Ironbark Brewery

A Sunday afternoon (we couldn’t get a booking on Saturday — which was surprising when we walked in to a mostly empty restaurant)
The outdoor area was cute, filled with eclectic tables and chairs — although when stuck in a two top in a small nook in the wall, the cute wore thin. Wonky and wobbly and barely enough room to pull out the chair to sit down.
The Venu proudly proclaims live music all weekend. The experience today made me wonder when we stopped questioning whether or not live music was a good thing. Not the best act around (by far) but made worse by the fact it was far too loud for such a small space. Back ground music it was not — I should not have to shout to be barely heard by the person sitting two feet in front of me. Nor should I leave with a headache from the sound.
All of this said, the food was good. Quality serving sizes and good prices! Would go back — if the promised to turn the «music» down.

Never again, went there as part of organised tour. Dirty tables, smelly toilets, awful pizza, mediocre beer.
The pizza dough is not made on the premises, I saw the pizza maker (can’t use the word chef) open packets of pre-​made bases. Wasn’t served with cutlery or plates just serviettes, on a filthy table.
Avoid this place!

Stopped here at the end of our Taste Bud Tour. The tour operator had called ahead for us with our group’s orders for pizzas. The Boy and I ordered a vegetarian gluten free pizza to share between the two of us which is not included in the price of the tour. On arrival we were given a voucher to get either a free beer tasting or a discount on a full serve of beer or wine. The price for a small pizza was $ 17.50 and the large was $ 23.50 with a $ 2 supplement for gluten free.
When our pizzas arrived we were puzzled to see that our small pizza was in fact just a regular sized pizza cut in half. As we looked up and down the table we saw that another tour guest had received our other half. What we found even more perplexing was that they wanted to charge us $ 17 for the half pizza! Erm I think not! A $ 34 vegetarian pizza! When we were at the counter ready to pay I suggested to our waitress that we should really only pay for half the price of a full gluten free pizza. The other tour guest that had eaten the other half could pay for remainder. I was given a look of contempt but after consulting with her frowning manager they both begrudgingly agreed. Oh dear.

We had a ‘meh’ experience at Ironbark.
It was just my husband and I out on a Sunday having a look around and after not being able to eat at either Feral Brewery (no Vego options) or Mash Brewery (no tables available) we ended up here.
Upon entering, the entrance kinda looks a lot like the exit or somewhere where only staff would see — it’s messy and disorganized. We actually had to ask someone if we were in the right place to enter the courtyard.
Staff were so flat out that we got a really quick answer and still didn’t know which way to go — the waitress just said yes the bar is that way pointing right. Though this wasn’t the entry to the food area so we were still lost!
Finally we found her again and asked how we get a table — she then walk us through to the tables and then said you have to get your own menus at the bar, order at bar etc Ah ok — got it now!
We ordered the vegetarian pizza ($ 23,50) and a serve of chips. My hubby had the $ 10 tasting plate of beers which include 5 small cups of your choice of 5 out of 10 beers/​ciders etc.
Service was really really slow! 20mins until our chips came out and then another 20 mins until out pizza came out. We ordered one pizza and there was a table of 8 people who came in at least 10 minutes after us receiving all their pizzas before us.
The chips were nice, the pizza was terrible. They have an outdoor pizza oven so you’re expecting a handmade fresh pizza but that’s not what you get.
Instead it’s one of those thick frozen pizza base which already has the sauce and cheese on it and they add the toppings to it. Frozen pizza bases are the worst. The end result is a overcooked outer edge and a soggy middle. It was honestly the worst pizza ever — no taste or flavour, and the middle was sloshy and yuk.
Too hungry to care by this stage we ate half and left the rest.
Wouldn’t waste my stomach space going there again.

Lovely friendly service, way too (on weekends) busy, though food was good, and i kind off felt sorry for overload on staff??? trying to do to much. Under pressure Though they are lovely people/​staff, they need more cover for the busy season. Worth a visit any day! Though remember to book if its a weekend, and choose your day as spring in the valley can be hectic. The restaurants get swamped by bus loads from all around. Better if they (get more cover staff) :-) Though when things become quiet they have to lay people off. Weekends are so busy and can be difficult to find casuals in hospitality. Its a situation where we can expect unusual busy periods. If you see a bus load of drunk people rock up you can guarantee mayhem. The valley business in all fairness try their best, its a hard one:-/

Dear Ironbark Brewery owners
Here’s a hint at what I (the average punter) look for when trying a new beer or going to a «boutique brewery», I go for the extra taste, the unique flavour and the value for money. I actually don’t mind paying a bit over the odds for a decent IPA (alá Sierra Nevada) I don’t mind quirky waitstaff (alá Little creatures), I don’t mind stools that sink my chin down to bench level (alá The Monk) I can put up with a lot IF the BEER is good. but alas I should have listened to the reviewers because the beer I tasted was not even up to my neighbours first attempt at making HOME BREW in his garage.
The only saving grace is that you made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to spend more than I already regretted paying ($ 7.50 for a Schooner) by not serving Pints. Seriously is this just another attempt to gouge more profit out of the punters? Along with that you stock your beer in bottles behind the bar– but I can’t buy one– unless I take it away. never, ever been to a pub or bar that has this rule? Could it be that you make more profit from the keg … no surely not … must be something to do with wanting to ensure that you don’t waste the keg by letting it go off during the week… but hang on… if that’s the case then why not sell PINTS???
Rustic… I looked it up … but didn’t see any definition that said «sloping haphazard warped wood tables/​benches on sloping haphazard brick floor with cheap uncomfortable chairs (.remember I said I could put up with a lot .if the Beer was good and I am even more mellow with a PINT or two under my belt)
To top it off the weightstaff tried to shoehorn me and the beloved into a table for two wedged between two brick uprights on the wall — e.g. say the gap was 120 cm — 60 cm for the table leaves 30 cm on each side, easy enough if you are standing or sitting on a stool. but she brings over a café chair with a sloping back that is more than 30 cm in depth… with arms … ???
«I don’t reckon I’ll fit… in there …? I say …» «Yeah, you’ll be right «she answers and leaves… –excellent customer service levels demonstrated to the high Perth standard we’ve come to expect — she’s obviously the one that the web master was thnking about when he suggested it woud be a great place for a wedding. — excuse me whilst I SMSAROFL (split my sides and roll on floor laughing)
Surprisingly the chair fits but it can’t move back to allow me past its arms … I could place beside the table and be in the main traffic flow but nah… I manage to catch the weightstaff again as she herds some unsuspecting cashed up punters to their «rustic» table and indicate that her seating proposal defies the laws of physics to which she imitates a mullet that has had a cow prod attached to it and says … «well I guess you could have that table over there but it’s in the sun … «
We move to the amply shaded and more ample accommodation to decide on lunch…
OK so the other thing I am a sucker for is a good steak sandwich … BUT NOT FOR $ 30?!? come on people … this is not the ROCKPOOL? so WTF is the reason you charge like the dead cow that you serve on the plate… Hang on we could go the Roo Mince Burger for … yep $ 30 (since when has our edible national rodent been the same or more expensive per kg than prime scotch fillet??? third time lucky .let’s go for the COLD MEAT PLATTER, gee only $ 60 but you do get dip, nuts, crackers, cheese, garlic bread and Damper (that’s home cooked, flour, salt, water and sugar right… ohhh so that’s why it’s so exxy) ???
And while I am on a roll. WTF is the theme of this «authentic Aussie Beer garden» menu — American? Asian? European? Italian? Mexican? Focus people Focus!
Crazy thing is the place was packed on a Sunday… I can only imagine that a convention of the S.D.B.W.H.B.M.O. (Sensory Deprived Bogans Who Have Become Millionaires Overnight) was in town or the Emu Export Social Club was looking for a place to spend their lotto win and couldn’t find a pub that served a beer that made theirs look good.
In closing dear, clearly confused (but probably rolling in cash), owners of Iron Bark I know we here in Perth live in the two speed economy, I understand that staff in WA demand high wages to provide (generally, not always) mediocre service and our Electricity is expensive… I get it that you choose to plonk your brewery out in the Swan Valley and that it is probably an offshoot from another venture to capitalise on the vineyard/​restaurant/​tourist bus crowd … and I hear what you say about not everyone’s taste in beer is the same … But get a clue, focus on doing a few things EXCEPTIONALLY well instead of trying to be all things to all people and only doing them OK — I bet if you focused on 2 or 3 beers you might even get a Gold Medal (not just silver/​bronze)
Let me know & I might come back and give you another try… but not any time soon.

The Swan Valley in general is a beautiful place to visit. The amazing array of wineries is really something special and its only a 20 minute drive from Perth City.
This winery in particular has to be up there with one of my personal favourites. I went on Saturday and what a nice afternoon it was indeed. I had a delicious pear cider, well I had a couple of delicious pear ciders. The drinks are really reasonable I got a 5 person round for $ 28! That doesn’t happen everyday!
I had a delicious wood fire vegetarian pizza all my favourite toppings, olives, red onion, pineapple, capsicum and mushroom, teamed with a bowl of beer battered chips and life is looking pretty good!
They had a band playing also, I spoke to the lead singer Lee, and he said they play once a month so I was pretty glad I was there for it.
It was just a really chilled out vibe, with good music, good beer and good food!

Ironbark Brewery is one of several breweries located in the beautiful surrounds of the Swan Valley.
The name gives off the image of a rough-​hewn, outback setting, and Ironbark Brewery’s appearance is rather rustic, with its wooden furniture, yellow walls and ample use of tin. Ironbark Brewery is proudly Australian, and their menu reflects this — there are meals named after farm workers, such as the Shearer’s Grilled Chicken and the Stockman’s Grilled Corned Beef Baguette. However, the menu also reflects the multiculturalism of Australia by offering spring rolls and pizzas.
For food, Ironbark make some fantastic dishes. The meat is soft and tender, and the sauces are rich and thick.
Their beer, however, leaves much to desire, which is disappointing because Ironbark markets itself as a brewery. Most of their beers are either overly hoppy, or is the unfortunate result of an ill-​conceived experiment. One of the few good beers was the Ebony Stout, a dark beer with a strong, roasted flavour.
Ironbark is a good place to visit if you are looking for good food in the Swan Valley. Their beers, however, left much to be desired.