Play this...and run for your beer!

September is Sucktember this year in Beer Bar Band land. As noted in my previous post for The Session, I'm in training for my second half marathon and hence needed to do some serious work on reclaiming fitness and pace after a lazy and indulgent winter.  Since May the days have been very short and very cold, resulting in the seeking of comfort through much fine cheese, dark chocolate and imperial ales.

So, the last 3 weeks - 25 days now - have been completely dry, as well as lacking any sweets/treats, even soft drink. With intake minimised, my training regime has been maximised. It has been intense, hard and painful, but the results are showing. I have been running at least 3 times a week, including very long runs every weekend. It’s necessary for all-round health…especially as someone who enjoys drinking so much good beer, of which there is no shortage around Australia at the moment!

My running may be much more amateur and sporadic than some of the other beer runners from across the globe, but I am proud to be part of the beer running brigade.

One week to go in Sucktember* and I’m on track. I've almost hit my weight goal and I have been able to reclaim my sub-4min.20sec/km race pace over 7-10km. Most importantly, I can cover the half marathon distance again without dying. On Sunday I made it to 21.55km.

When I finish the Melbourne Half Marathon on October 14, my reward will be our now traditional 'refuel with carbs and good beer' session at Mrs Parma's and Beer DeLuxe in Melbourne city. It's the motivation!

As with the vast majority of amateur runners in this portable-music generation, I run to music played from a smartphone strapped to my arm. I haven't used music in a race yet (mostly due to race etiquette and concentration whilst in the middle of a large crowd)...but am strongly considering it this time around just to help me get through the distance.

On countless running playlists you are bound to find the typical workout hits, such as the 80's classics of Eye of the Tiger, Born to Run and Scandal's The Warrior (yep...all of those songs are on my playlist…because as motivational gear-ups, they just work!). Oh...and no, my playlist does NOT include Flock of Seagulls' I Ran (So Far Away).

I love Australian rock, so the tracks that fill my ears as I run are a driving collection of tunes from local bands.

So here are 10 songs I recommend every music loving Aussie (and everyone else!) includes on their running playlist. It's a collection of strange, random and classic songs that have the beat, energy and somewhat appropriate lyrics to get you through the distance...

Ten Aussie Rock Tracks For Your Running Playlist

(Note: none of the below videos really do the songs justice...not in the way the original album versions thrive when in your ears!)

1.  'Till The End - The Living End (from State of Emergency, 2006)



Lyrics that drive you onwards: "'Til the end, 'til the end. I'm never gonna give up 'til the end, 'til the end. I'm not gonna stop til I've tried, not until I'm satisfied!"

The back catalogue from Melbourne’s rockabilly punk-rock-pop trio, The Living End, is full of excellent running playlist songs thanks to the pace of their punk-ish influence. The opening track from "State of Emergency" is nothing short of perfect. Fast, high energy and all the lyrics can easily be translated to a war cry for prevailing over a long run: "I'm never gonna give up 'til the end!"

Other rocking appropriate Living End songs for a long run include: Roll On, Into the Red, West End Riot, End of the World, Save the Day.


2.  1000 Miles – Grinspoon (from New Detention, 2002)



Lyrics that make you want to run further: "A thousand miles, come get all your files, put on that plastic smile, a thousand miles. Go go go, go go go!”

Like The Living End, much of the music (plus many of the song titles) from Western Australian rockers Grinspoon are ripe for running. The lyrics to 1000 Miles are brash and violent...but they'll get you running! This song ignites with a hard-rock electric guitar country-twang then... "Well, I got drunk and I got stoned, shot my family left my home, went out on a killing spree, 'coz what you did was fucked to me", sung by a (quite possibly) drug-fucked Phil Jamieson during the height of Grinspoon’s early success.

Other Grinspoon tracks to beef up your playlist: Champion, More Than You Are, Bleed You Dry, Just Ace.


3.  Pace It – Magic Dirt (What Are Rockstars Doing Today, 2000)


MAGIC DIRT - Pace It from Glendyn Ivin on Vimeo.

Lyrics that pick up the pace: “Oh can you feel it, something comin' closer to you're body. Oh can you see it, someone's taken over from where you started…”

The album "What Are Rockstars Doing Today" was a big change in output for Magic Dirt. After their fuzzy loud and long, experimental garage rock beginnings during the early 1990s, many fans saw this album as a pop-sellout after the band signed with Warner Music Australia. However, songs like Pace It proved the Magic Dirt still had their garage grunge origins inside them. It's a song that builds and drives you faster with front-up electric guitars and Adalita's repetitive call of "can't see it, can't feel it, can't steal it, can't keep it, can't need it, can't believe it, can't trace it, can't face it, can't lace it, can't taste it, can't pace it, can't erase it..."


4.  Say Something - Something For Kate (Echolalia, 2001)



Lyrics that say you better run: "I don't want to stand and compute, I want days and weeks to burst out of you..."

Ok, so the often nerdy, philosophical and emotional lyrics of Something For Kate are a stretch to apply to running...but as a long time favourite local artist, they feature strongly on my playlist with solid tempo and energetic songs, especially from their first three albums. The album "Echolalia" helped me through some dark days of my twenties and so songs like Say Something are second nature to me, allowing me to tune out from the task of running and mentally escape to those rocking gigs at The Corner Hotel.

More Something For Kate speed work: Prick, Electricity, Hallways, Working Against Me, Cassandra Walks the Plank.


5.  Knockouts - Ouch My Face (from Ouch My Face EP, 2009)



Lyrics that drive you onwards: "Can you handle this?"..."I'm bulletproof, baby..."

This hard rocking trio from Melbourne's small bar scene rocked my face damn loud one New Year's Eve at The Espy, after which I bought their self-titled EP. This sweet heavy track, of which I really can't decipher any of the other lyrics, has been on my running playlist ever since.

I guess you'd describe their music as a bit of mid-90s post-grunge with a little screamo. They are one of those raw little gems you discover on dark late nights out enjoying live music at random pubs and bars.

When you want to run far, it's all about mind over matter...which is beautifully encapsulated by the opening statement of Knockouts from lead singer and artist, Celeste Potter: "Can you handle this?"

Run this too: Junk Punk Baby


6.  Miracle Mile - Expatriate (from Hyper/hearts, 2012)



Lyrics that drive you onwards: "I ran a miracle mile to live it today..."

Whilst the first single from their long awaited second album, released in July this year, is not my favourite Expatriate song, it certainly kicks off strong, is lyrically appropriate and definitely does the trick on a running playlist.

If you can’t be bothered making a playlist, Expatriate’s first album, "In the Midst of This" works well as a running playlist on it’s own (with the one exception of ballad You Were There).

Expedite your playing with more Expat tunes: Crazy, Are You Awake, Get Out Give In, Gotta Get Home, The Spaces Between


7.  Hurt Me – The Jezabels (from She’s So Hard EP, 2009)



Lyrics that drive you onwards: "Still now I can hear the dogs bark, I can hear the dogs bark..." ... "Hurt Me, Hurt Me, Hurt Me, come down to the world..."

Guess what, long distance running hurts! To get through it…sometimes you just have to ask for that hurt. And what makes you run faster than the thought of being chased by vicious dogs?

The first three EPs released by The Jezabels, before they smashed through to Aussie popularity with the release of their debut album, are full of great running tracks thanks to the fast hands of drummer Nik Kaloper. Hurt Me opens their second EP release, "She’s So Hard". It's full of emo and dark religious undertones...but the beat and recurring theme of hurt makes this song perfect for running. It was the song that helped get them noticed before the release of Mace Spray saw them explode across national radio via TripleJ.

More songs from The Jezabels to bring the party to your running playlist: Be A Star, Disco Biscuit Love


8.  Go Go - Ratcat (from Blind Love, 1991)




The go lyrics: "Can't stand still, can't say no, gotta go fast, yeah I gotta go. Go Go (gotta Go Go) Go Go here Go Go there Go Go Everywhere !! So speed kills I'm in for thrills, count me in, I play to win."


My wife was a Ratcat fan girl in her teen years...so I discovered them almost 20 years later through her collection (and catching a Simon Day solo gig at The Retreat back in 2010). Ratcat's 90' garage pop hits the right beat and fun for picking up the pace.

Also: Racing, Run & Hide, Yes I Wanna Go


9.  My Car Doesn't Break - Spazzys (from Aloha! Go Bananas, 2004)



Lyrics to bring the speed: "Alright, lets go, step on the gas, it's time to lose this disco trash. Cruising, moving much too fast and I can't make it on time, flying down the boulevard, sun is shining, feeling fine."

Ahh yes...in the middle of the last decade there was the Spazzys, Australia's best all-female Ramones tribute band! Ok, so they weren't really a tribute band...but they were VERY Ramones in sound and style. They even ended up touring and playing with Marky Ramone. They had some minor hits, most notably a cover of My Boyfriend's Back, which may have been too cutesy punk-pop to capture their live energy and punk-ish rockability, so their Video Hits efforts were dismissed by the audience that would have loved them in the pub with their threeway rock-chick vocals. Say what you want about this flash-in-the-pan, they rocked live and they were fun. They promised a better second album...but it was never delivered. The fast Spazzys songs roll nicely on a running playlist, whilst dripping in memories of 2003-2005.

Get spazzy on your run with: Action City, Zatopeks and Zombie Girl


10.  Blood, Sweat and Beers – BugGiRL (from Blood, Sweat & Beers EP, 2009)



Lyrics that drive you onwards: "You gotta sweat, you gotta bleed, rock and roll is all you need... blood, sweat and beer!"

Brother and sister pub-rock duo, Bug GiRL, bring the AC/DC and Motley Crew sound to the 21st century with these lyrics that just say it all... sweat for beer!

Bug up your run to the pub with other tracks like: Fire Highway, Motor City Lover and V8 Motor

Other great, sometimes random, Aussie songs on my running playlist:

• Baby2 and I Don't Ever Want To Change by The Drones
• Benedict and Military Strongman by Jebediah
• Buy Me A Pony by Spiderbait
• Go Go Go and Let's Heart Attack by Bit By Bats
• Killer by Whitley
• Lullabies, Lies and Goodbyes and Mix Tape by Big Scary
• Honey and Sgt. Suffer by Papa vs Pretty
• Imorta, Little Death and Say It by The Clouds
• Teenage Rampage and Boys Boys Boys by Sin City
• Cassandra by The Galvatrons 

Get out there for a run! You don't need to go far, just get started. Keep at it and soon you'll be running much further than you ever expected. You're heart will thank you and the beer you drink will be so much more rewarding. Cheers!

*5 days to go and about 33kms of running to knock over...then it's time to taper and once again taste a beer...!

Good Beer Week - Hair of the Dog Brewers Breakfast

Returning for the third year in a row, the Hair of the Dog Brewers Breakfast at Good Beer Week is now the unofficial after-after party of the Australian International Beer Awards. Originally conceived and run by the BeermenTV crew, the morning-after-AIBA event is designed to showcase craft beer’s potential to compliment modern breakfast dining, whilst possibly curing any post awards night hangovers.

Thursday night saw the 20th Australian International Beer Awards announced at a gala dinner, with many of victorious brewers celebrating the night away at Beer DeLuxe following the Award's formalities. Several had barely left the venue when 10:00am ticked over on Friday morning and the Beer DeLuxe doors were reopened with the city beer bar transformed into a breakfast hall.

On entering everyone received a bottle of the Southern Bay Sunrise Breakfast Beer, a full and fruity golden ale, and then found a seat amongst familiar faces of brewers, beer industry folk, beer lovers and the occasional foodie and curious city dweller.

Good Beer Week co-founder and Beer DeLuxe main man, Miro Bellini, hosted the proceedings in place of the absent Beermen this year. Miro introduced the morning's structure and prepared the crowd for a big morning of diverse and plentiful beers. The gathering were in good spirits, but with most already coming off several days in a row of good beer indulgence, excessive consumption was never going to be a problem here.

Kicking off the food element of the breakfast were honeycomb & hopped butter pancakes. They were paired with the popular Bridge Road Brewers Beechworth Pale Ale and the Moo Brew Belgo, a hybrid Belgian ale of only 4.5% abv, which is the newest beer in Moo Brew’s bottled range.

Wheat beers were next in line, matched with ricotta and capsicum stuffed mushroom. The AIBA Champion Large Australian Brewery, Feral Brewing, lead the way with their Feral White. Next Shawn Sherlock, head brewer at Murray’s Brewing spoke about his American style Wheat, the Whale Ale.

The stars of Good Beer Week are the brewers of the good beer we drink. Whilst this Hair of the Dog breakfast may have lost the flair and boyish humour of the BeermenTV hosts from previous years, the spontaneous comedy of the exhausted but forever generous and entertaining brewers kept the hungover crowd regularly amused.

Stone & Wood brewers Brad and Scott introduced their newest beer, Jasper. This German Altbier influenced amber ale was a natural match for bratwurst sausages with tomato relish.

As has been tradition at the previous Hair of the Dog events, a round of True of False trivia presented the opportunity to win a very valuable goodies pack of beer. However, this year the game was over almost as soon as it had started. The first question knocked out all but a handful of punters!

Miro asked, "True or False: On Google searches of 'beer' and 'wine', there were more results for “beer” than for 'wine'?"

Surely a crowd of brewers and beer lovers in the middle of Good Beer Week would only have beer on their mind? And they did! Those correct few who chose wine remained standing for the next question, which then ended the game with only one person correct again. Of the 15 trivia questions Miro had prepared, only two were required. It was the most unexpectedly rapid round of trivia we had ever witnessed and a moment of baffled hilarity for all.

As the morsels of food continued, the Okononmiyaki (Japanese prawn pancake) proved a popular item alongside Holgate’s Hopinator. Paul Holgate told the crowd of the influence Dogfish Head’s 90 minute IPA from the US had on him to develop a big malt driven double IPA. Hopinator remains once of Australia’s most unique double IPA.

The new Thunder Road Brewing XXX IPA provided a curious turn on expected flavours. The 7% IPA was found to lean more towards a rich malty dark ale or even scotch ale with its dark fruit flavours, low hop profile and sweet finish.

Two big style smashing IPAs provided an interesting contrast when tasted side by side and when washed over the sweetness of the candied keizerfleish. The Doctors Orders Plasma White IPA (7.6%) and Mountain Goat/Mikkeller collaboration, Gypsy and the Goat Pepperberry Black IPA (7.0%), proved themselves as worth breakfast beers with their hop bitterness cutting through the sugary candied keizerfleish.

True South’s Saison du Framboise was an obvious match for a dish of fruit, but it was the 5.5% Moa Brewing Breakfast Beer, a soft and refreshing fruity lager, that provided the better compliment for the strawberries and chocolate mint salsa.

Dessert provided a special treat for all with the just bottled Cavalier Imperial Stout paired with fig jam and blue cheese toast. It was a massive way to end breakfast, both in flavour and alcohol content, but the rich dark and warming beer stood as a fine substitute for morning coffee and chocolate.

Once again the Hair of the Dog Brewers Breakfast was a fun morning that allowed casual mingling and close discussion with the brewers of Australia's good beer. Unfortunately, the event once again proved a little too big for itself. Seven courses across fifteen beers over 90 minutes was unbalanced. If the courses had been bigger, rather than just a mouthful each, and with fewer beers, the breakfast beer concept would be afforded a much better showcase. In previous years there seemed to be more appreciation and education for how the selected beers complimented various breakfast foods. Whilst Miro did warn the crowd at the start, this year’s event just tried fit in too many beers, which many found a heavy challenge rather than a relaxed breakfast.

The winning factors behind this event are the excellent value for money in the ticket price ($35) and the way it is always well attended and received by the brewers visiting Melbourne for AIBA, along with the proficient coordination and service by the Beer DeLuxe staff. We'll all be looking forward to another Hair of the Dog in 2013.

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

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/

Beer - A Melbourne Good Beer Week Prelude

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!

Bars - Lessons from Melbourne's beer bars, Spring 2010

Apologies (again) for the recent sparsity in my postings, readers. Recent distractions have limited my time to actually sit down and spill out a decent post beyond the 140 characters of microblogging. Nevertheless, plenty is brewing and I have started to expand my writing endeavors with contributions to the online magazine - Australian Brews News.

Also, to ensure my health is maintained whilst exploring the wonderful world of beers bars and bands,  I have recently entered the world of competitive (or "fun") running, completing my first ever run last weekend with the The Coffee Club 10km that was part of the Melbourne Marathon Festival. Hence, training takes up plenty of necessary time. Next up is the Run Geelong 12km in November (therefore, in preparation...a fair chuck of November may be dry for me)...with the scary outlook of working towards a half marathon later next year...maybe!

As for this blog...there is more than ever to share. Over the past several weeks I have had some incredible experiences, with a whole new side of the local beer and bar industry opening up to me as I delve in deeper to my passion for communicating such things.

Therefore, here are some lessons I have recently learned about navigating some of Melbourne's best beer bars...which I share in hope that it will help make it easier for all who come by here to find and enjoy good beer:

Biero Bar, Melbourne city - ok, Biero is an awesome bar...when you know how to work it! The key to drinking at Biero is to engage the bar staff....although...that is not advertised anywhere, which is a serious flaw because the average patron will not know this - as I found on my first visit, when I struggled to find an available beer that I was interested in. They do need to work out a solution for this...even something as simple as writing "looking for a different beer to try?...just ask us!" on their menus or on the mirrored display wall, which would go a long way to opening up the bar's intent to new customers. And whilst I'm kicking up the negative...they need to work on their website...because it is promoting the wrong information about the bar...in particular their opening hours, which I recently discovered when I rocked up on a Sunday - after checking the hours on the website - and found it closed. Disappointed! In case you're wondering...here is a pic of Biero's current trading hours:

I am also a little concerned for the temperature conditions inside the small confines of Biero during the warmer months...as it is already noticeable.  Sure, that will keep you drinking...but the ventilation provided simply by small windows and doors may need the support of serious fans or air con to keep the bar comfortable on crowded hot nights.

Beyond the bad stuff (which I'm sure will be ironed out, because the bar is still only very young), Biero can be a brilliant place to enjoy good beers.  Their tap beer pricing policy is fantastic - $5 for pots and $10 for pints - no matter what the beer - is the way it should be done, making life really easy for a consumer...no need to count your pennies when you know it's simply $5 or $10...as well as providing some serious bargains for the small-batch beers that you will find on tap! Recently, I was in Biero drinking $5 pots of 2 Brothers Voodoo and James Brown...and was in awe of the taste sensation and value! Joy.

When the bar is not crowded, it is indeed a very nice spot for enjoying a beer and a chat....so if that if your desire, try and avoid the general peak times of Friday and Saturday night.

Biero Bar Manager, Ray Kent, is an impressive bloke, who will blow you away with his beer knowledge and passion for good and better beer, plus excellent things in general! A chat with Ray has truly converted me to a Biero Bar fan...as I gained a valuable insight into the perils and joys managing a venue like Biero (...although, such a chat it is not an experience that every customer will have the pleasure of, so Ray's passion still needs to be conveyed through all the bar staff).

Ray has had to work super hard to bring in some incredible product and keep out the boring and bland macro-beers, as well as establishing an excellent independent profile for the bar, in a very tricky city market.

The Biero team has a beer mission that I fully agree with...and they are here to serve genuine craft beer to anyone willing to try. They are not trying to dump on anyone or keep out/fight against the big beer business...but are offering an alternative to showcase the amazing diversity in the beer world.

If Biero Bar is going to survive...and I really want it to...it truly needs our support. So please, pop along soon and try a new beer. I am definitely looking forward to my next visit...and revisit...and more and more visits!

Beer DeLuxe, Melbourne city - don't be afraid to ask for a taster or sample of a tap beer if you're not sure about it. I have recently found the Beer DeLuxe bar staff to be more and more accommodating for patrons seeking to try something new or wanting to know more about the beers. Further, good things may be on the horizon during the Summer months, as the Beer DeLuxe staff consider exploring supper offerings for those enjoying a warm evening and night out in Melbourne city.

I just wish Beer DeLuxe has a clearer pricing policy for their taps...or, preferably, displayed prices for their tap beers...because you never know how much a tap beer is until you pay and many of the bar staff don't actually know the price until they check the register.

The Royston Hotel, Richmond - there is something about the beer taps at The Royston that makes the big dark beers extra deliciously smooth and creamy. For example, over the past several months I have drunk the Moo Brew stout, Holgate Temptress chocolate porter and Bridge Road B2 Bomber black Belgian IPA and Little Creatures small batch Oatmeal Stout on tap at several bars...but each one has tasted best and had the most amazing soft thick texture when poured at The Royston. Yum!

James Squire Brewhouse at The Portland Hotel, Melbourne city - I have seriously been neglecting this bar, because...in my mind...it is essentially a macro-beer bar, owned and operated by big business (Lion Nathan)...and my quest at the moment is really focused towards the small players in the local industry.  However, last week I rediscovered that the small-batch beers brewed in the Brewhouse microbrewery are still worth trying! I enjoyed their Highwayman red ale and the Two Centurions American IPA. However, I did suffer a hangover the next day...which is generally chemicals, preservatives and adjuncts NOT found in craft beers.

The Local Taphouse, St Kilda - as always, there is PLENTY of awesomeness going on at The Local. Unfortunately, my visits there are very few and far between simply due to its difficult proximity from my home. Nonetheless, it is worth keeping a close eye on their blog and Twitter to make sure you don't miss out on some incredible events, beers and entertainment. Their website has also been tweaked a bit recently, which has definitely improved its usability and the information available...however...it is still far too flashy, graphic-rich and tricky to navigate in an online world which is being optimised for mobility and speed.

Great Northern Hotel, North Carlton - I am yet to visit Great Northern, but I keep hearing fantastic things about this pub...so I'm keen to get there soon.

And as a random side, if you'd like to read about some of the beer and food matching events that seem to be popping up at pubs everywhere these days...keep your eye on the Eat Drink Stagger blog, such as this post about the beer and cheese matching event recently held at The Court House Hotel in North Melbourne.

Finally, for online information and resources about Melbourne beer bars, no one currently does it beer than The Crafty Pint website at: http://craftypint.com/beer/bars/

AFL Grand Final Weekend Beers and Bars

Today, the last Saturday in September, marks the pinnacle of sporting fever in Melbourne with the AFL Grand Final being played this afternoon.

Many will try and ignore it or be "so-not-into it", but it is nearly impossible to avoid the hype and discussion flowing across this football loving city. Back-yards and parks across the State will be buzzing with the sounds of families and friends gathering and bbqs sizzling, as well as beer stubbies and cans being cracked left-right-and-centre!

This year the two teams playing off in the Grand Final are the Collingwood Magpies (the most populously supported team in Victoria, as well as the most loathed team by anyone who does not follow the 'Pies, such as my self) and the long-suffering St Kilda Saints (who have not won a Premiership since 1966).

As a life long supporter of the Essendon Football Club (who enjoyed success a decade ago, but have been lingering around the bottom of the pack for too long now), this year's game will not quite evoke the full wrath of passion from me. However, my bride is a keen St Kilda Football Club supporter (a surprising but welcome discovery when I first met her...considering she was born and bred in rugby-centric Queensland and had been following the Saints since her school years...not just jumping into AFL when trying to win the favour of a strapping Melbourne boy who she was crushing on). Therefore, by proxy, I am ALL ABOUT THE SAINTS! (At least St Kilda's Red, Black and White colours and close enough to the Red and Black colours of my Essendon Bombers!)

Of course, around here...when there is sport, there is beer. Unfortunately, that normally means a slab of Carlton Draught or, even worse, Tooheys Extra Dry (the industrial macro-brewery lagers which offer little more than a harsh amber liquid, which smells like "beer" and tastes like chemicals, then hurts your head). On the flip, thankfully in Melbourne the passion craft beer is starting to show signs of one day being as big as the footy (...we can only hope!). Therefore, there are plenty of quality craft beer options now readily available all around town, to improve your Grand Final watching experience.

To cheer on this event, here is my suggestion of Victorian craft beers for St Kilda fans to beer-theme their weekend with their team colours of...

Red - Holgate Big Reg

Black - 3Ravens Stout

White - Bright Razor Witbier

Alternatively, here's a few more awesome locals that nicely fit the colour theme and are worth tracking down...

And finally...although not an Aussie craft beer...the one I recommend most to Saints fans this weekend is the fantastic 5am Saint Amber Ale from Scottish (mad)brewers, BrewDog. No only is the Red, White and Black label perfect for your team...this beer is beautifully balanced, sessional, and...drinks like victory!

Go Saints!

Our Grand Final Day will involve watching the game from inside Mrs Parmas, so we can enjoy the match on a big screen, with a footy-loving crowd in the heart of Melbourne, along with a brilliant range of Victorian craft beers on tap - including a showcase from Grand Ridge Brewery - which will help us celebrate or commiserate...whichever way the game goes.

And then...if victory comes our way...we'll be heading down to Federation Square for the winning team player presentations...which may also include a quick stop into Beer DeLuxe, where the new Murray's Brewing Imperial IPA "Spartacus" will be on tap (which I may have had a very special sneak peak of last night...and YES...I believe it DOES kick ass!). Oh, and I wouldn't be surprised if we end the day at The Royston.

If you are looking to do the same, a list of Melbourne beer-bars showing the footy on big screens can be found on The Crafty Pint Events page at: http://craftypint.com/events

As well as today's article, which wraps it all together at: http://craftypint.com/news/post/grand-final-great-beer/

Beers, Bars, Band - Weekend Catchup

After laying low for a while, it was back to enjoying plenty of Melbourne's best BBBs on the weekend. Therefore, here is a not-so-brief (but-I-tried-my-best) recap...

The weekend began with the Big Scary gig at the Northcote Social Club on Friday night. Supports Bean and Cameras provided a decent warm up, but were clearly outshone by the talent and genuine rock-out ability of Big Scary, who seemed to have so much fun on stage! Tom (guitar/keys/percussion) and Jo (drums/guitar) smiled and laughed throughout their powerful and diverse set, which launched their Autumn EP.

Setlist highlights included "Lullabies, Lies and Goodbyes", "Polly" and "Tuesday is Rent Day". With all three acts combined...it was a quality gig for only $10! Bargain.

I recommend Big Scary to any music lover, particularly for their excellent live performance. At the end of the gig I bought their At The Mercy Of The Elements EP and have worn out the CD with repeat listens over the weekend.

On a beer note...during the gig I enjoyed a couple of Mountain Goat Hightail Ale (the Northcote Social Club has been a long time supporter and stockist of the bottled Mountain Goat range)...but I was particularly pleased to see the local 3 Ravens Blond now available in bottles at the NSC bar as well. Not only that, but plenty of the 3 Ravens was being drunk, as I noticed a bunch of empty bottles of the Blond sitting on the bar as everyone shuffled out of the bandroom after the gig. Rock on, NSC!

Saturday morning I was out the airport way to send off the fiancé for the weekend, when I noticed a new Dan Murphys at Essendon Airport (next to the DFO/Homemaker Centre). I popped in for curiosity's sake and found it to be identical to the now standard format/layout/stock of a Dan Murphys store...of course...but at least they were fully stocked. I picked up 2 bottles of the new James Squire seasonal, the Malt Runner (Winter Ale). (Also spied boxes of the 2010 Cascade First Harvest, but no bottles on the shelf.)

Saturday afternoon involved a visit to the beer haven that is The Local Taphouse, St Kilda, where I thoroughly enjoyed the following beers on tap:

• Bridge Road Bling India Pale Ale (first time I've had the Bling on tap)
• Feral Brewing iWit 2.0 (7.5% abv Belgian Imperial Wit, a "beefed up" version of the Feral White)
  
• Hargreaves Hill ESB (as good as always...and this batch seemed to have an added smokiness to it)
  
• Feral Brewing Raging Flem (an excellent Belgian IPA produced especially for last month’s Local Taphouse Ale Stars)

Packs a punch...Feral iWit 2.0

The incredibly smooth Feral Raging Flem.

The time passed too quickly as I enjoyed each beer whilst poring over over streetpress, the newspaper, twitter and the latest issue of Beer&Brewer magazine (great articles on barrel-aged beers and Stone&Wood's stone brewing).

(It's just a shame that some of the bar staff had to have a bit of a blow-up over their working conditions/treatment, which was far too loud and public. For professionalism sake, that is something that should happen away from your customers, because it can really impact on the mood of the venue. I felt embarrassed to be standing at the bar waiting to be served whilst it was occurring.)

I also ate for the first time at the Local Taphouse (just from the bar menu though). I ordered the steak sandwich, which arrived quicker than I was anticipating. Whilst the steak sandwich didn't look overly impressive on arrival, it certainly tasted terrific! The steak was beautifully cooked, with a lovely smoky flavour and lots of spice. Perfect beer food that was truly complimented by the Feral Brewing Raging Flem.

On the way home, later Saturday night, I stopped in at the Skinny Dog Hotel to catch some live footy on tv and drank a Colonial Brewing Porter for "dessert". On first taste it was a fairly good porter, rich and initially drinkable, but didn't quite stand up through the whole glass, becoming too wheaty (or maybe I had just had too much already).

Colonial Porter.

On Sunday afternoon I was in the city so I popped into Young&Jackson to try the new Mirboo Madness from Grand Ridge Brewery, a 6% abv American Red Ale. I'm not really a fan of the Young&Jackson as a venue/pub, but they do have some excellent local brewery showcases. The Mirboo Madness is beautifully red, aggressive in character and really very hoppy. It's a little too light in the mouth and bitter on the finished, but a good beer. (Y&J claim exclusivity over this beer, but it is/has been also available on tap at several other Melbourne bars, such as Mrs Parmas.)

I also stopped in at Beer DeLuxe for a schooner of the Moo Brew Imperial Stout, which was simply superb! Beautifully smooth and full of delightfully balanced soft flavours giving you everything you want in an Imperial Stout, rounded off by seriously good chocolate notes. Yum! I wish I could have drunk three more...

Delectable...the Moo Brew Imperial Stout.

Continuing the Imperial Stout theme, I ended the weekend on a huge note with a couple of super delicious stouts that I had purchased at Slowbeer:

• Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout (wow...best stout I have ever tasted, so robust, rich and smooth…a wonderful drinking experience!)
• BrewDog Tokyo* (another incredible drinking experience full of flavour, the 18% abv is quite harsh on the palate though!)

This week I'll be attending the inaugural (and sold out) Slowbeer Tasting night, for the "Big, Bold Barrel-Aged Tasting", which will feature:

• Mikkeller Weinbrand BA Red Ale (Imperial red ale aged in German Brandy barrels)
• Southern Tier Cuvee 2 (American strong ale aged in American Oak barrels)
• Holgate Beelzebub’s Jewels (Belgian style Quadruple aged in Macedon Pinot Noir barrels)
• Murray’s Anniversary Ale 4 (English style barley wine aged in Hunter Valley Shiraz barrels)
• Bridge Rd Anniversary Oak Aged Imperial Porter – (Imperial Porter aged in Giaconda Wine barrels)
• Brewdog Paradox Springbank (Imperial Stout aged in Springbank whisky barrels)
• Nogne O God Jul Islay Edition (American Strong Ale aged in Islay whisky barrels)

Beer - Beer Breakfast & Beer Expo

Last Saturday, 22 May, was choc full of beeriffic beer-tasting-sensation, as I (somewhat foolishly) combined two excellent beer events in one day.

First, I headed to Beer DeLuxe for the BeermenTV "Hair of the Dog" Breakfast.

On arrival at Beer DeLuxe there was short wait outside in the cold, whilst the staff finalised last minute details, but once inside it was comfortably warm and we were severed a full glass of Mountain Goat Steam Ale to start the experience (a fine choice as Beer #1 at 10:00am). The venue was beautifully laid out with a number of massive long bench tables ready to serve 110 people breakfast. The room quickly filled to capacity and all in attendance seemed to be in very good spirits.

Todd, Mark and Damien were excellent hosts, with their light and fun commentaries, they kept the event moving and interesting. A placemat providing descriptions and tasting notes of all 8 beers that would be sampled during the event had been prepared for each patron, along with funky BeermenTV coasters. It was evident that significant effort had been put into this event.

During the introduction by Mark and Todd the food began arriving, along with the bottles of the local craft beers to match. All present had two tasting glasses available and shared a bottle of each of the beers between every three people (which seemed to end up closer to 1 bottle between every 1.5 people).

The Breakfast and Beer menu consisted of:

1. Bright Brewery Razor Witbier with Crepes stuffed with Mandarin, Ricotta and Sultanas. (I have not been a fan of Witbiers and even actively avoided them in the last year.  However, being reintroduced to the style at this event...as a "breakfast beer" and matched with the crepes, I was instantly a convert to the potential of witbiers, perfectly suited to this situation!)
2. Murray's Whale Ale from Murray’s Brewing with a mini Spanish omelette, served with leek and prosciutto. (My first taste of Murray’s Whale Ale. This is a fantastic beer! I expect to be enjoying several Whale Ale sessions once the bottles hit Melbourne.)
3. Bridge Road Brewers Hans Klopek's Hefe Weizen and Red Hill Brewery Wheat Beer with mild bratwurst, served on toasted rye bread and a fruit chutney. (Cound not split these two beautiful Hefeweizens...both so delicious.)
4. Stone & Wood Stone Ale with tomato and caramalised onion Baked Lima Beans.
5. White Rabbit Dark Ale with Sable Breton, served with crème fraiche and a fig molasses.
6. Ending the meal with Holgate's Temptress chocolate porter matched with Belgian waffles dipped in thick chocolate sauce was simply divine.

The order the beers were presented in was faultless, following the traditional light-to-dark tasting method. More importantly though was that each beer tasted was indeed a highly suitable breakfast beer in their own right, especially thanks to their perfect food matching. Ultimately, I was most impressed by the concept of a Witbier for breakfast, simply because it was so unexpected for me. Congratulations to all the brewers involved.

If anything was at fault during the event, it was only the pace it moved at, causing a minor overload of beer and food, which may have somewhat diminished the "slow food/beer" experience required to fully appreciate the meal combinations on all levels.

However, with only an hour actually scheduled for the event (which ended up being two hours), the staff and BeermenTV boys did a remarkable job.

All praise to the wonderful Beer DeLuxe for hosting and supporting the event to the utmost of value and quality. For the $20 we paid, the beer and food supplied was top quality, very generous and the service was sensational.  I was impressed and very appreciative. THANK YOU!

For video highlights of the event, keep your eye on http://beermen.tv/

Next it was onto the 2010 Beer & Brewer Expo.

At the point I should have gone for a walk, enjoyed the fresh and cool Melbourne air and consumed much water to recover my senses a little, after such unexpected large consumption of luscious beers. (Further compounded by the fact that I had just completed 3 completely dry weeks to keep my personal health and fitness in check!)

However, I pushed on straight to the expo, which was being staged metres away, along the River Terrace at Federation Square. Thankfully, I have enough memory and notes to report back on the following highlights of the afternoon, where not a bad beer was tasted!

My first sight on entering the Expo was the stand for an unfamiliar brewer – Thunder Road Brewery. After obtaining a free t-shirt from them after signing their mailing list, it was a little hard to obtain any real detail about their pending venue and product. However, I'm lead to believe that Thunder Road is being set up by Andrew Dunn, an ex-Matilda Bay brewer, in Brunswick. I'll be keeping an eye on its development and keen to visit the establishment once it opens.

I tired a few of the beers on offer from Blue Sky Brewery of Cairns, which I was particularly interested to learn more about because I plan to pop into their Brewery during my honeymoon later this year. Their Pilsner was quite good, fairly standard though, but very drinkable.

The Mountain Goat team never fail me with their small batch beers. Featuring at the Expo was Dunken, the delightfully malty Dunkelweisse with hints of chocolate and banana...beautiful.

My "international discovery" of the day came via the St-Ambroise range from McAuslan Brewing of Montréal, Canada. The St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout was fantastically flavoursome and smooth, with a very good oatmeal taste (something I has so far found rare in Oatmeal stouts). It was a perfect match for the cool windy Autumn's day.

I also attended two of the Expo's workshop sessions (Home Brewing Demonstration with Jamil Zainasheff and then Beer and Food Matching with Chris Badenoch). Unfortunately, the sessions did not quite meet my expectations, as I felt they were designed for the complete beer-novice, yet the small crowd that did attend seemed well beyond the novice level.. Therefore, those sessions were somewhat underwhelming and a little...boring, compared to the excitment around the Expo's stalls where the brewers spruiked their product with passion.

I suspected that the pick of the day would have been Kirrily Waldhorn's Beer and Food Matching session. However, I missed this one for the sake of lunch (a burger at Burger DeLuxe with a pot of the Jamieson APA).

As the 5pm closure rolled in, my final tasting of the day was the superbly rich Double Barrel Christmas Ale from Red Hill Brewery. At 10.5% abv, this final drink probably pushed me over the limit in terms of reasonable consciousness...and the rest of the day is just a blur (a happy blur though!).

Nonetheless, I was able to somehow safely navigate my way to the tram and then home, without breaking the 6-pack of Red Hill Hop Harvest that I had purchased on my way out of the Expo. Top day.

Finally, congratulations to all the medal winners at the Australian International Beer Awards. You can read all the results at: http://www.beerawards.com/results.asp

Special mentions go to a couple of local Gold Medal winners and personal favourites on mine:

• Holgate Brewhouse for their ESB and Temptress
• Mountain Goat for the Surefoot Stout
• Temple Brewing’s Special Bitter
• Bridge Road Brewers’ Chevalier Saison
• Red Hill Brewery for their Christmas Ale (here’s an appalling festive snap of me enjoying an Red Hill Christmas Ale last year)

And also, the Red Hill Imperial Stout, which I am yet to drink, but with it’s pending 2010 seasonal release next week, I am definitely keen to enjoy several of this highly regarded local brew over winter.

CHEERS!

Ready for breakfast, with the tasting-notes placemat.

To start, a glass of Moutain Goat Steam Ale.

Spanish omelette with Murray's Whale Ale (and yes...I'm tweeting...)

Hefeweizen battle! Far too close to call! Both brilliant.

The deliciously unique Stone and Wood Stone Ale was a perfect match for the Baked Lima Beans

A happy crowd enjoys a BeermenTV breakfast.

White Rabbit Dark Ale with Sable Breton...just yum!

...just heaven.

And some Expo snaps...