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Good Beer Week

In the last decade, the way people view beer as a beverage has become evermore diverse, from a comforting refreshment, to a passionate art form.

Created by the combination of hard work by local boutique breweries along with the growth of inquisitive beer drinkers, has seen the upsurge of more local craft beer varieties being stocked in bar fridges or being poured in sideways glasses during local happy hours all over the state.

As a recognition to all things beer, Melbourne Good Beer Week is held throughout some of Melbourne’s finest pubs and bars and celebrates the rich culture and passion that exists amongst the production and (more importantly) consumption of local craft beer found in Victoria and wider Australia.

Events range from food and beer pairing sessions, premium beer tastings straight from local breweries, themed parties, along with much more.

Some festival highlights that we have picked include

GABS 2016 – a festival within the festival, the best artesian brewers from around the world gather to showcase a celebration if all things beer and cider @Royal Exhibition Building

Cookie’s Gypsy Ho-down – 10 gypsy brewers from all over the country sampling their premier beers with food matching @Cookie rooftop bar

Cooking with Craft Beer Master Class – World renowned chef Daniel Wilson host a cooking master class of preparing his favorite dishes matched with craft beer @The Urban Kitchen

The Wild Rover – A very insightful journey highlighting the relationship between beer and whiskey from around the world and the matching cuisine @1806/The Understudy

When: 18 – 22 May 2016

Where: Various venues

Visit the Good Beer Week website.

To celebrate Good Beer Week The Swanston Hotel will be serving a bottle of James Squire beer matched with a delicious Tapas Board for $20 all week. If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth order the Churros Con Chocolate matched with a James Squire beer for $12. Available in the Soul Cafe or Cocoon Bar. Find out more information here.

ANZAC Day 2016

Published by We Know Melbourne

ANZAC Day, originally a commemoration of the landing of Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915, has grown to become the most important national day in Australia. In addition to recognising the service and sacrifice of all Australians who have served in war or during peacekeeping operations.

Here’s our guide to the ANZAC Day activities:

6am – Dawn Service

It is recommended to assemble on the Shrine Forecourt by 4:30am, no requirement to register attendance. Pre-amble address will commence at 5:45am prior to the service at 6am. The Dawn Service concludes at approximately 6:30am, attendees are encouraged to enter the Sanctuary to lay poppies following the conclusion of the service.

8:15am – Official Wreath Laying Service

Invited guests assemble at 7:45am in the Sanctuary.

9am – ANZAC Day March

Thousands of veterans , their descendants and current serving personnel will march down St Kilda Road, starting at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets, concluding at the Shrine of Remembrance. Unit wreaths will be laid at the Shrine progressively during the march, which will conclude at approximately 1pm.

Commemorative Service

At the conclusion of the march, a service will take place on the Shrine Forecourt.

Want to find out more about what’s happening in Melbourne? Sign up to the We Know Melbourne mailing list here to stay in the loop.

Cycling into the Future – THE TRIP

Published by We Know Melbourne

Cycle into the future at Australia’s first immersive cycle experience,THE TRIP™. Les Mills, the company behind some of the most famous exercises classes in the world including BODYPUMP and RPM, will unveil a futuristic, never-before-seen concept cycle studio in Melbourne on Saturday April 30 that will fuse cinema, virtual reality and cycling.

The class will use digital projections on cinema size screens and rock concert quality lasers to allow you to ride in a whole new world.

“Participants are quickly swept into the experience and begin leaning into turns and ducking under bridges, which adds even more intensity to an already powerful workout.”

When: April 30 – May 1

Where: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Visit the LES MILLS website.

Appleton Trail at Nieuw Amsterdam

Published by We Know Melbourne

The Appleton Trail is taking over Nieuw Amsterdam this weekend, transforming their downstairs bar into a palm-filled oasis with DJs and live steel drum players. Expect Jamaican music, lush palms, bespoke Jamaican-inspired food menus and of course Appleton Estate infused signature cocktails.

Appleton Estate have been creating authentic Jamaican rums in the Cockpit Country – a unique, lush and fertile terrain at the island’s heart – for over 265 years, exporting the warmth, passion and unique spirit of Jamaica around the world in each handcrafted bottle. So if you want to explore Jamaica through their signature alochol we suggest you get there early.

When: 22 April – 23 April

Where: Nieuw Amsterdam, 106 -122 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

Visit the Nieuw Amsterdam website.

Visit the Appleton Estate website.

Dressmaker Costume Exhibition

Published by We Know Melbourne

Costumes from the box office hit film, The Dressmaker, will be on display in an exclusive exhibition held at National Trust’s Rippon Lea House and Gardens from April 22, 2016.

Take a rare glimpse into how whimsy, glamour and humour are used in the creation of these stunning costumes. Developed by The National Trust Victoria, in in partnership with Marion Boyce and Film Art Media, the exhibition will take you behind the scenes of the film into the inner world of the costume department with footage of the costumes being created and stories behind the corsetry and art finishing.

When: 22 April until 31 July 2016

Where: Rippon Lea House and Gardens, 192 Hotham St, Elsternwick

Visit the Dressmaker Exhibition website.

Break Room – Giveaway

Published by We Know Melbourne

Melbourne has a new way to destress and it involves smashing a lot of things.

Dreamed up by entrepreneur Ed Hunter, The Break Room has just opened in Collingwood, after relocating from Brunswick and it’s already a hit (no pun intended) . The rules are simple. Enter the break room and smash everything into smithereens. You are given a baseball bat, 6 plates, 6 wine glasses, 6 cups and 1 carafe, so get creative. Smash them on the floor Greek wedding style, throw them at the wall or throw them in the air to wack them with the baseball bat. The choice is yours.

Breakers must wear long pants and long sleeves, and you’re given protective gear before entering the room. Safety still does come first. You also have the choice of 10 minutes for $50 or 90 minutes for 30 minutes, but of course if you’re really needing to release you’ll be done smashing your goods in 5.

As an exclusive for We Know Melbourne readers, we have one double pass to giveaway to the Break Room. So if you’re having a rough day, just gone through a breakup or just feel the urge to break things enter below:

This competition is now closed.

Terms and conditions here

Competition closes 9 May, 2016

Where: 29 Budd St, Collingwood

Visit the Break Room website.

Academy Kitchen & Bar

Published by We Know Melbourne

Walking into Academy Kitchen & Bar, we were warmly greeted by the friendly waitresses and informed that we would be seated at one of the best tables in the house. It was a cooler Thursday evening and we were there to try out the new Autumn menu. We had a choice of either picking our own dishes or leaving it up to the masterful hands of head chef, Will Manning. We of course love surprises so went for the latter.

The first dishes to come out were the pumpkin gnocchi with butternut pumpkin sauce, pickled shimeji and crispy onion rings, and the salmon terrine with dill creme fraiche, saffron aioli, caperberries and sorrel. The pumpkin gnocchi was light and flavoursome, and coupled with the creamy butternut sauce topped with the crunchy onion rings, it felt like the perfect winter indulgence dish. In tasting the salmon, it was the saffron aioli that stood out for us and had us wanting more. Both considerable sized dishes, we were surprised that these were just part of the ‘snacks and starters’. By the time we had finished these, we both agreed that it could have easily been our main meal, especially the gnocchi.

Next out of the kitchen were the two pasta dishes from the pasta and risotto section – the squid ink tagliatelle with soft shell crab, chilli, fennel and lemon, and the goats cheese tortellini with ratatouille and tomato bubbles. Lucky we love carbs. Now out of all the dishes we were most eager to try, the squid ink tagliatelle was high up on the list. Soft shell crab and squid ink pasta – how could you go wrong? If you have been dining out in Melbourne recently, squid ink does seem to be popular around town and it’s not difficult to see why. The squid ink pasta makes the dish looks so exotic and unique that we couldn’t wait to dig in. We loved the freshness of the cripsy soft shell crab but for us, the squid ink wasn’t as rich a flavour as we have come to expect from squid ink pasta but did well in complementing the crab. We loved the presentation of the goats cheese tortellini and the flavour was just as good. There was the rich flavour of the goats cheese which perfectly matched the fresher tasting flavours of the ratatouille.

As full as we were after all these carbs, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try the Ricotta terrine with lemon mousse and pistachios for dessert. We have never had a ricotta terrine before, but as we love cheese we knew that it would be a winner, and it was! There was a unique texture to the terrine that initially we were hesitant about, but by the end of scoffing the last spoonful we were wanting more.

Academy Kitchen & Bar is the first solo venture for Will Manning who has previously part-owned Prospect Espresso. All the pastas are made in-house and it is an all day venture. Opening for breakfast right through to dinner, you can stop in anytime. We loved the modern dining space with wooden tables, dark timbers and exposed brick walls. The bar has a fresh, stylish feel to it and almost makes feels like you’ve stepped into some hip New York bar. We’d say that it would be the perfect afternoon spot for a cheeky drink with afternoon specials of $10 cocktail specials and $6 schooners.

Where: 318 Bridge Road

When: Tue to Fri 7:00 am – 11:00 pm, Sat to Sun 9:00 am – 11:00 pm.

Visit the Academy Kitchen & Bar website.

Comedy Hypnosis! Entranced – MICF Review

Published by We Know Melbourne

Last week we went to see Isaac Lomman and his hypnosis show, as part of the Comedy Festival. Watching him tap into the minds of some volunteers making them do certain tricks had us entranced.

Isaac said we experience hypnosis every single day of our lives. Was this true? Is this real or fake? Were these volunteers put aside earlier in the show and given scripts? We asked ourselves these questions as we watched the beginning of the show unfold. Isaac was determined to prove that hypnosis is very possible.

Guiding us through his process, he put his volunteers in a trance-like state, where they responded quickly to his commands in their own unique ways, each displaying a different way of doing the action. We watched people sleep, laugh uncontrollably, and respond to tasks that involved the audience.

Overall the show was very entertaining and funny. It was refreshing to see a comedy about people “sleeping” and doing things that we would never do ourselves unless under a magic spell. Highly recommended for all ages and people who have never witnessed comedy hypnosis.

Rating: ★★★

Visit the website here.

Ella – A Tribute by Kelsey James

Published by We Know Melbourne

During her 60 year career, Ella Fitzgerald lived an extraordinary life that has earned her place in music history. The inspiration that shone so brightly through the voice of Ella will find it’s new vessel in Kelsey James, a vocalist whose projects include the Furbelows, her own Quintet and her original project.

When: 24 – 25 April 2016

Where: Bennetts Lane Jazz Club

Visit the Bennetts Lane Jazz Club website here.

Markit

Published by We Know Melbourne

Markit returns to Federation Square on Sunday 8 May 2016 with over 100 Australian independent designers. Drawing an eclectic mix of designers out of their workspaces for the day – ceramicists, jewellers, shoemakers, illustrators and micro fashion studios – Melburnians will be able to pick up limited-edition pieces, one-off gifts and handmade objects of beauty that won’t be found on any high street.

The day will be a chance to meet your favourite Australian designers in person and find out more about the design processes behind the wares. For those seeking out original, unexpected design pieces made with the environment and ethics in mind – this is your dream-shopping day all in one place!