The next time you’re grabbing a meat pie or a sausage roll from Marrickville’s Bourke Street Bakery, be sure to pop across the road to Sauce Brewing Co and chase it with a tall glass of something gold. A welcome stop on Marrickville’s ever-expanding brewery crawl, Sauce has something for allcomers. These guys quickly made a name for themselves with an impressive and diverse line-up that ranges from sours to porters and everything in between.
The inner workings of the microbrewery are right out there on display; the gear itself is pretty much the decoration in this bare-bones, rustic and cavernous open space. Huge shining mash tuns and brew vessels take pride of place, occupying more than half of the interior, and they’re things of brutal beauty in and of themselves. The venue’s tiered beer garden is another story altogether. Kitschy Astroturf and white picket fencing surround the picnic tables and benches, which make it the perfect setting for a family-friendly Sunday session.
You can either start big with a 500ml pour for around nine bucks or pace yourself with a more modest 300ml, but we suggest you hand over the reigns and let the knowledgeable staff choose a tasting paddle for you. You could end up kicking things off with the delightfully tropical Trouble & Squeak, a mango-infused New England IPA. It’s cloudy and rich in texture with that familiar bitter finish. From there you might graduate to the Forest Pulse honey beer, made with native strawberry gum and local honey; it’s slightly earthy, yet crisp and nowhere near as sweet as you might suspect. For full-on flavour have a crack at the double IPA dubbed the DIPA Formerly Known As. It’s piney and malty and at 8.2% ABV, it’s a heavy hitter that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.
There’s even something for those that prefer a drop of the grape variety. A tidy list of local and international wines is available for less than a tenner per glass if you need a break from the suds. The cherry on top? A food truck guards the entrance all weekend long to give you the strength you’ll need to get through the twelve or so beers available. The place packs out on weekends, so beat the families, dogs, babies and beer nerds and get in early.