A grenache and a sauvignon blanc from McLaren Vale’s Riot Wine Co are currently pouring.
Brews are made up of a mix of local independents such as Hargreaves Hill IPA and Two Birds Taco, and will rotate. There are five beers and two wines on tap. It leaves you feeling caught somewhere between a family ski holiday and a sitcom Christmas special. The beer taps feature a Thanksgiving turkey and a Mountie, and it’s all capped off with an odd assortment of Canadian spoons, wooden bird houses and a full-size canoe. The ceilings are wood panelled, and there’s faux-wood wallpaper on the walls. This Canadian influence is behind Frew and Turner’s kitsch, ski chalet-esque fit-out, which they completed themselves. “They spend so much time inside they fill their houses with little trinkets and knick-knacks,” says Turner. The oppressive cold of the city means residents spend large parts of their winters indoors. Owners and school friends James Frew and Lauren Turner (both ex- Naked For Satan) have taken inspiration from Edmonton, Canada, where Lauren’s grandmother is from. With the winter chill turning our favourite summertime beer gardens into vague memories, Brunswick East’s North American-inspired log cabin bar, The Wood Samaritan, should provide relief.
Melbourne is a city known equally for its fantastic bars and its miserable winter weather.