Divine dining while watching the beer go by
It's a unique experience to sit in a restaurant, drinking a beer, with a full view of the inside of the brewery where it was made.
The Tanglehead Brewery in beautiful Albany has its own microbrewery behind a big glass window next to the restaurant, and almost every morning manager and brewer Allan Kelly is in there, brewing Tanglehead's four main brews.
The restaurant is decked out in maroon, chocolate and light grey tones, with sunlight flooding in from the doors that lead to the alfresco area, and subtle uplighting for when the sun goes down. It has a casual, relaxed yet stylish atmosphere, perfect for a night out starting with dinner then moving to the equally classy front bar for drinks.
When we visited Tanglehead on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we started off by trying the brewery's own beers.
The Breaksea Island Light was quite a sweet beer with a hoppy aroma, whereas the Coast Hills Pils was packed with flavour and good for those who like their beer strong tasting. The Lime Burner's stout, brewed with chocolate malt, roasted barley and rolled oats, was strong, smooth and creamy. The Tanglehead Pale Ale and the Southern White Ale both had strong flavours and aftertastes, and you could actually smell the banana aroma in the White Ale. These two beers are also available in six-packs and cartons to take away.
Excited to taste something different from the usual Perth fare, we were happy to hear that Tanglehead beers are available in Perth from Clancy's Fish Pub and the International Beer Shop in Leederville.
Still sipping various beers from the Beer Tasting Tray, we started in on the Deli Board with chili octopus, local fetta, prawns and onion sourdough. The fetta was from local dairy, Over the Moon, and was creamy and full-flavoured yet still slightly crumbly, and provided an interesting combination with the sourdough. Both the prawns and octopus were fresh and cool, with the chilli in the octopus quite zesty and refreshing.
The Garlic and Rosemary Pizette was like no pizza I'd tasted before, with the whole cloves of soft, caramelized garlic certainly warding off any chance of a cold next week, but tasting subtle enough to let the rosemary's flavours come through. There was no cheese on the pizza, just a slathering of garlic butter and olive oil.
The two mains we tried were from the Tanglehead Specials. As well as an extensive permanent menu, each night there are five different specials, eagerly consumed by tourists and locals alike.
The Veal Cutlet, charred, served with hand cut potatoes, garden greens and chilli jam is one of the most popular specials, and we could see and taste why. The veal, served on the bone, was at least three centimetres thick and pink and tender in the middle. The garden greens were fresh, springy and light in contrasted with the heavier taste of the veal.
The Grilled Baldchin Groper served on Tuscan bread salad with olive tapenade was a summery dish, with the light, crisp taste of the large and fleshy portion of groper anchored by the strong flavours of the tapenade. The Tuscan bread was divided into crispy croutons that provided a different texture to the generous salad, which was made up of capsicum, carrot and gourmet lettuce.
After a quick break to let the large meals settle, we moved on to the Old White Hart platter, which consisted of pear, walnut, apricot, blue cheese, brie and Tanglehead's Old White Hart dessert beer.
The cheeses and fruit tasted great but it was the beer that fascinated us the most. It was sweet and nectary, and went as well with the sweeter foods as Port does. I've never tasted a beer that actually tastes good with a mouthful of strawberries.
To finish off, we shared the Vanilla Pannacotta with local strawberries and rasberry coulis - and it was soft, creamy and delicious. I loved it - what a smooth and silky way to end a meal.
It was truly a unique experience to sit and look at a microbrewery, drinking the beer that was created in it, and eat the most divine food at the same time. The five-specials-a-night system ensures that there's always something new and different on the menu for the regular diners of Albany and makes sure the year-round, steady flow of travellers experience the local flavours that Tanglehead Brewery has to offer.
