Craft beer lovers have a new reason to visit Oxford Street. Behind a discreet door next to Alice’s Thai is where you’ll find Bitter Phew a small bar with a big list of boutique brews.
Enter a dimly lit entrance, past some empty kegs and up the stairs into a 1920s style New York warehouse. Empty beer bottles and artworks line the walls. Lounges and bar stools sit side by side, designed for a quick drink or to stay a while. The main feature of Bitter Phew is the single wooden bar with a backlit whiteboard that acts as changing menu, updated each time a keg runs out.
Twelve taps line the wall, each hooked up to a single keg of boutique beer behind the bar. When each drum runs dry, a new craft beer is tapped and written on the whiteboard. These are not your average beers, Bitter Phew have carefully selected unique IPA’s (Indian Pale Ales), Stouts and Ales.
In any given week, 6 of the taps may be changed and up to 12 on a busy week. You can imagine that when the beer is popular a 20-50 litre keg might only last a night. Thirsty business!
The owners Aaron Edwards and long time friend Jay Pollard, are always searching for the newest and best tasting craft beers. It has been their dream to open this bar, five years in the making before opening doors last year.
Not a big beer drinker? There’s wine on offer, kept simple so you don’t have to think- two reds, two whites and a sparkling. We hear they’re looking to expand the drinks offering to include cocktails and more wine. Experimentation with beer and cider infused cocktails are in the works.
The ever changing ales at Bitter Phew, keep the locals coming back and make a nice surprise for the visitors. If you are curious, their Facebook page is updated regularly with the list of tapped beers or go in blind and try something new.
This weekend is the 37th Annual Mardi Gras Parade and Bitter Phew are hosting an all day BBQ on the patio to celebrate. They have a window that looks straight down on Oxford Street, the perfect vantage point to watch the parade. Think houseparty meets barparty, with a small group of 50 people. More details here.
Bitter Phew
1/137 Oxford street, Darlinghurst
Open Monday 5-Midnight
Tuesday-Friday 3-Midnight
Saturday noon-Midnight
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