The Scratch

Really great, especially for beer lovers! The only problem with The Scratch is that it is really popular, which makes the tiny establishment pack-​out very quickly! The Scratch on a quiet night is one of my favourite places to go out in Brisbane.

Yes! This is what I’ve been looking for in Brisbane, just s place to chill out and enjoy a great beer. Feel free to taste on tap items and then make a selection– don’t worry, no matter what you order it’ll be good! Whether you want to sit on a sofa, or at the bar it’s available — it’s really emulates some hip US bars!

How have I not reviewed this place yet? One of my favourite bars in Brisbane and if you love beer you’ll have an EXCELLENT time here. If I lived closer this would definitely be my local bar of choice.
The bar has a rotating selection of taps (check their facebook for whats on a particular day) and staff are happy to give you samples and walk you through what’s on offer. The décor inside is really chilled and there are some comfy couches and scrabble up the back.
Foodwise, they do offer a cheese plate but they let you bring your own food. I recommend going to the pizza place next door, they’ll deliver a pizza right to your table.
Only downside is that because its so small it does get packed out sometimes. Avoid Friday after work drinks because it seems most of Milton’s offices have the same great «lets go to scratch after work» idea and there will be a queue.

I would say one of the best bars around. The staff are really passionate about beer and would do anything to find you the right pint of beer. And it doesn’t hurt that they have a fine selection of Scotch for you malt heads

Around end of the Year 2013, my friends and I decided to have Pub Crawl!
The Scratch was the final pub that I was crawling out. Okay, I’m joking. I had another dinner to attend.
It is a very vintage pub with many beer and drink choices to choose from. And what’s great, they let you ‘beer tasting’. Yep, you got it… it’s like wine tasting. But since I was exhausting from drinking the beers from earlier pubs. I cheated my friends and have gone for dessert.
I have the weirdest yet powerful combination flavours in my ice cream. It was passion fruit and beer. Well, you see, technically I was not cheating… there was beer in it!
Try it, you won’t be disappointing. Maybe better with a glass of cold beer… Beer float, anyone?

Brisbane has finally come to realise the potential for boutique beer bars! This place has got it covered — if you like craft beer from around the globe, you will be happy to step into this place. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to experience something different in Brisbane.

What a cool little bar this is!
We where visiting from Adelaide and I found this place on Unilocal.
They have a great range of craft beers on tap from different small micro breweries. The taps are continually changing. They also have a bunch of nice bottled beers.
All the staff are super nice. From the second we walked in, on a quite Sunday. The guy was pouring us free tastings and talking us through the beers.
Not sure if they do food? But I seen a few guys order and get delivered pizzas from cross the road.
If you like drinking quality beer, then this is the place for you.

I hosted a pub crawl and my friend suggested a visit to Scratch. The place is very chill and everyone is welcome. They want you to have a great time and taste quality craft beer. They have new beers on tap all the time so every time you come, it’ll be a beer-​venture!
They welcome for you to taste the beer before purchasing which is awesome! I tried the apple cider they had on tap that was pretty tasty. Another cool thing about Scratch is that they let you bring your own food to eat while you drink or Arrivederci nearby will deliver! They REALLY sold me with their beer-​infused ice cream! The ice cream comes from Lick! and I had passionfruit ice cream! Perfect combination and great way to cool down from the Brisbane heat.
Awesome place with awesome staff. If I had a friend visiting, I would definitely take them to this place because it’s unique and chill. Oh and on a Friday, get in early because even around 4pm the place was already packed!

I really have no excuse why it actually took me so long to go to the Scratch! I am not a huge beer fan, but when friends had an evening planned at the Scratch I joined them not knowing what to expect. When entering you already get this «this is a damn cool place» feeling. For me personally (and please don’t judge me), beer was beer! I went to the bar trying to explain what beer I am after, and I am glad the bar staff has humor! lots of humor! :)
I didn’t know that they offer you to try samples of their tap beer, but I really liked that. With every sample they would explain all the details about each of them. Every single tap beer had a really distinct taste, which was nice and made my choice a lot easier. When relaxing on one of their chill-​out sofas I could forget all the stress form work within minutes.
On top of that this place doesn’t mind if you actually bring your own food from one of the shops down the street. We went to Arrividerci Pizza, chose what we want and they delivered right to the couch! How good is that? Being a couch potato has a new definition!:)
Offering special and delicious craft beer, having cool, bubbly and genuine staff, a cool and relaxing atmosphere for a very reasonable price! What more can you ask for? After this visit, I can tell you «beer is not just beer anymore» to me!:) And I am definitely going to visit more often!

So good. Well curated drafts and highly enviable bottle list. Everyone loves free peanuts!

This place is great! The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and I loved being given a taste test of each of the 4 rotating tap beers when we arrived. We also had a cheese platter which was simple and super tasty. This kind of place is exactly what Brisbane needs. I will venture South again to visit Scratch!

I love this place. When I first discovered The Scratch, I found myself there three times in a week. After a couple of months of neglect, I went back again this week and was pleased to find nothing had changed.
The guys behind the bar are super friendly, and willing to give you a taste of each of the 4 rotating tap beers before you make your choice. And between the taps and an absolute plethora of bottled beers, what a selection it is!
While there this week, I overheard one of the guys telling a customer «we just like sharing good beer with people». Sounds like a marketing pitch, but you can tell he really meant it.

This is a great boutique beer bar, especially for someone like me who can’t stand lagers. If you like ales, porters etc this spot always has a selection of local-​ish brewed boutique beers available. Highly recommended for true beer lovers.

I’m not a beer drinker, yet The Scratch, a small boutique beer bar in sleepy Milton, is the kind of place I could grow to love. This hip-​without-​trying bar oozes a character all of its own and stands to be one of Brisbane’s strongest craft beer providers. You won’t find XXXX, Toohey’s or Carlton Draught on tap here. Instead, there’s a hand chosen selection of local and interstate brews — all with a story to tell. On the occasion I visited (a Wed evening) the space was already steadily filling by 6pm, yet it didn’t feel over crowded. I opted for the cider spider (your choice of cider with vanilla ice-​cream. I went with the Cheeky Rascal Apple & Raspberry) and the jury is still out on this one. Next time I’ll stick with the on-​tap cider I think.

The service, the value, the vibe. Can’t go wrong. My question is how did a place like this end up in Brisbane? Thank heavens. It saved me from some terrible bartenders in West End :-)

This bar is doing everything right.
It is as if craft beer and these people grew up in the same house!
If it is your first time there, or even if you are just inquisitive about what they have on tap, they will always be open to let you have a taste of everything they have on that day. Several times I have visited two days in a row and found out that they have a completely different range of beers on tap! Amazing!
The Staff are as passionate about the beer as anyone could be! They also regularly host beer appreciation events that range from introduction to beer to being orientated around rare small batch releases of beers.
The bar calls itself a Dive Bar. I would call the atmosphere and décor something that reminds me of a subterranean (although it is not subterranean) european bar. With amazing wooden bar that even has an handpump now! You will sporadically find little plastic army men scattered throughout the bar. There is also a piano in the corner, that anyone is aloud to play, if they ask politely. Stacked on top of the piano is a pile of board games that anyone is free to enjoy, it does get a little difficult to play scrabble after a few 7% or 8% ABV beers! There is never any pretention in the air either, it’s just a great place to relax.
I recommend that everyone should visit this bar! If you like beer or cider, you will feel at home instantly!

The Scratch is one of the few new Brisbane bars that I can safely say is absolutely devoid of pretension. I’d heard mutterings about the place and dropped by en route to dinner. It was love at first sight. Our handsome bearded barman gave us tastes of all the tap beers along with a little bit of background, we ordered, we drank delicious beers, and we ate peanuts. It’s everything you want in a friendly, local beer bar. I can’t recommend The Scratch highly enough! Apparently it is also a BYO food arrangement, which I can’t wait to utilise.

Hot damn. If I had known that establishments like The Scratch existed in Milton, I would make more of an effort to visit Milton!
The staff here are dedicated to their brews. Initially, they were a little too busy sampling the new beers they’d just received to serve us, but when they realised we’d been standing there for a little while they were apologetic and extremely attentive.
We asked about what beers they had on tap and we got to sample all four of them. I’d never tasted such a fresh and unusual variety of brews before — from light and dry beers from the Sunshine Coast, to meaty, robust stouts from NSW. I ended up going with one of their famous Cider Spiders.
What I love most about The Scratch is the friendly and laid back vibe, especially when it comes to food. You’re allowed to BYO your own snacks. My friends and I brought over a pizza from Arrivederci down the road. If you’re unwilling to venture out, The Scratch also offers a selection of cheese platters.
Drinking at The Scratch feels a lot more like hanging out at an extremely cool friend’s house who has awesome friends you’ve never met and have no problem sharing a space with, than being at a bar full of strangers. It was bustling without feeling overcrowded, and was still quite busy when we left at around midnight.
The smell of The Scratch on the night I went was a little overwhelming at first. Someone must have spilt beer or wine on one of the rugs, which made the entire bar smell sour, but I soon forgot about that. There was also entertainment on hand — patrons were invited to play classical pieces on the piano, which was a welcome change from the corny live music and awkward indie bands you’ll find at other bars.

The most distinctive thing I remember about my first time at The Scratch is continually yelling at my friend to not let me forget to describe it as «urban rustic». And while I may have been overly zealous in my attempts to remind her to remind me, I believe that description is so fitting. The Scratch is your perfect venue for embarking on a cheeky afternoon drink that effortlessly spills over to nighttime shenanigans. On our first visit, my friends and I were delighted by the fact that the lovely guys there gave us free tasters of their beer with a nice little description to accompany each. Black Cockatoo is a really excellent choice offered here but my friends opted for the more concentrated option of Red Belly Black — 9.5% thank you very much, so keep your wits about you with that one.
Alas, the beers on offer range in everything from your dark ales and lagers to smokier tasting options and some cider if you’re not an avid beer lover. At The Scratch you can BYO food (seriously, you can) or indulge in one of their cheese and bread platters, which are AMAZING, particularly in conjunction with one of their beers.
And I stand by my statement that the place is urban rustic, ok. You only have to look over to the far wall and see a giant animal skull hanging there to get what I’m talking about. It’s actually got a really awesome and almost western vibe about it, yet with a really casual and fun atmosphere similar to Archive.
Collapse into one of their lounges, play cards while you eat peanuts at a table, or go outside for some raucous behaviour if you like. I really, thoroughly enjoy The Scratch and since it’s only down the road from me, I think I’ve found my new favourite local.

It was just a whisper at first, and then all of a sudden, here, there and everywhere, people began talking about this ‘stout milkshake’ that was being served at a new bar in Milton. Milk AND stout. Two of my favourite things that I never thought would be likely lovers. As it turns out, I was wrong.
I beckoned some of my most trusted beer aficionados to come to Milton and went to investigate this ‘stout milkshake’ for myself.
From the outside, The Scratch doesn’t look like anything really different to be found on Park Road. Sure, there’s some nice wooden furniture, a long table and chairs, but nothing I hadn’t seen before. Then I went inside.
The place feels something like a gentleman’s club, and I, on this particular day, wearing a fancy little dress, felt quite the lady in the surrounds. I ordered my friend the stout milkshake, and myself a strawberry/​apple cider spider. After paying a slightly hefty $ 13 for each drink, we sank into the earthy toned velour armchairs (circa the 1970’s) in the dark, back end of the bar. The place is decked out remarkably well. It’s subtle, yet with distinct character. It’s almost a bit of a ‘come along men, let’s go to the dining room for brandy and cigars’ type feel about it. It’s got a very particular appeal, what with the mounted skull on the wall, the framed Tom Wait’s Australian tour poster, the mint condition ornate and antique looking coffee tables, and a reclining lounge that just beckons, and aches for a voluptuous naked lady to lie down on it. Gentlemen’s club indeed.
When I went back for my second drink, I was asked how the spider was. «It made me feel like a lady. Strawberries and cream in a glass. But I have to move on». Ben Nichols, one of the partners (the other being the brains behind the cider spider, Kieran Ryan) asked me what type of beer I like. I don’t know much, but I know I detest IPA’s (of which they have several). They have one pilsner on the beer menu, and so I found myself at something of a loss. Ben suggested the Holgate Mt Macedon Ale, and allowed me to try before I buy. It was delicious. He’d taken the outline of my tastes and filled the rest in with a spot of assumption of what I’d be happy with. Win.
Park Road has lacked a good place to drink for a while now, and The Scratch seems to have provided the answer to those wanting to quelch their thirst. It does well to ‘fit’ the area as well. Even though the Castlemaine Brewery is just up the road, you’re not going to find XXXX or any of it’s usual friends (Tooheys, Carlton Draught) on tap here. It’s dedicated to serving up craft beers of local and international varieties, for those with a high brow approach to beer drinking, or those inquisitive to try something new. Expect to pay through the nose here. It is expensive whichever way you look at it, but by the time you get to the last quarter of the beer you’re sitting on, you’d be damned if you don’t go in to get another.
I’m glad to have found this place. I’ll be back, returning with more friends. People deserve to know about The Scratch.