Beer Bar Band

Beer - Vertical Saisons

2012-02-18T13:09:00.000+11:00

Personal vertical tastings at home...I love them. Drinking comparable beers side-by-side with no other influences around you other than your senses is a fantastic way to train your palate and educate yourself on the characteristics of beer styles. Alternatively, through a verticle tasting of vintages you will discover how a beer evolves as it is aged.

I've posted about a couple of personal verticals here already. Last year, in the former Beer Bar Band backyard, I attempted to understand the abundant presence of Dry Lagers with a vertical tasting. Also, on Christmas Day we sampled 3 different vintages of the Red Hill Christmas Ale. The insight provided by a vertical tasting can really help you decipher quality and individuality. (One day I'll finally get around to doing that VB/Melbourne Bitter/Carlton Draught/Crown Lager vertical tasting...)

Recently we lined up some Saisons over dinner on a fine summer's evening, out on our deck at home. Dinner added to the theme of the night. Jenn cooked a Saison fish pie via Paul Mercurio's Cooking With Beer book. I'll leave her to fill you in on the delicious beery food...so watch out for the blog post on Soaked in Beer!

Saison is a beer style that I've become quite fond of over the last year, as I’ve experienced more and more versions. This may actually be perfect timing too. Indications from the local craft brewing industry point to a number of new saisons hitting the beer taps this year. 2011’s trend was clearly Black IPAs. Now, 2012 may just be the year of the Saison for Australian craft beer!

There's already a small but stellar local range of the style - Moo Brew's MONA Saison deMoo, Beard and Brau Bon Chiens Farmhouse ale, the retired Feral Saison and the recently returned Temple Brewing Saison (which should back in bottles soon). Joining the farmhouse fold this year will be Mornington Peninsula Brewery, Mountain Goat and the possible limited return of Matilda Bay Brewey's Barking Duck saison.

These fruity, full bodied (usually) pale ales are a fine juxtaposition of a complex yet simple drinking beer. The style’s origins lie in the refreshing summer ales, often with low-alcohol content, brewed for the French farm labours. These days saisons tend to be much bigger and bolder, with full bodies and an alcohol content of between 6-8% abv, yet they still retain their easy drinking and seasonable character.

For our first little Saison vertical test we selected:

an international benchmark - Saison Dupont (Belgium, 6.5% abv)
a highly regarding Australian version from Bridge Road Brewers, Chevalier Saison (Victoria, 6% abv)
and a new kid on the block – La Sirène Saison (Victoria, 6.5% abv)

These three saisons all proved to be quite different yet still provided the similar drinking experience of a classic Saison.

None were exactly alike in appearance. La Sirène was light and cloudy with a relatively small head. Its head did have the best retention of the three, but left little lacing. The Bridge Road was clear and bright with a decent head and good lacing. The Saison Dupot was a deep cloudy orange with the biggest head of the three and left much pretty lacing.

The aroma proved to be the most similar characteristic across these three beers - full and dense orangey fruity nose, sweet and spicy notes with the familiar saison yeast element.

Mouthfeel varied across the three from full bodied (Saison Dupont) to medium (Bridge Road) to a little light-on for a saison (La Sirène). Carbonation was highest in the local beers, possible because the Dupont was older from traveling further since it was brewed. Hence, Bridge Road and La Sirène were also the more vibrant beers. The overall balance was best in the Bridge Road and Dupont versions. La Sirène was just a little too thin for me. The complexity and depth of Dupont highlights its internationally renowned status.

La Sirène performed best with its refreshing clean and dry finish that had the nicest little hit of tartness out of the three. Although, it was the Bridge Road and Dupont saisons that I found moreish.

All truly excellent and enjoyable beers in their own right. For me, the Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison hit the spot just right on this occasion and "won" this vertical session.

Ben Kraus of Bridge Road Brewers has a solid history producing excellent saisons with a twist. In the last few years he has produced the Saison le Printemps, brewed with blueberries and elderflower, and the awesome Saison Noir (black saison) that celebrated the brewery's 6th anniversary in 2011. However, his regular Saison from the Bridge Road Chevalier range remains a consistent standout as an Australian interpretation of the style.

A week or so later we went vertical with the latest Ben Kraus Saison-with-a-twist. It was also our first side-by-side test of the same beer that has been brewed in two different locations – the excellent NøgneØ and Bridge Road Brewers collaboration ale, India Saison, a hybrid style mash resulting in a hoppy Saison.

In August last year Ben Kraus travelled to Norway, along with some of his favourite local hop varieties. In collaboration he brewed this beer with Kjetil Jikiun at the NøgneØ brewery, which was then packaged in the standard 500ml NøgneØ bottles and eventually imported into Australia through Phoenix Beers. Back in Australia, Ben also brewed India Saison at his brewery in Beechworth using exactly the same recipe, providing two versions for the market.

News of this collaboration was very exciting for me, as a big fan of both breweries. Many of Ben's Bridge Road Brewers beers have provided much "wow" factor in recent times, through his innovative brewing - B2 Bomber, 500 Smokey Breakfast Lager, Galaxy Single Hop IPA, Stellar Single Hop IPA and more! NøgneØ is also a sensation, filling many spots of my all-time list of favourite beers: Imperial Stout, God Jul plus the incredible trilogy of Dark Horizon, Red Horizon and Sweet Horizon.

India Saison is a brilliant beer. Packed with the robust Australian Galaxy and Stella hop varieties, it is a well balanced blend of two interesting beer styles - Saison and IPA. There are many "crazy" inventive craft beers around these days. Whilst innovative, this beer is far from crazy. India Saison is a bold and characterful beer, yet also elegant and easy to drink. The complexity isn't as evident at first as in some other hybrid craft beer styles, but a few mouthfuls in you will discover much to explore in this beer's taste and character.

Clearly the same beer, there were also some strikingly significant differences between the Australian and Norway brewed versions. Firstly, the aroma of both was upfront resiny hoppy yet underneath was a classic spicy Saison nose. However, the hoppy aroma was much bigger and beautiful on the Bridge Road edition. Although, having traveled from the other side of the world, the hops in the NøgneØ bottle may have just died off a little. Understandable.

The biggest difference was in appearance. The NøgneØ brewed addition had a much deeper orange colour with a thicker head, whilst the local Bridge Road brew was a brighter orange with a less dense head.

Both versions were practically identical in mouthfeel, finish and overall drinkability.

So, why are the two beers so different when both have been brewed with exactly the same recipe? The simple and short answer, to the best of my basic knowledge, is water and brewhouse plus freshness. Sure, there are a number of other tiny intricacies that will alter the final result in very small ways, but the significant differences will most likely come from:

two very different water sources, with large variations in the mineral content and ph levels between the Aussie and Norway water supplies,
the larger size and environment of the relatively new NøgneØ brewhouse compared to the smaller Beechworth brewhouse build in an old Coach House,
the NøgneØ version has travelled from across the other side of the world, compared to the relatively fresh recently brewed Bridge Road version from only a few hundred kms away. Therefore it is older and has been exposed to more variations in light and temperature.

Again the Bridge Road Brewers beer won this side-by-side taste test, but it had the clear advantage of freshness and therefore offered more vibrancy. Either way, this beer as a whole is a magnificent innovation and a testimony to the art and science of craft brewing plus collaborative spirit of both NøgneØ and Bridge Road Brewers. Yum.

Anyways, despite all my clumbsy words here...every beer mentioned is a delicious drinking experience and highly recommended! Track them down and discover the diversity. Cheers!

Beer - Redoak Christmas Cheer

2012-02-03T17:49:00.001+11:00

Redoak beer is a quandary. This small independent craft brewery, with it's Redoak Boutique Beer Café restaurant located in central Sydney, has many highly regarded and interesting beers that (in my experience) seem to rarely perform when purchased in bottles.

Redoak has a plethora of beer awards to its name. They even declare themselves to be "Australia's Most Awarded Brewery" (along with a couple of other breweries who make the same claim, such as Grand Ridge in Victoria). Some people suggest Redoak wins so many awards simply because they enter so many beers into countless competitions. Weight in numbers. Nonetheless, Redoak has scored 3 World Beer Cup Gold Medals and they were they 2008 AIBA Champion Small Brewery, which can't be done without seriously good beer (...you'd hope).

Beyond the awards, the man behind Redoak, David Hollyoak, seems to divide colleagues and affiliates in the beer industry with his opinions on running a microbrewery business. The outspoken advocate for local, small independent craft beer is also the driving force behind the Australian Real Craft Brewers Association.

Many have also labelled David to be something of a Willy Wonka, eccentric and very secretive about his brewery (very few seem to know the actual location of the Redoak brewery) and his brewing methods. He is a prolific brewer, producing many different styles and speciality beers from a supposedly small brewery, yet it is still capable of supporting natural distribution for several of his beers.

Two Red Oak beers, Organic Hefeweizen and Organic Pale Ale, are distributed nationally through the major chains of Dan Murphys and Vintage Cellars. However, whenever I have bought Redoak beers from Uncle Dan's or VC, the beers have been infected...without fail...every time. When it comes to craft beers purchased from Dan Murphy's, faults don't often surprise me given the amount of time these untreated, preservative and additive free beers spend on warm shelves under bright lights. But with Redoak, it is a common issue that seems to always come up when talking about their beers with other local craft beer lovers.

My first experience with a Redoak beer was the glorious Christmas Cheer, a complex dark spiced Belgian ale that reminds you of Christmas pudding. I picked it up along with several other Christmas themed ales from a specialty beer shop not long before Christmas 2008, early in my craft beer journey. On that occasion it was a joy to drink, for my young palate. However, I had not seen it in a shop since.

Hence, it was to my surprise to spot a single bottle of Christmas Cheer in the fridge at Mayerling Cellars (a Duncan's branded drive-thru bottleshop) in Ferntree Gully. I had no idea how long it had been there (especially since I don't ever recall seeing it on previous visits) but I bought it without hesitation in hope of being reminded how good this beer was. I was also thinking..."surely such a small batch seasonal release such as this would not suffer the same infection issues."

Well...the Christmas Cheer looked fantastic when poured, with a brilliant dark red hue and creamy tan head, but as soon as the bottle was opened I could tell this beer was infected. Damn.

I'm not sure if it was Brettanomyces, which can actually be quite favourable these days given our recent dalliance with lambics. This infection was more of a pungent sour green apple aroma. It really destroyed the beer, which did not display the full body I recall when tasted in 2008.

Who knows where the problem lies, but the consistency of the occurrence seems to indicate that there's a problem with bottled Redoak beers that are shipped south to Victoria.

And so my aversion to Redoak continues. I'm not one to readily diss any beer these days without good reason, but the continued disappointment has made this issue worthy of a blog post. Maybe readers will set the record straight for me and share their experiences on the contrary...?

The problem is that I've never had a Redoak beer on tap...and maybe that is where they perform best? I hope that some day not too far away I will have the opportunity to visit the Redoak Boutique Beer Café in Sydney and taste these beers fresh from the "source". Traveling to the beer's home, where it will always be treated and served as the brewer intended, may be the only way to discover how good the Redoak brews actually are. It's the best way to enjoy any craft beer! Until then, I may be giving bottled Redoak a miss.

I'd love to know if anyone outside of NSW has had a good Redoak beer in the bottle?

Band - Whitley Reunion Show at Northcote Social Club

2012-02-01T17:55:00.001+11:00

Gig: Whitley Reunion Show
Support: Lester The Fierce
Venue: Northcote Social Club, tix $25 (all proceeds to charity)
Date: Wednesday 4th January, 2011

Like many of the bands I blog about here, Lawrence Greenwood’s band project – Whitley – was first experience as a support act. The impressive tunes of the then unknown artist lead us to buy the Whitley albums and become fans of the always entertaining his gigs. Although Whitley implies a band and a music concept, Lawrence Greenwood himself was really always Whitley. He is the constant and creative owner-driver behind the name and often performed solo as Whitley.

Whitley released two eloquent and expressive albums, The Submarine and Go Forth, Find Mammoth, which were very well received but many critics. Both albums remain on high rotation across my personal playlist.

The last Whitley gig we witnessed was an excellent night of dense sound at The Corner Hotel in November 2009 for the Go Forth Find Mammoth tour (which Whitley later shitcanned due to a seemingly unresponsive crowd of hipster wankers...more on that later...). In early 2010 Greenwood announced that he would end the Whitley name/concept with one final national tour, which we missed in favour of running away to get married in Far-North Queensland.

So, Greenwood took his leave from the Australian music scene and hightailed to Europe. He left in search of lyrics plus a new sound and experience through which he would create a fresh solo release under his own name. Unsatisfied with the result, he had returned to Australia for Christmas and reset his course for creating a new album in Peru during 2012. The return home provided Lawrence with an opportunity to reform the original Whitley crew and play the old songs to their Melbourne friends and fans one more time, with all proceeds from the gig donated to charity to help underprivileged children in Peru.

Like many others, we snapped up tickets for this reunion show at the Northcote Social Club, where I’ve never seen a bad gig. And despite Greenwood's flustering after a year of not playing live, this gig was no exception.

First to grace the stage on this sold-out night was brand new band Lester The Fierce. Similar to the Whitley concept, this recently formed foursome supports the lyrics and music of their driving force, the brooding vocalist Anita Lester. With dark poetic lyrics scored by their soft alt-rock sound, Anita’s quality voice and musical mindset has clearly been shaped by that of Kate Bush, Florence Welch and maybe even Katie Noonan.

Their songs were constant and tight, presenting their own unique musical flavour and presence that also felt somewhat nostalgic. I enjoyed Lester The Fierce, they were something new without trying to be anything other than a band playing their songs.

Their last song was their first single, “Holland”, which provided the best example of the Lester The Fierce ethos. With lyrics that cry to be heard, it featured Flo-like harp strings and a sweet and slow building bombastic drums driven by a simple acoustic guitar riff.

Anita Lester will be one to keep and ear out for. Her band has a unique sound but it still needs to develop along with their stage presence. All up, they played a solid set and proved to be a quality lead-in for Whitley.

Lawrence Greenwood and his Whitley crew spared no time reclaiming their welcome place on Melbourne’s live music stage, launching into the lush and loud “Killer” from Go Forth Find Mammoth. A sigh of relief came as the awesome sound told us that this gig was that real deal, not just some random afterthought.

The set continued with the hits and favourites from the second album, including “Bright White Lights”, “I” and “Poison In Our Pocket”. The band apologised for being under-rehearsed. Rehearsals, they declared, had involved more food and beer and actual refreshing. Thankfully, there was no need for the apologies! The talented band played as though they had never stopped touring together and playing live. The vibe of the gig was positive and friendly. If there was a stuff up, it was barely noticeable and/or no one cared. The crowd had no great expectations. We all just happy to be seeing Whitley play live again.

Greenwood has stacked on the kilos during his sojourn, of which he was happy to make light. He declared himself to be not match-fit for a live gig. Refreshingly, he seemed brighter and more at ease with his allotment in life than the former Whitley. I suspect this has been from the perspective provided through seeing more of the big bad world...and it has served him well. Most of all, his voice was unchanged. Vocally, Whitley remained perfectly in-check, a powerful demonstration of a quality voice.

Muddled and surrounded by a stage full of lyric sheets (from which he could never find the song he was looking for) Greenwood was nonetheless in fine form. He played every song in his entirety without any fault that I could detect. The sound had some raw moments, but the mix was great and the music did not disappoint.

A call to the audience for requests during a bracket of three solo songs lead him to signing a new song. Once again Greenwood became flustered at the requirement to recall the chords and lyrics, yet when he started there was no reason for any concern. With his eyes closed, the quiet song came to life beautifully.

The diverse crowd, probably of the older and “plainer” leaning for a Northcote gig, was chipper and appreciative. Loving random heckles gave Greenwood plenty of opportunity to show-off his quick sense of humour that could match a seasoned stand-up comedian. Having been away from the stage for a year, tonight he seemed a little less ready to react at first, but he soon found his voice and remained as entertaining as ever. He was definitely less bullish than in the past, which I suspect is a consequence of some calming and maturing travels.

Greenwood is well known for his jocular attempts at controversial shit-stirring during gigs. He has often made absurd attempts to alienate someone in the crowd for no good reason other than sly entertainment. Back at that Corner Hotel gig in 2009 is was something about mums and kittens. This time, in the heart of hipster central Northcote, highlighting his enjoyment of the night's audience atmosphere, it was the perfect poison arrow line of: "I’m so glad you’re not all hipster cunts. We have an enemy and we know now who it is.” It clearly struck a chord with several in the crowd, whilst most had a good laugh or a little cheer.

Moving on...with the full band back on stage, “Head, First, Down” had the audience in full voice, as the band continued to demonstrated their natural ability to play together tightly, rehearsals or not.

Older songs dominated the second half of the gig. “All Is Whole” from The Submarine was given new life with an impressive jazz-like drum solo. It was a special moment in the gig as drummer Andy Reed took free reign to craft a relaxed yet rudimentary, crescendoing snare driven solo. It has been far too long since I’ve witnessed a fine long drum solo at any small live music gig! MORE, I call for!

“Lost In Time” had everyone lost in the Whitley timeline. The track was played as though it had just been released, taking us back to Whitley’s beginnings. The song would have been a very appropriate finale, but there was room for one more…an encore without the charade of the encore. Greenwood remained on stage, rightly deciphering that the context of this gig did not need him to depart-and-return at our educated begging.

The gig was closed with the opening track from Whitley’s debut album and fan favourite, “Cheap Clothes”. It provided a warm and fuzzy ending, leaving us satisfied and grateful that we had experienced what was not due to be experienced. This one-of gig was entertaining, fun and musically excellent. And it was all for charity.

Band - Expatriate at East Brunswick Club

2012-01-20T13:04:00.008+11:00

Gig: Expatriate, “Miracle Mile” gig
Support: Them Swoops, Undercolours
Venue: East Brunswick Club, $15 tix
Date: Thursday 15th December, 2011

Late last year we noticed that Expatriate, a Sydney band that made something of a splash around Australia’s live music scene in 2007, would be playing an almost inconspicuous gig at the East Brunswick Club. Tickets were only $15 and we had good memories from the Expatriate gigs that we saw four years ago. So, we jumped on the opportunity to hit one more gig around the old suburbs in 2011. More importantly, we knew that it would sadly also be our last ever gig at East Brunswick Club. The venue, one of my top 5 live music rooms of recent years in Melbourne, has fallen victim to developers who will suck cultural life out of the place in favour of making a buck on building apartments (boo!).

Anyway…Expatriate gig…good band, good price and one last hoorah to a good venue…hence, we were excited to catch these synthy-pop-rock boys who had produced the excellent album In the Midst of This (an excellent soundtrack for running to!) then went quiet for so long.

So it's a shame the Expatriate set was a bit of an dud. More on that later though.

We arrived as first support, Them Swoops, were starting up. At first this local three piece had a very working class feel about them. They played a type of indie-pop-fuzz-rock with a splash of psych. Upbeat, they worked well as a young band, effortlessly in sync with each other and creating their own brand of sound. They happily announced and played their rhythm driven songs to an almost empty room. I suspect the only other people in the room besides us were staff or band members from the next support. Tracks included "Backflips", "Take Your Time" and "Work Around It". They also played a song called "White Rabbit", which was eerily appropriate as I drank a White Rabbit Dark Ale.

Them Swoop’s short final song was probably their best, as the rhythm guitar chords that dominated their set was replaced by a solid riff. Overall I thought they were a quality first support, but probably need to discover some type of X-factor to take their young band to the next level. Good set, Them Swoops!

Undercolours took us back to American high-school pop rock of the 80s for the second support. A collision of Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Air Supply, Journey, Cheap Trick and so on, along with the guitar effects of U2. Their set was like listening to the soundtrack to a 80s John Hughes film, which is fitting considering the guitarist looked like Emilio Estevez!

Undercolours were fun but in a novelty kind of way. They played well, but their sound was too familiar. I felt like this band been done before. There was also a slight air of cockiness to them, in contrast to the "we're just happy to play and have fun despite the empty room" vibe of Them Swoops.

The Undercolours novelty wore off on me quickly as every instrument began to sound like a cliché of the 80s Americana rock sound. That wave has passed for now.

The crowd had swelled in readiness for the main act, but it was far from capacity and the energy was quite restrained. Maybe it was the mid-December Thursday night factor, but few in the audience were willing to approach the front of stage position.

We first saw Expatriate support Something For Kate in 2006, followed by their own headlined gigs in 2007. Our Expatriate live highlight was one packed high energy night at The Corner Hotel.

Unlike those gigs of four years ago, Expatiate hit the stage and began this gig in very understated fashion and to somewhat restrained cheers and applause. It set the low tone of the gig.

The set was opened with new radio single "Miracle Mile" followed by unheard song "Do You Remember", which will feature on the band’s new album Hyper/Hearts that is due out in March. The unfamiliar track lulled the crowd a little.

The anticipated energy was reclaimed when the semi-epic, Cure-reminiscent, "Are You Awake", the lush final track on their In the Midst of This album, was a surprise third song. The excitement was back...but it was short lived.

Early on the band declared that they were underdone and not in their best form after a long break from playing together live...and it showed. This was their first gig back in Australia since relocating to Berlin over the past three years. Several stuff-ups were obvious and some songs seemed undercooked. The band's expressions during the show were very plain. They lacked the full sound and flamboyant energy of the past, which we had been anticipating to experience again. Maybe the lack of audience energy to feed off sullied the band.

Thankfully David Molland did manage to pull off some classic bass rock-out poses...

Next came several more new songs, which seemed more like band practice than a gig. Most of these new tracks seemed relatively slow and mellow for Expatriate and seemed to hinder the crowds desire to recall the songs and spirit of Expatriate circa-'07.

With the crowd holding back about two metres from the stage, lead singer Ben King’s former practice of spending much of the gig half inside the crowd was cut off. At times it seemed like he was weighing up whether to reach out into the audience or not. He never did, staying put on the stage.

The atmosphere was lifted by hits "The Spaces Between" and "Crazy", but the levels were still far below former glory. The sound was much more raw than in the past, with the use of effects seemingly limited.

Despite the band's overall rusty showing, drummer Christo was on fire. He effortlessly drummed true and with flare. The man's fast hands and techno-driving beats showcased his pure skill. Christo must be one of the best young drummers in an indie Aussie band at the moment. I’d love to see a fast-hands drum-off between Christo and Nik Kaloper of The Jezabels.

A song called "Design" finished the gig. The band gave a neutral "thanks" and departed.

There was a slow and weak call for an encore, which eventually built into a decent enough appeal for one more song. But Expatriate were done and no more to be seen. The lights stayed low and house music remained off for long enough to give the impression an encore was imminent, but when nothing eventuated the flat mood and slight disappointment of the night was only confounded.

Expatriate are a great band, a class act, but they were just off their game tonight. Back to the rehersal room, boys! There's polishing to be done.

Here’s hoping they are back in full force when the new albums hits the streets!

Don't just listen to my one view about this gig though. Other reviewers had a much more positive experience on this night and saw it quite differently to me. So, check out the reviews at:

Vulture Magazine: http://vulturemagazine.com.au/expatriate-at-the-east-brunswick-club/
The AU Review: http://www.theaureview.com/melbourne/expatriate-the-east-brunswick-club-15-12-11

There's also a good recent interview with Ben King on Mess & Noise at:

Expatriate - There's Trepidation Mixed With Excitement

Bar - Oscar's Ale House, Belgrave

2012-01-11T18:36:00.000+11:00

Here's a new year's resolution for everyone who lives in or will be passing through Melbourne in 2012...visit Oscar's Ale House in Belgrave!

James Smith, beer journalist and driving force behind The Crafty Pint, has labelled Oscar's Ale House as one of the best beer bars in Victoria, primarily due to its extensive selection of local craft beers.

When I first walked into Oscar's, a few days after moving into the area, I knew within a minute that I completely agreed with Smith. More importantly, I was overwhelming happy with this bar that would now be my local. Just quietly, it was perfect...and I hadn't even had a beer. Pint please!

This little bar at the end of the train line is my saving grace as a new resident in the Dandenong Hills. For the last 10 years I had been living in the inner suburbs where craft beer is generally available by a short walk in any direction. Now our new home is 40km (an hours travel time) from the bustling craft beer and live music scene of Melbourne city. My expectation for finding a quality, friendly watering hole out this way was low.

This city-slicker blogger is now adjusting to unfamiliar hills, which require much effort to maintain a home, and a region lacking in plentiful supply of good beer. Thankfully my tree-change has been made somewhat easier by the short stroll to Oscar's. Less than 500 metres from my front door, this bar is my new local...and what a local to have! Few towns in any other direction over 40km from Melbourne are lucky to have such a good beer presence, but add to that the bonus of a bar with live music and good people in a beautiful environment...and it's a dream come true!

Oscar's Ale House was opened 3 years ago by Brad and Gypsy Merrit. It is located at the end of Belgrave's main street, metres from the railway and bus station and the entrance to Puffing Billy. The Merrit's bar brings together three passions that I raise my glass to - music, art and most of all...good beer.

For Brad, running Oscar's is a lifestyle, not a venture in profit or market chasing. The Californian native and his Aussie wife (a Dandenong's local) have swapped corporate city life in favour of providing a quality social hub for their local community. At Oscar's, named after one of the Merritt's dogs, Brad does things his way (in the best way possible) and he loves it. The success of Brad's ethos shows in the welcoming and easy-going vibe of the place.

The bar consists of three sections where patrons gather: 1. inside the main bar, 2. out the front along the pathway seating and 3. the small enclosed beer garden out the back.

The main room is showcased by a large wooden dogleg bar surrounded by comfy stools. About 14 people can sit at the bar, which is a great size and location for consuming your time at Oscar's. Much to my delight, for when I'm there alone, there's a good stack of street-press and beer books (such as Garrett Oliver's The Brewmaster's Table) to be found at the end of the bar. Alternatively, one can just stare almost endlessly at the rows of empty bottles that fill the roof-high shelves of the back wall.

Behind the bar you will find 5 draught beer taps pouring some of Brad's favourite local craft beers. Currently on tap are the Holgate ESB and "Road Trip" IPA, Mornington Peninsula Brewery's Pale Ale and IPA and the 2 Brothers "Growler" American Brown Ale.

On the lower-side behind the bar are fridges filled with a fine selection of craft beers. The bottled beer list covers all styles and flavours from across the local and international craft beer market. There is a list of regular bottle beer stock printed in a menu book, which also includes local ciders (no macro-swill cider!) and local wines, plus standard spirits and the bar's own cocktails.

A rotating list of new beers is clearly printed on two chalkboards either side of the bar (one for Australian beers and one for international/imported beers).

No shortage of choice at Oscar's!

The main section of the bar provides several booth-like couches facing across tables, which makes for easy and comfy conversation over drinks.

At the back of the bar is a small yet spacious beer garden. The enclosed but roofless space sits on top of an elevated deck and is shaded by a large umbrella.

There's no kitchen at Oscar's but they do sell food to accompany good beer drinking. On the menu are 3 cheese plates, a tomato & basil bruschetta and gourmet cheesy toast.

If you are seeking something more substantial, the staff are happy for you to BYO take-out, with a number of local pizza and take-out menu's available next to the bar. Alternatively, it's a short stroll to the various food shops and restaurants in Belgrave.

The Delicate cheese plate.

The other key feature of Oscar's is the arts. The venue regularly hosts art exhibitions and features live music across every weekend. The front corner of the venue is setup as a performance space for quality local acts, often from the blues/roots/alt-country genres. Brad is an experienced band-booker from his time working at bars in America, so he has a good ear for talent and finding acts that suit the venue.

It's a fine little venue for enjoying a free gig over good beer...a perfect match!

Josh Owen is a favourite at Oscar's.

Oscar's Ale House is simple and elegant yet characterful. However, the real character and enjoyment is found in the people that fill the bar...staff, locals and visitors.

The first few times I visited Oscar's I was hit by the quiet joy of seeing so many people drinking excellent craft beers. It's just not something I expected to see out in Belgrave. Misguided was I!

The bar brings in a regular crowd of locals who have had palates for better beer developed by Brad's selection. The empty bottles that line the bar are often new release craft beers that cost over $20 per bottle. Then there are the occasions when women come up to the bar during early summer and ask Brad if he currently has any stouts on tap...and I just want to high-5 everyone because she didn't ask for a cider or white-wine spritzer, as is too common in the city. Yes, women do love stouts and porters. This is how beer should be.

Naturally, there are those patrons who are not into craft beer and prefer to stick with the bland macro lagers or big brand spirits, something that is completely expected in this area, but their presence simply confirms that Oscar's is a choice local for everyone and anyone (unless, of course, you're a dickhead...that's a given).

Brad is a homebrewer, hop head and lover of big and crazy hybrid style beers, but he understands the (unfortunate) need for mainstream lagers in Belgrave, so he stocks James Boags Premium Lager and the marketing bullshit that is Doss Blockos, which plenty of locals drink. I am keen to see the sadly popular Doss Blockos replaced by a genuine Aussie craft Pale Lager, but it’s not an easy task finding accessible craft lagers that have the same appeal to the uneducated or misguided, the hipsters, the unadventurous and other dedicated mainstream drinkers.

The prices are good, exactly what I'd expect to pay for everything at a good bar (between $8-$9.50 for a pint of craft beer)

At first it was a surprise to me that Oscar's is often quiet, but that is no problem for the Merritts and their staff. Out here we're not in the city where an almost empty bar can be a sign of a failing business or an unwelcome domain. There is no need to pack this bar every night to make it viable. Oscar's is a labour of love. The occasional low attendance is also not a problem for me (I have been the only person in the bar several times) because I'm not the most social of animals. I enjoy being able to just sit at the bar by myself or with Jenn and lose a few hours over a couple of pints. Still, my former city-self says...this bar is so good that it should always be packed! Ok, yes, the quietness is the nature of the area. Belgrave does not have the rich population and bubbling 24/7 culture of the inner Melbourne suburbs. My new hometown is in the quiet hills, full of families and baby boomers, where having a local is common but revolving your life around visiting the trendy hot spots and making them rowdy is not (hooray!). Oscar's definitely has it's busy times...with the bar staff having all hands full late on most Friday and Saturday nights. Nonetheless, I would love for more people to discover Oscar's Ale House.

Oscar's is accessible, cosy, friendly, full of beer choice and diversity...and just a great place to discover out in the hills. Come find me there!

For the best insight into Oscar's, check out the two articles on The Crafty Pint:

Goodbye 2011 - the Beer Bar Band Top 10s

2011-12-31T17:29:00.001+11:00

2011 has been a very good year, a very full year…probably the best year of my life. The personal milestones were massive: celebrating our first year of marriage, buying our first home and running our first half-marathon.

Twenty Eleven was also a very beery year. Foremost was the excellent shock and awe of the first Good Beer Week, as well as many other beer events like The Local Taphouse’s Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), plus countless new brewers and beers advancing the cause of the craft and enjoyment of good beer.

Here is a quick wrap of my Top 10s from 2011, Beer Bar Band style...

BEERS

I have enjoyed far too many beers from across the world this year, hence the task of quickly compiling a top 10 from all beers would require much more brain power than I'm willing to offer whilst on holidays. Therefore, I have limited this list to beers from the Australasia region that were unique to or new in 2011:

“Empress” Imperial Mocha Porter by Holgate Brewhouse – brewed for GABS, bottled in 750ml bottles and sold for $65 and poured on tap at Holgate, Beer Deluxe and into growlers from Slowbeer…we had it all because it was just so good! A huge beer, full thick and silky coffee chocolate…it was everything you wanted it to be.
“Tall Poppy” India Red Ale by 8 Wired – I have loved everything produced by 8Wired and it is hard to leave out the Batch 18, iStout and Sultan from this list, but the Tall Poppy was the most original beers I had all year.
“Rex Attitude” by Yeastie Boys – the most crowd dividing beer from this year and I loved it. This golden ale brewed with 100% peated malt offended many with it’s extreme smokey-to-burnt-rubber-bands aroma. I revelled in the aroma that you can smell from 100 feet away and found this beer to be a very enjoyable and even sessional golden ale.
“Thorny Goat” Cross Breed Black IPA by Mountain Goat and Thornbridge (collaboration) – Australia’s first international craft brewing collaboration. It needed a few weeks after release to really develop its fullness and when it did Thorny Goat was a beautiful bold India Black Ale, trumping many of the style that were brewed in Australia this year.
“Karma Citra” Black IPA by Feral Brewing – another new beer produced for GABS and another India Black Ale that sat with the best of the best in the style this year, scoring bonus points by showcasing the Citra hop in excellent fashion.
“India Saison” by Nogne O and Bridge Road Brewery (collaboration) – another international collaboration and another showcase of hops, featuring new Australian hops in Danish brewing. This beer also makes the list because it was an excellent beer, but more importantly a unique brew with big character.
Cask-conditioned Imperial Stout on handpump by Red Hill Brewery – one of my favourite local betters got even better this year, thanks to the Red Hill Brewery’s decision to install a traditional English handpump beer engine at their café bar and cask condition their popular winter seasonal especially for the handpump, including dry hopping
“Hop Zombie” by Epic – an absolutely massive yet still very drinkable hop bomb of an ale
“Ninaksi's Angel” Belgian Tripel by the Women of Beer – Abby ales are not easy to brew, so this characterful spice-filled Tripel clearly showcased the talents of our local female brewers.
Everything by Moon Dog Craft Brewery – crazy, inventive, fun, honest, big ass craft brewing. Make up your own mind about their beers, but each one will no doubt be a truly new and unique drinking experience.

An honourable mention also goes to Mountain Goat Brewery for bringing back their “Bigfoot” stout this year! The beefed up Surefoot Stout, which has been missing from the market for several years, was just awesome this winter.

BARS

Once again...in the name of rapidly publishing this post...this list is limited to new bars that have opened this year of bars that I visited for the first time this year.

Oscar’s Alehouse, Belgrave – my new local, where good people, really good beer and great conversation really collide with the bonus of live music wrapped up in a very relaxed vibe.
The Wheaty, Thebarton Adelaide (first visit) – as I blogged last week…I think The Wheaty is Australia’s best pub.
Penny Blue, Melbourne city (first visit) – a hidden gem chock full of character and good beer.
Temple Bar and Brasserie, East Brunswick (new) – the next big little thing, modern beer and food focused bar where social interaction is the centrepiece.
The Courthouse, North Melbourne (first visit) – brilliant food and brilliant beer, bringing modern gastro-pub fine dining in line with the flavour profiles of craft beer.
Atticus Finch, East Brunswick (first visit) - awesome beer garden (complete with hop vines!), very East Brunswick, good prices, great staff...but best of all...their beer events (such as Beer School) and themed meals and beer flights.
8. 9. & 10. Scratch Bar, Milton & Bitter Suite, New Farm & Kerbside Lounge, Fortitude Valley in Brisbane (all new) – I have no been to either of these bars yet, but will very soon. They are on this list because I love what these bars are doing for craft beer in Brisbane. Every report back from visitors to this bar and every status update these bars make on social media get a big LIKE from me in agreeance.

Oscar's Ale House (...full blog post coming soon!)

BANDS

Albums release in 2011

Vacation by Big Scary
Rewiggled: A Tribute to the Wiggles by Various
United in Isolation by Papa vs Pretty
This Modern Glitch by The Wombats
Little Hell by City & Color
Prisoner by The Jezabels
Only Sparrows by Josh Pyke
The King is Dead by The Decemberists
Kosciusko by Jebediah
Maricahi el Bronx II by The Bronx

Very honourable mentions to Busby Marou (self titled) and So Forever by Husky.

Gigs of 2011

It was a quiet year on the gigging front for us this year, because so much else we happening (read: saving for and buying a house). We only made it to 10ish gigs, so here are the main 10 in order...

The Drones at The Corner Hotel – a WOW gig for any Drones fan. Amazing setlist, amazing sound, powerful & energetic, but most of all…the Drones at the fucking Corner!
Gareth Liddiard and Dan Kelly at the East Brunswick Club – brilliant & intense...a night to remember, a night of drunken yet sobering comedy and amazing songman ship combined with impressive musicanship.
Papa vs Pretty at Northcote Social Club – had been meaning to see this young band for a long time and they did not disappoint. Fun and energetic, but most of all...shredding to the max that works so well in modern rock!
Paul Dempsey at The Corner – seasoned performer Dempsey always puts on a solid show for an appreciative crowd, highlighted by his use of covers and the playing of several new Something For Kate tunes.
Big Scary at East Brunswick Club – the mellow “Four Seasons” gig was pretty. The first proper headline tour for Big Scary, provided the highlights through the new tracks of Mix Tape, Purple and Gladiator that would end up on the Vacation album
Josh Pyke and Jackson McLaren at The Grace Darling – returning to his roots with a stripped back, intimate solo acoustic gig yet Josh was still able to impress again by showing off a new edge with the use of a loop pedal.
Busby Marou at Northcote Social Club – could any other band bring Rockhampton pub country rock to Northcote? I think not! A special mention for their live cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun which they carried over from their TripleJ Like a Version performance.
The Jezabels at The Corner – New found popularity brought in a heavily hipster and young crowd of new fans, but the Jezabels showed that they could still adapt their big sound to a small band room after a year playing to big crowds on the festival circuit.
Josh Pyke at The Corner – whilst I believe Josh at his best solo acoustic, he was definitely in his element with the full band at The Corner. Bringing his new album to the live crowd, the band jelled well through the well selected set-list.
Expatriate at East Brunswick – look out for a blog on this gig soon…it was something of a dud gig, but still worth having on my list to make up the 10.

And that's it from me this year. Time to see out the year with a mini keg of 4 Degrees Pale Ale from Four Hearts Brewing.

See you in 2012! Cheers!

Beers - Beery Cheesemas to All (Christmas 2011)

2011-12-29T14:45:00.003+11:00

Christmas is a time commonly used to indulge in the delicious, sweet excesses of food and drink...and it's no different at the Beer Bar Band home.

Last year we had fun with A Very Beery Christmas, in which each food element of our Christmas lunch was made with beer, around the centre-piece of a barbecue beer-can chicken. This year we indulged our new found love for fine cheese matched with excellent beer.

We gathered 12 awesome craft beers (12 beers of Christmas style) as well as 6 fine cheese from around Melbourne.

Celebrating our first Christmas in our first home, which we bought a few months back, the wife and I had a quiet little fun day with just the two of us. We made the most of our spacious deck with views across the green canopy of the Dandenong hills. It was a warm and sunny morning, then the afternoon turned into a stormy affair. Heavy rain, thunder and lightning flooded and damaged parts of Melbourne, but from our vantage point it simply resulted in a pleasant light and sound show.

During the calm before the storm, we set up a big Christmas lunch spread centred around the beers and cheeses.

The Christmas menu on our kitchen pantry door.

Merely part 1 of our Christmas table spread.

With the beers naturally ordered from light-to-dark-to-heavy, we tried countless combinations of beer plus cheese plus various morsels of delicacy.

The wonderful cheeses were:

Quickes Traditional Oak Smoked Cheddar
Mauri Taleggio Cow's Washed Rind
Jindi Old Telegraph Road Fire Engine Red Washed Rind
Rouzaire Coulommier Double-Cream Brie
Cropwell Bishop Stilton
Tarago River Cheese Company Strzelecki Goat Blue

Our midday palates were first wet with the 2011 Posse Summer Ale for members of the Bridge Road Brewers Posse club. It has been an excellent beer for this mild summer and it's a fine starter for any beery session. An easy drinking, nicely spiced and well balanced witbier that matched very well with the soft cheeses.

Then we went sour and popped the cork on a benchmark lambic that is guaranteed to find favour with many forms of good cheese - the Guezue 100% Lambic Bio from Cantillon. This sessionable wild ale has just the right amout of sour tartness following the big aroma of a classic lambic.

Next we poured two red ales...always appropriate on any Christmas Day. First we had the Rogue Ales Santa's Private Reserve, a big malty American Amber Ale with a solid bitter hop hit. This beer had been sitting in my not-quite-a-cellar beer cellar for a year following a trip home from Queensland...so it may have suffered from a lack of freshness. Thankfully, it still stood up and worked well on a stormy yet warm Australian Christmas day.

Pouring the Rogue Santa's Private Reserve.

The second red ale was one of my top 3 beer highlights from this Christmas feast...the new Red Rackham by the adventurous Yeastie Boys. This accidental beer started out as a batch of the Yeastie's Hud-a-wa' Strong but they pitched the wrong yeast, a Belgian ale one. The result is a very tasty Belgian Red Ale with a full mouthfeel and excellent balance between malt, spice and bitterness. This complex brew ultimately tastes like a silky red ale, but has much more going on in it. Beautiful beer.

The hops came out in full force with the very Mikkeller in taste, Mikkeller Happy Lovin' Christmas Double IPA. Another quality and very easy drinking big beer from Mikkeller.

And then an extra special moment of Christmas Ale drinking was lined up next.

We had three vintages of the Red Hill Brewery Christmas Ale for a vertical tasting, plus a 3 year old Holgate Brewhouse Christmas Ale (which is sadly no longer brewed by Holgate).

The Red Hill Christmas Ales featured:

2011: bottle - this year's release from a 6 pack that we bought whilst at the brewery a few weeks back
2010: draught - last year's vintage in a growler, filled from the keg at Blackhearts & Sparrows in North Fitzroy
2008: bottle - a special little Christmas gift from Red Hill Brewery owners, Dave & Karen Golding.

I love this Australian intrepretation of a Belgian Christmas ale. The current release was especially good when we drank it fresh at the Red Hill brewery on the first weekend of December. In this vertical, the 2008 vintage was by far the stand-out. The carbonation was still excellent and the rich, deep fruity flavour surrounded by spices had developed beautifully into a well-rounded semi-dark Belgian.

The vertical tasting definitely showcased the way this beer develops with age. The same beer was really quite different across the three vintages. My recommendation: sit on this beer for 3 years for maximum effect!

The three Red Hill Christmas Ales were enjoyed slowly with blue cheese and a game of Trivial Pursuit.

As the storms rolled over the hills past us, we lazed on our deck, watching the rain and lightning. We excitedly cracked the bottle of Holgate Christmas Ale, it was the most anticipated beer of the day. It had been gifted to us by the Holgate brewery crew when we stayed at their Keatings Hotel for our first wedding anniversary back in August.

In contrast to the 2008 Red Hill Christmas Ale, the carbonation was very minimal in the Holgate Christmas Ale but that did not detract from the spectacular flavour of a dark fruity Christmas cake. One could quite easily mistake it for a fortified wine! The warming alcohol was fairly evident, making it an excellent sipper, enjoyed with more blue cheese and dark chocolate, plus splashes of storm. Brilliant. I didn't want to finish it because it was so good...and then it would be completely all gone, with no return.

My #1 beer of Christmas 2011...the 2008 Holgate Brewhouse Christmas Ale!

Whilst this beer has been replaced in the Holgate brewing schedule by my favourite Holgate beer, Beelzebub's Jewels (Paul Holgate has noted that their Christmas Ale was essentially a trial brew as they worked up to producing this barrel aged belgian quadrupel), I truly wish this Christmas Ale was still around every December because it is a damn fine beer to follow Christmas dessert.

Later in the day, when we somehow found some space in our super full stomachs for "dinner", we brought out the Quickes Smoked Cheddar, some smoked almonds, smoked turkey and opened the God Jul from Nøgne Ø. The uber smokey God Jul islay edition is one of my all-time favourite beers and until recently I had never tried this regular God Jul. That changed two weeks back when Josie Bones tweeted that they had the beer on tap (I have never come across this beer in draught form in Australia before!). By some awesome freak chance the wife and I were planning on being in the area that night for dinner, so we first stopped into Josie Bones for a glass each of the divine God Jul in draught form. The regular version of this strong dark Winter ale still displays a hint of the peaty smoke and provided a great start to our late light dinner on Christmas Day.

I love barely wines and I love smokey beers, so a barrel aged barely wine brewed with Islay peated malts was always going to be a winner in my mouth. It came in the form of the 11.5% BrewDog Three Floyds collaboration brew Bitch Please...

And yes, I enjoyed this beer immensely (...some things were a little hazy by this time of the day though). A very well crafted smokey barely wine with the right level of carbonation and mouthfeel that I expect from such a beer. I do indeed recall that it was a perfect match for the smoked cheddar

The final beer was the semi-palate cleansing sour of the delightful and slightly twisted Moon Dog Brewing Perverse Sexual Amalgam...need I say anymore, other than...more smoked cheddar!!

And so ends another excellent Christmas of beer (plus cheese!).

Every beer we drank across Christmas was simply excellent. The stand-outs for me, those WOW beers, were the Yeastie Boys Red Rackham, the 2008 Holgate Christmas Ale and the 2008 Red Hill Christmas Ale. How special...since 2008 was when I effectively started this craft beer journey of mine!

Maybe if I was a little sober to properly recall the 11th beer of the day, I'd probably be trying to find a way to make 3 out of 4 to include the BrewDog Three Floyds Bitch Please.

Nevertheless, each beer worked well in their own way, including as a Christmas brew and an accompaniment to fine cheese, smoked (cold) meats and various nibbles. All the beers offered a unique experience of craft beer and I am keen to drink more of them all again whenever I can.

We now excitedly look towards the new year as this journey continues through the incredible science and art of taste and texture...

...2011 was massive, but 2012 is already shaping up to be even beery bigger!

LOOK OUT mass-produced bland lagers...the people-driven train of good beer at the dining table and in our hands gathering steam and powering towards you to take beer drinkers in a new direction in 2012!

Find these. Drink them. Experience them. Cheers!

Wishing a merry Christmas and a safe, happy, deliciously experiential New Year to all! CHEERS!

Beer - Victoria Pale Lager (more hyperbole but this time in the negative)

2011-12-17T19:04:00.001+11:00

Warning: Don’t read on if you’re not interested in or do not appreciate some macro beer bashing.

Victoria Pale Lager...what the hell is the point of that?

I see no purpose for this beer other than marketing and therefore big-business money-making (which is never good for your average person trying to get the best out of life). Can anyone please prove otherwise?

As a beverage, you are better off drinking water becausea this pale lager is as bland as water and water is better for you.

As far as I can tell, Victoria Pale Lager is just the failed VB Raw repackaged. Raw was the previous “low-carb” attempt by Fosters to endear their Victoria Bitter (VB) brand to the ill-informed Pure Blonde/Hahn Super Dry/Boag's Classic Blonde drinking generation.

Packaging is what the new VB Pale Lager is ALL about. The media, marketing and "hype" around the release of this new beer seems to have only been focused on the fancy label-embossed bottle, manufactured by O-I.

Does this indicate that Carlton United Brewers (CUB) slash Fosters Group believes the shape and novelty embossing technology of this bottle alone is enough to sell it and convert regular VB drinkers? Has humanity lost all ability to pass judgement using any sense other than sight? (Also, arn't they just stealing their own market away from themselves by converting VB drinkers?!?).

According to business analysts, Australian beer sales are in heavy decline, expect in the craft beer sector...which is mostly likely due to the rapid increase in microbreweries and craft beer output over the last few years. There is more craft beer on the market then ever before, hence there are more sales of such products.
Nonetheless, CUB have attempted to counteract the decline in mass produced lagers by...creating another mass produced lager to compete with the declining rest.

Here's a snippet from an article that appeared in the Fairfax newspapers this week ('Wine soars as beer goes flat' by Rachel Browne 11/12/11):

"Carlton and United Brewery's head of insights, Tim Ovadia, said there were some strong growth areas. Sales of craft beers produced by microbreweries have grown 30 per cent year on year, while cider sales have increased 20 per cent year on year."

Firstly, I struggle to believe that "head of insights" (or even General Manager Consumer Insights at Fosters Group according to LinkedIn) is a real job. Secondly, they clearly have zero consumer insight if they are producing another in-decline low-carb lager when it is the craft beer sector that is on the rise. Why, Fosters, did you not channel the resources and effort that has been wasted on Vic Pale Lager into Matilda Bay?

Yes, Matilda Bay Brewing Company has also just been pumped up with the opening of their new brewery and bar in Port Melbourne, which will lead to Matilda Bay branded brewpubs opening across the country. However, their underrated and underresourced Bohemian Pilsner, Big Helga Munich Lager and Redback Wheat beers all make the need for Vic Pale Lager completely obsolete. They may not be the best craft beers around, but they are beers with flavour and character. More importantly, they are readily accessible to almost everyone through the nationwide distribution of Carlton United Brewers.

Maybe Fosters could throw at me some impressive (yet awfully cherry-picked) sales figures to show the infant success of Victoria Pale Lager. However, nothing can deny that such a poor taste and enjoyment experience from this beer can signify anything other than a soulless money-making product.

I give Vic Pale Lager another 6 months before it is discontinued for some typical corporate reasoning such as "we've decided to refocus on our core range that our customers are passionate about and blah blah blah..."

More so, I suspect this is inevitable due to the recent SABMiller takeover of Fosters. Vic Pale Lager will become a "victim" of the company's reshaping as an international faceless brand with flagship output of VB, Carlton Draught and Crown Lager. Fail.

Ok, these days I don't comment or pass judgement on a beer I have not tried.

Yes, my curiosity over the existence of this beer lead me to buy one on a recent weekend. We were staying at a beach-side holiday home and it was a sunny Saturday. Dinner was fish and chips on a deck with beer.

Surely any lager can be redeemed when consumed with fish'n'chips by the beach on a Summer's evening? But no, the Victoria Pale Lager was hardly worth finishing. Thankfully, we had a supply of the delicious Red Hill Brewery Bohemian Pilsner to wash away the bad beer. Now that vibrant Boh Pils is an excellent lager accompaniment for fish'n'chips!

The Victoria Pale Lager was flavourless and lacked any body or finish. It was simply...bland, boring and even something unbalanced. It was not crisp or refreshing. I cannot think of any reason for drinking it.

Vic Pale Lager now joins my list of worst "new" beers I have tasted since starting my beer journey, sitting alongside XXXX Summer Bright, Great Northern Lager, Dry Dock Premium Lager, Wahoo and Pacifico.

If these are your type of beer and your beer choice is generally limited to big chain outlets, then please at least consider drinking something Australian owned or from the craft beer industry, like Stone & Wood Lager, Coopers Clear or maybe even the Grand Ridge Brewery Draught.

As for me, I'll be heading back to our local Duncan’s for more Red Hill Bohemian Pilsner and some Epic Lager. Mmmm good soulful lagers!

Bar - The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton S.A.

2011-12-15T15:37:00.001+11:00

Tucked away in the suburb of Thebarton, a short & free tram ride from Adelaide's city centre, is The Wheatsheaf Hotel. Affectionately know as "The Wheaty", it is one of the best pubs in Australia...in my book!

During a short visit to Adelaide back in June, Jenn & I spent one long (but far too short) Monday evening at The Wheaty and it was instant love. We wanted to pack the place up and take it back with us to Melbourne in our carry-on luggage! Great beer, awesome people, excellent vibes...this pub has it all.

Melbourne may be the bubbling craft-beer-culture capital of Oz by shear weight of beery venues, events and retail outlets, but this city has nothing like the The Wheaty. The much smaller Royston Hotel in Richmond could come close but is missing the live music, engaging staff and bohemian diversity fully embraced by The Wheatsheaf Hotel.

The Wheaty flies to the top of my favourite pub list for excelling in pretty much all the criteria on which I rate such a venue...

Firstly, the building is a classic Australian two-story pubic-house hotel structure that dates back to something like the 1860s. The current facade has clearly been around for decades, seemingly relatively untouched, and it gushes character. I love a pub that looks like a pub yet clearly has personality and isn't covered in macro beer advertising.

Secondly, the irreverent respect for good beer at The Wheaty warms my soul. The owners may be serious hop heads, but they are adventurous and open to all beer palates. It's true the The Wheaty is a recognised craft beer destination in a city that is still predominately void of beer choice other than mass produced products. Fortunately, the locals seem to be well on-board with The Wheaty's good beer offerings.

Their taps are dedicated to flavoursome South Australian and wider Australian craft beers, alongside highly regarded international brews, including a special place for anything from the Oregon based Rogue Ales. Their irreverence shines through with their use of a beer engine handpump. English real ale purists may be appalled with the types of beers they pour through this tap (like huge Imperial IPAs and Russian Imperial Stouts) but The Wheaty staff have also worked with Aussie microbreweries such as Moo Brew and Lobethal Bierhaus to provide cask conditioned ales specific for the handpump. Beside it sits the Glasshopper, a Randall Handle hop infuser that gets packed with anything the bar staff want to through at it, regardless of the type of beer.

During their "Font of Darkness Festival" in August they poured Moo Brew's Stout through The Glasshopper filled with Indonesian Kopi Luwak Weasel Coffee and called it "Poo Moo". winning!

On the night we were there, our drinks included:

Mike's India Pale Ale on handpump
Mountain Goat Hightail through the Glasshopper filled with Galaxy hops
Tuatara APA (first time I had tasted this beer, loved it so I had 2)
Synapse by Doctors Orders Brewing
Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black (first time I had tried this brew on tap and was oh OH SO GOOD!)
Chocolate Oatmeal Stout by Lobethal Bierhaus (mmm dessert)

Too often I see the Wheaty's twitter updates of their current tap line-ups and start looking online for cheap flights to Adelaide as they jealousy rises. They are they only venue in Australia to have tapped a keg of Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch...and I wasn't there! Sad, but massive respective to The Wheaty for tapping the beers they do.

Thirdly, the various rooms/spaces throughout The Wheaty allow for, even encourage, a plethora of social abandon. Whether you just want to sit at the bar and drink beer; laze on a couch and read a book; play a few rounds of pool with mates or strangers; hold a meeting; form a club; get animated with colleagues; shoot the breeze in the beer garden; hold and event; play a gig or just stand and stare at the ceiling...The Wheaty has the space for all of it with uncluttered and characterful rooms.

The semi-covered rear courtyard provides a versatile bandroom, allowing live music and performances of all genres. Everyone in the courtyard can have an excellent view of the small corner stage from any position and the sound fills the space wonderfully. The atmosphere of the bandroom is cultured and relaxed with a splash of industrial...and seems just right for a party.

A wide range of groups and organisations gather at The Wheaty. Community and arts groups, knitting clubs, sporting groups including Roller Derby teams, beer-focus gatherings. The Wheaty is a truly welcoming pub.

Naturally, the owners and staff don't tolerate dickheads, but I suspect there are few occasions when dickheads dare to be a dickhead in The Wheaty.

The owners - Jade, Emily and Liz - are passionate publicans. On that Monday night back in June we spent a couple of hours chatting to the wonderfully upfront and accessible Jade Flavell about running The Wheaty. It was clear that the owners have found their true calling and made it happen.

Jade told us all about their history of taking over the pub, crafting it to their liking and the barriers and battles of making a great pub even better. It was sad but familiar to hear that at times they also battle the universal confusion of obtuse local and State laws, similar to the stories of friendly publicans from Melbourne.

There is no food at The Wheaty, other than delicious cheeses that are perfect for matching with the beers available. There is the intention to one day build a kitchen and serve some food. The planned kitchen is an eternal work-in-progress but will "definitely happen", according to Jade back in June. For now it's BYOFood, the staff are more than happy for you to order in. A pile of local take-out menus sit at the bar and those businesses are happy to and familiar with delivering to The Wheaty. We ordered pizza's, asked for delivery to "The Wheaty in the Blue room" and it was efficiently delivered to our hands 40mins later.

The Wheatshef Hotel's bar will satisfy any beer lover, yet what is more rewarding is that The Wheaty is a diverse venue that is far from just another craft beer bar...

...it is a great pub that also has awesome beer!

To read more love for The Wheaty, check out the following online articles:

I'm coming back... Beer Bar Band style!

2011-10-22T14:09:00.005+11:00

Yes...*cough*...the dust sure is building up around here at Beer Bar Band. But never fear, I'm on my way back! (like you care!)

It has been a massive couple of months in this BBB blogger's world. Firstly, the wife and I bought our first home then we ran our first half marathon. We have also judged a homebrew competition and enjoyed a bunch of excellent beer events, new beer releases and, of courses, great gigs.

Recent highlights also include...

The Festival of the Frothy celebrating The Crafty Pint's 1st Birthday:

A huge beer trivia party night in The Atrium at Federation Square was held in honour of The Crafty Pint website's first full year of sharing the good word about good beer in Australia. The crowd was packed with familiar beer-loving faces and the beers flowing from the Beer DeLuxe taps (exclusive to attendees of the event on the night) were spectacular, with very special mentions going to the Feral Brewing King Brown (Barrel-Aged Imperial Brown) and the Moon Dog Brewery Perverse Sexual Amalgam (black sour beer). Most of all, the simply awesome people of Holgate Brewhouse provided 30 bottles of their decedent 12.5% Beelzebub's Jewels, one for each table, to enjoy with a cake that had been baked using the same beer!

Our table of tweeting beer lovers, writers and home brewers (team name: "Feeling Frothy...in my pants!") finished around middle of the pack in the trivia stakes, but the social fun, solid organisation/coordination by Beer DeLuxe & staff and good beer was the winner all round.

For a video wrap of the night (spot me?) via The Post Project, click HERE.

GO TEAM "Feeling Frothy...in my pants!"

Team "Facial Hair of the Dog"

Funky Bunch Trivia Host, Tom Delmont aka Road Goat

Happy Birthday Mr Pint!

Another Fed Square Victorian Microbreweries Showcase:

After attending several Fed Square Microbreweries Showcases I thought I had seen it all. However, the 2 held this year have both thrown up plenty new and interesting options to explore. Hence, I am back to being an excited attendee every time his Showcase comes around. Tasting highlights from this week included the new Golden Ale from the new Two Birds Brewing, the Bridge Road Brewers & Nøgne Ø collaboration brew, an India Saison, Moon Dog's non-barrel-aged Black Lung smokey porter (can't wait for the business!). It was also great to meet Paul Mercurio, who was there for his book "Cooking with Beer", which the wife loves and has used to cook several delicious beer infused recipes with. Delicious!

For future events, check out: www.fedsquare.com/beer

The Drones "A Thousand Mistakes" tour gig at The Corner Hotel last Friday:

Yep, just another great gig by The Drones, with the added bonus of a fantastic set list of rarities, including the semi-epic "Luck in Odd Numbers" from Havila and "Sitting on the Edge of the Bed Cryin" from Wait Long By The River.

The sound was surprisingly excellent (for the sometimes patch Corner bandroom, depending on your position) and the energy was all there. Several broken strings slightly dampened the ending of some songs yet showed off the vigor that the band was playing with. I even drank a few stubbies of Melbourne Bitter during the gig...because The Drones and MB just go well at midnight.

The gig ended with a very RocKwiz moment, as support act Adalita joined The Drones on stage for a cover of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister". Great stuff!

And BEER:

Yes, so much good beer continues to flow around Melbourne at the moment, primarily thanks to the huge rise in growler stations over the last 6 months. I have now made good use of draught beer fills from growler stations at Slowbeer, Blackhearts & Sparrows, The Local Bottleshop, Chapel St Cellars and Holgate Brewhouse. Still keen to make use of the Bridge Road Brewers growler station at McCoppins in Fitzroy.

I have also taken on a slightly bigger role at the back-end of Australian Brews News as a pseudo Assistant Editor (or is that "Assistant to the Editor") support role and am very excited about further expanding that area in future and my beer writing in general.

Oh, by the way, for beer loving podcast listeners out there...check out the Radio Brews News podcasts for some interesting local conversations about all things beer, hosted by Matt and Pete.

Your BBB blogger in-between Matt and Pete aka Prof.

And now...

Next week we move into our new home. It will be a huge change but will also provide me with more time and space to commit to this blog...and more.

All my life I have lived in the inner Melbourne suburbs, where the beer/bar/bands scene is plentiful, vibrant and accessible. For the sake of affording a decent sized house, we are now moving out to the hills and the very outer Melbourne suburbs, where my styles of beer bar bands are less present. Thankfully, my new suburb actually has some good beer, a bar and bands...and a whole bundle of potential!

Yes, I suspect I will soon be reviewing and even "part of the furniture" at Oscar's Ale House, rocking out during countless gigs at Ruby's Lounge and buying plenty of good beer supplies from Olinda Cellars...maybe!

I will definitely miss living walking distance from my local beer bar band central of the past 4 years: Slowbeer (ok, only been open for a year, before that it was Dan Murphys), The Royston Hotel (*love*) and Mountain Goat Brewery (more Double Hightail please!)

And now starts my quiet campaign for a craft microbrewery with a cellar door or bar out in the Dandenongs...

...maybe something as exciting and fun as the good good men of Moon Dog Craft Brewery

...CHEERS!

Oh...and go follow: http://soakedinbeer.blogspot.com/

Bars & Beers - The AFL Grand Final deserves good beer

2011-09-26T20:07:00.003+10:00

As I wrote about last year, the AFL Grand Final is an iconic event is sports-lovin' Melbourne. The vast majority of my home-town's population will have something more than a passing interest in the match this coming Saturday, which decides the Premiers of this year's professional Aussie Rules football season.

It is indeed a grand spectacle (despite the commonly awful and/or lame associated entertainment/functions/celebrations) and impels many to gather with friends and family for a lively Saturday afternoon of food, footy and frivolity. It is a day that demands good beer...for the sake of a good time!

Few gain a ticket to the actual match. Some desperate hopefuls were even lining up (camping) outside my local newsagency and ticket box-office as early as Saturday morning in hope of buying a rare AFL member tickets. The chance to watch the game in full live glory at the MCG on the big day, is far out of reach for the vast majority, afforded only to corporate specials and too many random high-fliers who go along for no other reason than it's the thing to do. blah. (Where's the fans?!?)

Then again, what's the point at being at the game when you can not enjoy good beer during the game? Most of the crowd at the MCG will have to suffer with the pungent roughness of Carlton Draught or the pointless blandness of Carlton Midstrength. Only the select few MCC Memember will be able to access some of the Matilda Bay range (not the good ones like Alpha Pale Ale or Dogbolter, but at least Big Helga and, in this case, Fat Yak).

Anyway...the next best thing, the regular thing for many of us, is to gather with a crowd of fellow footy fans and create your own awesome atmosphere at a pub or someone's backyard/lounge room.

Last year we spent Grand Final Day at Mrs Parmas, which had an excellent festive atmosphere (despite the audio problems early on followed by the shock result of a draw). You can't beat a room full of fans and a bar pouring pint after pint of flavoursome local microbrewed beer!

So, once again, if you are looking for a bar around Melbourne to watch the Grand Final match with an atmospheric bunch of randoms plus the bonus of excellent craft beer, here are a few options for this Saturday:

The Royston Hotel
12 River St, Richmond
Open from 12pm

What they say:

Full menu available, plus Meat Pies & Nachos.
$15 Jugs of selected craft beer - Mountain Goat, Little creatures, Stone & Wood.
Footy sweep on the day (winning margin, first goal kicker etc.)
To book: call (03) 9421 5000 or email info@roystonhotel.com.au

Mrs Parmas
19-25 Little Bourke St, Melbourne City
Open from 11am

Grand Final day at Mrs Parmas has become a popular tradition for many who want to be near the MCG but can't get inside. They turn most of their taps over to beers from Grand Ridge Brewery, which are available for "happy hour" prices.

What they say:

Sweeps for first goal, first point & winning team & margin.
Plus Grand Ridge Beers on tap at Happy Hour prices during the game
Bookings essential as seats are limited
To book: call (03)9639 2269

True South
298 Beach Road, Black Rock
Open from 1pm

What they say:

What: AFL Grand Final on the big screen (well, OK...55 inches anyway)
Where: Mawson’s Landing (upstairs at True South)
When: From 1pm on Saturday 1st October
Food: Our Tapas menu
Drink: Beer and cider, wine, soft drinks...even water
Admission: Free (no bookings for this event)
For more info, tel: 1300 878 360

The Local Taphouse
184 Carlisle Street, St Kilda East
Open from 12pm

What they say:

The AFL Grand Final is almost upon us and to celebrate, we're getting more screens. This year, you'll be able to see a screen from just about every corner of the venue. The now traditional BBQ will kick off as doors open at midday and we'll be showing the telecast from start to finish, although we might turn the volume down when The Loaf pumps out Bat outta Hell.
No bookings so get in early to secure your spot.
Oh, and there'll be beer. Really great beer.

The Rainbow Hotel
27 St David Street, Fitzroy
Open from 12pm

What they say:

Come on to the Rainbow for GF Day. We will have two big screens and offering free hot snacks at half time. Jimi Hocking and his Blues machine will be heating things up after the match. It's free entry and should be a cracker. We will be open from midday so get in early to grab a seat.

Alternatively...if you are more inclined to just do your own thing - stay at home or visit a mate's place and fire up the BBQ - then treat yourself to fresh draught craft beer by filling up a growler or two! There's now a bundle of shops and breweries around Victoria that are offering growler fills. To find one near you, check out the list of Growler Filling Stations on The Crafty Pint website.

Personally, this year I'll be taking this final option and staying home with a sweet stash of good beer, maybe with one/two/three of my four growlers filled with something special. I really care not for either of the teams playing in the Grand Final this year...and will only watch sparingly in hope to see Collingwood lose (oh, and I have a pile of packing to get done).

First up, however, it's Brownlow Night tonight. Watching the often boring 3.5hour telecast of the Brownlow Medal count over a few drinks is also another tradition for many (...who knows why!).

The telecast is synonymous with drinking games. There are so many potential categories to score a *DRINK* on during the Brownlow. I may have a horror story or two to tell from previous years...involving shots of scotch whenever an Essendon player scored 3 votes in a round...

No such silliness from me tonight though...need to be responsible so that I am sprightly for work tomorrow. Instead, we shall "enjoy" Brownlow viewing over a roast dinner and several Brown Ales, including the Holgate Brewhouse Nut Brown Ale (which we filled our Holgate growler with yesterday whilst at the brewery for lunch), Beer Here "Kama Citra" Brown Ale and the 2 Brothers JAMES Belgian BROWN (mmm dessert). Cheers!

A pint of Holgate Nut Brown Ale

Beer - Father's Day - You may as well buy him plain socks

2011-09-02T16:44:00.006+10:00

Around here, the latest bus stop poster advertisements from liquor superstore Dan Murphy's suggest that you "Buy Dad what he really wants" for Father's Day...and displays a bottle and full glass of Coopers 62.

Bollocks.

Such a gift is bland, uninteresting and cheap in terms of both product and meaning/thought! Is that how you thank your dad? You may as well be a disappointing cliché and gift him some socks.

Ok, so some people don't have the best relationship with the parentals, Yes, maybe grey socks or a stinky yellow liquid is appropriate.

For those who wish to acknowledge and celebrate their father for the journey of life, how about you give Dad some local craft beer!

The journey that one can discover in the diverse styles and characteristics of craft beer can be a nice analogy for the journey of life. (sorry, was that too wanky?)

If your Dad enjoys the Cooper's 62 style, here are some suggestions of comparative craft beer drops that will help separated your gift giving prowess from the mundane masses whilst supporting small and worth Aussie businesses:

Holgate Brewhouse Pilsner

Moo Brew Pilsner

2 Brothers Taxi Pilsner

Bridge Road Brewers Chestnut Pilsner

Red Hill Brewery Golden Ale

4 Pines Kolsch

3 Ravens Golden Ale

These beers are not hard to find around Victoria these days. Several of them are stocked readily by the big beer warehouses (Dan Murphys, 1st Choice) as well as Vintage Cellars and Cellarbrations.

Alternatively, just visit one of the bottle shops listed on The Crafty Pint's website at: http://craftypint.com/beer/bottleshops/

Material gifts are good for some, but experiences live forever. The last time I tasted Coopers 62 it was experienceless, unlike every time I try a new craft beer.

In today's flourishing market, there is always another beer worth trying! Does Dad know that yet...

Good Beer Week - Saturday - The Great Beer Debate

2011-08-31T17:22:00.002+10:00

Yikes...I'm awake again (...I think)! Unfortunately, I have been awfully time poor and brain power limited for the last 3 months, hence the lack of postings. Nonetheless, I remain determined to post about each Good Beer Week event that I attended during May...because it was just a marvelous celebration of Australian craft beer...and more!

Working backwards through the week, I have already covered the Slowbeer Tasting and the BeermenTV Hair of the Dog breakfast. Now it's time to recall (...which is very difficult!) the festival's marquee event...the Great Beer Debate. This was the hardest event to write about...because the preceding 24 hours had consisted of the AIBA dinner, the BeermenTV breakfast and the Local Taphouse Kiwi SpecTAPular...so I was fully drained and hardly sober. Anyway...here we go...

It was the event that started the Good Beer Week ball rolling. A public debate that would gather together passionate characters from the beer industry and see them verbally battle for the cause of good beer, over beer, in front of beer lovers and the beer curious.

The original idea for a beer industry debate was born over a causal chat and a few beers between James Smith (The Crafty Pint), Barney Matthews (ex-Beer DeLuxe, now Murray's at Manly) and Miro Bellini (Beer Atlas). They shared a collective concern over an approaching void in Melbourne’s beer scene. Many luminaries from the global beer industry would soon be in Melbourne for the Australian International Beer Awards, yet the occasion lacked any exciting events that would allow these good beer champions to engage with the public of this craft beer flourishing town. The common desire to fill this void turned into a beery brainstorming session, in search of a new showcase for Melbourne's beer scene.

"People like a bit of debate when it comes to beer. Whether it's just arguing over who makes the best, what is or isn't craft beer – even whose round it is next – beer and banter go hand in hand", noted the Great Beer Debate and Good Beer Week organiser James Smith on his website The Crafty Pint.

Inspired by the Festival of the Frothy Trivia Night held at Melbourne's Ormond Hall in 2009, the same venue was chosen to stage this "Great Beer Debate", with the team from Beer DeLuxe coordinating the event. Using the lure of the Friday night AIBA dinner as a springboard, the debate was locked in for the following night.

The plan to stage this Great Beer Debate soon spawned a week long calendar of beer focused events that would create the Good Beer Week festival. This debate would to be the jewel in the GBW crown.

Several phone calls later the panel of debaters was settled, assembling six renowned figures of the local and international beer industry.

One team would consist of AIBA Chairman and former Foster's Master Brewer, Peter Manders; Chief Brewer at Tasmania’s Moo Brew and well known stickler for brewing detail, Owen Johnston; and Ambassador for one the most influential breweries behind America's craft beer renaissance, Sierra Nevada's Steve Grossman.

The opposing team brought together The Local Taphouse founder, Steve Jeffares (who attended the night dressed as a sheep, after a day of overseeing his Local Taphouse Kiwi SpecTAPular); True South Head Brewer, the energetic Sam Fuss; and Scottish brewing punk, BrewDog's James Watt.

To further ensure the night would be a light-hearted affair, comedian Damian Callinan was hired to MC the proceedings. Seasoned beer dinner host Professor Pilsner (Pete Mitcham) was also engaged to work the floor with a roving mic, allowing mid-debate vox-pops with the notable beer industry folk in the audience. In addition, musical entertainment from local blues and rockabilly band, The Detonators, was lined up to play several sets throughout the night. Music-comedy duo, Elbow Skin, was also a last minute inclusion to bookend the event with their popular Good Beer Week anthem. Within weeks of forming the original idea, the event had a full program of industry and entertainment talent that promised the showcase that Smith, Matthews and Bellini had desired.

When the night arrived the organisers, panelists and attendees were generally all weary but on a high following the success of the inaugural Good Beer Week. The debate would be the last major event of the festivities, so the atmosphere was one of celebration.

The 130 strong audience filed in, receiving a complimentary glass of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on arrival. The crowd mingled randomly then took their place at the Ormond Hall's dining tables for dinner. The bar was pouring craft beers that had been the talk of the week - such as Wig & Pen, Feral Brewing, Thunder Road Brewing, BrewDog, Sierra Nevada, Stone & Wood, as well as the Good Beer Week collaboration brew.

In the Green Room the debaters and entertainers enjoyed the "best rider ever", according to James Smith, which included beers from Sierra Nevada and BrewDog along with the 4 Pines Stout and recently bottled Murray’s Heart of Darkness Imperial Belgian Stout. "Normally it's Melbourne Bitter", exclaimed the delighted Elbow Skin duo.

The event formally commenced with a live performance of the Elbow Skin Beer Song. MC Callinan then warmed up the crowd by leading an audience participation game to discover who was a real beer nerd. Adding to the laughs, James Smith's "The Crafty Pint" entered the stage dressed in Queen's Counsel court attire and grasping a gavel, taking his position at the adjudicators table.

Next the panellists were brought on stage one by one and introduced through five questions from the MC, including:

"If you could only have one beer for the rest of your life, what would it be?" – Steve Crossman: "Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale"
"What would be your last beer?" – Peter Manders "Crown Lager"
"Which beer do you feed an Amazon tribe who have never tasted beer before"? – Steve Jeffares: "Stone & Wood Pacific Ale"
"What beer would Jesus drink?" – James Watt: “"actical Nuclear Penguin"
"What ingredient should never be in beer?"* – Sam Fuss: "KY Jelly"

*Karl van Buuren of Moon Dog made note of every answer given for "What ingredient should never be in beer?" with the intention to brew a beer with all those items in it! haha...unlikely!

The opening had been long and the audience was beered up, but it was finally time for the debating to begin. And the first topic: "Extreme beer's for assholes! Brewers should brew to style!"

The Affirmative side of Manders, Johnston and Steve Grossman jumped into the debate with advocacy for beer styles as the cause for increased beer quality and consistency. They fought for the merits of the BJCP style guidelines improving brewer accountability to produce beers of a high standard that would be more enjoyable for all. An initially restrained debate was opened up by Owen Johnston with his flippant attack on the enjoyers of such beers, declaring "extreme beers are for extreme assholes!"

For the Against team, Steve Jeffers noted that "extreme beers are responsible for getting people interested in craft beer". He drew heavily on the examples of beers produced by Murray's Craft Brewing Co, regaling the audience with the favour his Local Taphouse patrons find in the spectrum of Murray's extreme beers.

Sam Fuss lived up to her cheeky reputation with a visual analogy of why extreme beers are better. Sam presented Tina and Gina to the audience, two blow-up dolls, one dressed conservatively and one dressed in only a bikini. Drawing on her recent trip to Brazil and comparing extreme beer to beach eye-candy, Sam asked “Doesn’t being a little bit risqué and eccentric make the beach a better place to beer”, receiving much applause in response.

BrewDog's James Watt cemented a win for the Against team by declaring "beer is about having fun", highlighted by stories of BrewDog's endeavours to brew the highest ever ABV beer, resulting in the 55% End of History, which was done purely for fun.

After an interval, more live music and beers, all returned to their place and the second, more serious, debate was launched: "United we stand, divided we fall - without working together Australia's microbreweries will be crushed".

By this stage the arguments became somewhat hazy and loose as the two teams battled with a poignant topic for Australia's local industry whilst in a not-too-sober state.

The Affirmative team used the success of international examples, such as CAMRA and America's Brewers Association, which have driven the promotion and protection of small and craft brewers’ interests, leading to tax relief and accountability for the craft of brewing.

James Watt attempted to rebut with "CAMRA is EVIL". He supported the claim by noting how the campaign's strict Real Ale guidelines had been a roadblock to craft beer innovation in the United Kingdom. An amusingly incoherent Jeffares returned to the example of Murray's Craft Brewing as he sited the success of the fiercely independent Murray Howe. Sam Fuss highlighted the question of who would run such an organisation in Australia and when anyone would have the time to commit to it. However, lead by Sam's own admission that Australia's brewers did need to unite and work together, it was clear that the majority of the panel members along with the industry folk in the audience agreed.

The debate pointed to the sense in propping up Australia's creatively flourishing yet commercially fledgling craft beer industry with a united representative organisation. It was a conclusive result. The topic win was awarded to the Affirmative team of Manders, Johnston and Grossman.

The night was wound up by a beer soaked encore performance from Elbow Skin and more action from The Detonators, along with plenty of mingling and merrymaking between industry and the public in the bar.

Through all the frivolity and beer, the underlying battle of the night for the audience was trying to determine whether they were watching a comedy debate or a serious industry debate. Can these two scenarios mix? Both topics have a strong and passionate presence within the local and international beer industry. Whilst arguments presented by each side were often genuine and thought provoking, the jocular pretence of the night detracted from the desire to take the arguments seriously. Time, or just the preference for everyone to simply say their own piece, also limited any proper rebuttal of the opponents’ arguments.

The event may have also suffered from the scheduling, but that was simply a consequence of its own success in spawning Good Beer Week. Ultimately, the debate succeeded in providing an integrated beer event that the Melbourne beer scene demands.

Mark Hibbard, who attended the event with his fellow homebrewers from the Bayside Brewers Club, told Beer Bar Band "it was a good opportunity for those not in the industry in-crowd to hear from the insiders. I thought Sam Fuss and Steve Crossman performed well. The first debate topic was of general interest whereas the second was more for the insiders. Overall as an event, I give it a tick."

For me, it was a good but lethargic night. The best part was the mingling between the beer industry and everyone else that happened in the bar after the event. I just wish I was more...lucid (one too many Heart of Darkness for me, after enjoying two during breakfast and then scoring another during the debate...thanks Miro!)

Planning is now in progress to stage bigger and better Great Beer Debate in 2012.

Beer - Happy International IPA Day!

2011-08-04T17:34:00.003+10:00

Hoppy International IPA Day, Australia! I am blogging this whilst at the Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend, drinking a pint of the hugely flavoursome, HOPPY but malty, Hopinator Double IPA. Mmmm delicious (...how beer should be)!

For a helpful introduction to International IPA Day, check out the info and links provided by fellow local beer blogger - Ale of a Time: http://aleofatime.com/2011/07/31/ipa-week-2011-bridge-road-brewers-bling-ipa/

And even more from Passion for the Pint: http://passionforthepint.com/ipaday/

...or visit out the #IPADay (yeah...it's a social media thing) event page at: http://ipaday.eventbrite.com/

For my part in this celebration of the hops, India Pale Ale style, here are some brief reviews and tasting notes for various IPAs that I have enjoyed in the last few weeks...

Mountain Goat Rare Breed IPA (5.7% ABV, 650ml bottle) - Ahh the local...beware of my favouritism! The wife and I are actually house hunting at the moment...which will (most likely) see us soon move far away from the beery riches of Richmond, which includes the magnificent Mountain Goat Brewery warehouse. It is a painful thought...after years of being spoilt by local craft beer accessibility, but we're now making the most of whatever time we have left with the 'Goat as our local.

The Rare Breed IPA pours a lightly cloudy, red-brown colour with a big frothy head. The aroma is fairly flat with some sweet sugar aroma from the crystal malt and hints of pine. The Cascade and Galaxy hop aroma opens up a little when the beer warms and is more evident in the mouth. This beer has has quite a thick, big body. The bitterness is big and the finish is short. It is very easy drinking.

This beer can divide the beer nerds on whether it is an average or excellent IPA. It has also been relabelled for the American market as an "Australian Pale Ale", because it doesn't fit the American IPA guidelines. For me, it is very enjoyable drinking.

James Squire Brewhouse Two Centurions American Style IPA (6.8% ABV, 640ml bottle) - This was a very limited release beer brewed last year on the Malt Shovel Brewery owned brewhouse, located in the James Squire Brewhouse (Portland Hotel, Melbourne) by Dave Edney, who is now the head brewer at Mountain Goat. It was only available on tap at the Portland Hotel but is now being given away in bottles by the pub via twitter and facebook freebies (because the pub can't sell it due commercial issues with Lion Nathan). Jenn and I both won bottles via twitter giveaways, which we picked up on a recent Sunday, over a good chat with bar manager, Dave Langlands.

(For more info about Two Centurions...check out the article I posted about it on Australian Brews News last year.)

Two Centurions pours a cloudy rusty amber. It has a good creamy off-white head that leaves plenty of lovely lacing. Both the aroma and taste are dominated by earthy and tropical fruit characters, like grapefruit and orange. The flavour is quite sharp and includes ripe tropical fruits. Full bodied with medium carbonation and a medium length finish, the sweetness comes out more as it warms. The hoppiness of the beer from last year, when it was fresh, has now been lost, but it is still an easy drinking yet provides a distinct flavour.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA (7.2% ABV, 330ml bottle) - WA based distributor, Phoenix Beers, recently acquired the account to import and distribute Sierra Nevada beers throughout Australia. Until a few months ago, any Sierra Nevada beers found in Australia were "grey market" products, brought to the country by third parties against the will of the brewery. Now, Phoenix legitimately provides Australia-wide access to these highly regarded American craft beers, which includes distribution through the everywhere Dan Murphys, that to their refrigerated import channels.

Torpedo pours a clear copper brown with a big white head that leaves good lacing. It certainly looks impressive. The aroma is of herbal and spicy hops, honey and some mint. It is a big IPA built around a malt backbone that is light in the mouth and on the palate but richly flavoursome. The aroma and taste is full of classic American hops characters found in their popular craft beers. As Torpedo warms there is a bit of alcohol on the nose. It is full bodied and the balance is excellent. Quality, consistency and balance is very important to the Sierra Nevada company, and this beer is a very good example of finely made beer.

Holgate Brewhouse Hopinator DIPA (7% ABV, on tap) - Take a caramel malty English Pale Ale, load it up with American Hops...then double it (over 7 hop editions during the brew)...and you have the very well balanced Double IPA that stands alone in the Australian IPA landscape. on Australian Brews News: Winning over Australia with Hopinator

Today we are drinking it on tap at the Brewhouse (Keatings Hotel, Woodend), served through their homemade randall hop infuser filled with their homegrown Hallertauer hops.

Woah...big hops in the face! The hops overpower the beer completely...but it is...lovely!

Finally...since Black IPAs have been the flavour of 2011 around Australian craft breweries...I must note that the Mountain Goat & Thornbridge collaboration brew, Thorny Goat, is still drinking superbly! We are down to our last bottle. The hops have mellowed off significantly, but it terms of complexity, balance and length...this beer is still one to savour, 4 months after it's release:

...HOP YEAH!

Band - Josh Pyke & Jackson McLaren

2011-07-21T16:27:00.008+10:00

Gig: Josh Pyke - "Fans First" single launch
Support: Jackson McLaren
Venue: The Grace Darling Hotel, $20 tix
Date: Friday 1st July, 2011

My wife has a couple of "music husbands" and Josh Pyke is one. When I first met her in 2006 she had recently discovered Pyke's music through a late night showing of his "Middle of the Hill" video clip on Rage and then had caught this unknown artist at a couple of tiny gigs at Brisbane's The Troubadour (RIP).

I was deep into the pub rock scene at the time, but also looking to rediscover some quality local acoustic-alternative music. It was a desire to reconnect with the style that originally ignited my love for the unplugged guitar. Soon after we connected I had purchased Pyke's "Feeding the Wolves" EP and experienced his live talent as a support for Eskimo Joe at The Forum. The dark literary lyrics and drop-D tones of Josh Pyke's music has kept us on board his melodical journey from obscurity to popularity.

Come last month, the wife was all over the announcement that Pyke would launch his new single, "No One Wants A Lover" with a special mini-tour consisting of intimate gigs for the fans. Josh would return to his solo roots roots playing small rooms with just his guitar and voice.

The sold-out Melbourne gig was held in the upstairs bandroom of The Grace Darling Hotel. Located along Smith St in Collingwood, a strip of emerging trendiness, the Grace Darling is a modern bar with character from the old pub building. It also has an (unfortunate...ha!) historic connection to the formation of the Collingwood Football Club. (why would I ever mention that?!? my team my be doing ok at the moment...or something...) The bandroom covers the upstairs section of the building, which provides three spacious rooms with one including a bar and corner stage to fit a cosy 3-piece or squishy 4-piece band.

This particular "Fans First" show was an intimate gig in an intimate space with an intimate audience all there for intimate songs. Thankfully though, there was plenty of room to move, as the crowd spread out through the various upstairs rooms throughout the night when the stage was empty.

Jackon McLaren opened the gig with a short and sweet set, focusing on his current EP, Mirrors and Strings. We have seen Jackson several times before, as supports to Howie Day as well as Josh Pyke who produced his self-titled EP in 2009. Each time McLaren has displayed an improved maturity and competency with his familiar-feeling songs.

Jackson plays simple songs on a well-worn left-handed guitar, with a mostly alt-country or folk rock vibe to the tunes. His chord driven music invokes a mix of Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly and Colin Hay.

Between songs Jackson sipped on a Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky and declared his love for the spirit. Post gig the wife told him to find and drink Yeastie Boys Rex Attitude!(Go Jenn!) He seemed interested, so I hope he does! We bought his EP for $10 and caught him play again two weeks later, as he supported Busby Marou at Northcote Social Club.

Between sets I ducked downstairs to the main bar and stocked up on bottles of Mountain Goat Hightail and Murray's Craft Brewing Co Whale Ale for the next set. After ribbing the upstairs bar tender for the sadly poor selection of beers, I had learned that it was fine to purchase any beer from downstairs and bring it back up into the bandroom. Coopers Pale Ale was the best draught option from the limited bandroom taps, where the bottle selection is just...big bland macro-commercial. I would much rather enjoy such a gig with a fine Aussie craft brew if it's available in the same building! Probably one of my least favourite beers from the always excellent Murray's, Whale Ale scores a tick as a good gig beer. Flavoursome and sessionable, it suits live music in a pub setting well.

Josh Pyke hit the stage and launched into the familiar tunes of "Forever Song", "Candle in the Window" and "Memories & Dust". After a couple of years of playing to large crowds around Australia, with full backing bands, some stage production and a stint with a super-group project, it was great to see Pyke recapturing his solo roots, right down to the use of his footstomp pedal. This gig was the old-school Pyke that had made us fans.

Pyke's first new song of the night provided a new element to his performances - the use of loops to set up beats, percussion and additional vocals, all using only his single guitar and voice...plus a double microphone. It's a trick that we had seen before from other solo artists and it worked well for Pyke, who was quite proficient with the looping setups. "I've been practicing heaps", Josh told us after the show, noting how difficult it actually is to get right.

More new songs followed. I didn't catch the title, but the song with the line "whose side are you on?" displayed further efficient and effective loop beats. Josh also used this new effects play-thing for a revised intro to "Make You Happy", which was initially punched in too fast causing Pyke to stop the song and say "ahhh...that was a test of the new song, Make You Really Happy". It would be his only obvious mistake with the effects and provided a quality moment of light relief. "Boys with their toys!", Pyke quipped.

The crowd showed their fandom with cries for "Doldrums" and "Silver". Josh responded firmly yet playfully with "I'm not a fucking jukebox!". That was followed by an incident with an audience member who loudly asked some fellow crowd members to "shut up!", which Josh would later recall to be hilarious...once he discovered that it came from fellow artist and mate, Lior.

Josh kept the gig rolling with "The Summer" and then his new single, the first from the new album, "No One Wants A Lover". Like Jackon McLaren's "A Whole Day Nearer", this song is currently being flogged on TripleJ, so the crowd readily joined in.

The alternation between old and new songs continued with "Lines on Palms", new song "Factory Fires", then "Our House Breathing" and "Sew My Name". The set was wound up with lively hits "You Don't Scare Me" and "Middle of the Hill", both of which offered new variations with the loop and microphone effects.

The night ended with Josh's favourite song from the new album, "Love Lies", which had a feeling of The Shins to it.

I found it a little unusual that for a gig aimed at the hardcore fans it did not include any of his pre Memories & Dust songs (other than the forever present "Middle Of The Hill"). However, this is probably just the case of Josh having a head full of new and recent songs that he needs to refine for upcoming tours. Ultimately, the audience seemed satisfied by the set. The night achieved its purpose...providing a speical intimate gig for those who really wanted it.

Speaking to Josh after the gig, we asked him where the inspiration to start using loop effect pedals came from. Our initial suspension was that he may have caught a live set by Howie Day, a true master of building multiple guitar/percussive/vocal loops during solo acoustic gigs (check out this clip of the song "Ghost").

It turned out that Pyke's loop effects inspiration was the musician Magnet from Norway.

"I've never really done it [loops] before," said Pyke, "but I saw Magnet do something with loops. It was very drone based but I liked the way it gave depth.

"In the same way I want to push myself with the band music I want to push myself with the solo stuff," Josh noted as we chatted about how tricky loops can be to set up, as well as how the loop locks the performer into a phrase for the whole song. Nonetheless, it allows for a more dynamic sound and variations to songs that we've heard played the same way many times before. Good stuff.

It was a good night. The venue and crowd were relaxed and friendly. We hope Josh Pyke continues to do these types of gig throughout his career, because it is the type of setting where his unique style shines through best. Josh did promise he would do so, and we'll be holding him to it...

Beer - Red Hill Brewery Imperial Stout (2011)

2011-07-17T20:31:00.008+10:00

Warning...I have a somewhat blind love for Red Hill Brewery and everything they do, thanks to the lovely, friendly, generous staff of Red Hill and their beautiful microbrewery location. The Mornington Peninsula is an area I have a nostalgic connection to and it makes me want to move there every time I visit. So, it may be hard to properly judge their beers. Therefore, forgive me for any hyperbolic statements in this post.

The Red Hill Brewery Imperial Stout is one of the best beers in Australia. Brewed in May/June for a seasonal winter release each year, it is highly anticipated by many beer connoisseur. Fairly true to style for a Russian Imperial Stout (8% abv), it uses the brewery's own estate grown hops and is an in-house favourite of the brewers. This beer is both worth drinking now and also cellaring for several years. A multiple AIBA medal winner (Gold in 2010 for the 2007 batch and Silver for 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007), this finely crafted beer definitely improves with age.

A perfect pint?

Last year was my first experience of a Red Hill Imperial Stout and it was instant love - such a big, flavoursome and warming beer, but also accessible to all drinkers.

This year I have enjoyed this Imperial Stout on several occasions in various forms:

first it was bottles of the 2010 release beautifully paired with dessert (Espresso panna cotta with hazelnut and chocolate donuts) at the AIBA gala dinner (where it was totally snubbed for any recognition this year),
then, the real treat, 2011 Red Hill Imperial Stout, dry hopped cask conditioned on handpump at the Red Hill Brewery (sensational!),
at home from the bottle poured into goblet glass (my wife gave me a slab of this beer for my birthday, which she bought whilst we were at the brewery) and
right here and now at The Royston Hotel, where I am blogging this live!

This beer looks fantastic. Solid jet black with a big beautiful and consistent creamy tan head.

The aroma is of roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and the slightest hoppiness. There is also a faint alcohol kick that warms up your nose. It has everything I want in an imperial stout.

The taste is rich, sweet and smooth. Up front you are hit with dark chocolate, a complex but smooth profile of burnt/roasted malts and some good subtle hop bitterness, yet overall it is predominately sweet! Go deeper and you open up more of a mocha mix with dark fruits and cherries as well as some licorice and caramel.

The big body provides a creamy mouthful. On the handpump at Red Hill Brewery, the low carbonation supported the beer gorgeously, ready to drink from the moment it was poured. On tap here at The Royston it needs to sit and warm for a short while to achieve a similar rewarding mouthfeel.

The beer is warming, for sure. The 8% alcohol is evident but well balanced/suited to the beer.

The cask conditioned handpumped and tap versions left little lacing as my glass was drained, but there is a nice amount of lacing left by the Royston's tap pour. More importantly, the head retention is fantastic. All three ways (handpump, bottle, pub tap) result in a good head all the way to the bottom of the glass.

Drinkability, well...this beer is not "sessionable", but I damn well can drink it non stop! There is no need to drink more than 3 in a session because it is perfectly satisfying with only one or two (...I would classify "sessionable" as 4 or more). The warming alcohol slows your drinking but the quality and balance of the beer makes it very moreish.

The mostly dry finish provides a lovely long linger.

This beer excels when cask conditioned and poured from an handpump beer engine. Alternatively, simply poured from the 330ml bottle at room temperature, it is just as good.

Right now I am finding that, when served chilled by a carbonated tap at a pub, you may miss out a little on the true potential of this delicious brew.

Red Hill's Dave Golding said that they were keen to increase the bitterness on this year's version. This was further enhanced by dry hopping the cask conditioned batch that was exclusive to the brewery. The Red Hill Brewery team are super happy with this year's Imperial Stout and desire for everyone to try it as truly intended...from the cask at the brewery bar in Red Hill.

The result...spot on...my ideal stout...

Beer - July Events - Women of Beer brew day & Festival of the Stone

2011-07-11T13:44:00.006+10:00

A quick shout-out here for two upcoming beer events that will hit Melbourne this month. Both will showcase the wonderful craft of beer, wrapped up in a bunch of good fun, good people and more (like food & music!).

First up, on Saturday 23rd July is the Woman of Beer brew day:

Following the success of the Beer Diva's Women of Beer show and the launch of the Barley's Angels Australia earlier this year, the good women behind these events have decided to brew a beer together. Awesome!

Initiated by Sam Füss, Head Brewer at True South Brewery, this will be the first known all-female collaboration beer brewed in the Southern Hemisphere. Under the Barley's Angels banner, they have chosen to brew a 9% spicy Belgian style tripel, inspired by the likes of La Fin du Monde, Chimay White and Westmalle Tripel. Eventually this Women of Beer brew will be bottled and sold with all profits going to charity.

The gang of female brewers and brewery owners from Victoria will be joined by the Beer Diva and Barley's Angels for a day of fun and feasting whilst brewing this big beer. Members of Barley's Angels are invited to participate in the brewing process, such as helping with hop additions.

There will be a special long lunch as well, an Argentinian BBQ held upstairs on True Souths function space, Mawson's Landing (booking required).

All are welcome to attend the brew day and lunch (male & female)...but don't expect to see any males touching the brewing ingredients or equipment.

The Women of Beer line up will be:

Sam Füss - Head Brewer at True South Brewery
Jayne Lewis - Co-founder and Head Brewer of Two Birds Brewing
Aine O'Hora – Brewer with Matilda Bay Brewing Company
Karen Golding – Co-founder of Red Hill Brewery
Beth Williams – Co-founder Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company
Kirrily Waldhorn – The Beer Diva

Closing the month is the Stone & Wood Festival of the Stone event on Sunday 31st July.

Stone Beer is a rich amber ale with a big caramel malt profile. It was my first experience of a beer from Stone & Wood Brewing and remains my favourite brew from the company, despite the intense love discovered for their Pacific Ale over last summer's bbqs. Stone is brewed once a year, during winter, in small batch and with flaming hot rocks added to the boil. The Festival of the Stone has previously just been held at the brewery in Byron Bay and helps showcase the Stone Beer release each year.

This year, the Stone & Wood crew and bringing a bit of the Byron Bay vibe to cold old Melbourne by holding a mini-festival party at The Workers Club in Fitzroy. The Sunday afternoon event will feature music from Jumpin' Jack, The Galaxy Folk and Tehachapi. It will also include a preview of the surf film El Mar Mi Alma (My Sea My Soul), which premiered at the Byron Bay Film Festival earlier this year. Of course, Stone Beer will be pouring a'plenty!

Both events should be a bundle of fun and another fantastic opportunity to mix and mingle with the local craft beer industry and supporters. I hope to see you there...

Event: Barley's Angels presents the Women of Beer Brew Day
Time & Date: 11am - 4pm. Saturday 23rd July, 2011
Where: True South, 298 Beach Road Black Rock VIC
Cost: Free to visit True South and watching the brewing action.
Lunch: $55 per person for an Argentinian BBQ with a True South beer
Lunch Bookings: Call True South on 1300 878 360 or email bookings@truesouth.com.au
More info:

Visit: http://www.truesouth.com.au/ and http://www.barleysangels.com.au/
Read The Crafty Pint article at: http://craftypint.com/news/post/the-beer-of-women/
Check out the Barley's Angels Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=18649853807054

Event: Stone & Wood Festival of the Stone
Time & Date: 4pm - 7pm, Sunday 31st July, 2011
Where: The Workers Club, 51 Brunswick Street Fitzroy VIC
Cost: $12
Tickets: Available at the door or order online via Stone & Wood Facebook Shop
More info:

Visit: www.stoneandwood.com.au/ and http://theworkersclub.com.au/festival-of-the-stone/
Read The Crafty Pint article at: http://craftypint.com/news/post/the-beer-of-women/
Check out the Stone & Wood Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113508615408960

Beer - Birthday Brews - Revisiting Favourites

2011-07-02T15:10:00.012+10:00

On Thursday I completed 31 years of life...and began my 32nd. That must mean it's a good time to enjoy some extra special beers!

So yes, for my 31st birthday I opened my mini beer cellar, which I began a year ago, and revisited some of my favourite beers.

Bringing in the next year of life on Wednesday night, the wife and I drank my saved bottle of Bridge Road Brewers B2 Bomber Belgian black IPA (which I blogged my love for last year).

Not surprisingly, the beer poured with a massive frothy head. It was no gusher, but the yeast must have still been working away for sometime, continuing the production of carbon dioxide. All that did, however, was slow down the process of pouring the beer. It still possessed a beautiful solid dark black appearance with a generous tan head.

With just under a year of age behind it, the B2 Bomber still tastes fantastic and drinks beautifully. Naturally, the hop character has mellowed and softened a bunch, but the rich and complex flavour was still in good form. A flavoursome combination of dark roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and dark fruits in a well balanced, warming package. I really love this beer!

Towards the bottom of the bottle, there was a small edge of a sour funk, indicating that the yeast may soon turn this beer a bit. So if you are sitting on a bottle of B2 Bomber, I recommend drinking it soon, unless you have a decent and controlled cellar set up.

In good news for lovers of this one-off anniversary ale from Bridge Road Brewers, Ben Kraus plans to brew and release a "revamped" version of B2 Bomber later this year! Awesome.

For my birthday present, the wife surprised me with a very special bounty of international craft beers that I have never tasted before...

Mikkeller Black Hole Barrel Aged (Peat), Mikkeller George! Barrel Aged (Bourbon Edition) and BrewDog Abstrakt AB:05 (bottle 3437 of 3600)!

These are extremely exciting beers for me. I have tried other versions of each - Mikkeller Black Hole Barrel Aged (Red Wine - Pinot) on one awesome night of big stouts at Biero Bar; had my first taste of Mikkeller George! in January this year and was blown away by the coffee kick; and BrewDog Abstrakt AB:04, which was enjoyed with the ABWG over dinner at Josie Bones. Each other those beers have been serious "WOW" beers for me and sit comfortably in my list of top 20 beers I have ever tasted. Hence, Jenn's above birthday present to me is something very special ...she's an awesome wife!

Birthday night, Thursday, we had a quite little birthday dinner at The Courthouse Hotel in North Melbourne. Dining from the bar menu and drinking excellent craft beers from tap, it was exactly my type of preferred dining experience. I wish I could visit The Courthouse more often...it is just so satifying to see many people drinking, discussing and enjoying a diverse range of beers.

Over dinner we enjoyed:

the new McLaren Vale Beer Co Vale IPA - good easy drinking, but I'm not sure about the hop profile. The hop aroma was a little musty dirty, with a very flat bitterness and soft taste. I want more punch from an IPA. Although, I must say that this IPA worked wonderfully as a match for the beautifully soft Gorgonzola croquettes entree that we started the night with!
Mountain Goat Oaky Porter - a bubble & squeak brew using left over incredients that hint at the inclusion of elements from the Thorny Goat Black IPA and Surefoot Stout. We had previously enjoyed this beer in draught growler form from Slowbeer, but enjoyed more on tap, possibly due to the better dispensing system as well as some improvement from an extra 2 weeks age behind it
Hargreaves Hill ESB - Jenn drank this with her baked ricotta gnocchi, confit duck, spinach, olives
Bridge Road Beer Chevalier Biere de Garde - I had with my Porterhouse steak, mash, rocket & red wine sauce. I love Biere de Garde so I always go for it when on tap, but it was a bit of a match-fail for my steak. There was much yeasty banana coming through the Biere de Gard and less of the usual lovely dark fruits. In hindsight, the Mountain Goat Oaky Porter or Hargreaves Hill Stout would have been a more appropriate match for my steak. Nonetheless, the meal was thoroughly enjoyable.

After dinner we trammed back into the city and headed up to Biero Bar for more good beer action, which included the Prickly Moses Black Panther IPA and the Morning Peninsula Brewery Brown Ale, which was shining a beatufiul hue of red in the candle light...

Prickly Moses Black Panther

Mornington Peninsula Brown Ale

Sometime after 10pm the music was turned up too loud in the fairly empty Biero Bar, which kinda killed our chilled out mood as we lazed on the couches and enjoyed good beer. We took it as a cue to waddled down the road to Penny Blue bar. A little birdy had told me that the Holgate Brewhouse Temptress was pouring from the bar's handpump. So, even though Temptress was available at Biero Bar for $5/$10 for a pot/pint, the handpump enough incentive to make the short journey down to Elizabeth St (and only $8 for a goblet is pretty good!).

This was my first visit to Penny Blue...and I loved it! I feel sad that it has taken me so long to discover this characterful little bar, beautifully located in the heart of Melbourne. Whilst I have known about it for some time, I have just never made it there...and I've been missing out! Penny Blue only has one beer tap, but it is an old English handpump beer engine. If that does not take your fancy, the craft beer selection in the fridge behind the bar is excellent. The bar is cosy and relaxed. The staff are good, with one guy behind the bar impressing me with his explanations of three local craft beers when a customer asked if they had any good American Pale Ales to try.

There was some glassphemy when my 2nd order of Temptress was poured into a tall Trumer Pilsner glass. Totally the wrong glass for a chocolate porter! But oh well, such a minor thing...by that time of night I was just happy to still be drinking good beer in any form...

And so ended my birthday day, with the joys of handpumped Temptress. However, the birthday beering did not end there...!

Friday started with a hair-of-the-dog breakfast. Home-made bacon, egg & cheese muffins (so much better than McDonalds will ever make!) alongside a glass of the spectacular Nøgne Ø God July Islay Edition, thanks to the generous & hardworking crew of Innspire. Whilst visiting the Innspire warehouse back in January I mentioned that God July Islay was one of my favourite beer discoveries in 2010 and was used to mark my 30th birthday. In return the Innspire guys gifted me with this bottle to celebrate my next birthday with, and I did, over breakfast the morning after. Win!

This Porter-like American Strong Ale has been matured in Oak casks previously containing Islay malt whisky. Many drinkers struggle with the strong Islay character, but I love the rich woody smokey baconness. And we're all about big peat and Islay kick at the moment, especially after the crazy beautiful explosion of Yeastie Boys' Rex Attitude!

Finally, last night (Friday), Jenn and I returned to our "local" (microbrewery) the Mountain Goat Brewery...aka goatbeer. There we had pizza for dinner and drank Three Golden Goats, more Oaky Porter and 2011 Oaky Rapunzel!

Mountain Goat's Rapunzel is another beer that I have blogged undying love for in the past. This 2011 release is the best yet!

The massive and potent 2010 version of the Rapunzel Belgian Strong Blond Ale has been soften substantially, because it has been blended with a touch of Steam Ale after 15 months of ageing in Chardonnay barrels. It is now so much more drinkable and dangerously sessionable, even though two is enough to knock you out.

The appearance is still the same, cloudy golden-orange with a decent white head that leaves loads of sexy lacing. The huge Chardonnay aroma remains, along with notes of grapefruit, apple and some vinegar at the back.

Rapunzel's complex taste is also still big but now better balanced, full of citrus fruits like orange, green apple, vanilla and a slight sweetness.

The oak aging is very evident in the astringency and short dry finish. This version was also extra oaky because it had been run through the Randy filled with French Oak chips, adding some extra oaky funk to the taste. It hinted at elements of a good Lambic Gueuze. Really good stuff.

All it needed was some crusty bread and brie to match!

Band - Papa vs Pretty

2011-06-29T23:05:00.008+10:00

Gig: Papa vs Pretty. "United In Isolation" Album Tour.
Supports: Buchanan, Red Coats
Venue: Northcote Social Club, Northcote – $15 tix
Date: Saturday 25th June, 2011

Papa vs Pretty is one of those bands that I heard on the radio and instantly liked...because they sounded different, thanks to the guitar rock and unique voice of lead singer Thomas Rawle.

The band has been on my "must-see-live" radar for over a year now, but their gigs kept clashing with something else. Finally I found a free weekend and a reason to return to one of my favourite local live music venues, the Northcote Social Club. Whilst the NSC has its detractors due to so-called pretentious and hipster elements, I love it because the little bandroom's sound quality and mix are always excellent. Also, the bar sells local craft beers from the likes of Mountain Goat, 3 Ravens, Prickly Moses and White Rabbit (a rare selection in Melbourne's genuine small live music venues)

We arrived at 10pm (after the first support set by Buchanan) to a full but not squishy-packed room. Despite the sell-out status of the gig, there was plenty of room to move and we were still able to comfortably access the front-of-stage so the wife could work her photographic magic.

Red Coats made an instant impression when they hit the stage, oozing confident energy and enjoyment. Their sound is hard to describe. It is something along the lines of heavy psychedelic stoner grunge...crossing Tame Impala with Karnivool plus bonus elements of Soundgarden and Led Zeppelin, as well as hints of Spinal Tap. Yes, 80's hair metal meets 90's grunge with soaring vocals, driving bass and an overuse of wah-wah pedal by the lead guitar. If this band wasn't so proficient, you may be inclined to think they are some kind of parody. But they are not. All their elements work very well together, ultimately providing a unique experience.

The foursome were confident and musically gelled together extremely well, maintaining an excellent sound mix. It was hard not to be drawn into the Red Coats' set, simply because they looked like they were having fun on stage. Big smiles and plenty of positive high energy body language. Almost any band with that atmosphere will provide an enjoyable set, unless their sound is exceptionally shit.

Overall, Red Coats music style and sound did seem a bit samey/one-dimensional, as every song flowed into the next. But they held my full attention for the full set.

Red Coats closed their set with TripleJ favourite, "Dreamsaker", which was received with gusto from the immersed crowd. Whilst not the type of music I would buy, they are certainly an entertaining live act and I'd be happy to see more of them. Great start to the night.

I love bands that instrumentally consist of just guitar, bass and drums. It's always been my preferred setup, from alt-pop-rock of early 80's U2 to 90's Something for Kate. Red Coats have this formula (with a non-live-musician singer), as do Papa vs Pretty.

The Sydney alt-rock threesome of Thomas Rawle, Angus Gardiner Tom Myers are short, thin, strange looking things (kinda like this blogger). Deceptively young looking (they are young, but look barely 14), they have a mature sound and style that is clearly built around the guitar-driven music and words of Rawle, who started Papa vs Pretty as a solo project several years ago.

I enjoy Rawle's unique vocals, but at times his voice is not quite strong enough to rise above the music in the live setting. His vocals were often drowned out by the band's louder moments, but it was a minor fault in the overall solid sound mix.

Their debut album's first track, "Life's Got A Hold On Me", appropriately opened the set with a short build into an energetic electric session.

The entire United In Isolation album was played throughout the set, along with their (TripleJ) radio hits from previous EPs. There was no holding back from performing their most well known radio hits early in the set, with "One of the Animals" and my favourite Papa vs Pretty track "Heavy Harm" appearing within the first few songs.

The very bouncy "Honey" highlighted the beauty of 80's guitar shredding in modern rock. The Galvatrons failed to integrate their 100% 80's hair-band guitar shredding sound into the current music landscape. Those synth kids tried to recreate the whole Van Halen-esque experience in their music, resulting in more of a novelty act than a serious 21st century new wave band. In contrast, Papa vs Pretty play their own style and sound but use a splatter of shredding riffs, solos, codas, bridges without over doing it, which works beautifully in the context of their often dark but lively songs (...it's rock!). It brought a smile to my face every time I saw Rawle's fingers go for some shredding action!

There was little banter between songs, other than the usual newbie throws of "We love [insert current city]. We love [current city] more than [a city that current city generally dislikes]."

They did seem a little awkward, maybe even subdued, on stage. I suspect that was a consequence of just being young and focusing on delivering their album to the "high expectations" of a Melbourne crowd(?). Despite some lack of atmospheric energy, they definitely delivered on the music and musicianship with a very tight set. Oh, and bassist Angus Gardiner was carrying a hell of a cold, so he did an awesome job to stay standing and in sync during the show.

Nonetheless, they showed plenty of potential and a little more experience will surely see them become quite big in Australia's indie music scene. I certainly hope so.

The other significant highlight of the night was the set closer, the rather epic unrecorded/unreleased "Kings". This was followed by an encore of "I Felt Nothing" and "You Are Not In Love Anymore".

It was a great gig, I thoroughly enjoyed the night.

It was a shame however that the last 86 tram to depart the NSC stop is at 12:29am on a Saturday night...! What's with that?!? Gigs don't finish until after 12:30am...so why don't trams run until 1:30am, like they do through the city? Annoying as! Good thing I was on a live music high. Melbourne's crap public transport system wasn't going to break my mood on this occasion...as we forked out for a taxi to get home.

Looking forward to rocking out with Papa vs Pretty again!

For more on Papa vs Pretty, check out the FasterLouder interview at: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/28992/Papa-Vs-Pretty

Good Beer Week - Saturday - BeermenTV Hair of the Dog Breakfast

2011-06-27T16:07:00.006+10:00

Beer for breakfast? Yes please!

...but which one shall I drink?

Last year in March I posed a question to the twittersphere – what is the best beer at breakfast time? No, I'm not a raging alcoholic... *cough*. I just love exploring beer's full potential across the spectrum of time and place.

When Todd Venning of BeermenTV jumped into the online to-and-fro, the question snowballed into something truly special. With the 3 blokes of BeermenTV heading to Melbourne in May 2010 for a local beer expo, they used my question as the basis for their first BeermenTV live event – the "Hair of the Dog" Breakfast.

Held at Beer DeLuxe the night after 2010's Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), the event was a runaway success. All who attended were soon calling for an encore and BeermenTV knew they had a precedent for an annual event.

The planning for the 2011 BeemenTV Hair of the Dog Breakfast was already in motion, with a return to Beer DeLuxe on the post-AIBA Saturday confirmed, when the Good Beer Week festival exploded into life. The two good beer concepts were natural partners, so the breakfast was one of the first external events brought into the Good Beer Week program.

As with last year, the 2011 Hair of the Dog Breakfast started with a line-up outside Beer DeLuxe at 9:30am on a cold Saturday morning whilst staff slowly checked off names and processed ticket payments. Those gathered were surprisingly sprightly following a week's worth of Good Beer Week activities, including the previous night's AIBA dinner and celebrations.

Also just like last year, Beer DeLuxe had been transformed into a large dining hall with several long tables set up for a big breakfast. The location works very well for this event.

Todd Venning of BeermenTV

Beermen Todd and Mark opened the event with a straightforward introduction and explanation of the mornings proceedings, followed by the grand entranced of the third member of the BeermenTV crew, Damien, jovially dressed in a "Lukinbetta" beer bottle costume.

As the clock ticked over to 10:00am (the formal start of daily boozing according Liquor Licencing), everyone was provided with a goblet of the Feral Brewing Golden Ace to begin their beery breakfast. This unique Belgian Golden Ale brewed with Sorachi Ace hops has a big lemon and grassy flavour, which made it an excellent first beer. The kick of citrus fruits will wake you up, but it may became a little heavy towards the end of the glass. I thought it was a great alternative to the popular hangover "cure" of Hairy Lemon.

Feral Brewing Golden Ace

Next the food service began, five courses served along with two different beers. It was a great selection of breakfasty components. Overall, I felt that this year's food did not quite work as well as last year's offerings in regards to matching with the beers. Also, I'm not sure if it was just our table, but there were no food menus provided and the serving staff had little-to-mixed knowledge of the food items (not helpful when a vegetarian would like to know whether a dish contains meat and the wait staff are unable to answer!).

First course was a smoked trout and lemon myrtle quiche. The Bridge Road Brewers Chestnut Pilsner was matched with the quiche, but I found the strong flavour of the salmon stripped away most of the Chestnut Pilsner's taste. The lemon of Feral's Golden Ace was much better suited to the fish. However, the preference around our table was split between the two different beers.

The second course was veal sausages with caramelised onion match with two beers from brewers that I am a big fan of - Red Hill Brewey's Hop Harvet Ale and 8 Wired Brewing's HopWired - two very different beers that both showcase hops in very different ways.

The Red Hill Hop Harvest is an ESB using the freshly harvested subtle hops grown on the grounds of the Red Hill Brewery, whilst 8 Wired's HopWired is a Double India Pale Ale jam packed with the powerfully aromatic and flavoursome hops of New Zealand. Both beers proved their worthiness in the breakfast setting. However, Red Hill's Hop Harvest won the battle to complement the dish, with the full bodied, rich caramel and dried fruit flavour linking well with the soft sausages and sweetness of the onions.

Next a very exciting new beer came to the table...the world's first (commercial) all peat-malt ale.

The Yeastie Boys Rex Attitude is brilliant. The massive, almost offensive, smokey aroma of the peat was interpreted a different way by everyone at our table. This Yeastie Boys brew divided the room between fans and opponents. No one I came across hated Rex Attitude, but a wonderfully wide range of emotions was evoked by the beer. Around the room the aroma was described as bacon, fire, charcoal, dettol, wet blanket and more. You expect Rex to burn your throat. However, behind the aroma is an enjoyable, almost sessionable, smokey golden ale with a dry finish. It is beer and whisky fusion done very well.

I enjoyed Rex so much, in particular as a breakfast beer, that a couple of weeks later I cooked myself a big fry-up breakfast to match with it. Even with my weak cooking ability, it was a joy consuming bacon, eggs and chipotle beans between sips of the beer. Rex Attitude may knock you out in more ways than one, but if you enjoy an assault on your senses to wake you up, it is an excellent breakfast beer.

Rex was matched with steak and onion on bruschetta, alongside the Holgate Temptress, which I have declared my love for many times. It was a curious choice in all senses of the pairings - beer vs food and beer vs beer. None of the combinations seemed to provide an all-round good match. Nonetheless, it was an excellent opportunity to explore the way beers and foods do and do not work together.

Breaking up the eating and drinking, the BeermenTV crew threw in crowd participation entertainment. First they ran a blind tasting - inspired the the Coke vs Pepsi taste test but with an American vs Australian beer. Their cheeky twist was that the first drink poured for the contestants was actually Coke. The loser of the actual beer taste of, fellow twitterer Hoppy Pete, was cursed to wear Damo's beer bottle costume...

Mark lead a game of "heads and tails" based around (very loose) beer trivia. This lively pursuit lead to a personal Good Beer Week highlight, when my beautiful and intelligent wife won the game! She scored an awesome stash of good beer in a box, donated by Slowbeer (...wish she shared with her husband, of course...). Winning!! (Yes, she really is the brains & skill behind our relationship.)

To start dessert, Darren Robinson of Doctor's Orders Brewing took the microphone and introduced his Zephyr double witbier, which was served with a rhubarb and ANZAC crumble.

Then, to finish the beer and food component of the breakfast...it was stout time! Two stouts were offered with chocolate sauce mini-pancakes. The pancakes were a little bit of a let down after last year's divine matching of Holgate's Temptress with Belgian waffles dipped in thick chocolate sauce.

Thankfully, both the stouts were very rewarding. In particular, the bottled Heart of Darkness Belgian Imperial Stout from Murray's Craft Brewing was a delight. Heart of Darkness was one of my draught stout highlights during winter last year, so to see it finally in bottles was exciting. I may have consumed two bottles worth of Heart of Darkness...whoops...so my notes on or memory of the 4 Pines Stout are rather non-existent.

Pouring the 4 Pines Stout to match with chocolate sauce pancakes.

The morning was quickly wrapped up and the crowd moved outside for a refreshing schooner of Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, the 10th and final beer of the event. After the big stouts and rich desserts, it may have seemed a strange choice to end the event. But at 12:30pm on a sunny Saturday, it worked well.

Ultimately, the beer selection alone could not be faulted. It was an awesome line-up. Every beer showcased the craft of brewing, with unique interpretations of styles and hybrids.

Some "improvement" comments that I am inclined to suggest - for next year, tickets to event need to be pre-sold. Like last year, BeermenTV used an online reservation system to sell tickets, which attendees then paid for at the door. This meant that the event capacity was quickly pre-filled by those keen beer loving locals who paid attention to Twitter and the general beer community word-of-mouth. However, when it came to the actual event, there were a number of unfortunate empty seats because several people who have made reservations did not attend. The pay-at-the-door process also slowed down the entry, on a cold Melbourne morning.

The other issue that might need to be addressed in future is the number of beers. Two hours is really not enough time for 10 different beers (one bottled shared between 2 or 3 people) to be suitably contemplated and enjoyed, leading to a rushed mix of some very diverse and big beers.

Since Liquor Licencing restricts the event (well...the beer, at least) from starting before 10am, and the venue requires the space back from midday, the timing can not really be altered. However, the number of beers and matched courses could be better arranged to suit the flow and digestibility.

Having said that, it must be noted that $35 ticket was excellent value. With ten beers, 5 courses and entertainment, I loudy applaud the price!

Everyone I spoke to afterwards loved the event, because it was simple, entertaining and lively showcase of craft beer. Most of all, once again the BeermenTV and Beer DeLuxe teams proved that beer does have a place at the breakfast table!

All in all, this was a very good morning soaked in very good beer. It was my second most favourite event of Good Beer Week (after Thursday nights’ Brewers & Chewers at The Local Taphouse), simply because it was fun and less industry driven/focused, yet it still brought together the beer industry and general public in a way that encouraged quality beery interaction...

Søren Eriksen of 8 Wired Brewing

The Beer Diva, Kirrily Waldron

Steve Crossman, Ambassador for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in the US.

Jayne Lewis, formally of Mountain Goat ...now establishing Two Birds Brewing.

The Crafty Pint is harrassed by some random beer blogger.

Stu McKinlay of Yeastie Boys chats with Jade Flavell of The Wheatshef Hotel in Adelaide.

Probably the best indication of the event's success...it was very hard to leave! As we enjoyed more beers in the sun and chatted to all the good beer folk following the formalities, the time passed unnoticed. The wife and I eventually dragged ourselves away for a late beer-absorbing lunch via the nearby Lord of the Fries.

Congratulations BeermenTV! I'm looking forward to the 2012 Hair of the Dog Breakfast!

For more insight into this event, I recommend the excellent Eat Drink Stagger blog post at: http://eatdrinkstagger.com/good-beer-week-that-time-of-year-again-when-beer-is-had-with-breakfast/

Good Beer Week - Sunday - Slowbeer Tasting

2011-05-26T23:29:00.020+10:00

The "Around the World in 18 Beers" Tasting at Slowbeer last Sunday evening was the final event on Jenn and my Good Beer Week itinerary.

Honestly, by Sunday we’d had our fill. Saturday had been a massive beery day, which began with the BeermenTV Hair of the Dog Breakfast, followed by The Local Taphouse Kiwi SpecTAPular and ended with the Great Beer Debate. It was touch-and-go as to whether we’d actually make it out on Sunday, but the strong history of Slowbeer’s previous tastings enticed us along. Thankfully the refreshing half-hour walk from home to the Slowbeer shop helped prepare our heads and livers for another big beer session.

Slowbeer co-owner and beer purveyor, Chris Menichelli, really knows how to structure and run tasting events well. His small craft beer shop in Hawthorn is ideal for intimate sessions of beer discovery, allowing a group of 20 to comfortably gather around the large table that sits in the middle of the shop, providing plenty of space to rest glasses and make notes. At this tasting, the 20 attendees consisted of a mix of old and new faces and probably the most number of females (8) that I have seen at a Slowbeer tasting before, which is great to see.

Chris opened the evening in his forever causal manner, yet still conveyed the key points of the occasion: this was a special event as part of Good Beer Week, which was ending today; this tasting was much bigger than any Slowbeer has held before (18 beers compared the usual 8-12); and basic food elements would be matched with each style. Let's get into it!

The first 12 beers were ordered by region, with a light and dark version of each compared to a local microbrewery’s challenger. The final 6 beers showcased some modern craft beer benchmarks, International vs Australian.

Our journey around the beer world began in Belgium with the Saison. The beer that is popularly regarded the style benchmark – Saison Dupont – was followed by the local Otway Saison from Otway Estate Winery & Brewery. It was an exciting start for me because these are two beers that I had never tasted before and had been keen to try for a long time. Wow, and what a difference! Saison Dupont was miles beyond the Otway Saison. Dupont's excellent big but balanced flavour included elements of orange peel and spices. With its full body, high carbonation and a relatively short, clean finish, it was a fresh fruity start. In contrast the (2010) Otway Saison had a flat flavour and was far too thick, with some unbalanced yeasty notes. Possibly it would be better when younger, but it really had nothing on the Dupont or another Aussie that I have enjoyed plenty of - the Chevalier Saison from Bridge Road Brewers. The Saisons were complemented with brie and crackers.

For the dark side of Belgium we were presented with two Dubbels, the Trappistes Rochefort 8 and the local Bright Fainters Dubbel. A big step up from the Saisons, both these beers provided wonderfully complex, sweet malty aromas and tastes. The international benchmark of the Rochefort 8 was again a clear winner with the better body and length. However, the Bright Dubbel was a worthy local opponent and a good interpretation of the style. The best Australian brewed Dubbel that I have had has been the Mad Abbot Dubbel from The Little Brewing Company in NSW. The real winner in this round was the fig paste and crackers that enhanced the dark fruit characters of the beers.

Jumping over the border to Germany, the Hefewiezen was the focus of Round 3. The Weihenstephaner brand, with its big banana "house flavour", is well known throughout the world and their unfiltered Hefewiezen is the common example of what a German Hefewiezen should be. The local competitor, the Bridge Road Brewers Hans Klopeks Hef is a very different beer that brings out more of the clove and spice elements of the style. This meant that the Weihenstephaner provided another win for the international options, but I thought the match was somewhat incomparable. When I tasted the Hefewiezen from new Melbourne microbrewery - Cavalier Brewing – back at the Fed Square Microbrewery Showcase, I thought it would be a worthy opponent to Weihenstephaner's Hef.

The big smoky characters of German Rauchbiers are not to everyone’s liking, but they have always provided me with a kick of aromatic joy. Also, I have watched Jenn’s palate develop from disliking smoked beers completely, to now enjoying the good ones. We tasted the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock against the local 3 Ravens Dark. In my book, the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier deserves its benchmark status and the 3 Ravens Dark is best consumed as a food match, with something like pork. Both beers were characterful and evoked plenty of discussion, but the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier scored another style win for the internationals. Smoked ham and cured meats proved the natural food support for these beers.

Swimming over the figurative English Channel, we were next presented with Pale Ales and Porters based on the English style.

English Pale Ales were represented by Timothy Taylor's Landlord Ale and the Ragged Jack from Van Dieman in Tasmania, whose beer range has just hit Melbourne. The Landlord begged to be pulled through a traditional English handpump, with its lovely soft caramel notes and hints of coffee (instant coffee though?) needing the warm and flat serving of a beer engine to really excel. The Ragged Jack was unfortunately bland in comparison. It had some interesting fruity notes but lacked hop character.

Next were English Porters with Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter and the Holgate Brewhouse Temptress chocolate porter. It was a bit of a mismatch putting the straight traditional porter from Samuel Smith against the delectable chocolate infused Temptress, but still an interesting experiment. The London Porter from Meantime remains my personal benchmark for English Porters and I will never have enough of Temptress, which is better on tap. Each Porter was enjoyed with delicious 80% dark chocolate...my favourite!

There ended the International Benchmark vs Australian interpretation component of the night. Next Chris guided us through six beers that have set new benchmarks in the craft beer scene over the last 25 years.

The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale are two beers with big reputations for making an impact on their respective beer markets. Pacific Ale was my "beer of the Summer" for 2010/11, so I probably need to say no more about it. I love it by the slab. In contrast, I am still not sold on the distinction of Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, but I believe that I need to try it fresh from the source to really understand way so many drinkers rave about it.

New World Pilsners were demonstrated by tastings of the Emersons Pilsner from New Zealand and the Knappstein Reserve Lager from South Australia. Two finely crafted beers, but it was a cold and wet night so I wasn't really in the mood for them.

The final two beers tasted were coffee beers, which suited the weather much better. First was the collaboration beer from Amager Bryghus and Mikkeller – the Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch – which blends the two top end Imperial Stouts by each brewer, the Amager Hr. Frederiksen and the Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel. After recently drinking the Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and declaring it one of my Top 5 ALL TIME FAVOURITE beers, it was hard for me to judge this blended brew on its merits without feeling like I was drinking a watered down version of the Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Brunch Weasel. Amazing as the Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch was in flavour, complexity and with a lovely coffee kick, it missed the silky thick body that I enjoyed so much in Beer Geek Brunch Weasel.

The Australian coffee beer was the impressive Black Giraffe from Burleigh Brewing Co. Most of the flavour goodness in this black lager was drowned out by the Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch, so it seemed underwhelming. However, I have enjoyed plenty of the Black Giraffe in the past and agree that it is a valid Australian craft beer benchmark. Placing Black Giraffe at the end of the tasting was not the best way for a newcomer to experience it, but it was a refreshing was to wash down 18 diverse beers.

At the end, three hours had passed in what seemed like 30 minutes. Chris wrapped up the evening with thank yous and a final shout-out to Good Beer Week. Spirits were still high so many people seemed to linger for a while, a sure sign that good time was had (or was it just the coffee hit from the last two beers?). I felt remarkably fresh, even after so many big beers, which I put down to a well structured and coordinated event.

And wow...what a line up! It seemed like there were mismatches and oh-so-wrong jumping across the beer style spectrum, but somehow it just all worked. None of the beers ruined your palate or were followed by a serious clash on your taste buds. Even the Hefeweizens acted as something of a palate cleanser following the Belgian Dubbels. Looking back over the night, the whole thing was spot on. Jenn and I were still exhausted but glad to have come.

It was also great to catch up and engage in some beer chat with fellow blogger John "Beefy" Bogan of Beer Dakari. John had consumed 100 different beers throughout the week and was celebrating with a Delirium Tremens Pink Elephant hat. Fun stuff!

The fun ended as we realised that Good Beer Week was now officially over and we had to trudge home through the rain (it always seems to rain on the nights of Slowbeer tastings!). It was bittersweet after another enjoyable and rewarding Slowbeer experience.

Well done, Chris!

Well done Good Beer Week.

Good Beer Week - a brief review

2011-05-26T14:10:00.005+10:00

The inaugural Good Beer Week has come and gone...and it was brilliant!

The Abbotsford Collaboration Ale by Mountain Goat, Moon Dog and Matilda Bay breweries.

Yes, Beer Bar Band was far too quiet during Good Beer Week (GBW). Sorry! I threw myself fully into the good beer celebration and festivities. Seven straight days of attending events and consuming plentiful good beer took its toll. My blogging therefore suffered as I wore myself out physically and mentally, as well as lacking any time and space to sit down and physically blog.

Thankfully, I have notes! The quality of these notes seriously degenerated towards the end of the week, but I still plan to blog about each of the GBW activities I attended. My posts will work backwards through the week, whilst those memories are freshest.

Overall, the week was a blast of fun and flavour. Although, I may have been lost in something of a schmooze-fest with brewers and industry folks for most of it. Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) brought to Melbourne many notable and exciting people from the global beer industry. Hopefully, the success of GBW will cause the international guests to return home with very positive reviews, drawing back a larger contingent of the world’s brewing elite to our shores next year.

A special mention to the craft brewers of New Zealand who I met last week - as our "cousins" from across the Tasman sea, I found the Kiwis wonderfully approachable, genuine and generous. Their stories about the NZ craft beer scene put a visit to their country higher on my "to do" list.

A big shout-out also goes to the crew from Innspire, who showed Melbourne how to really party! They were responsible (in the best way possible) for me being completely worn out by Thursday morning.

Importantly, pretty much every beer I tasted throughout the week was fantastic. They all varied significantly, in many aspects, but there was not a beer that I could not drink and enjoy. This was the most rewarding aspect of the entire week, as the "Good Beer" Week lived up to its name.

Sure, there is room for substantial polish and restructuring before it all happens again, but the framework is there and was sufficient for the birth of Good Beer Week. Rest assured, a little bird told me that the planning and preparation for next year's GBW has already begun. Now that's saying something!

For what was essentially an unstructured festival that was thrown together in the space of a few months, by the passion of a couple of beer lovers, the week defied initial expectations. The concept sparked the imagination of many brewers, bars and venues. This in turn attracted crowds, curious visitors and locals to the places that are helping making beer in Melbourne so very good.

This is where my appreciation for Good Beer Week hits the highest note. The ultimate reason for starting Beer Bar Band was to share my experiences of Melbourne's beer and music scene in hope of opening up new locations, venues and experiences to fellow locals and readers. I want everyone to enjoy the awesome beers, bars and bands that Melbourne has to offer! The Crafty Pint's GBW Crafty Crawl had punters checking out bars, shops and breweries they had never been to before, as they hunted for the chance to win a big beery treasure.

The industry and marketplace has has a glimpse of the awesome potential and power of Good Beer Week (especially thanks to the AIBA gala dinner infiltration of the Beer Song video!). Now it is just a matter of keeping the festival true to the cause and preventing it from breaking out like wildfire (...moderation is always best)!

I learned much from last week's experience and look forward to being a better prepared and smarter beer writer during Good Beer Week 2012. Bring it on!

If you attended or were part of anything during Good Beer Week, I'd love to hear what you thought – good or bad. Leave me a comment or send an email. Cheers!

Beer - Good Beer Week is GO

2011-05-16T11:29:00.001+10:00

The first Good Beer Week starts today (like, now!) in Melbourne and across Victoria. *excite*

What's it all about?

Over the next 7 days, Melbourne's breweries, bars, venues and beer retail outlets are showcasing the wonderful world of good beer with events, special deals, fun incentives and good beer friendly environments.

The week also coincides with the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), which are announced at a gala dinner on Friday night. This also means that many luminaries from the Australian-wide and global beer industry are either in Melbourne or have their eye on Melbourne...as they wait to hear which beers (including 550 international entries) have been awarded gold in 2011.

What When Where How Why?

Everything you need to know about Good Beer Week can be found on the GBW website: www.goodbeerweek.com

Even more GBW information, insights and news can discovered at The Crafty Pint: www.craftypint.com

You can also follow the live action via the twitter hashtag #GBW

But beer is beer?

No...GOOD BEER is not "just beer". Beer is diverse and interesting!

Good beer has flavour (LOADS of flavour), character, depth, complexity, length. Good beer is very interesting...and much fun.

If anything...the ultimate aim of the week is to really open up good beer to everyone. Therefore, if there is only one thing you get out of this week...please make it the decision to try a beer that you have never tasted before.

James loves Good Beer...

I'll be around here and there...at as many Good Beer Week event's and bars that I can get too...and maybe even a few sneaky extras...so say hi if you spot me...

So Melbourne, I commend you to go somewhere with beer that you have never been before...and have a very Good Beer Week!

...CHEERS!

Beer - Mountain Goat Rare Breed Surefoot Stout

2011-05-04T22:25:00.008+10:00

Well this is a surprise! I knew the next batch of Mountain Goat's Surefoot Stout had been brewed and was heading for Rare Breed bottles, as well as the usual Mountain Goat taps, but I thought it was at least another three weeks away from release. This is primarily because Mountain Goat co-founder Dave Bonighton told me so last month. Dave noted that the next new beer to be released from the Mountain Goat tanks would be the Mountain Goat/Moon Dog/Matilda Bay collaboration beer (a Belgian Dubbel, codename "Abbotsford Brew"), with kegs delivered to good beer bars during Good Beer Week. Surefoot Stout would follow that at the end of May.

Fast-forward to tonight, the wife and I made an evening dash down to our local shops for some groceries. I also used the opportunity as a beer run. (We have cheekily extended the Good Beer Week concept to Good Beer Month, as we aim to drink at least one craft beer every day during May.) The chill that has recently settled in to Melbourne's air had installed in me a craving for something dark...a stout.

Our dark beer shopping options are limited at this particular group of local stops. Therefore, my mind had settled on sufficing with Cooper's Best Extra Stout (#12 in the Critic's Choice book). Surprisingly, there was none available in the big chain supermarket, Woolworths. As a backup, I wandered over to my local Vintage Cellars (wine outlet of the big chain supermarket, Coles) and was delighted to find in the beer fridges...a fresh batch of Mountain Goat Rare Breed Surefoot Stout (a terrible omission from the Critic's Choice Top #100 Australian Beers)!

HELLO! SURPRISE! WINNING!

So I purchased three bottles...and now I have Surefoot Stout circa Autumn 2011! Hooray!

Curious, I asked Dave Bonighton via twitter if this was possibly old stock from last year (which wouldn't be out of the question, knowing the turnover rate of craft beers at this Vintage Cellars...where they are still selling Stone & Wood Draught Ale). According to Dave, this batch of Surefoot Stout was a special small batch brewed specifically for Vintage Cellars. Maybe this means VC are "testing the waters" with the retail of Mountain Goat Rare Breed releases. So hopefully I am helping the cause by buying up a batch...because I would love to see Rare Breeds stocked at ANY shop within 300 meters of my home. (hehe)...greedy me.

Mountain Goat's move to produce regular Rare Breed releases throughout the year was one of the best developments of 2010 in the Australian craft beer scene. Formally a regular seasonal produced in 330ml bottles, the Surefoot was dropped from the main Mountain Goat line up when the focus turned to the supply of Hightail and Steam Ale. However, when space was created at the Mountain Goat brewery to allow more experimentation and small batch releases, the Surefoot Stout was given the royal Rare Breed treatment. As a 4.9% alc/vol craft stout, it provides a welcome difference in a market sector that is saturated by Imperial or flavoured stouts.

The Surefoot Stout appearance is wonderful. Black without being too thick, it pours with a decent tan head. The aroma is of sweet malt, milk chocolate, some yeasty esters and that Mountain Goat signature blend that I love so much.

This year's Surefoot is extra beautifully smooth. This is because Mountain Goat have filtered it for the first time. However, it was good to hear from Head Goat Brewer, Jayne Lewis, that this batch was brewed using the same old tried and true Surefoot recipe.

Maybe this batch is just extra fresh, but I think the beer's body has been beefed up and a richer chocolate taste is shining through, alongside plenty of roasted malt and some liquorice notes. Yum.

Excellent complexity, balance and length.

Best Surefoot Stout yet!

Beer - SHARE THIS: Elbow Skin Beer Song

2011-05-04T11:27:00.004+10:00

In the eternal battle for better beer across this country, everyone's favourite local craft beer champion, The Crafty Pint, and trusty sidekick, The Wobbly Thong, have joined forces with Melbourne comedy duo, Elbow Skin, to create an official music video for Good Beer Week.

The video was primarily filmed during the brew day of the "Abbotsford Brew" collaboration beer between Mountain Goat, Moon Dog Craft Brewery and Matilda Day Brewing Company (read about that on Brews News at: Goat Dog Bay Collaboration Day). Some of Melbourne's best craft beer destinations provide the locations for this video, including the Mountain Goat and Moon Dog breweries, as well as The Royston and The Courthouse Hotel.

In my mind, this video may not quite be helping with the image of beer...as it essentially supports the typical beer-ad bogan-ish stereotype of beer drinking males (but it's comedy, hey?). Nevertheless, it's a bundle of fun and a very well made clip! Love the lyrics.

"Behold, behold...this liquid of gold..."

Beer Song by ElbowSkin from Alister Robbie on Vimeo.

Tremendous editing and post-production by Alister Robbie! Considering the huge marketing budgets of the macro brewing companies and the types of TV ads they regularly spin out...I wonder if they are scratching their hungover heads as they try and compute how such a fun ad for beer has been created on zero budget! The small team behind this beer song video created this ramshackle production by simply enjoying good beer...and the result is GOLD!

Let's get it out there...for the sake of BEER! (...and YES...we drink it in the morning!)

Swallow it down:

Watch the video via Vimeo at: http://vimeo.com/alisterrobbie/beersong
Read more about the Beer Song (and watch it again!) on The Crafty Pint at: http://craftypint.com/news/post/turning-water-to-beer/
Learn more about Elbow Skin at: http://www.elbowskin.com.au/

Beers and Bars - Footy Pub Crawl FAIL

2011-05-01T22:56:00.008+10:00

After a five day weekend over Easter, it is a rather sad experience to return to the standard two day weekend. Therefore, I planned to make the most of my May Day Sunday.

First I had to complete my healthy-life obligation of a 10km run (...in preparation for next Sunday's Mothers Day Classic 8km run) followed by domestic duties of ironing, cleaning, lunch & dishes. Yes...hardly blog worthy, but such is my life.

Mmm...beer time!

May Day...celebration of the Harvest with a Red Hill Hop Harvest Ale!

Over lunch, complimented by the brilliant autumnal Red Hill Brewery Hop Harvest Ale, I followed online the AFL team I barrack for - Essendon Bombers - as they kicked the HELL out of newcomers, the Gold Coast Suns. Ok, no mean feat here. In only their sixth game ever The Suns do not have the build or experience to provide quality competition yet (unless they are playing the worst team in the 2011 AFL competition - Port Adelaide Power). So I should not be overly excited...but a decade suffering Essendon supporter will take anything they can get right now!

I watched the online scorecard tick over and over, goal after goal after goal, as my Bombers finished the 1st Quarter with 15 goals and 4 behinds (94 points!!) to 1 behind (1 point!). Unheard of in AFL history!

So, with this Aussie Rules footy slaughter providing a rare high for my team, I fast-tracked my plan to watch the 2nd Half telecast and quickly headed down to my local - The Skinny Dog Hotel - to watch the rest of the game live via the Pay TV feed (I don't have Foxtel at home...it's an expense that I can not reasonably justify).

FAIL #1 - Arriving at The 'Flog (The Skinny Dog), I found a bunch of fit 20something Corona drinking guys & gals crowded around the plasmas watching silly UFC. I'm sorry...but UFC is baseless and entertainmentless for me. To see all 7 TVs in the pub tuned into the UFC was...disappointing.

I quickly left that scene and jumped down to Local Option Number 2 - The Hotel Kew. Thankfully, Hotel Kew (a Sports betting pub...very much not my scene) was showing the footy (with audio!) and it was relatively quiet and free of knobs that are commonly attracted to such a pub. Unfortunately, the ONLY beer available in this pub that is not a macro adjunct lager was James Squire Golden Ale. It was enough to suffice for a quarter...but I wanted to enjoy this fun footy watching experience with good beer...craft beer! The Hotel Kew is a good beer wasteland.

At half time I jumped on a tram and headed down to Richmond, making tracks for my favourite Melbourne pub of all...The Royston Hotel.

FAIL #2 - Unfortunately, when I arrived at The Royston I discovered that the pub does not open until 3pm on a Sunday. Boo!

So, I jogged back to Bridge Road, home of many pubs. After quickly noting that The Bridge Hotel was also closed, very closed, I trammed up another two stops and headed into The Spread Eagle...as classic pub with a big central rectangle bar, which needs better beers on tap. Thankfully, they at least have Little Creatures Pale Ale on tap...HOWEVER...it was Sunday afternoon trivia. So, whilst the footy way playing on 2 big screen TVs, there was no audio...replaced by the Trivia host's voice... FAIL #3. I do like the Spread Eagle...but I was saddened even further when I heard that one of the trivia teams was named "The Cider Men". Ug...boys...drink good craft beer! It will impress you like no cider can!

At 3pm I made my way back to The Royston...only to discover that my favourite pub does not have Foxtel and therefore were unable to show the footy. FAIL #4

This failure was made up for by a pint of draught Bridge Road Brewers The Harvest Ale (2011 release). A beautiful beer, easy drinking with a long lingering taste that is hoppy fresh and balanced with excellence. This is the type of beer I hope will one day be regularly be on tap at the majority of Australian pubs. One day...!

(A full blog post of three Australian hop harvest ales in pending...so I will go into the full tasting notes then.)

My beloved Bombers were picking up the pace again in the 3rd Quarter of the game...and I was still keen to witness the live vision. Hence, I ditched my esteemed Royston and slow trammed back to...*sigh*...Hotel Kew to catch the final minutes of the game. Over another pot of James Squire Golden Ale, a fair but uninspiringly thick English Pale/Golden Ale, I celebrated a massive win by the lowly Bombers over the uber lowly Suns...which I mostly missed, because I do not have a subscription to Foxtel.

To complete the symmetry of my day's fail pub crawl, I went back to the start...returning to the Skinny Dog Hotel. I would have been happy to spend my Sunday afternoon at the Skinny Dog watching the footy, which I have done many times in the past, thanks to the supply of Colonial and Little Creatures beers. However, UFC cancelled that option for me...and through my failed hunt for beer and footy, I discovered how little good beer and/or craft beer mixes with sport in my local area. Despite living so close to Melbourne city...the craft beer capital of Australia...we are still a long way from penetrating the mainstream beer market.

Anyway...with the pub now relatively empty, I watched the post game wrap-up over a pot of White Rabbit Dark Ale, a welcome tasty relief in Melbourne pub-land. (side note: on Friday night I went through the "in-house" crafty Colonial beers on tap at The Skinny Dog - Kolsch, Witbier, Pale Ale and Porter - and enjoyed their balance...but more on that to come...)

Excellent lacing.

In the current local landscape of craft beer, the White Rabbit Dark is definitely a quality beer (as shown by its #7 ranking in the recent book - The Critic's Choice: Australia's Best Beers). However, on this occasion it did not satisfy me. FAIL #4.3 (yeah...not really a full fail...just a third...). I was in need of something with a fuller body and fruitier flavour.

Therefore, to end this fail day with some extra win...I enjoyed a dessert of the Trappistes Rochefort 8. Recently, I've had a craving for something full-bodied, dark and fruity...so I picked up this popular Belgian at Slowbeer. In the past I have muchly enjoyed the highly regarded Trappistes Rochefort 10 but had yet to taste the 8 on my beer journal. Now I have...and it is good...damn good...

Essentially a lower gravity and ABV version of the Trappistes Rochefort 10 (which is still my favourite from the Rochefort range), Trappistes Rochefort 8 provides a wonderfully deep and fruity aroma that is a pleasure to just sit and inhale. In the mouth I tasted plenty of dark cherry, chocolate, yeast and something a little nutty. With a warming finish from the 9.2% ABV, it is suprisingly easy to drink and hence did not last long between the wife and I as we ended our Sunday.

Win.

Band - Big Scary

2011-04-23T22:42:00.007+10:00

Gig: Big Scary "Four Seasons tour"
Supports: Step-Panther, Kins
Venue: East Brunswick Club, East Brunswick – $15 tix
Date: Friday 1st April, 2011

It was comforting...finally returning to one of my favourite Melbourne bandrooms for a gig and enjoying an initial 30 minutes of thumping lo-fi garage rock.

Step-Panther opened this gig to a crowd of less than 25 with a good mix of short old-school punk-ish alt-rock songs that resonate throughout your body without burning your ears.

Their songs are classic punk - short with abrupt endings - but typical of the modern era, pop influenced and essentially lyrically void. Thankfully, they were just having fun! I had download a couple of their songs from TripleJ Unearthed the prior week and found these recorded tracks somewhat harsh and unbalanced. Therefore, my expectations coming in to this gig were low. Thankfully, their live mix was much better, with a well harmonised and fuller sound.

The band was enjoyably casual yet confident, but I do not understand why they spoke with American accents...or is that just a hipster thing? They coped well with an emergency guitar string repair, with the bassist and drummer performing an ad-hoc cover of Ain't No Sunshine.

This is the kind of band I enjoy randomly experiencing live. Personally, I am unlikely to buy their recorded stuff, but they they fit perfectly with the Melbourne rock scene, which is championed by venues like Pony and The Tote. Good work, Step-Panther! I really enjoyed the set.

The next support was Kins, the new band of Thomas Savage, who co-founded but has since left Oh Mercy. Kins brought a mellow feel to the room with their indie-folk tunes.

Possibly the best description I have seen for the Kins music is "experimental pop". Whilst providing plenty musically, the band seemed a little bland and bored at times, which is never the way to capture a crowd when you're a support act. Nonetheless, their set was musically enjoyable, it just lacked energy or presence...and hence there was little for me to recall about them, other than it's awesome seeing a girl capably playing a Telecaster in a band like this. Chick guitarists rock!

In contrast, every time Big Scary hit a stage they emit rays of joy at just being there to play their music. Watching this band play imparts the feeling that they are having endless fun regardless of the audience size or what any listeners or critics think of them.

A rewarding unconventional band, Tom Iansek and Jo Syme knew that a live interpretation of The Big Scary Four Seasons LP would be a challenge for a two-piece. Musically and thematically rich, the LP brings together the four seasonal EPs released during 2010. The resulting compilation is a scattered affair. Disjointed and constantly changing pace and mood, it is ultimately the perfect analogy for the Melbourne weather it describes.

Pulling in a sell out crowd for the first of two headline shows at the East Brunswick Club, the audience was notably full of youngins and hipsters but thankfully well supported by a healthy mix of random music lovers.

The Big Scary set was divided into the four seasons, opened by Autumn. Dressed in raincoats and Autumn leaves, their refreshingly unorthodox approach was showcased from the first chord as the duo began with a soft new song, Gladiator, followed by the very first song they released and boppy fan favourite - The Apple Song - from a 2008 CD single. It may have been a perplexing start to a gig for their new followers and those who were generally unfamiliar with the Big Scary approach, but I can only thank them for being different. Nonetheless, the Friday night crowd was awoken by the familiar (at least for TripleJ listeners) and rudimental drum march driven Autumn.

Next came Winter, which provided the most sedate and cosy songs of the night through Deep Freeze and the new Got It Lost It.

Spring brought out the acoustic guitar, once again demonstrating Tom Iansek's brilliant easy of transition between electrical guitar to keyboard piano to acoustic guitar and back across them all and more.

Microwave Pizza is another Big Scary fan favourite at live shows and tonight was no different as the front rows clung on to every desperate word of the bittersweet love song to that housemate that everyone knows...or if not...to themselves.

The Spring and Summer sets where joined by two new songs that are destined for Big Scary's debut album release, due out later this year - Heartbreak and Mix Tape, followed by Purple.

This slow burn gig hit its highs during the Summer set with new song Mix Tape and the Four Season's biggest rock song, Tuesday is Rent Day, a highlight of the night for many.

Cool Kids and All That You've Got followed...and then the gig was rounded off with one of my favourite Big Scary tracks, the sonically thick and appropriate closer Lullabies, Lies and Goodbyes.

However, everyone knew that a Big Scary gig could not end without a performance of their most well known tune, Falling Away. Not surprisingly, said song was the single encore, played with a variation on the opening and an energy that shows no sign of tiring.

In little over an hour the four seasons had been musically transversed. The gig was all done and dusted and the crowd was satisfied. However, we all left with the undeniable sensation that the best was yet to come from Big Scary...and that best will be something extra special.

Keep your eyes and ears on Big Scary, Australia. They are an act worth treasuring.

Even with their classical ballads, Big Scary are very rock. A real education in diverse musical talent.

For a better review of this gig, check out the Faster Louder post by Clementine Zawadzki at: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/28180/Big-Scary-Kins-Step-Panther-The-East-Brunswick-Club-Melbourne-01042011

Beer - Holgate Empress now on tap at Biero Bar

2011-04-05T21:18:00.001+10:00

Tonight the Biero Bar twitter notified followers that the exciting Empress Imperial Mocha Porter from Holgate Brewhouse is now on tap!

If you are yet to taste this wonderfully rich and intriguing beer, I implore you to make your way to Biero Bar and taste the 10% abv Empress! It will not last long.

Choc full of dark chocolate and fruits, supported by spices, sweet malts and vanilla. Empress is deliciously complex with a warming alcoholic finish. For such a heavy and luscious beer, which is best enjoyed as a slow sipper, it is awfully easy to drink. Overall, it is the finest example of Australian craft beer in 2011.

Several Melbourne beer bars here and there have already drained kegs of Empress, since it debuted at the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular in February. However, supplies seems to be on their last legs...so I recommend you don't hold off any longer!

120 750ml bottles will be released in June, but they will be pricey and snapped up before you can say Beelzebub's Jewels...

You want it! (...ok...I want it!)

Beer - BrewDog Tokyo* ...on TAP!

2011-04-02T14:49:00.004+11:00

BrewDog Tokyo* is an amazing beer. This 18.2% abv Imperial Stout is finely crafted yet completely irreverent...true to form for Scotland's cheeky but accomplished craft brewery.

The brewery's description of Tokyo* is as follows - "A beer inspired by a 1980's space invaders arcade game played in Japan's capital. This imperial stout is brewed with copious amounts of speciality malts, jasmine and cranberries. After fermentation we then dry-hop this killer stout with a bucketload of our favourite hops before carefully ageing the beer on French toasted oak chips."

In a wonderful first for Australia, kegs of Tokyo* have been brought to our shores by BrewDog's Aussie importer, Hop & Spirit. These pricey kegs (I hear they cost something in the vicinity of $1000) are now being tapped at beer bars across Australia.

As Melbourne's weather cools down and clouds over significantly this weekend, the time is just right to slowly enjoy a big-ass warming beer like Tokyo*.

I first tried Tokyo* from the bottle last year. Whilst the flavour was incredible and I clearly recognised the amazing complexity and art of the beer, I found it rather harsh with the high alcohol burning my palate. It was enjoyable, but too much.

When revisiting Tokyo* in draught form, it was a much better experience. During a recent evening at The Local Taphouse, fellow beer blogger Aaron of I'm Here For The Hops shared his glass with me.

On tap, the jasmine and cranberries shine through in the brandy-like aroma. In the mouth, the alcohol is still in your face, but less harsh, much more balanced. The taste and mouthfeel imparts much depth and character of sweet dark fruits and roasted malts, plus something a little smokey. Oaky notes from the ageing are also more prominent in draught than the bottle.

If you enjoy stouts of any form, this is a beer worth experiencing...if only for the sheer provocation of it. James Watt and Martin Dickie of BrewDog have styled themselves as brewing punks. This beer certainly helps to confirm their claim.

I may be a little untimely with this post, as the very limited supplies of draught Tokyo* have been on tap around Melbourne beer bars for a week now...and are mostly likely almost empty, or close to it. Nonetheless, if you can find a bar still pouring, don't be afraid to take a chance on something that will set up back more than you've probably ever paid for a tap beer before (unless you were lucky enough to have some of the Moo Brew Aged Imperial Stout at Beer DeLuxe last year)!

The following Melbourne bars have received Tokyo*

The Local Taphouse, St Kilda ($20 for 310ml glass, tapped 10 days ago)
Biero Bar, Melbourne city ($15 for pot, tapped on Wednesday night)
Beer DeLuxe, Melbourne city (tapped last wednesday)
The Court House Hotel, North Melbourne ($11 for 110ml...which is all you need!)
The Great Northern Hotel, Carlton North (yet to be tapped, I think)

If you are keen to try this beer and need to travel is get to any of these bars, I would try calling ahead to see if they still have it pouring. Then, scrape together all your pennies or grab some mates to share a glass with, because this huge beer is the perfect beer for sharing around. Enjoy!

Learn more about BrewDog Tokyo* at:

BrewDog profile: http://www.brewdog.com/tokyo
BrewDog blog - "Portman Group bans Tokyo*, but who complained?": http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/197

Note: the * refers to the 18.2% abv version of BrewDog Tokyo, after this beer was originally brewed as a 12% Imperial Stout, which has now been retired.

Band - Sin City...last gig of 2011...already!

2011-04-01T10:54:00.005+11:00

Melbourne is rocking along beautifully at the moment. The street-press pages are thick and live music venues are overflowing with emerging and established acts performing a diverse range of music..something for everyone...whatever your aural drug.

One particular gig that has hit my headlines is the "last gig for 2011" from Sin City...

...huh...last gig of the year...in April?!? Whaaaa?

Here's the PR explanation, via their Facebook page:

"It's been 9 & 1/2 years since Sin City exploded onto the Australian music scene. Armed with nothing more than 3 chords and a maniacal stage presence the band went on to become one of Australia's premier independent rock acts clocking up over 900 shows, touring Australia countless times, moving from Perth to Melbourne, playing everything from the Big Day Out to Sounds Loud and with everyone from The Misfits to Metallica. Not bad for a pack of punks.

But now it seems the road is finally starting to catch up with the rock'n'roll juggernaut that is Sin City and the band are going on hiatus while members travel overseas and try to catch up on some sleep. They do promise to be back but not until at least 2012!

So let's get pissed and celebrate all things Sin City with a fuck off huge party at Pony on Saturday 16th April.

Starting from 9pm Sin City have invited some of their favourite Melbourne acts to warm up The Pony stage with Stranglehold, Bombing Angels, The Mercy Kills, Ramshackle Army and Australian Kingswood Factory joining forces to create one of the best line-ups you can see. Then from 2am Sin City play their favourite time slot in their favourite venue for the last time in who knows how long.

Expect 2 sets, songs spanning their (almost) 10 year career, tears, beers, cheers and a blood-boiling, fist-pumping, body-slamming, heart-breaking, dance floor shaking, good time like only Melbourne's kings & queen of rock Sin City can deliver. Rock'n'Roll satisfaction is guaranteed and Do Not Miss This Show! HELL YEAH!!"

I have blogged here previously my love for Sin City and Pony bar's 2am late shows on weekends. This band knows how to kick on and on and on, whilst imparting their messy energy onto a forever keen crowd of randoms. If you love some raucous pub rock, it will be a night worth experiencing, supported by a local band line-up that is worthy of a big dirty rock party in a tiny space.

Sadly, this gig is on a night on which I'm committed to going to bed early, in preparation for the Herald Sun/City Link Run for the Kids event the next morning. In my world, running 14.38km at 9am makes gigging the night before mostly impossible. However, I encourage anyone who enjoys a late night out with a bit of dirty rock and a fun crowd to get along to this gig!

Sin City's Tash at The Green Room, 2006

My gigging has been somewhat limited of late. Nevertheless, I have locked in to revisit some of my favourite local artists over the next month and am looking forward to hearing what their support acts have to offer.

First up...tonight we are headed for the Big Scary gig at the East Brunswick Club. Supports include Kins (Thom Savage, formally of Oh Mercy) and Step-Panther from NSW. For only $12, I consider this something of a bargain gig these days - brilliant band, awesome venue - it is too rare to find such a gig under $15 these days.

Big Scary at Northcote Social Club, May 2010.

Next week we'll catch The Jezabels play The Corner (wow...it has been too long since we've had a night at The Corner!) and then return to EBC on Friday night again for Gareth Liddiard and Dan Kelly.

Further, with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival commencing tonight, I am taking a punt on seeing LA comedy-music act The Dan Band at The Hi-Fi Bar. My only exposure to The Dan Band so far has been through their Christmas song "I Wanna Rock You Hard This Christmas" and their cameo in The Hangover, which has been enough hilarity to suck me into seeing them live. I do love quality comedians who are musically talented as well, because they inspire me whilst making me laugh...the type of high I embrace in life.

Beer - The Aussie Dry Lager Battle

2011-03-29T17:43:00.004+11:00

This Sunday past in Melbourne was a sunny blue-sky day, much like today. A large portion of the city's population city was caught up in the return of AFL footy to our lives, as well as the Formula 1 cars screaming around Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix.

It was the type of day that often drives drinkers to purchase and consume a six-pack or slab of easy drinking beers that are readily available at any local bottle shop or liquor superstore. (Also, these beers are often marketed IN YOUR FACE, everywhere you look.)

The current trend in beer products produced by the big commercial breweries for such occasions is the "dry lager". It is a style that I no longer understand. They tend to be very bland (if not completely flavourless), bodiless, flat and often labelled as a low carbohydrate beer.

You see, I can somewhat understand the "need" for and mass production of Australian lagers and mid-strength beers. However, in the last four years I have never come across any Australian person belonging to an apparent "clear majority" of beer drinkers that the big-brewers' market research suggests want watery bland dry lagers!

Even in North Queensland I witnessed drinkers choosing the flavoursome Blue Sky Brewery Pilsner, Little Creatures Pale Ale or foreign full-strength lagers like Corona over any such dry lagers. Whoever is bumping up the dry lager sales figures needs to try a real beer for once in their life!

In all honestly, I did spend much of my 20s in the pubs and bars of Melbourne, enjoying the pub rock music scene and drinking the usual beers that a Melbournian would be associated with - VB, Melbourne Bitter and later, Boags. When the low-carb dry lager concept really took off with Pure Blonde and Boags Classic Blonde, I misguidedly drank these beers in a silly attempt to mitigate my obesity.

Today, I am a craft beer lover. My drinking habits favour beers with depth of flavour, complexity, length, character, as well as exploring the diversity of beer styles. Additionally, since turning to craft beer I have learned how to drink smartly and balance good health, which has allowed me to drop all the excess weight I carried for 20 years. These days, I am fit enough to run 12kms in 50 minutes, yet still enjoy regular beers.

I will relatively happily revisit VB and MB in the right time of place, but cannot touch the new wave of "extra" dry lagers that are saturating the Australian beer industry, because they are pointless! No? Flavourless and with water like texture...what is the point to drinking such a beer other than to get drunk whilst messing up your body with a huge amounts of adjuncts? If you need to quench a thirst, drink water! It's good for you.

Nonetheless - in hope of saving myself from becoming a real beer snob - I decided to test these popular Dry Lagers to see if I could find any justification for their existence.

As a secondary mission, I wanted to taste these macro brewery profit makers against the Vale Dry from McLaren Vale Beer Company in hope of understanding why a company that is determined to be a craft beer producer would create such a product.

Currently brewing their two beers under contract at Australian Independent Brewer (AIB) in NSW, the McLaren Vale Beer Company beer are in the progress of establishing a brewery. Instead of first setting up a brewery, they decided to use their initial capital to establish a brand. Through their marketing, Vale Ale scored top spot (and big exposure) in The Local Taphouse Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2010. Vale Dry came in at #9. The reaction to these results amongst the craft beer loving community was fierce and is well documented on a number of beer websites, such as The Crafty Pint.

All that aside...my question is:

Is there really ANY need for Vale Dry in the Australian beer market, against these beers...

Carlton & United Breweries (Fosters) Carlton Dry
Tooheys (Lion Nathan) Extra Dry
Sail & Anchor (Woolworths) Dry Dock
Three Kings (Independent Breweries Australia) Dry Lager

Note 1: All purchased from my local Dan Murphys I selected out of their fridge.
Note 2: Other products in the category include MAXX Dry by Coles and Coopers Clear, but would have been too much for me to include in this test.
Note 2b: I also completely disregarded XXXX Summer Shite Lager because it is shite. I tried it once last year out of curiosity and found no ever to ever let such a beer pass my lips again.

I would like to point out that I did approach the MVBeer team directly via email and asked them why they decided to produce a dry lager. However, whilst I recieve a response from them about a side issue, the "why brew a dry lager" question was completely ignored.

So, on a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, after a morning of household chores that induced quite a thirst, I sat down with each of these beers to test them side by side.

My comparison notes on these beers are as follows:

Three Kings Dry Lager

The clearest and most effervescent of these 5 beers
Provided the biggest head when poured from the bottle
Lightest/weakest colour of all these beers
Most "fake tasting" beer, providing no real beer character
Almost sickly drinking at the bottom of the glass (as it warmed)
Sorry, but this is just...yuk.

Tooheys Extra Dry

Equally brightest in colour with Carlton Dry
Provided the most decent head
Smoothest and softest beer of the 5, as well as the blandest flat
Flat aroma with something oh-so-slightly fruity on the nose
Yeast comes through in that fruitiness, slightest hint of clove and banana
Blandest mouthfeel of all

Carlton Dry

Equally brightest in colour with Tooheys Extra Dry
Worst head with loose froth that was like bubble-bath foam
Slight orange peel taste and a hint of something nutty
A little bit more carbonated than Tooheys Extra Dry
Only drinkable if super cold/chilled
Awfully similar to Tooheys Extra Dry, just not as flat

Sail & Anchor Dry Dock

Most dull beer in appearance
Most pub-like beer in aroma and beery flavour with corn like notes
Watery mouthfeel and body
No flavour
Pretty inoffensive and hence easy to drink (if super cold) for piss beer.
Wife noted that Dry Dock is like beer cordial...water with a drop of artificial beer flavouring

Vale Dry

Clearly different to the above beers! hoo-rah...
Pale gold and cloudy in appearance, weak-to-no head
A sweet caramel sugar aroma, some fruitiness but also vegemite yeasty aroma
HELLO...there's some flavour here! However, still lacking any real taste punch and probably has too much in the way of cereal notes
A bit thick in the mouth, although a watery body
Not exactly "easy" drinking due to some tartness

By far, the unfiltered Vale Dry was the stand out...relative to the macro dry lagers. It has flavour and more body than the rest, but I am not sure I rate its drinkability and sessionability. I would need to try a draught version on tap.

Nonetheless, if you really must drink a Dry Lager...please consider the pointlessness of the macro products - produced only for your dollar - and maybe pick up a pack of McLaren Vale Vale Dry. At least you will experience some exposure to taste with Vale Dry, as well as supporting a business that hopefully one day will build up to being a genuine craft brewery.

Ultimately, there is no need for any of these beers when there is the easy drinking, refreshing and flavoursome joy of the uniquely Australian Stone & Wood Pacific Ale! THIS is the beer dry lager drinkers should be choosing...

Beer - Still not there yet, Melbourne, but something Good coming

2011-03-24T19:07:00.010+11:00

This week there was a wrap up of the recent Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in The AGE Epicure (22/03/2011) that provides an important perspective on where beer stands in the local cultural scene.

This cover-story article has not been published online, so here is what you will find on page 8:

Beering Up
By David Sutherland

"It's a shame more people weren't at the festival's first masterclass beer and food matching session - it seems food and wine aficionados still can't quite come to grips with the fact beer is a complex beverage with a multitude of flavour and aroma nuances that can complement or provide contrast to those in food.

Still, the crowd of 40 or so at The Beer and Cider House Rules session were eager, and increasingly ebullient as they make their way through samples of eight different beers and four ciders, each matched with tiny but exquisite dishes created by Andrew Black of Blakes Feasts.

Kirrily "Beer Diva" Waldhorn and Eric Walters from Gippsland's Grand Ridge Brewery provided witty and knowledgeable commentary, while Epicure's Ralph Kyte-Porwell moderated with his usual charm.

Guests were genuinely surprised by how well some of the dishes matched the beers - which ran the gamut from light blond wheat beers to hefty Scotch and Belgian ales - and the ciders.

At their best, the matches highlighted interesting flavour characteristics in both food and beverage, and the session was another small step in defying perceptions that beers and ciders are merely wine's poor - and rather crude - cousins."

Fantastic words there by David, who clearly understands the potential for and under appreciation of beer in a dining setting.

(Shame there was no mention throughout the feature of The Beer Diva's Victoria's Women of Beer show.)

So yes, whilst my fellow craft beer writers and geeks are caught up in the groundswell of amazing beer circling Melbourne, we are still an uber minority. Along with the building call to end beer tap contracts at pubs in favour of diversity and CHOICE in beer styles and flavours, we also need to explain to those around us at $28 for a slab of VB is NOT a good thing.

Alternatively...maybe everyone just needs to hold on and get ready to experience beer like never before...with Good Beer Week on its way!

We will see the likes of the Josie Bones crew taking on those "food and wine aficionados" with a new wave of detail and sensation provided to a food and beer pairing experience. Over in St Kilda, the The Local Taphouse will sit you with the brewers whilst you eat and drink (check out who will be at the exciting Brewers & Chewers Dinner on May 19)

For a sneak peak of what Good Beer Week is all about, check out The Crafty Pint story at: http://craftypint.com/news/post/good-beer-great-week/

Beer - Atticus Finch Beer School #2

2011-03-23T15:08:00.023+11:00

"I love that this is called 'Beer School', because the word 'school' is the collective noun for a gathering of drinkers", quipped Willie Simpson as he opened the second Blackhearts & Sparrows and Atticus Finch Beer School.

After enviously reading the Eat Drink Stagger blog post about Beer School #1 last year ("Be schooled in all things beery"), I was keen to make sure I didn't miss the next one that came around. When the event was finally announced in February and I saw that the "teachers" for the day would be Willie Simpson (Seven Sheds Brewery and renowned beer writer) and Simon Walkenhorst (Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company), I had purchased tickets before anyone could say Brettanomyces!

After a cool Summer, March 6th was a surprisingly hot and sunny Sunday afternoon. The wife and I arrived at Atticus Finch a little after the start time of 3pm (Sorry we're late, Sir. Public Transport, ya'know). Thankfully, the class was yet to begin.

The 50 pupils gathered throughout the courtyard/beer-garden, which appropriately includes a hop vine creeping over the fence from their next door neighbours. The class was made up of a clear male majority. Overall, most students seemed to be both local and already craft beer orientated. Therefore, this was no Beer 101, but more of a MasterClass in beer.

With all the shaded spots occupied, we found a seat along the fence, opened the beautifully presented folded-A4 "text book" and prepared for the ~~drinking~~ learning to begin.

The first beer of the lesson was a strange pick, the massive Infinium, a recently released champagne-like beer from a collaboration between Weihenstephan and The Boston Beer Company, which I wrote about on Australian Brews News (which also notes Willie Simpson's initial reaction to the beer): www.brewsnews.com.au/2011/03/to-infinium-and-beyond/

Although Infinium is an impressive beer with a big but dry flavour, it is a beer that is best enjoyed during a cool evening or with dinner instead of during a hot mid-afternoon. Also, over time it seems to be thickening a little with yeasty vegemite notes overdeveloping. So if you are seeking to buy and try the current batch of Infinium, get it soon!

Willie spoke of his aversion to collaboration beers as little more than a PR exercise, whilst Simon countered with his recent experience in producing the Two Hills Maibock in collaboration with Red Hill Brewery.

Following Infinium, the full list of beers sampled across the afternoon (in groups of 3 at a time) was:

Moo Brew Pilsner*
Haregreaves Hill ESB
Seven Sheds Kentish Ale*

Renaissance Discovery APA
Sierra Nevada Northern Harvest Americal Ale*
Mountain Goat Rare Breed Double Hightail Ale

Feral Brewing Hop Hog IPA
Kriek de Ranke
Anderson Valley Imperial IPA

Meantime Chocolate
Hargreaves Hill Abbey Dubbel*
Seven Sheds Willie Warmer Spiced Ale*

Rochefort 10 Trappistes Quadrupel
Mikkeller Viktoria Porter
Holgate Brewhouse Empress Imperial Mocha Porter

* indicates a beer that I had not previously encountered on my beer journey.

The beer line-up was indeed impressive and diverse. The order could have done with some finesse though and the conditions didn't suit too many of the beers in the second half. "There goes the open-air Beer School" Simon declared when we hit the hoppy beers are he explained how sunlight destroys the hops influence.

I have no desire to detract from this excellent event. However, I will make the following assessment notes about Beer School #2 (and only because I believe that the feedback is constructive and welcomed, as well as already providing Blackheart's beer manager Eden Gilbert with the following notes...)

The glass shapes and sizes - a beer pot glass, a small wine glass and a water tumbler - were not really utilised effectively. After the first few rounds, the glass which was filled with the next beer to taste was simply whichever glass was available. Although, considering the pace that the event moved along, as well as and the small number of staff tasked with filling 50 glasses, they did a commendable job with coordinating the event. Hence, I cannot really complain about drinking an Imperial Porter from a water tumbler...that would simply be beer-snobbery!

I will note that the Sierra Nevada Northern Harvest American Ale was rather disappointing. I suspect that it is a grey import (with Phoenix Beers only just now bringing Sierra Nevada into Australia legitimately) and therefore who knows how old this beer was or how it had been treated during the long journey to Oz.

Additionally, throwing in Kriek de Ranke in at half way was a bit messed up, as it destroyed the palate. A palate cleansing aged Gueuze may have been the better choice over a fruity Kriek at this point.

And in all honesty, by the time the class hit the big final three of the Rochefort 10, Mikkeller Viktoria and the (hmmmm YES) Holgate Empress...no one was really in a position to learn anything about these beers other than they are big dark rich beers (...so it was a good thing I have tried them all before!).

OK, enough of the beer-snob hypercriticism now. Beer School also did things very very well (in comparison to many of the other beer tasting event occurring throughout Australia).

Foremost, the teachers brought in for the event were relevant local academics of the highest quality, providing a privileged experience for us students.

Simon Walkenhorst and Willie Simpson are highly respected brewers in Australia. They proved to be very good communicators and complimented each other with their shared passion for the creative art of beer and brewing to a sense rather than a style.

The primary point of learning that Willie and Simon conveyed was an appreciation of how and why each of the beers are brewed, with particular insight into their own brewing stories and practices, along with guidance in the appropriate occasion to enjoy such a beer.

It was valuable to hear how Simon creates his Abbey Dubbel using a yeast strain from the Westmalle Brewery and high fermentation temperatures, which provide a strong raisin character and a element of funk. I struggled a little with the flavour and body balance of the Hargreaves Hill Abbey Dubbel, but was reassured to hear that Simon likes the beers "funky charm" (ie, it is not a fault by the brewer's character).

Beyond the beers that I already love (namely Hargreaves ESB, 'Goat's Double Hightail, Feral Hop Hog, Rochefort 10), my beer highlight of the day Willie's Kentish Ale, the flagship beer of Seven Sheds. The beer was designed as "something between the Fuller's London Pride and ESB".

Cooper-red in appearance, the Kentish Ale is a complex English ale that is easy drinking and a little rustic. It provides a healthy aroma of fruit and some biscuit. The taste is predominately malt driven with a caramel sweetness, yet nicely balanced by the Golding and Fuggel hops from Kent, England. The medium body is fairly smooth and the finish is long and bitter I look forward to one day enjoying this beer on tap.

I enjoyed learning about Willie's approach to brewing. He likes to imagine how an English brewery made beer 150 years ago and seeks to brew in such a manner. This includes a basic hop-back system that comprises of a recycled 80L Boags keg.

Nonetheless, the beer-joy of the day came at the end with our second taste (following GABS) of the Holgate Empress. It was the beer we went back to, purchasing another pot from the bar after the class wrapped up around 6pm.

The limited staff handled the event exceptionally by simply being friendly and helpful people. Furthermore, one of my pet peeves at such events - fresh water supply - was not an issue at Beer School, with water jugs regularly replenished.

The event closed with a lottery draw and giveaways of beers and brewery merch, leaving all in high spirits.

Overall, the friendly and relaxed atmosphere and social interaction at this Beer School was excellent. Despite the heavy impact of the sun and high alcohol content, it was an enjoyable and educational event. Most of all, unlike most other schooling attendances, it was delightful afternoon at Beer School.

I am now a big fan of Atticus Finch as a bar and venue, alongside my continuing appreciation for the quality of service and range provided by Blackhearts & Sparrows.

And finally, a BIG SHOUT OUT of thanks to all the brewers and distributors who supported the event with stock, including Innspire, Phoenix Beers, Holgate, Moo Brew, Mountain Goat and The Great Northern Hotel!

Beer - A Melbourne Good Beer Week Prelude

2011-03-15T20:18:00.007+11:00

Fantastic beery events across this city continue to provide Melbourne with the right to claim the title of Australia's craft beer capital.

This week promises to be a mini-preview of the (under-development) Good Beer Week, which will occur across Melbourne in May in conjunction with the Australian International Beer Awards.

This week includes:

Tonight: "Crazy Ales" Ale Stars at The Local Taphouse, St Kilda.

Wednesday: The Federation Square Victorian Microbreweries Showcase night #1, 4:30pm-8:00pm; $5 Pint Night at Biero Bar (which now requires a $5 cover-charge on entry, but that is hard to argue with...especially after their recent influx of beers from Rogue, NøgneØ, Dupont, Haands Brygus, plus a bunch of amazing local craft beers that were brewed specially for the recent Local Taphouse Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular!)

Thursday: Murray's Craft Brewing Showcase at Beer DeLuxe, from midday, which will also launch a new set of beer taps at the Beer DeLuxe bar (along with the end of a Peroni contract tap presence! hoorah!); Federation Square Victorian Microbreweries Showcase Night #2, 4:30pm-8:00pm; plus plenty of St Patricks Day events throughout Melbourne pubs...I recommend enjoying a pint of Guinness at a geniune Irish Pub, the only way to really enjoy a Guinness. Try and avoid buying cans of Guinness from those national liquour superstores if you want to have a proper Guinness stout taste experience. Irish Pubs take pride in pouring a true pint of Guinness. The Dan O'Connell in Collingwood is my pick for a good St Pat's night out.

Friday: Mountain Goat Brewery bottled release of the very limited "Thorny Goat" Black IPA, a collaboration beer with the UK's Thornbridge Brewery

As always, I'll be at whatever beer events I can get to (am definitely locked in to be at both Fed Square Microbreweries Showcase nights once again!). If you see me...please say hi and tell me what is good and bad about beers, bars and bands across Australia...

...cheers!

Beer - A fun night of Victorian beer, brought to you by women.

2011-03-08T14:00:00.005+11:00

In honour of the 100th International Women's Day today, it is my pleasure to applaud the local women who are enriching and influencing this thing I call my "beer journey".

Personally, in my own Gen-Y-small-corner of the world, I do not see the desperate need for any gender-based qualification or separation. It is only a distinction that I make today, because there is a global call for it.

I look around me and see females doing everything I do, in the same way that I do it or in a different way...but usually, just in their own way. Women who choose to be stay-at-home mothers tirelessly raising a loving family are inspiring, just as are the women who choose to embrace another path in life, such as a workforce career or pursing their own business/creative venture. Women who are duly respected in their endeavours to take hold of life in whichever way they desire is all it needs to be about...and that is no different to the male existence. It is the beauty of Australian freedom and hence my deterrence from the need to specify a gender qualification. However, I do understand that it is not a worldwide practice and the statistics authenticate ongoing inequality for women, so International Women's Day is a noteworthy cause that I support. Connecting the issue to my blog topic, the majority of Australians still seem to regrettably and wrongly associate consuming beer with males, primarily due to stereotypes.

But enough of the sociopolitical discussion here, this blog is written for anyone and everyone, beyond gender, race or creed. I would much prefer to engage in that debate over the table at a pub whilst enjoying a flavoursome Australian craft beer. So, on with the show...

As preempted in my previous post, last Friday night my wife and I excitedly attended the Beer Diva's Victorian Women of Beer show at The Thornbury Theatre, which was part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

We knew little of what to expect from the show, other than it revolved around six of the most fun, friendly, interesting and switched-on people in the Australian small and craft beer industry...and they just happen to all be women.

Due to our dinner & show ticket purchase, we found ourselves at a table front and center of the stage. The make-up of our table provided a great insight to the general appeal of the show, with the table of 8 consisting of a balanced 4 males and 4 females...who were all there for different reasons.

There was a fair bit of Twitter action in the lead-up to the show, revealing the nerves of the Women of Beer as they prepared backstage. My own tweeting, about a steel bucket curiously sitting on stage, also beckoned a response from the host, Kirrily Waldhorn, as she first graced the stage to commence the show.

Kirrily's Beer Diva show provides an educational and humerous journey through the history of beer, as well as addressing common myths about drinking beer whilst seeking to break down those stereotypes that lead Aussies to associate beer with men. Whilst formally structured and stylish, the event was very much a relaxed and casual affair.

The aspect of this particular show that separated it from previous Beer Diva events was the inclusion of the Victorian Women of Beer (in the place of musical support from a singer and pianist). These women provided the highlight of the night as Kirrily quizzed them on their brewing history and then allowed them to share their beers with the audience.

To briefly return to my opening remarks, the theme for International Women's Day 2011 is - Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women - which is indeed a theme for political leaders to address. However, the Women of Beer are an excellent example of Australian women taking hold of their own career paths to excel in any field they choose...

Sam Fuss and Jayne Lewis decided brewing was the life for hem when they fell in love with the Little Creatures Brewery in Western Australia. Their skill and commitment to the brewing craft has now installed them as Head Brewers at impressive microbreweries.

Nardia McGrath surprised her parents when she chose to fly away to Scotland to study brewing. Further, last year her boss at Bridge Road Brewers gave Nardia an open licence to craft and brew her own beer, which resulted in the amazing Megachile Pluto Braggot.

Finally, I dare say that Victoria would be without two of our best microbreweries without the passion and business sense of Karen Golding and Beth Williams, who have provided the pathways and vital support required for their brewer husbands to build and operated successful breweries.

The beers shared with the audience, via these women, were tasted and discussed through 5 Acts that looked at different beer styles and histories. They were:

Saison - Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison (Nardia)
Wheat Beers - Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen (Beth)
Pilsners - Red Hill Brewery Bohemian Pilsner (Karen)
India Pale Ales - Mountain Goat Rare Breed IPA (Jayne)
Porters - True South Cherry Bomb (Sam)

Beer Diva, Kirrily Waldhorn is a fantastic communicator. I was most impressed by her skill in presenting a script that could be understood and appreciated by both newbies to the world of beer but also to beer nerds. I learned a great deal from the show and aspire to one day be capable of communicating beer knowledge and evaluation with the expertise and finesse that Kirrily possess.

Ultimately, the theme of the night demonstrated this message: Beer can be sophisticated, beer can be brash. Beer can be serious, beer can be fun. Beer can be girly, beer can be blokey. Beer is a sensory experience for all. Enjoy!

Overall it was a fun night, full of substance and sustenance in a great venue for such an occasion. Thank you Women of Beer!

And now to further showcase the skill of my favourite woman, my wife, who captured these photos during the Beer Diva's Women of Beer show...

For a more detailed show review, please visit my Australian Brews News article at: http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2011/03/review-the-victorian-women-of-beer/
And for another perspective, check out Prof Pilsner's blog post at: http://beerblokes.blogspot.com/2011/03/diva-darlings-of-victorian-beer.html

In further support of International Women's Day (March 8), here are some local media articles for your consideration:

Australian's Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, had advocated the introduction of quotas to ensure more women are appointed as directors on the boards of Australian companies: "G-G calls for female quotas" from The AGE
100 years of accomplishments, equality and respect for women still has a long way to go according to Australia's Minister for the Status of Women, Kate Ellis: "Still a long way to go: Kate Ellis on International Women's Day" from ABC News Online

Beer - The Beer Diva presents... The Victorian Women of Beer

2011-03-01T09:26:00.008+11:00

Where did the first two months of 2011 go?? Oh, that's right...these past months have dissolved into delicious bubbly memories of gold, amber and black across this craft beer city!

Yes, excellent beer events are occurring left-right-and-centre around Melbourne at the moment, which is awesome...but it is also hard to keep up with! To join in, I commend you to The Crafty Pint and Australian Brews News event & calendar pages.

Breaking into March, the wife and I will be attending two more very exciting good beer events this coming weekend. On Sunday (6th March) we will be at the Atticus Finch (East Brunswick) Beer School #2 on Sunday, featuring Willie Simpson (Australia's leading beer writer and Seven Sheds brewer) and Simon Wakenhurst (Hargreaves Hill brewer). Limited tickets are available from Blackhearts & Sparrows outlets.

But first, we will kick off the weekend on Friday night with what promises to be a unique and inspiring experience...in the The Victorian Women of Beer show at The Thornbury Theatre, which is part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

Here is the event's promotional description: In a stage show that is described as 'part theatre, part sensory indulgence', the women of beer promise to take their audience on a journey of discovery in five acts that will stimulate all of their senses through projected animation, original music, live performance and sampling five distinctive styles of beer. The show is "a joyous experience - punctuated by myth-busting facts, light-hearted history, global culture and beery philosophy — all which will leave you stimulated, entertained, and enriched by an unexpected education."

But who are these "Women of Beer", you ask? They are the brewers, beer educators and communicators and good beer advocates who are helping fuel my passion for craft beer by filling our local beer loving shops and bars with diverse and quality ales.

Kirrily Waldhorn, The Beer Diva, will host the fun and interactive night of beer education and exploration. Formerly an employee of a big commercial brewer, Kirrily is a now beer writer and educator, spreading the good beer word through her Beer Diva events and business.

Joining Kirrily are 5 women responsible some of Victoria's best microbreweries, including:

Karen Golding - Red Hill Brewery
Beth Williams - Hargreaves Hill Brewering Company
Jayne Lewis - Mountain Goat Brewery
Sam Füss - True South Beer
Nardia McGrath - (ex)Bridge Road Brewery

It's a stellar line up, matched only by the five craft beers they will be showcasing.

To convey my excitement, you only need to look at the beers that these woman have produced over the last year... Jayne oak barrel aged Mountain Goat's Rapunzel; Nardia relived an ancient style and made it distinctly Australian with her Bridge Road Brewers Megachile Pluto Braggot; Sam nailed Aussie Summer drinking with her Mint Ninja, the first commercial beer in a Australia to use the Sorachi Ace hop; and Karen and Beth combined their breweries to release Victoria's first collaboration craft beer with the Two Hills Maibock!

More importantly...I believe this event, driven by these intelligent, attractive and fun women, will further the cause of craft beer and the social acceptance of drinking beer more than any other event seen in Melbourne recently. A communication experience such as this will demonstrate that beer is now an accepted purveyor of complex flavour, rich character and a thoughtfulness that provokes communal discussion...proving that the "beer is a man's drink" perception is now a thing of bygone times.

Hope to see you there!

Event: The Beer Diva presents... The Victorian Women of Beer
Date and Time: Friday 4th March 2011, 9:00pm
Venue: The Thornbury Theatre
Location: 859 High St, Thornbury, Victoria
Tickets: $40.00 + bf advance tickets show only; $80.00 dinner and show + bf; $45.00 at the door if available
More info: http://www.thethornburytheatre.com/html_gigs/event_details/2011_03_04/2011_03_04.htm

Recommended reading: "The women of substance" by James Smith (aka The Crafty Pint) from The AGE Epicure, 1 March 2011.

Beer & Bar - ...and that was a GREAT Australian Beer SpecTAPular!

2011-02-18T13:16:00.006+11:00

As I noted in previous posts, last Saturday I attended the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) at The Local Taphouse in St Kilda. I am happy to report back that GABS lived up to the hype and proved a true celebration of Australian craft beer...and good beer in general! Furthermore, the celebration rightfully extended to the brewers, as well as those in the beer business who are bringing craft beer to our locals.

My wife (thanks for the photos, Jenn!) and I arrived soon after the doors opened at midday, just missing the queue of around 60 people who lined-up prior to midday in anticipation of an opening rush. We found ourselves a cosy front corner and settled in for a joyous day of social beer. Despite the doors only being open for about 15 minutes, pretty much all the table space had gone! It was the first sign of how popular this beer event was going to be.

We settled down with tasting paddles and slowly worked our way through the list of 19 beers, 5 beers at a time.

Around 12:40pm, the Local Taphouse was already reaching capacity. Therefore, the entries were slowed by the door staff, which created a fairly serious queue along the street, as thirsty punters waited more than 30 minutes for their turn to get inside. From our front window space we watched as many familiar faces from the Australian beer community waited patiently to enter.

We cheekily teased brewers, bar staff, beer reps from the likes of Thunder Road, Biero Bar, Mountain Goat, Purvis Beer, Northdown Craft Beer and many more, as they filed past us whilst we joyfully consumed our tasters.

Occasionally a participating brewer would show up, sometimes barely "gifts", and receive a relatively speedy entry (after a quick verification via the Taphouse top brass)...such as Simon Walkenhorst of Hargraves Hill who arrived with two bottles of their very limited release Phoenix (Imperial Red Ale).

Here is me providing the Moon Dog Craft Brewing guys with some tempting reading as they wait in line for GABS...

The tasters were a good way to get some exposure to every beer available, but they really left you short in appreciating the beer. Many of the beers I tried just did not perform well as a taster, but when I tried them in a full glass, it was a very different story.

I think I passed judgment too early on some of the beers that appeared at the start of the list, because I only drank them by taster.

Beers I loved all the way through, and the stand-outs for the day according to most people I spoke to, where the: Holgate Brewhouse Empress (Imperial Mocha Porter), Feral Brewing Karma Citra (Black IPA) and Two Hills (Red Hill Brewery and Hargreaves Hill Brewer) Maibock. Each of these beers possessed everything I seek in a good beer: balance, complexity & depth, length, drinkability...but ultimately, just a big hit of interesting!

The Holgate Empress! We enjoyed...several!

Other beers that I very much enjoyed (especially when tasted in 310ml glasses) were: Bridge Road Brewers Big Red Rocket (Barrel Aged Imperial Irish Red Ale), 4 Pines Wee Heavy, Stone & Wood Red Relief, Jamieson Lemon Myrtle IPA, Murray's Imperious, True South Cherry Bomb (Porter) and the Last Drop Original Fass Bier (Kellerbier).

In all honestly, there was not a single bad beer being poured at GABS. Some beers were a little unbalanced and some I enjoyed much more than others. However, every beer was wonderfully flavoursome and unique, very unique. GABS also helped show how beer can really be a personal thing, as drinkers favoured different beers from all across the spectrum. Flavour was the winner!

Without being prescribed as a required element for brewing a beer for GABS, the character of "Australia" was indeed present in each beer.

The atmosphere of the event was very friendly and happy. The Local Taphouse staff handled the event superbly, dealing with a big crowd of all types, from beer-nerds through to curious newbies to the world of craft beer.

Clearly limited space was an issue, but this is likely to be remedied in future with plans to hold the event as an off-site festival, possibly at the Royal Melbourne Exhibition Centre. (I just hope they provide plenty of table and seat space, because to handle and drink from tasting paddles...you need a table or bench.)

Most of all, GABS was a showcase for the enjoyment of good beer with no ramifications of violent or anti-social behaviour.

Recently, the Victorian Police Chief Commissioner has resparked the debate over alcohol fulled violence and the way it is destroying Melbourne (read: Victorians drowning in drink issues and We've lost our way) ... ((pfft! maybe around the dodgy strip-clubs in the CBD it is!)). Personally, I never seem to experience such issues when I am out enjoying craft beer at Melbourne's good beer venues. GABS continued that theme, as I did NOT witness a single violent action or anti-social incident all day. Besides one spilt bottle of Southern Tier Creme Brulee, I also did not witness any drunken mishaps inflicting any disturbance.

Everyone at GABS was friendly, respectful and understanding. Josie Bones beer manager (and Creme Brulee victim), James Greenfield, noted that this day was really the first time everyone at an Australia beer event were "drinking with their heads"...as they considered, dissected and enjoyed the brew they were consuming. Too right!

GABS was also well supported by the small booklet handed to everyone as they entered, which provided a full run down of each tap beer, but also some very useful and clear information about how to taste beers and drink smartly and responsibly.

Also very importantly, this event raised a valuable $8596 for the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal in Queensland.

If there was one thing that did detract a little from this celebration of Australian craft beer...it was the choice of music being played throughout the venue early on, which was very much lacking some Australiana. When we arrived, some fairly harsh stand-up comedy was blaring loudly, which sullied the atmosphere somewhat with the aggressive tone. The audio was soon switched to random music...and as much as I love The Decemberists are several of the artists played, I wondered why no Australian music was played. With so much local bands and artists creating awesome Australian music that would have suited and complimented this event, I found the lack of local content to be a sad oversight.

This is a minor thing that only hit a chord with me because of my passion for the Australian music scene. Nonetheless, the day was complimented by good weather, good people and a well decorated venue that was covered in Aussie bits and pieces!

I'm sure there were plenty of other things that could have been "done better", but I believe The Local Taphouse can be commended for staging such an event in the space they have. Ultimately, I had a blast...as did so many others!

There are a number of other blog posts and articles covering GABS, which I recommend reading for more insight and perspectives:

The Crafty Pint - "Truly Spectapular": http://craftypint.com/news/post/truly-spectapular/
Beer Blokes - "30 brewers walk into a pub...": http://beerblokes.blogspot.com/2011/02/30-brewers-walk-into-pub.html
I dream of brewery - "SpecTAPular - what did I drink?": http://idreamofbrewery.blogspot.com/2011/02/spectapular-what-did-i-drink.html

All the beers that were on tap at the SpecTAPular are exclusive to The Local Taphouse this week. However, from this weekend, several of the beers will start appearing on tap at other good beer bars, as well as limited release bottles being produced for a select few. Therefore, if you missed GABS, keep your eye out at the usual beer bar suspects for your chance to try these amazing Australian beers. (I hear a key of Holgate Empress may be heading to Josie Bones...!)

Congratulations and thank you to The Local Taphouse and all brewers involved! See you next year...I can not wait!

Empress...you sexy, dark, delicious thing!!

Beer & Bar - Local Taphouse GABS on Untappd

2011-02-11T12:11:00.005+11:00

Following on from yesterday's blog post about this Saturday's Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), The Local Taphouse has now announced that they have partnered with the creators of the iPhone/Adroid web-App, Untappd, to develop an Untappd badge specifically for this event.

You can read all about it on the Taphouse blog at: http://thelocaltaphouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/taphouse-and-untappd-social-media-app.html

Untappd have confirmed that all the beers and breweries available at GABS have been pre-loaded, ready for the event, so it should be a hassle-free task to search for and check in each beer as you drink it.

I have unfortunately experienced a number of Untappd haters across the twitter-sphere and broader online universe. They seem to disapprove of this FourSquare-based Social Networking Web-App for reasons such as...it is simplistic/undescriptive and somehow unhelpful to the debate/fight for better beer.

Personally, I like the idea of Untappd as a memory device and social networking resource. I do not use Untappd to review beers or educate people about beer. I enjoy using Untappd as a record of the WHAT, WHERE and WHEN of my own beer journey.

Furthermore, I like to see what my friends are drinking, as sometimes it leads to a new beer discovery. Finally, Untappd can help spark (yes, only spark) conversation and engagement regarding those beers.

Feel free to follow me at: http://untappd.com/user/jayelde

If it is not your thing, that's fine...leave it be and indulge in whatever is your thing.

ALSO...more good GABS news just at hand...with 2 Brothers Brewery announcing that their new seasonal, "The Guvnor" (English Barley Wine, 11%-ish abv) will now be included on the GABS tap line-up! ROCK!

Read more about The Guvnor on The Crafty Pint at: http://craftypint.com/beer/specials#2-Brothers-The-Guvnor