Food & Beer Culture

What do you eat with beer in Fremantle? Fish and chips at Fishing Boat Harbour are a must. Fried fish and chips call for a beer with freshness and carbonation. A pale lager cuts through the fat, while a Pale Ale works well if the fish is heavily seasoned.

Western Australia has its own seafood specialty, the Western Rock Lobster, locally called "Cray," a type of crayfish. Grilled or boiled, its sweet meat makes a lovely contrast to the hop bitterness of a Pale Ale. For something simpler, there's the Meat Pie, a puff pastry filled with ground meat, available at every kiosk. A simple lager pairs well, cleansing the palate between bites.

In the pub, the Chicken Parma is a staple, short for Parmigiana: a breaded chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. The sweetness of the sauce and the salty breading go very well with a robust beer. Little Creatures favors wood-fired pizza, whose toasty flavors complement the malt.

Culture here is mostly about being outdoors. At the Barbie, the barbecue evening with sausages, friends gather around the grill, and at the Sundowner, the drink at sunset, people settle in at the beach or in a beer garden. Many pubs have a Bottle Shop attached, where you can pick up beer to take home. The Sundowner beer is a little ritual in itself, not a competition: a Middy in hand, the sea in view, gulls overhead. It's enjoyed in moderation — binge drinking is considered poor form here too.