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Melbourne craft beer: Alphington brewery La Sirene adds a bar and taproom

Emma Breheny
Emma Breheny

La Sirene's bar space is lined with French oak barrels used to age the ales.
La Sirene's bar space is lined with French oak barrels used to age the ales.Andrew Kuypers

Twelve years after establishing its Alphington brewery, La Sirene has added a bar to the space and turned the typical taproom on its head.

Co-owner Costa Nikias describes Bar La Sirene as more like a compilation of his favourite bars, with chablis, Spanish delicacies and Victorian wines joining the house beers.

"It's really a hybrid model. Taprooms tend to be one size fits all. This is the opposite of a beer hall," he says.

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Food straddles the line between booze-soaking and refined, with fries and organic spelt pizzas joined by Iberico jamon, beluga caviar and a cabinet of cheeses.

Nikias is keen to promote beer's potential for food pairing, especially the wild fermented and barrel-aged examples that are La Sirene's specialty.

"Have some baby octopus and our Paradoxe naturally soured wild ale – it's a great match," he says.

Fourteen taps pour Citray Sour, Farmhouse Red and more, while a vintage rack houses wild ales dating to 2014. Beer is even used in cocktails, such as the Zested Margarita, which gets lift from La Sirene's lemon-lime sour ale.

Almost all the wines are Victorian, except for chablis and piccolos of Lanson champagne.

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Finding the 50-seat bar in an industrial park is half the challenge. Tucked in a corner of the ex-artillery factory where La Sirene brews, it's a destination for diehard fans. But that's exactly how Nikias likes it.

Open Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm, Sun noon-5pm, 2 Wingrove Street, Alphington, 0452 339 210, lasirene.com.au/bar-la-sirene

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Emma BrehenyEmma BrehenyEmma is Good Food's Melbourne-based reporter and co-editor of The Age Good Food Guide 2024.

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Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/goodfood/eating-out/melbourne-craft-beer-alphington-brewery-la-sirene-adds-a-bar-and-taproom-20221007-h26z3u.html