It's cold, it's Friday, and there's at least one good reason to be at a pub tonight. We've been through the feeds. Three pubs worth leaving the house for this weekend.
Saturday night at the BC Bandroom is a Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, and Metallica tribute — one set, three bands, one act doing it. @insignificantotherband have been through New South Wales selling shows out before landing here, so the Geelong date isn't an experiment. Front up before 9pm if you want a decent spot near the front.
On the same night the Bandroom also has acts doing dreamy surf and instrumental post-rock if the rap-metal corner of the set list sounds like more than you bargained for. Two modes in the one venue — you can pace accordingly. Saturday at the BC Bandroom runs late.
If Saturday's already gone, there's something on Friday too. The Barwon Club runs the Bandroom most nights this time of year. Worth checking what's on before you write off the week.
Barwon Club — full listing →
Mystery Beer Buckets are running upstairs in the lounge bar every Friday, Saturday and Sunday — five mystery beers for $40. You don't pick them. Bar picks, you drink. At $8 a beer on a winter weekend at a waterfront pub, nobody's arguing about the format.
The lounge at Sailors' Rest is the right call in May. The rooftop is still open but the lounge is warmer, the bay is still visible through the windows, and the cocktail list is there if the mystery bucket concept doesn't appeal. It always starts with one cocktail. The bay view at dusk doesn't help with leaving early.
This is the quieter Friday option if the Barwon Club already has your Saturday. Two very different evenings. Both worth the trip depending on the mood.
Sailors' Rest — full listing →
The Queen of the West started their second major renovation this week — the first one brought the place back from being the Barking Dog and restored it to the original name. This one builds on it. The beer garden is still running while the work goes on, which means Sunday Sessions are still happening: all-day dining from noon, bottomless packages at noon and 2pm, and steak and footy on a 4m LED screen.
Sunday is Geelong vs Carlton from 7:40pm. For what claims to be Geelong's biggest beer garden, that's a reasonable way to watch it. Eat early, get a table sorted, settle in before the first bounce.
The renovation is worth knowing about if you've got a history with the place. The Queen of the West is one of the few pubs in town that's been actively built rather than just maintained. Something to watch over the next few months.
Queen of the West — full listing →That's the three. Barwon Club Saturday night if you want noise, Sailors' Rest if you want mystery beers and a water view, Queen of the West Sunday if the Cats game needs a proper venue.
If we missed something — a gig, a deal, something worth going to this weekend — drop us a line at hello@geelongpubs.com.au.
See you next Friday.