East of Everything

Love beer? Looking for the latest in-an-alley-off-an-alley-no-sign-secret-venue? Good news, all you’ll require is a little patience and $4 for the train ride to Camberwell.

East of Everything is the freshly cracked craft beer bar opened by Gen and Michael Cotter. They're the operators of Bar None – the Camberwell cocktail bar that got a little scorched by fire last year and has just re-opened. East of Everything is directly north (upstairs) in the same building, and a sneaky building it is. Grey and inconspicuous, it takes a little faith to ascend what appear to be the stairs to someone’s flat, but persevere. We promise there’s a bar behind that office door at the top.

Your choice of hangouts range between the couch-corner, a scattering of tables in the main open-concept space and an enclosed veranda room off to the side. Backed by the sweet sounds of motown, old school rock and hip hop, the vibe here is more house party than bar, and we see long nights on the cards.

They have five draught taps focusing on craft brews from Victoria and overseas, which change up so regularly, the names are simply scribbled on the tile wall in easy-wipe markers. On our visit, they’re pouring Kooinda, Redhill, Holgate’s Roadtrip IPA (the standout, exploding with smooth pine resin and hoppy freshness), and Hargreaves Hill for the home team, while Moylan’s Tipperary Pale Ale on spout number five represents everything that’s great about American beer right now.

Snacks are on the way, but for now we're thrilled the Cotter’s other project, Gumbo Food Truck, will be tiding us over with deep-fried soft shell crab po' boys. It’s a great time to be a beer drinker.