not least, i tried the Nelson's Blood Porter. And yes, in a smaller glass, i wasn't really in the mood for a whole pint of porter. Quite light, and refreshing, as far as porters go; with hints of chocolate and roasted malts, this was another enjoyable brew!

They even do take-away! 

From all breweries which i have visited in my short time here in Sydney, the Lord Nelson definitely had the most "character" and history behind it, something which i always appreciate.

If only in Sydney for a short while, i would recommend at least to visit the Lord Nelson!

This is my last blog about my discoveries in Sydney, Australia, for this trip!
Next stop Myanmar!

Cheers!

My Ratings: Lord Nelson Brews

Three Sheets (had this somewhere else), Pale Ale: 3.75/5
Fleet Wheat, Hefeweizen: 3.5/5
Victory Bitter, Pale Ale: 3.5/5
Nelson's Blood, Porter: 3.5/5