August 21, 2009
The beer range on tap and in bottles is boring and overpriced. Sure enough it’s a great location for passer-by’s but not worthy a visit for the beer enthusiast. Aimed for the tourist dollars, and after reading the reviews below perhaps the place has fallen done hill at a rapid pace the last few years.

August 21, 2008
...idiotically overpriced, including the food. A decent selection, but way too pricey. I think they did away with the beer wheel, which ws the only good part about this place. If you want to get violated, and pay $15 for a bottle of Weihenstepahner, then go ahead. Otherwise, no point unless you don’t care about money.

October 15, 2007
I don’t come here often, and when I do it’s never for long due to the ridiculous prices. At times it’s sleazy, other times its quiet, sometimes its pretentious... A mixed bag of not very goodness. The beers are pretty good, usually have something pretty solid on tap, and a decent bottled selection. Though, if you’re serious about beer, there are better places to go in Melbourne. Sometimes they have a $5 special where you can find a decent micro, or some european trash depending on whats going out of date.

May 3, 2007
They have a great selection, but everything is way to expensive. Try Cookie instead.

January 10, 2007
Incredible range of beer, rather expensive through. Great location, always busy, always skirt to chase!!!!

June 12, 2006
This is the kind of place I’d hate if it didn’t have such a bloody great beer selection. First the good stuff: it’s in Federation Square, so it’s highly accessible for out-of-towners staying in the city. The beer range is amazing for a visiting New South Welshman - around 100 bottled beers numbered and displayed above the bar, including many Vic micros and Belgians. The bar grub downstairs is good for a quick lunch, and inexpensive. The Saturday lunchtime when I visited, they had Red Hill Weizenbock and Matilda Bay Sticklers Best Bitter on tap. Which leads into the bad stuff: the rest of the taps were the usual macro crap; the bar staff were all wearing red Bud T-shirts for a World Cup promotion; they wouldn’t give me a pot of Sticklers Best because... well... I don’t know and nor did the barmaid. They just don’t serve pots of that beer - you have to buy a pint. The bar itself is a brutal modernist mish-mash of concrete slab tables and stainless steel. It’s about as warm and inviting as the staff. It was quiet at lunchtime, but when we returned a few hours later for a pre-dinner drink, there were crowds, bouncers and doof-doof music, so we went somewhere else. Despite all the negatives, the beer selection is good enough to make it a must-visit in my book - just pick your moment. I’d put up with the crap for another pint of the Red Hill Weizenbock.

November 28, 2005 [ Updated January 29, 2009 ]
Update:Ok, it’s clear one doesn’t come for the crowd or atmosphere but it is tough to beat location and the range. Plus not a bad option for afterwork drinks with normal folk. MB Fat Yak and Sebastian Reserve on tap (the latter $6 a pot) along with Coldstream Pilsner and Moo Brew Wheat. Bottle range looks impressive but I’m not sure what actual stocks are like. Highlights inc the Meabtime range, Marstons Old Empire, Emersons IPA and London Stout, Delerium Tremens, La Chouffe. Surely turnover on some of this stuff must slow. There are worst places to have a beer.

Nov 2005: Mixed feelings about this place. On the positive side the range is impressive for Melbourne (perhaps 100 non mainstream styles) and the beer is generally well served, if a little cold. The flip side is that is it can attract a cashed up bogan crowd looking to tuck some beers away early (on a Sat night) or a slightly obnoxious suited crowd on Friday and Thursday (disclaimer - I am technically a suit

August 7, 2005
More of a airport bar than a pub. Beers are served to cold, but the lineup is impressive - especially if you look at the extra beer menu with temporary beers. You don’t go gere for the atmosphere - you go here for the beer.

June 28, 2005 [ Updated February 25, 2006 ]
I should say straight out that I really hate this place. It’s a lot like Cookie only in a soulless building and aimed at a more touristy crowd. Tap beers are all CUB-affiliated except for one guest tap of local micros. There aren’t any bottled beers you can’t get at a decent bottle shop. Everything is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, served ice cold and in my experience (only been twice and will never return) the staff are "marketing victims" as Tim Webb would say. The building is certainly different, and I don’t really like it. It’s like one of those sterile touristy places you get in casinos and the like. If you want a touristy pub go to Young & Jackson’s. If you’re a local interested in beer, you don’t go here. Oh yeah, they do generally have decent music in the bar bit. Never been upstairs.
Update: Oh dear. I wrote what’s above before I went here on a weekend. On a Saturday evening the suits are nowhere to be seen; they’ve been replaced by groups of single, twenty-something men, hens nights and thirty-something couples. Never has my argument for a big Berlin-style wall around the inner-city been so strong. I like what they are trying to do beer-wise (CUB/Matilda Bay focus notwithstanding) but the beer just does not sit well with the atmosphere. Ugh.

May 12, 2005
Not much to say since I wrote the brew tour guide. Transport has an extensive selection but they were out of some choice bottlesvwhen I was there. The best value is the McChouffe while other belgiums (Chimay Grand Reserve and Duvel) are three times the price. Very popular spot almost any time of the day or night.