Moon Dog Craft Brewery

This is my favourite craft beer venue in Melbourne, if you visit Melbourne and wish to catch up for a drink, we'll do so at Moon Dog. It is a relaxed brewery with a bar in a small industrial street in Abbotsford (neighbouring one of Australia's biggest breweries CUB).

Moon Dog Brewery Bar Abbotsford.

The brewery has tonnes of personality, largely built on the interesting decor (second hand lounge chairs) and decorations (random posters and stuff), the names of the pizzas and beers and the eclectic soundtrack.

The staff are incredible, they add to the friendly relaxed atmosphere of the place. They know their beers and will offer you a taster to help with your choice.

You will see all kinds of people enjoying the bar - craft beer fans (from across the globe), brewery tours, families with young kids, passing cyclists, locals and even the CUB boys enjoy an after work ale here.

Interior view

Moon Dog also has the pizza van out the front producing what I regard as Melbourne's finest pizza. They use the beer yeast in the pizza dough and offer up great choices (see below), they usually have weekly special Pizzas also on the menu. The bar also serves up cups of free popcorn; a great beer snack.

My favourite Pizzas here are the "Pimp my Marg" and "Don't Hide the Salami".

Melbourne's best Pizzas

The brewery produces some of the most amazing beers you will ever taste. They are often producing weekly one-off kegs testing the brewers' ideas - one example is the recent "Black Cupcake" an insane Nitro Stout made with Marshmallows, Bounty Bars, Maltesers, Milo and Caramel. These tend to sell out very quickly so if you would like to be in the know just follow Moon Dog on Facebook.

The beer list is constantly turning over so expect something different every visit. There are a few staples - Love Tap Lager, Old Mate Pale Ale, and Mack Daddy Dark Ale.

Recent Beer Menu (excluding the Stout menu).

You can buy Moon Dog beers in most good bottle shops in Melbourne and it is on tap at most good pubs in Melbourne. If you can get hold of one of their special beers in a bottle at your local then do so.

Some of the Moon Dog offerings

Note: I am a big fan and have recently made a small investment in Moon Dog to help them with their  longer term plans.

My family on a recent visit to Moon Dog.

Gage Roads Brewery & Jeremy Sambrooks "Rapid Fire" IPA - Australia (ABV 6.3%)

A home brewer wins a beer festival competition for home brewers and has his winning beer brewed commercially, what a great concept.

Jeremy's Rapid Fire was judged best home brew at the Sail & Anchor Hotel in the 2013 Homebrew Challenge and as a result local commercial brewer Gage Roads collaborated with Jeremy to produce a commercial batch.

This American style IPA is a very good beer. I love hoppy USA style IPA's so this is right up my alley. Brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe hops all apparently added in generous quantity. This IPA has a pine and tropical fruit nose and flavour, slightly hazy dark amber colour and a crisp rather than bitter finish.

I enjoyed this IPA and will probably buy more if I can find it.

Bootleg "Speakeasy" IPA - Australia (ABV 5.5%)

A terrific offering from the Bootleg Brewery in Margaret River, the heart of Western Australia's best known wine producing region.

This IPA  is very much in the West Coast USA style and is meant to be drunk fresh. I understand it contains loads of hops with new US variety Belma, Centennial and Simcoe in the kettle and Amarillo and Citra added afterwards. The malt backbone makes this a very nicely balanced beer, I really enjoyed it.

I tried it on tap at the brewery and have tried it in the bottle a few times, it is sublime fresh on tap. The picture above is a bottle purchased (from the brewery) and consumed on the same afternoon, it went down a treat at Smiths Beach!

A great IPA to enjoy fresh.

8 Wired "Tall Poppy" India Red Ale - New Zealand (ABV 7%)

8 Wired are remarkable in always producing beers I enjoy and "Tall Poppy" is no exception.
It poured a lovely ruby colour with a darkish tan head, the aroma was mostly fruity hop very reminiscent of an IPA.

8 Wired use 4 different Hops (Warrior, Columbus, Simcoe and Amarillo) and 4 different Malts (including Wheat Malt) to brew this beer. It has a maltier taste than the excellent "Hopwired IPA" and even has a hint of sour on the palate.

A very good beer but I did prefer "Hopwired".

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA - USA (ABV 9%)

This is one terrific beer, a smooth Imperial IPA with a terrific malt base supporting a generous, without being overpowering, hoppy flavour. Brewed in Milton, Delaware the "90minute" refers to the boil time of the wort in which the hops (Amarillo, Simcoe &Warrior) are continuously added. The beer is also dry hopped following this process.

It pours a golden amber colour and has a fantastic hop aroma, I got citrus with some grassiness. It is wonderfully smooth on the palate and the malt backbone wonderfully balances this beer. It is not overly bitter or overly hoppy but the flavour does linger.

I love IPA's and found this USA brewed Imperial IPA  a superb example of the kind of beer I love.

Little Creatures "Shepherds Delight" Red IPA - Australia (ABV 6.4%)

The latest single batch offering from Little Creatures arrived in the shops today so naturally I had to get in early. This is the first single batch brewed under the ownership of Lion Nathan, hopefully they allow Creatures to continue to brew these one off specials.

This Red IPA is packed with hops and has a lovely maltiness that not only provides the copper colour but balances this beer beautifully.

Creatures have used New Zealand "Southern Cross" and "Dr Rudi" hops together with Australian "Stella" and "Victoria Secret", US "Chinook" and UK "Goldings". The hops give a citrus aroma and flavour and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

This is a very good single batch, the hopiness harks back to a previous offering,  "Big Dipper" double IPA . Get out and get your hands on some while you can.

Bear Republic Black Racer Black IPA - USA (ABV 8.1%)

This "Black Racer"  was on tap poured into a takeaway plastic bottle for home consumption.

Pours a real rich black to dark chocolate colour with a smallish tan head and beading in the glass. Has some real roasted chocolate on the nose with a hint of citrus hop. Has a roasted malt taste with a hint of hop and a slightly bitter finish. lacks the real hoppiness of many US Black IPA's.

A nice enough black IPA but I have tasted better.

Bone Yard Grapefruit IPA- Australia (ABV 6.1%)

Boneyard Brewing have brewed this IPA using a touch of Grapefruit zest that complement the citrus hops to produce a tasty refreshing beer.

Brewed using  4 hop varieties (Zythos (bittering), Centennial, Cascade, Falconer’s Flight) and 4 different malts (Pilsner, Vienna, CaraHell and CaraPils). They also add some Ruby Red Grapefruit zest and juice.

Pours a pale orange amber colour and has a quite pronounced citrus hop aroma. The malts make for a quite light, smooth, easy drinking beer. It has a slightly bitter finish with the Grapefruit tang making it a quite refreshing drink. A very good summer IPA.

Mikkeller 19 - Denmark (ABV 6.8%)

This one was on tap to be poured into a takeaway plastic bottle at a local specialty beer shop.

Mikkeller rarely disappoint and this beer is no exception. An American style IPA brewed using 19 different hops, predominately Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo and Sorachi Ace.

It pours a reddish orange colour with a pretty good chunky head and unsurprisingly reeks of hops. Loads of citrus, tropical fruit flavour and an appropriately bitter finish. A very refreshing and tasty beer.

A very good American style IPA.

8 Wired Super Conductor Double IPA - New Zealand (8.8% ABV)

The warning on the label says it all, "if you don't like hops, don't buy this beer". Pouring into the tulip this "Super Conductor" has a fantastic tropical fruit hop aroma.

This Double IPA has loads of pine & tropical fruit flavour but also has an intensely bitter finish. I love this particular style with the initial hint of sweet fruitiness followed by a crisp bitter finish. The malts used (Golden Promise, Pilsner, Caramalt, Pale Crystal) add  body to this beer and I suspect contribute to the initial hint of sweetness. This beer is more about the hops, the brewer promises that this is packed with both US & NZ hops. I suspect it contains both my NZ favorites Motueka & Nelson Sauvin together with other hop varieties.

The warning label is there for a reason, this is a powerful beer, loaded with hops and with a puckeringly bitter finish. Another awesome Kiwi classic craft brew.

Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale - Japan (ABV 7%)

Kiuchi Brewery have endeavored to recreate one of the earliest beers brewed in Japan, an English IPA style beer that has been aged in cedar casks. This type of beer was first brewed during the Edo period, probably in the 19th century.

It pours a cloudy orange amber with a delightfully hoppy aroma with just a hint of cedar. It is a very good ale tasting very much like a modern American pale Ale but with a subtle hint of cedar. Brewed using Marris Otter, Munich, Crystal malts and very much English IPAChinook, Fuggle, Kent Golding hops. The cedar is beautifully done with only a subtle flavour, not at all overpowering. Kuichi also brew Saki and Sochu so are well experienced in the use of cedar.

Nicely balanced  refreshing tasty IPA with just a hint of Japanese flavour.

8 Wired Fresh Hopwired- New Zealand (ABV 7.3%)

This is the second fresh hopped IPA, brewed with New Zealand's finest hops, that I have tasted in two days. For me this one is hoppier and for my palate better.

This beer is brewed in two batches, first with fresh "wet" Motueka hops and then after two weeks another batch with the later ripening "Nelson Sauvin" hops. The two brews are then blended to create this finished product.

8 Wired are known for their fabulous "Hopwired" IPA and this "fresh" version is even more special. This IPA has a much more tropical hop flavour than the "Sierra Nevada Southern Harvest" tasted last night. It has a citrus aroma and a hint of passion fruit. The first mouthful has a bitter finish but the sweetness of this beer becomes more pronounced further into the glass.

It pours a slightly darker amber than "Southern Harvest" but still has a beige chunky head and good lacing.

I feel very lucky to have tasted two excellent fresh hopped IPA's in two days.

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest - USA (ABV 6.7%)

Sierra Nevada have produced this very good fresh hopped ale by getting hold of some of the best New Zealand hops fresh from the harvest and throwing them straight into the brew kettle.

The thinking behind this "fresh hopping" is that the cones still retain maximum aromatic oils and full fresh flavour. Sierra Nevada have used New Zealand Motueka & New Zealand Southern Cross as finishing hops and Pacific Halertau as a bittering hop, all flown to the USA within a week of harvesting. Combined with US Pale & Caramel malts this is a very well balanced IPA.


This ale pours a darkish golden amber colour with a beige chunky head and very good beading in the glass. The hops do produce a pronounced citrus hop aroma. It has a smooth, mildly sweet taste with a very slight bitter finish. 


A very good IPA brewed to a quality standard not a price.

Atlantic IPA - UK (ABV 4.8%)

Cornish brewed, "Sharps Atlantic IPA",  reminds me more of a traditional English Bitter than an IPA. Pours a nice pale golden amber and looks great in the glass but is lacking that IPA hop aroma. It is a mild tasting beer with a smooth malty mouth feel and the slightest hint of citrus hop.

Nice enough sessionable beer but not a great IPA. Apparently in the UK they also have a cask conditioned version that is supposed to be very good.

Sierra Nevada "Hoptimum" Imperial IPA - USA (ABV 10.4%)

With a name like "Hoptimum" you wouldn't be wrong to expect a super hoppy beer. Sierra Nevada are fans of brewing hoppy beers and this Imperial (or Double) IPA is their idea of pushing the boundaries of Hoppiness. The brewers were aiming for, and achieved, 100 IBU's.

This beer has been dry hopped with Simcoe and a new "Proprietary variety" of hop. It has been further hopped using Sierra Nevada's Torpedo with Citra & Chinook Hops and bittered with German Magnum Hops. They have also used a variety of Malts to further the flavour of this beer, Two Row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat Malts.


The result is a delicious fruity hop flavour with a malty complexity and a lip smacking bitter finish. If you are a fan of  American hop laden craft beers you will like this one.

Bridge Road (Australia) & Nøgne Ø (Norway) India Saison (7.5%ABV)- Comparitive tasting

A collaborative brewing by Bridge Rd & Nøgne Ø, a part Saison (using Belgian Ale Yeast, Pilsener & Wheat Malt) and part IPA (Australian Stella & Galaxy Hops). Both breweries brewed the same beer using essentially the same ingredients.


Both beers have a very similar hop aroma (both are brewed with Stella & Galaxy Hops) but a quite different appearance. The Nøgne Ø pours a darker colour with a much bigger head than the Bridge Rd version, both are similarly hazy in the glass (similar quantity of yeast in the bottle). The Bridge Rd, to my palate, is closer to a true Saison with the Nøgne Ø closer to a true IPA.


Both very tasty, very well made, beautifully balanced beers. I preferred the Nøgne Ø but only just.

Amager Bryghus "Gluttony" Double IPA - Denmark (9.4% ABV)

Amager have brewed this Double IPA as part of their "Sinner" series of beers, sins to be celebrated (Gluttony & Lust). I love the label with the greedy hop bellied gluttonous character.

Brewed with tons of hop (Hercules, Citra, Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo and Sorachi-Ace), malted with Pilsener, Pale and Munich Malts and fermented with American ale Yeast, I was expecting a big flavoursome beer.

It pours a dark cloudy amber with only a small head, the Ale continued to lace in the glass. It gives a powerful citrus fruit hop aroma on pouring and from the glass. It has a fruity sweetness in the mouth and a bitter finish (without a dry pucker). A truly hop driven beer with lots of citrus, pine & passionfruit with subtle bittering. A very good double IPA packed with hop flavour.

Murrays Icon 2IPA - Australia (7.5%ABV)

My Australia Day beer for 2012.

Murrays have become one of my favourite brewers, producing a wide range of craft beers and I have yet to taste a bad one.

This is brewed as an American style double IPA. Lovely dark amber colour and chunky off white head promises plenty of flavour. It has a citrus and fruity flavour with some hop spiciness and malty sweetness, I even get a hint of honey. It is a surprisingly sweet beer, still full flavoured and with a dry rather than bitter hop finish.

It is difficult to get hold of in Perth but can be purchased online directly from Murrays

This gets my vote as possible Australia's best IPA.

Little Creatures "Big Dipper" - Australia (ABV 7.8%)

This is a single batch effort from the brewers at Little Creatures with a limited release in the beautifully proportioned "Pint Size" bottles. I also tasted a single barrel version of this beer on tap at the Western Australian Craft Beer Show.

A fine Double IPA brewed with 7 different hops (Columbus, Cascade, Chinook, Stella, Centennial, Citra and Simcoe). Pours a nice dark amber with only a small quickly dissipating head. Overwhelmingly fruit hop aroma and flavour, not a super bitter or challenging double IPA.

A very good IPA and for me a highlight for 2011. The craft beer show single barrell of a single batch tasted better  than  the bottle version. Its a shame this beer is a "once off", I would buy it again!

Visit Little Creatures HERE

Yeastie Boys Digital IPA - New Zealand (ABV 7%)

I think my beer photography may be improving, well at least the "light & colour" aspect of it. This beer was an amazing bright orange amber colour, the photo nearly does it justice. I think the colour may come from the Thomas Fawcett Golden Promise malt, but I am just guessing.

This limited release IPA is brewed largely with New Zealand's own versatile  Motueka Hops together with some Cascade & Nelson Sauvin hops.  Magnificent fruity hop aroma, lots of citrus & tropical fruit on the nose. Some malt sweetness, followed by tropical fruit and a nicely balanced hop finish.

I tried this as a pre dinner aperitif (by the pool) , even with its 7% ABV I found this a pleasant & refreshing IPA.