Find me at beerbarband.com

I heard that it's totes vibin' over at WordPress, so I'm joining the cool kids where it's all at...or something like that. (Actually, I just prefer the authoring/editing backend that WordPress offers...)

Thank you to all who have followed this little lowly blog about beer and those bars and bands that help make beer extra good. But DON'T GO...just update your links!

I have now moved this blog over to the new site at: www.beerbarband.com

Find me there and read my latest post about Stone & Wood Garden Ale!

Cheers...

A quick Beer Bar Band Halloween

What? Halloween? What's that?

Yes, it's mostly a foreign concept here in Australia...but it's also an excuse to theme another day full of beers, bars and bands. And we can now, because Pumpkin beers are now available in Australia! (Read Jenn's blog post for more on that: Boo! Spooky Pumpkin Ale Scones)

So here is a beer, a bar and some bands with a Halloween feel for this dark night of pumpkins and lost souls...

BEER - All Hallowed Ale by HopDog BeerWorks

Recently arrived on the shelves of Melbourne's craft beer retail, HopDog BeerWorks is producing some very tasty hybrid style beers with a twist that celebrate the craft of beer. Craft beer!

All Hallowed Ale is a Belgian Pumpkin Ale brewed with roasted pumpkin, specialty sugars and spices. It pours a golden-amber, providing a pumpkin appearance. The Belgian yeast dominates the aroma and flavour, but the pumpkin is also clearly there on the aroma. The pumpkin is a bit lost in the mouth though, as the Belgianness of cloves and a little banana plus bitterness take over. Good softer hits of spices and sweetness....but not enough pumpkin for me. I did not pick the 7.3% abv because it is very easy drinking.

My experience with pumpkin beers is very limited so far. Unfortunately the best one I have tasted is still about two weeks away from being available in bottles - the very pumpkin Artisan Pouseure spiced pumpkin ale from Moon Dog Brewing. We tasted this year's batch at last week's Fed Square Microbreweries Showcase and it was just exactly what we want from a pumpkin beer.

BAND - Aussie Halloween-ish songs

When I look for some spooky rockin' locals on my playlist...well, it's a bit of a stretch. Nonetheless, I head straight for a bite of girl punk from the last decade. Maybe more fluffy than dark, but all good grisly fun...have a listen...

Zombie Girl by The Spazzys

Dating The Undead by Sin City

There's plenty of appropriate songs from the locals guys too...like Deadman by Expatriate and Dead Dog Standing by Ratcat, plus plenty of tracks from Grinspoon. Of course there is also plenty of Halloween style fuzz from the Aussie metal scene...but my own playlist lacks the short-fast-loud at the moment (and this post has been too hastily last-minute to mine that rich well).

BAR - The Tote Hotel, Collingwood.

The bar that died then returned to life!

At age 30, The Tote was shut down under the weight of bad government policy for live music venues. It was revived by several spirits who care deeply for the culture and sound of Melbourne's music. Read the story on Wikipedia or buy and watch the brilliant documentary, Persecution Blues: The Battle For The Tote.

Dark, hard rocking, sticky carpet (less sticky now though...since the original bandroom carpet was torn up at time of Tote death). Many Halloween appropriate bands have blown through the speakers of The Tote bandroom, Cobra room and front bar. An icon of Melbourne's live music scene and culture. Often scary...but thankfully there is Mountain Goat beer in the fridges. Rock on...forever.

Long live The Tote.

Bar - The Scratch, Milton (Brisbane)

Brisbane is my second home. Whilst my physical time on the ground there may have been limited to merely weeks of my 32 years, Queensland’s capital gave me my wife. Hence, my connection is strong and Brisbane is my most travelled destination outside of Victoria.

As craft beer breweries and venues bubbled away nicely in my home town of Melbourne, ensuring something new was always in reach for good beer lovers over the last 6 years, Brisbane was stuck in one spot for some time. That boring spot was surrounded in bland yellow fizz. Two years ago, a trip to Queensland required a dampening of one's expectation to satisfy your palate for good beer whilst in the state.

Since 2010 a few pockets of Brisbane attempted to offer a slice of the new craft beer market to the laid back population, but their offering was essentially "gateway" craft beers, those beers that really just put a name to a style and are not that far removed from the mass produced lagers that Queensland lives on.

We often left Brisbane with a serious itch for a big hit of flavoursome and characterful beer (on tap), something that wasn't just a mass-produced "craft" beer that you now find everywhere across the country. We itched for something that provided a genuine slice of character and diversity to compliment the eccentrics of craft brewing.

That itch can now be scratched, and in a very big way, thanks to a very small thing known as The Scratch...a self-proclaimed Dive Bar.

The Scratch wasted no time introducing Brisbane to beer nerd exploits. Against all common market sense, they did not take the approach of weaning the locals off their mass produced bland lager, which is brewed metres from the Scratch taps. Nor did they set up in the hip, bohemian or young-cultural districts like The Valley or West End. No, Scratch appeared in "working class" Milton, a stone’s throw from the Castlemain Perkins Brewery, home of XXXX beer, with a line up of draught and bottled beer that many would declare to be acquired tastes. Big, bold, beautiful beers from emerging local brewers and rock-star craft brewers from the other side of the world.

How the hell do they get away with it? I can only come to the conclusion that if you underpin a concept with personal passion and give the punters no other choice than to try what you have on offer, you will convert enough people to begin a following that will sustain a small business with walk-up clientele.

The Scratch co-owners - Ben Nichols, Kieran Ryan and Patrick Shevlin - all love beer and exploring the full spectrum of beer. "The idea for the Scratch was born out of the enjoyment of witnessing a growing interest in Brisbane for craft beer, but also a frustration in not yet having the right place to enjoy said craft beer. A small bar like ours offer an intimate and comfortable environment where one can sit, enjoy a hand crafted ale and discuss privately, or across the bar", Kieran told smallbarfly.

The success of Scratch to mostly bypass the "introductory" craft beers speaks to me of the power of good craft beer. The majority of craft beer lovers I know were converted not by a slow and gradual build from bland lager through soft pale ales to slightly dark beers onwards to extreme beers. No, many tell me that they had a revelation beer, a special moment from experience an impressively different beer that lead them to go back and discover everything else in the middle.

It was the same for me. BAM...an old mate hands former macro-lager-drinking me a 8% abv, lush and fruity dark Belgian ale and I'm hooked by the revelation of the complexity possible in beer. It was my first flavoursome hit of rich malt and yeast characters. From there my beer journey began, as I went backwards through everything from the entry level beers to beyond. So why not lead Queensland drinkers down the same path? It can work...just see Scratch!

At first glance, the ethos of Scratch has been influenced by hipster and grunge. It is basic but beautiful, offering character to match that of the beers they pour. Antique style and mismatched furniture, dark colours and plenty of timber. A floor tom drum as a side table brought true delight to my heart.

There is thought behind the design, savvy placement of elements to appeal to those looking for cool but not pretentious.

Scratch is cosy, friendly, relaxed. It's the perfect environment for drinking good good beer.

At the moment there are 5 taps, one of those taps is a beer engine handpump. This means the beers are regularly, almost daily, rotated. The diversity offered by Scratch's tap rotations is actually a point of envy for many, as there are currently very few places in Australia that offer a whole new line-up of draught beer so regularly, that you can drink at one place and experience new beers several times a week. Those exciting local emerging breweries, such Four Hearts and Bacchus Brewing, are regular features on the beer taps alongside many of the top, often rare, new beers from Victoria's best craft breweries, as well as the international excellence of Mikkeller, Nøgne Ø, Haand and Yeastie Boys.

I love Scratch's use of a live chalkboard menu image displaying their current tap list. Helpfully, they share the updated pic on their website and across social media every time their beer taps change.

Conveniently located on a small vibrant main strip of Milton, a very short walk from the train station and an easy walk into the city (2.5km max) thanks to the riverside Bicentennial bike/walkway.

Yes, get to this bar and scratch your palate's itch for something different! If it’s not for you, then that's ok...Scratch is too small to be for everyone...at the moment.

Thank you Scratch for bringing your little piece of good beer love to Brisbane. I can’t wait to return for another session.

There's no doubt that the success of Scratch has been in-part responsible for the recent mini boom of craft beer loving small bars around Brisbane. Brisbane's beer market is now diverse and interesting enough to support a week long festival of beer, with the inaugural Queensland Beer Week ready to lift off next week (July 16 - 22, 2012)!

The Scratch is hosting a bunch of excellent beery events for QLD Beer Week. We'll be there for a couple - International Brewers Day with Australian Brews News - The Boring Beer Festival and hopefully 2Birds vs Cavalier.

We're excited to be returning to this humble gem of a bar. Hope to see you there!

Find The Scratch at:

facebook.com/thescratchbar 
@thescratchbar
www.scratchbar.com
info@scratchbar.com
(07) 3107 9910
Hours: Mon - Sun, 12:00pm - 12:00am

Beer Bar Band's Winter Solstice

9:09am on Thursday 21st June 2012 and it's the Winter Solstice here in Melbourne. This annual occurrence has brought us another miserable cold damp dark day across the city, so we are very thankful that the days will once more stretch longer towards Spring.

To celebrate, here is a short post for the shortest day...a beer, bar and band with a rather loose connection to the Winter Solstice...

Beer - I wish I could recommend for everyone to grab a Dieu du Ciel Solstice d’Hiver bareleywine, but I have never seen it available in Australia, despite the regular availability of several other Dieu Du Ciel beers from Canada. Solstice d’Hiver is one of few quality craft beers brewed specifically for the Winter solstice, as the name indicates.

Today requires a deeply dark, full bodied, big warming beer. An Imperial Stout it will be. And there are many such fine local beers to celebrate these days. However, on this darkest day of the year, it can surely only be the Murray's Brewing Company barrel aged Heart of Darkness Imperial Stout.

Bar - Hmmm...any suggestions for Melbourne's shortest bar? How about Pony...? Ok, the Pony bar isn't as short as some bars around here, but ponies are short! Also, Pony is a very small venue and always dark. Grungy but cosy, Pony is actually very Winter Solstice. Best of all, you can head their today and celebrate the passing of the solstice all night long (...it's open until 7am).

Drinks, couches and live music. Find Pony at 68 Little Collins Street Melbourne.

Band - Ok, I didn't dwell too hard on this and I'm out of time...so here is the lyrically short, dark and seasonally appropriate Winter by Melbourne duo, Big Scary (...hear the rain):

"Look to the sky, as she opens up on me...hands in my pockets, and a smile that only...she understands..."

Bar - Oscar's Ale House, Belgrave

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:

• Oscar's Ale House
• Oscar's Turns Two

Goodbye 2011 - the Beer Bar Band Top 10s

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:

1. “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.
2. “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.
3. “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.
4. “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.
5. “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.
6. “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.
7. 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
8. “Hop Zombie” by Epic – an absolutely massive yet still very drinkable hop bomb of an ale
9. “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.
10. 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.

1. 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.
2. The Wheaty, Thebarton Adelaide (first visit) – as I blogged last week…I think The Wheaty is Australia’s best pub. 
3. Penny Blue, Melbourne city (first visit) – a hidden gem chock full of character and good beer. 
4. Temple Bar and Brasserie, East Brunswick (new) – the next big little thing, modern beer and food focused bar where social interaction is the centrepiece. 
5. 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. 
6. 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.
7. 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

1. Vacation by Big Scary
2. Rewiggled: A Tribute to the Wiggles by Various
3. United in Isolation by Papa vs Pretty
4. This Modern Glitch by The Wombats
5. Little Hell by City & Color
6. Prisoner by The Jezabels
7. Only Sparrows by Josh Pyke
8. The King is Dead by The Decemberists
9. Kosciusko by Jebediah
10. 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...

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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!

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

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

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

Beers and Bars - Footy Pub Crawl FAIL

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.

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

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!!