By Clyde Mooney – editor Australian Hotelier
The new operator of Melbourne venue Beer DeLuxe has relaunched the venue with a new fit-out and an expanded tap beer offering that includes unpasteurised Carlton Draught.
Beer DeLuxe changed hands last year and is now managed by Armada Hospitality Group, which operates nine venues in New South Wales and Victoria.
The Federation Square venue was relaunched in December with three shiny copper tanks containing fresh weekly deliveries of Carlton straight from the brewery.
But Armada director Craig Shearer told TheShout the venue’s commitment to craft beer had never been stronger.
“We have long been renowned for providing a huge range of craft beer, and have increased this offering with an additional seven tap product lines pouring from almost 50 taps,” he said.
“However, we felt the CBD venue needed an improved offering for beer lovers that weren’t necessarily interested in craft or micro brewed options.”
Touted as ‘the next best thing to tasting it straight from the brewery’, the unpasteurised and unhandled Carlton Draught will be available in just a few selected venues.
The 1300-person capacity Beer DeLuxe features four bars and an upstairs burger lounge and is now positioned as a “traditional pub”, with live bands and classic pub fare including matched food and beer options.
“Customers are looking for consistently great casual dining, drinking and entertainment experiences. We are aiming to provide simple food options such as burgers, pizzas and shared ‘beer food’ plates in unique and interesting serving styles,” Shearer said.
Techne Architects – the team behind Sand Hill Road’s acclaimed Prahran Hotel – designed the new fitout of Beer DeLuxe Fed Square.