Pub Visit: Blackout Cafe

About a month ago my sister got dragged to an open-mic night at a bar by some friends of hers, because they wanted to get her to sing. The result was her getting hired by said bar to do gigs once a fortnight. Hence, last night, I headed over to Blackout Cafe in Lindfield, to have a couple of drinks and listen to her play.

Busy Bar

As I sat at the bar for a drink, I noticed they'd changed things up since I first visited, and had now purchased a set of specialty beer glasses. Joy. The range of beers wasn't huge, but I saw the Murray's 2IPA in the fridge and gladly grabbed one.

Beer looks bad with a flash

The pour, as you can see, was slouded and amber with minimal head. The aroma was sweet and piney, with lingering hints of citrusy hops. The body was surprisingly malt driven for an IPA, with toasty caramel flavours coming through the middle, and a final, lingering astringency.

The rest of the menu consisted mainly of the rest of the Murray's beer range, with a couple of standard pub beers (Stella etc.) and then a couple of Anchor Brewing's beers, the Anchor Steam and the Liberty Ale. Having not had the Liberty Ale before, I jumped at the chance

Smells like freedom

The liberty had a partially clouded, golden orange pour with ample white head. The aroma initially was of sweet 'musk stick', changing to a caramely aroma with hints of stone fruit upon warming a bit. The initial flavour is pale yet not sweet, with a hint of starchy fruit, leading in to a body of sweet honey and pale malt, ending on an astringent bitterness that seemed slightly out of place. The beer was medium bodied, with fairly prickly carbonation to lighten up the flavours.

After a couple of tastings, I stuck to the Murray's beers I'd tried before and just sat back and enjoyed the music

Yay live music

Overall, a great night out with friendly bar staff, great food, great beer and great music. I'd recommend the place to anyone looking for somewhere to have a drink and relax on the North Shore.

Blackout Cafe is in Lindfield, NSW