Welcome to the insightful slurrings of a beer lover and occasional homebrewer...

Wednesday 14 December 2011

God Bless America - Part II (Maine Beer Trail)

New England. It's newer than England but it’s just as bloody good. In fact for the everyday tourist I’d almost have to say it blows the old one out of the water. One of the best regions this little blogger has been lucky enough to visit.

What’s so special? There are so many things it warrants a list. Yeah that’s right, a fricken list:

-         Scenery. The foliage, the lakes, the rugged coast line. It’s a damn scenic place
-         The beer. The region is home to some of the best beers in the country
-         Wildlife. Are lobsters wildlife? They literally walk the streets of Maine. Lobster aint your thing? What about moose? They really do walk the streets
-         The beer. The region is home to the widest variety of beer styles in the country
-         Food. Seafood (esp. lobster), chowder, steaks/burgers, game. Its all there
-         The beer. The region is home to some of the best pubs serving local craft beers in the country
-         The locals. New England hospitality. They are a crazy, friendly bunch
-         The beer. The region is home to some of the best breweries and brew pubs in the country
-         It’s Stephen King country! Not your thing? What about Murder She Wrote? It’s Stephen King country!!
-         The beer. The decorative beer taps in a New England bar are a sight to be seen
-         Lighthouses. New England lighthouses. The oldest and biggest in the country. Get ya camera ready
-         The beer. Damn they have some fine tasting beers.

As you can see there is something for everyone in New England, but the above could really just apply to Maine itself. Maine is very much the amber coloured jewel in New England’s crown. As good as those lobsters are, or how novel it is to explore Stephen King’s home town (it’s not stalking alright), you’ll be disappointed if that’s what you want to read about. Go Google that stuff. This is a beer blog baby!

Lets begin with the fact that Maine has its own published Beer Trail! Thanks to the Maine Brewer’s Guild, you can get to every brewery throughout the state. We failed. We just couldn’t get to them all but man it was fun trying! 

Here are four (or so) of the highlights…

Gritty McDuff’s
Gritty’s is Maine’s first brew pub since the days of prohibition. Yeah it’s a pub, but it’s an active brewery and gets the balance between the two just right.
Location – Portland
Best Beers – 21 IPA, Red Claws Ale, Halloween Ale (yep for a pumpkin style beer Gritty’s get it just about right!)
Highlights – Views of Casco Bay from the bar, brewery shop next door

Danthonia Handcrafted Signs - Click here
Shipyard Brewing
Maine’s largest brewery but don’t let that fool you. It's English style ales and craft beers all the way.
Location – Portland
Best Beers – Export Ale, IPA, Brewer’s Brown Ale
Highlights – Free tour and tasting, the brilliant shop. Actually pretty much everything except the horrendously popular Pumpkinhead Ale. One word. Yuck. Tastes like a pumpkin's armpit.

Bar Harbor Brewing
It’s Bar Harbor’s first microbrewery, but really, you’ve just gotta love a brewery situated only a couple of metres off the main street in a town!
Location – Bar Harbor
Best Beers – Cadillac Mountain Stout, Thunder Hole Ale
Highlights – Free tastings, decent shop. But it has to be the brewery’s location!

Atlantic Brewing Company
Set in 10 acres of pine woodlands, Atlantic Brewing is one of the first things to welcome you as you leave the mainland and drive over the bridge to Bar Harbor.
Location – Bar Harbor
Best Beers – Blueberry Ale (better than it sounds!), Real Ale, Coal Porter
Highlights – Free tastings, decent shop. Real highlight was asking for and receiving free posters, labels and stickers! Very easily pleased after a couple beers I am...

Belfast Bay Lobster Ale
Okay it's not a brewery, but it is brewed by Belfast Bay in Maine and it's good shit. Real good shit. I drank a lot of its amber red goodness and therefore it deserves its own mention. Australia you officially suck for not making it available to me whenever I want it.

That’s New England folks! Or at least Maine. Hopefully I haven’t offended the brilliant city of Boston or four or five other awesome states by just concentrating on Maine. But to them I say too bad! The beer drinking experience in Maine was just THAT good it gets a blog.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Short & Stout Slurrings. Who knows what that will be about…I sure as heck don’t!


Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Thursday 24 November 2011

God Bless America - Part I

Yeah that’s right. God bless America.

No, I haven’t gone all patriotic on you and listening to the Star Spangled Banner on repeat. Not at all. But credit where credit is due…

Thinking about the international beer scene, America barely springs to mind. In fact what it does do is conjure up thoughts about some of the worst big corporate beer brands out there…Bud, Coors, Miller…and all their ghastly Light versions.

However I come with good news. Do not be fooled by the above mentioned carbonated waters. Sure they dominate advertising over there, especially with American sports and in some (only some) parts of the country it feels like they are the only beers on tap. But so what? That’s no different to Fosters or Tooheys products here in Australia.

I’ve been told 40 years ago there were only 30 odd breweries in the States. Today there are over 2000. That’s some modern day explosion.

What I can say is that after a month long visit to the States I was blown away by the quality of domestic (craft) beers. Blown away.

I thought Australia was progressive when it came to craft beer. Thought the industry was pretty well advanced but admittedly with a long way to go. But no. Not compared to America. In the US, craft beer is very much part of the popular beer drinking scene. In some regions it dominates the scene. As in...there is nothing on tap but local craft beer.

Let me elaborate and ponder (i.e. make up) why that might be.

The New England region would have to be the world’s biggest hot spot for microbreweries and craft beer. Google ‘breweries in Maine’. There are dozens and dozens. Is it the fine produce, the seafood, the fact that it is dubbed America’s ‘vactionland’ and therefore visitors need to experience all things local? Maybe. But it probably has something to do with America’s largest craft brewery just down the road in Boston…Samuel Adams.

Yeah okay Sam Adams is hardly a little boutique brewery but it started out as one and even today they produce speciality, high quality ales. It means in Boston (and throughout New England) Sam Adams is the main ‘big brand beer’ and due to its success, other craft breweries are popping up hopeful of squeezing into the market. Harpoon in Boston and Shipyard in Portland are two good examples. It helps that locals are accustomed to drinking a higher quality ale and its success largely keeps the likes of Bud Light out of the region. And for that we say thank you Mr Adams.


What is truly startling in New England is the experience of walking into a pub. Not only are there numerous ‘brewpubs’ which offer a number of their own freshly brewed craft beers on tap, but so many other pubs and even restaurants specialise in local craft beers from the region. And I don’t mean having half a dozen beers on tap. I mean 80. Sometimes even more!

It’s Disneyland for a beer drinker and the experience goes way beyond the option of trying hundreds of craft beers. It’s a sight to be hold.

In comparison Australia doesn’t put a huge amount of effort into the beer tap. Pretty basic badge or logo most of the time. But not over there. We’re talking everything elaborate from boats, lobsters, moose heads, dogs, pumpkins, seals, crabs shooting hoops. Hours could be spent studying these beer taps.

 
The accessibility of the beer is wonderful too. Over here it is difficult to drink local craft beers unless bought in a bottle shop or direct from the brewery. So many good quality beers just cannot be found within most pubs/restaurants unless you head to a specialty pub that makes the effort like Mrs Parmas in Melbourne’s CBD. In New England locals get to sit and drink their favourite brew in pretty much any pub…and usually on tap. It's Bud and Coors that are available only by the can or bottle and hidden somewhere under the bar just in case someone walks in asking for it. Bliss!

In a lot of the bigger cities like New York it is a little different. The corporate beer giants are much more prevalent. Part of it is the ‘stupid’ foreign tourist thinking they should drink Bud cos they are in America. Yet still there are microbreweries popping up around the city like Brooklyn Brewery. Head to a pub in somewhere a little edgier than Manhattan like New Jersey, Brooklyn or Queens and you start to see a lot more craft beers on tap.

But that brings me to San Francisco. A gem of a city that beer wise should be on the East Coast! The beer scene is dominated by Anchor Brewing, a great brewery producing speciality craft beers. There are other microbreweries dotted around the city and beyond, however it is so refreshing seeing a local craft beer on tap in every beer drinking establishment around the city. Even San Francisco’s infamous Chinatown sells Anchor as the beer of choice…along with Tsingtao of course.


But hey things are never always that perfect.

Las Vegas? Okay lets not go there. Surprisingly there are a few microbreweries like Sin City Brewing or Chicago Brewing Company (yes it is from Nevada, it’s just a beer style thing), but for the effort to locate them, they aren’t exactly of the quality of their East Coast/Californian counterparts.

As for Texas well they do produce a few speciality brews (they do like their Amber ales such as Ziegen Bock)…but Texas Busch seems to be everywhere. And it’s not good busch at all…

The only problem with a country containing so many breweries is that many start getting a little too creative in an attempt to gain their market share. Enter American flavoured beers.

More prevalent in New England, the main offenders seemed to be Blueberry Beers and Pumpkin Ales. In Portland Shipyard’s Pumpkinhead Ale and Gritty’s Halloween Ale are two examples of drinking a glass full of pumpkin pie. An acquired taste for sure and not one I’m even close to appreciating! But I guess when blueberries and pumpkins are in plague proportions you gotta do something with it. Let’s be thankful Maine doesn’t add lobster to some of its brews!


So any beer drinkers out there who have pegged America as a bad lager drinking nation…just hold that thought and maybe organise a trip to the US. The beer drinking experience is wonderful! I for one cannot wait to return and explore more cities for their high quality beer.

That’s it folks. Next time I will go into more detail about my experiences visiting specific breweries, brewpubs and drinking local craft beers in the US. That’s if in the meantime I don’t disappear and slip back for some more of these beers.

God bless America indeed.


Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Thursday 13 October 2011

Up Beer Creek with a Paddle


It’s a lump of wood often shaped like a kid’s cricket bat or a mini tennis racquet. Cut a few dents into its surface to hold a few over sized shot glasses and away we go. Instant microbrewery beer paddle!

Forget space travel or the motor car. It has to be the greatest invention of the twentieth century. Just has to be.

Think about it. You walk into a microbrewery for the very first time and you’re not that familiar with their beers, yet the first thing you have to do is decide what beer(s) to try. In very basic terms you’re looking at a range of beers from light/pale lagers/pilsners, to brown ales, to full bodied stouts.

“Hmmm, what to try? I don’t wanna stuff this up.”

Enter that sturdy lump of wood answering all your beer prayers.

I don’t know who first took a jigsaw, a slab of wood and some small glasses and invented the beer paddle, but it is pure genius.

I’ve walked into one or two microbreweries for the first time where there hasn’t been a beer paddle and I am instantly disappointed. And here are some of the reasons why:

·         Unless I’ve managed to walk to the brewery (unlikely considering the location of many), I have driven there. Therefore despite how keen I may be to try all their beers (seems only fair) I simply can’t. So why did I bother even going?! The paddle should keep you under the legal blood alcohol limit for driving and allow you to try numerous beers.

Therefore the paddle is law abiding.

·         Unless you are intimately familiar with the beers on offer, you need to know which ones are worth drinking in future. How are you going to know without the ol wooden sampler known as the beer paddle? Read a book about them? Drink 6 pints with the car outside running? I don’t think so!

Therefore the paddle is wise and all knowing.

·         Assuming you have visited the brewery with a friend or loved one you can enjoy the paddle drinking experience so much more than just ‘having a beer’. Like a true beer snob you can start with the lighter brews and work your way to the darker ones. As you go you can share your comments and thoughts of each one with your drinking partner / loved one. Brilliant!

Therefore the paddle is good for personal relationships.

·         Once you complete the sample of beers on the paddle you can then hit the bar and buy a pint of your favourite. Or as is often the case, your favourite three or four. This is far more cost effective than working through the beers drink by drink (assuming you haven’t driven to the brewery!).

Therefore the paddle saves you money.

·         If (god forbid) there are no beers really worth having after completing the paddle, then you have still completed the full microbrewery experience. You came, saw, tried EVERY beer and left. What more can you do for yourself, the brewery and even the town? How many pubs can you go in and say you drank every drop on offer? Good luck with that one!

Therefore the paddle is good for your health.

·         All good microbreweries offer simple but tasty food like wood fired pizzas. Order a couple of pizzas; slap a couple of beer paddles down and your table is pretty much hosting a party. I dare you not to stand back and take a cheesy photo with your spread in full view!

Therefore the paddle is aesthetically pleasing.

So folks. Nothing to do this weekend? Stuck for where to have a beer? Why not head to your nearest, untried microbrewery and discover the magic of the beer paddle. Might just be the best thing you’ve done!


Soon I will discuss some of the many microbreweries worth visiting out there.


Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!


Thursday 29 September 2011

Developing a Taste for the Finer Brews in Life

A lot of people like beer, some really love it. However a growing trend is the appreciation of finer beers. What is often called ‘craft beer’. The beer produced by a small scale brewery known as the microbrewery.

I don’t think you necessarily start out loving craft beer. I’m sure some people do, but my ‘path to the craft’ was via traditional everyday beers. Just drinking tap beer or run of the mill lagers.

Bouncing between my personal favourites like Boag’s Premium and whatever was drinkable and on special at Dan Murphy’s.

But then I got bored.

Beer started tasting more and more like beer flavoured water and I started drinking red wine at most opportunities as a preference over beer. I wouldn’t say beer was dead to me, but it was dying a slow, painful death.

Thus began the trips to Dan Murphy’s staring at the shelves of beer. Having lived overseas I recognised a lot of European labels, so drinking random Belgium beers was a good start. However it was mighty expensive.

‘Hmmm, Carlton Draught is only $30 for a slab? Well okay, maybe just for one last time…’

The biggest turning point for me was finding a bottle shop that specialised in craft and hard to find ‘foreign’ beers. Enter Purvis Wine Sellers. If you live in the Eastern suburbs do yourself a favour as Molly Meldrum would say, and get to Purvis for a look. Their range is brilliant, the staff helpful, and they also do regular beer tastings including themed tasting nights. For $10 you can try a lot of different beers. If Surrey Hills is too far away, the crafty buggers have opened a second store on Bridge Road, Richmond.

But hey, I’m not a Purvis employee, nor unfortunately am I on the take so that better do for spruiking my sponsors, ummm, I mean mentioning my favourite bottle shop!


Suddenly the world really did open up. So many craft beers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North America, Asia (well Japan)…

Whilst it is a daunting task selecting craft beers to try for the very first time (especially for a palate only used to lagers), the best thing to do is dive in and try a few different styles from different breweries. They won’t all be good. You’ll dislike some of them, but soon you’ll know what styles you like best. Then, and this is the best part, once you realise you like an Irish Red Ale (for instance), you can explore the world trying Irish Red Ales from hundreds of different breweries! I am however still trying to find one that tops Moylan’s Irish Red Ale…hmmm that’s some good shit right there.

Whilst it can be an expensive exercise, discovering and trying craft beer is like a 13 year old boy discovering the benefits of long showers…a whole new world just opens up to you. For instance, I never had an appreciation of just how many and how good American craft beer is. They cop it for the quality of their flagship brews (Bud, Miller, Cors), but their beers from microbreweries are consistently good!

And don’t get me started on Australian craft beer. The quality is improving rapidly and microbreweries are opening up everywhere, especially in Victoria. Visiting a microbrewery is a brilliant experience. Trying their selection of beers is great fun, and many combine the visit with tasty but simple food. Again, you may not like every beer you try at a microbrewery, but I reckon if there is at least one you like then that’s a successful visit cos next time you are in a bottle shop looking for something different, you can at least rely on that random Weizenbock you ‘once had at a brewery in Mornington’.   

The magic of the microbrewery is also the ‘tourism experience’ itself. Visiting a wine region is a lot of fun, but there is something about doing a day trip to a particular region or town knowing there is a brewery there to visit. I mean the Macedon Ranges are nice and Woodend is a cute little town, but the presence of Holgate Brewhouse at the top of the town just makes the place a little more magical! Even if a random visit to Woodend leads to drinking a few too many Temptress pints resulting in a panicked search for a B&B within walking distance of the brewery! Argh so grown up. Holgate Brewhouse though, go have a look!

Special mention also needs to go to Beer DeLuxe in Melbourne’s Federation Square for the exploration of craft beer. The dozen or so rotational beers on tap are well worth a look, but the real attraction is the ‘Beer Bible’ and its pages and pages of global beers. A tip however…when drinking an ale start looking through the bible for your next selection well before finishing your first. Maybe there’s too many to choose from, maybe I just can’t make a decision (shhhh Mrs Sweeney) but it does take time to select a beer (or cider!).  

 
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the occasional Carlton Draught when I’m out, especially in the right setting such as being at the footy, but craft beer is just so bloody interesting. The colour, smell, taste…its an experience itself appreciating the complexities of craft beer!

That’s it folks. Next time I will go into more detail about my experiences visiting specific breweries!

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!



Wednesday 7 September 2011

The Global Search for Greatness – Part III (Asia)

Asia. It’s tropical. It’s hot, humid and sticky. As is the weather…

Asia to me is the land of the cold, crisp (and often bland) lager. There are some highlights amongst the shockers. Maybe it’s the imagery of sitting at the end of a day, beer in hand, spicy hot food laid out in front of you. It’s hotter than hell and the beer goes down faster than a South American soccer player staging for a free.

It just works.

Take the same beer and drink it here in Australia, especially in the cooler months and it just doesn’t work the same. In fact a lot of it tastes like beer flavoured water.

Not unlike the UK and Europe, there is something to be said about most Asian countries, and here are the main highlights searching for beer greatness!

Singapore
Rather western in a lot of ways ol Singapore. It’s a good place to start when visiting Asia as it isn’t too ‘hard’ coming from Australia. In terms of beer, it’s the home of Tiger Beer so at least in Singapore you can drink the ‘flagship beer of South East Asia’ and actually feel like a local.

It’s not a bad drop Tiger and the new interactive brewery at Vivo City is well worth a look even though it is a little childish in its appeal. As much as I enjoyed having ‘beer’ bubbles poured all over me, and the video of how the ingredients in beer come together to ferment was boarding on porn, but it is a hoot. Hang on porn isn’t childish. Always get that wrong.

Malaysia / Thailand
Malaysia? Being about 60% Muslim the domestic beer options are limited. There’s Anchor I guess. Hmmm, did I mention Tiger? Yep, Tiger goes down just fine in Malaysia.

Thailand is a different story. Thailand understands beer a bit more and their two ‘big brand beers’ are pretty good lagers – Chang and Singha.

The biggest challenge with Chang and Singha is deciding which to drink when out eating/drinking. They are quite similar in taste and are pretty darn cheap. Therefore this becomes a simple cost issue. If Singha is 10c cheaper, then Singha it is! Unless of course Chang is having a ‘drink 3 jugs and get a free beer glass’ promotion. Yep, I suddenly really, really need that glass…

Vietnam
Oh Vietnam. Many may not realise it unless they have actually been, but what a beer drinking haven! I don’t have the stats, and I can’t be arsed Googling it right now (hey you’re not paying me to do this), but there must be more breweries in Vietnam than all other South East Asian countries! And boy the locals sure enjoy the drop.

Beer is linked to the region in Vietnam, so much so there’s a heap of rivalries depending on which part of the country you are in. For instance there’s Bia Hanoi, Saigon / 333, Halida, Hue and Biere Larue to name a few (yes! That rhymed). Depending where you are in Vietnam will depend on the beer that dominates the local drinking market.


However Vietnam has something special, something that I cannot compare to any other country. Maybe that’s a huge tick in the box for ‘beer greatness’. Yes, I’m talking about Bia Hoi…

Bia Hoi roughly translates to ‘fresh beer’ and is delivered (fresh) to stalls, markets and eateries on a daily basis. A dude on a motorbike pulls up and drops off plastic jugs of the beer (supplied by local brewers) or if slightly more sophisticated, fills up the seller’s small tank which has a rudimentary garden hose connected to it to then fill glasses throughout the day and night. Brilliant. The beer itself is cold, crisp and refreshing. In reality it tastes like good home brew, but boy it’s cheap.

If you see a sign promoting ‘bia hoi’, simply grab a small plastic stool, sit down and enjoy. Just don’t ask to use their toilets. If you can, hold until you’re back in the hotel. Oh boy…

Hong Kong
Nothing really to see here, move along.

Much like the city itself, which was once a hotpot of multiculturalism and foreign influences, it is becoming more and more ‘China-ised’ (that’s a word right?), which also means the quality of ‘local beer’ is pretty average. Talk about watery brews. Think Tsingtao and worse. Much, much worse. Though it is cheap, so you gotta weigh that up. I guess people don’t really go to Hong Kong for the beer, so I should maybe stop talking about it here…!

Japan
If any country in Asia deserved its own blog, it’s Japan. A wonderfully mystic place full of tradition, culture, ceremony and modernism. Is that a contradiction? Good cos Japan is a country of contradictions! But the food is magnificent and the beers are consistently good!


We all know the big brand beers like Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo. All of them are also very good lagers for big brewery staples. The surprise however are the microbreweries emerging in Japan and the complex beers available from some of them such as Hitachino Nest. Who would have thought stouts and red ales from Asia could be quite so good!

However Japan takes convenience to a new level. This is best seen at train stations and via the brilliance of the Japanese vending machine. Nothing is more efficient than the Japanese rail network (you hear that Metro?) and the daily ritual of businessmen boarding trains during the day to get to meetings and the like is a sight to be seen. Especially when most board with their takeaway sushi in one hand and a can of beer in the other. Not to be outdone we made sure we grabbed a beer for a number of train journeys across the country.

The point of this?

How many countries actually sell beer on every train platform as well as via the ladies pushing the ‘snacks and beer’ trolley through the carriage? You missed them both? Well maybe try the vending machine at the end of each carriage! Brilliant.

Full credit to the Japanese though. Didn’t see one drunk person or underage drinker during the whole time! Brilliant (yeah I know, I said that).

Speaking of vending machines. Fark me. Vending machines are on every street corner selling all sorts of handy items ranging from men's ties, underwear, memory cards, all sorts of gadgets, soft drinks (of course) and beer!. Oh boy! You can grab a Sapporo without even speaking to someone! Yippie! And like I said, not a drunk to be seen…(I don’t count).

Finally, what may rank as the greatest brewery tour my wife and I have ever done is the Kirin Brewery in Yokohama. The brewery tour itself is pretty standard stuff, the shop is excellent, the numerous free beers at the end rocks, but the fact it is done entirely in Japanese is an amazing experience! And it’s all about the experience right?

Brewery Note – If in Tokyo and tempted to visit the Asahi Beer Hall expecting some sort of brewery experience (or even a shop) forget it! Take a photo of the amazingly designed building and move on! Nothing more than a high rise for staff and a very small restaurant. Get your arse to Kirin Brewery instead! Or if you really want to experience a Japanese beer hall, try the Sapporo Lion Beer Hall in Tokyo’s Ginza District. That bad boy rocks…


So what is beer greatness? There are some great beers out there. Hundreds of them. Actually make that thousands. When you have an awesome beer and it becomes ‘your beer’ for a period of time – is that greatness? Maybe. When that happens to me I tend to think ‘hmmm, that’s a nice beer’. But I always want to move on to another in case I’m missing out on another great beer that I haven’t yet tried.

I tend to consider beer greatness to be something closer to the overall beer drinking experience. Maybe it’s the company whilst drinking, or even better, the uniqueness of the experience. The food perhaps? The location? The occasion? And for that I would consider two beer drinking experiences in Asia as achieving beer greatness, and that is Bia Hoi in Vietnam and the convenience and accessibility of beer in Japan.

Bloody awesome!

That’s it folks! However a month long trip to the US is less than 2 months away so stayed tuned for ‘The Global Search for Greatness – Part IV (US)’.

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Tuesday 30 August 2011

The Global Search for Greatness – Part II (Europe)

The global search continues…

I’ve already looked at the United Kingdom in regards to the global search for beer greatness, so it’s now time to look at other parts of Europe.

Ireland
The Emerald Isle. The land of the leprechaun. My heritage on Dad’s side. Ireland is all those things but man, it sure does like its stout! I soon realised that to order any beer other than Murphy’s in the south, or Guinness pretty much anywhere, led to long strange looks from bar staff.

Seriously, I did not just order a glass of Listerine and milk…why are you looking at me like that?!

I did like that in Dublin ordering Guinness simply meant shuffling up to the bar and motioning with one’s fingers the number you wanted. Minutes later they were handed over once they had time to settle.

Then your wallet is ripped from your hand and emptied out. Gee, Ireland sure is expensive!

Whilst Guinness is pretty cliché and to be honest, isn’t even that good as far as stouts go (however it does taste better in Ireland - it's scientifically proven...by me), but it is a good place to start for a then Fosters drinking Aussie living in London!

It has to be said however that the Guinness Brewery tour is a must if visiting Dublin. It’s modern, interactive, and actually offers some of the best views over the city’s skyline you will find! All that with a free pint in your hand. Can’t be that bad hey? Just keep an eye on your wife. The locals seeing a young woman with a pint of stout in each hand sure does grab their attention! Naughty leprechauns.


Belgium / Netherlands
I certainly had no appreciation of how much beer is consumed, and how many breweries there actually are in Belgium before I went there. Brussels and Bruges in particular are pretty mystical places, but the matching of every beer with their own beer glass (there’s over 400 of them!) is truly grand. You gotta respect that.

Maybe Belgium beer has lost a little bit of its shine as most of their complex ales are available pretty much everywhere now, but the imagery of light snow falling, the Christmas markets pumping, a dinner of mussels and chocolate waffles, followed by a Trappist beer made by monks…argh magic!

As for Amsterdam, an entire blog could be dedicated to the place, however personally, there isn’t a lot to say about their beer. Its all Heinekin, Amstel and Grolsch. Unlike Stella or Fosters people in Amsterdam actually drink their well known flagship beers which I guess is credit to them, but at the end of the day they are pretty basic, middle of the road lagers. Not unlike Guinness, the Heineken Brewery is well worth the tour, if for nothing else the free beer glass gives you something to put your toothbrushes in almost a decade later!

Germany
Where to begin? The home of beer some people say. The origin of the beer hall, the Hofbrauhaus and lets not forget Oktoberfest. They drink so much beer they don’t even realise it takes place in September and not October!

Beer wise Munich is the city to get to. Berlin is a great place to visit, but beer wise, any place with a beer named after it, which comes in red or green colours/flavours (and often ‘served’ with a straw) is questionable.


I’d say more about Germany, the beers, the singing, the different styles of lager, the meat to wash down the beer, how the hell those beer glasses ended up in my wife's bag…but stuffed if I can remember…

Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is famous as the origin of pilsner, which of course is named after the local town of Pilsen. Never went to Pilsen…not a great need when Prague is such a brilliant city, and pilsners are basically poured from the town’s fountains.

Prague was all sightseeing and pilsners. Didn’t do a lot else. Just go. Still here? Told you to go…actually if you are still here make a side trip to Budapest. That’s pretty cool too, but what does this look like, a fricken travel blog?

That’s it folks. Obviously there is a lot more to Europe and beer than what is mentioned in this already long blog…I could tell you about drinking Estrella Damm in Spain, Peroni in Italy, Gosser in Austria, Eichhof in Switzerland, or struggling to find an affordable beer other than Kronenbourg in France. But the above is what really stood out to me in terms of the elusive global search for beer greatness.

And one other thing. To me, Europe is the place where beer and food really is a match made in heaven. How in Europe can you not have a local beer with that country's finest cuisine? If you aren't matching your Hungarian goulash with the finest Borsodi brew or a metre long German sausage with a tasty Bavarian lager, then quite frankly pack up your bags and piss off back home. Harsh I know, but just saying...

Did I find beer greatness in Europe? Generally no, but there are some magnificent big flavoured beers. But then again if I did find it I’d probably have to stop looking…and that would suck.

Stayed tuned for ‘The Global Search for Greatness – Part III (Asia)’.

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Wednesday 24 August 2011

The Global Search for Greatness – Part I (United Kingdom)


Despite the greatness of (many) Australian beers, especially with the recent emergence of craft beers and local microbreweries, the allure of the ‘foreign beer’ has always been an exciting prospect.

Beer and travel has always been a match made in heaven for me. I mean heck, I love travel…my wife and I travel a lot…I love beer…bingo!

Not long after a trip is booked (often before!) the research begins to see if there are breweries near by to visit, or to at least find out what the local brews are.

I can’t imagine sitting on a small plastic chair in the middle of Hanoi’s ancient quarter in 40 degree heat and drinking a Heineken! Pleeeease…

My global search for beer greatness begins in the UK, but will also include most of Europe and Asia. Something can be said for pretty much every country (even every city); however with the risk that you will close the browser after about two countries…I will split this into Part I – UK, Part II – Europe and Part III – Asia. 

So lets start with the United Kingdom.

It was 2002/03, the sun was shining and the beers were ice cold. Wait, wrong story. Wrong place. That isn’t it…

It actually was 2002/03; however it was a working holiday to the UK. At the time my beer drinking selection was pretty much just lager. Didn’t know much about Ales or Bitters, and to be honest didn’t care to try. Looking back I hate that I didn’t try them and next time I go to the UK I will certainly be trying them all! Well some of them anyway.

What shocked me the most in the UK (or at least in 2002/03) is that if you want a pint of lager, the options on tap are always Fosters and maybe one or two others. When the other choices are basically a rotation of Stella or Becks or something uninspiringly similar, I found myself ordering Fosters. Oh the shame, but it seemed to be the one constant in every pub if you wanted a lager. So it was kinda ‘easy’.

To my surprise it wasn’t that bad (pause for sledging…). Besides, the good thing about drinking a beer that may be a tad embarrassing (okay is embarrassing), is that it could be anything inside that pint glass in my hand!

“This here? Oh I’m drinking a pint of Innis & Gunn. It’s aged in oak barrels. Those crazy Scots…”


I also want to mention the Campaign for Real Ale Great British Beer Festival. 

The 2003 ‘CAMRA Great British Beer Festival’ in London was the first real opportunity for me to try different types of beer other than just lager. Not much more than a massive hall filled with beer stalls, the Beer Festival was a massive eye opener for me in terms of trying quality beer. Looking back on it the two main things I remember of the day were - it was almost 40 degrees in London (yuck), and if my wife stepped forward to ask to try a particular beer, our glasses were filled a lot higher than if I did! I’m not proud of peddling my wife’s assets to get more beer (I mean her Aussie accent), but it probably won’t be the last time I do it either (hey we’re talking free beer here!)…  

Beer highlights? Too long ago to recall to be honest, and many hours of sampling the best from Adnams, Fuller's and Wentworth's probably meant I didn’t remember the very next day. I did purchase a Hicks Special Draught t-shirt and still have it today…so I’m guessing that went down okay!


Unfortunately any mention of the Beer Festival leads to death like stares from my wife. How was I supposed to know Melbourne's wind would knock over and smash the souvenir pint glass we kept? Hey we got 4 or 5 years use out of it!

Sadly the main aim living in London was to find drinkable beer at the lowest price. This often meant drinking at home, and by drinking I mean grabbing 500ml cans of the cheapest lager from the local supermarket. Who pays 2 quid if say Carlsberg is on special for 60p? Whooooo?!

I reckon that’s enough for the UK for now. Living there and travelling around leads to many beer related stories, but we’re all a bit tired so it’s time to move on.

But that’s not it folks! Stayed tuned soon for ‘The Global Search for Greatness – Part II (Europe)’.

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Wednesday 17 August 2011

The Rivalry that is Beer


Beer comes in many styles, tastes and flavours. There are different levels of bitterness, hopiness (that a word?), lighter or darker malts, low carb, cold filtered. Complicated stuff for a beginner.

Thinking back to when I started drinking beer the thing that stood out the most – more than any particular flavour or style, were the rivalries involved in drinking particular brands of beer. I still don’t think you get the same rivalry with other alcoholic drinks as you do with competing beer brands.

Not to say it doesn’t happen but you don’t see too many people arguing over particular wineries or choice of vodka.

Let me explain.

In Tassie there is a real North versus South rivalry. Launceston versus Hobart if you like. Or, as it happens to be; Boag’s versus Cascade. Being from the North I sided with Boag’s and still kinda do. But being in a bar in Hobart with a Boag’s Premium in hand (Boag’s Draught wasn’t even allowed south of the midlands in the 90s), I would be heckled, sledged and have my sexuality questioned at every opportunity. It was like an intense footy rivalry. And much like footy, I loved it! It added to the overall beer drinking experience.

Not only could I enjoy the beer but I also had a new team to support. Team Boag’s!

Moving to Sydney things weren’t that different. In Sydney, anything outside the NSW border was seen as inferior and could not be trusted. A real man drank Toohey’s New or at worst, Toohey’s Extra Dry. Toohey’s Old perhaps for the classier, more mature gentleman. ‘Whoa you rebel, gotchyaself a Hahn I see. Don’t step too far out of your comfort zone…’

To conform I dabbled in them all, but behind closed doors stuck to Boag’s or even Carlton Draught or Coopers and silently apologised to them every time I ‘beer strayed’.

In Sydney I also noticed something for the first time. I called it the ‘Sydney Beer Snob’. Now the Sydney Beer Snob may drink a NSW brew if they have to, but would never ever touch something from another state. They like their State of Origin up that way – a sporting concept borrowed off the southern states of course (don’t ever try telling them that!), but this seemed ridiculous. They especially wouldn’t touch anything from ‘Mexico’ (i.e. Victoria). The Sydney Beer Snob thought they were all class with a Heineken, or maybe Becks or Stella in their hands. Far too classy to touch Australian beer!

Never had the heart to tell em what they were drinking was akin to someone in Europe or the US drinking Fosters…

The Sydney Beer Snob seemed sold on the concept that international beer was much pricier, and therefore must be superior in not only image, but also quality.

Things are a bit easier in Melbourne. People seem to drink a bit of everything. Like footy codes, I fit in better in Melbourne when it comes to beer. Some brews from CUB aren’t as bad as some other ‘big brand beers’ out there and there are microbreweries everywhere! Whilst I wish there were a few gems in the actual city centre, the number of microbreweries in Victoria is a major reason why I have developed such an appreciation of all things beer.

And next time I have a Boag’s Premium in my hand here in Melbourne, I know I won’t have my sexuality questioned…at least not over my choice of beer!

I don’t think beer brand rivalry is native to Australia anymore than sporting rivalries. There are obvious rivalries everywhere. Guinness versus Murphy’s in Ireland, Sapporo versus Kirin versus Asahi in Japan, Miller versus Bud in the US. Breweries compete with each other for domestic dominance as much as any other business, and through advertising try and attract dedicated supporters just like sporting teams.

Which brings me to craft beer. Until a few years ago I certainly didn’t appreciate it or seek it out. Probably thought craft beer was sold at an Arts and Crafts Market, and should be avoided at all costs as it was probably made with juniper berries and cloves. A nice drinkable lager was pretty much all beer was to me. But in sporting terms craft beer is the underdog. The sporting team the general masses don’t seem to barrack for; yet very few dislike. They are the team respected, but not always followed. But those who ‘barrack’ for craft beer do so with as much if not more passion than anyone I know!


But more on craft beers and microbreweries later. Much later.

Next, we need to head over to England for a working holiday in the old country, and talk up my discovery of European beers…some bad, and some good. Oh, and speaking of which, that includes Fosters Lager! Yes, Foster Lager…

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Tuesday 9 August 2011

That First Wretched Taste

As I said before. Beer…I love it.

But I didn’t always love it. In fact I detested it. Vile, bitter, gassy, vomit inducing muck is probably more apt to what I thought. Didn’t really think it smelt any better going in as it did coming out. Though to be fair it is an acquired taste, and everyone starts out disliking beer. I’m pretty sure that’s a birth right.

Assuming beer was never put in my bottle to stop me crying as a baby, my first experience with the amber fluid was as a child in Tassie. Like most kids no doubt, I would sneak over and suck the white frothy head off Dad’s beer on a hot summer’s day. Luckily it wasn’t hot in Tassie too often as the froth didn’t taste as good as it looked.


From then on beer was dead to me. Even when I turned 18 and left home for Uni and relocated to the bright lights of Hobart, I disliked it. Sorry; I detested it.

I thought back then that beer wasn’t much more than an older person’s drink, or something central (along with cigarettes) to footy and cricket advertising. Boonie or Border was rarely seen on TV in those days without a can in their hand…unless they were actually batting. Or such fond memories I had of Sticks Kernahan pouring a pot of beer over his impressive mullet the day after the 1987 Grand Final win! It looked mighty cool (even at 12), but I just didn’t like it. Couldn’t understand why people did.

I detested it.

To be fair I thought alcohol in general tasted like the depths of kitty litter. Couldn’t stand beer, didn’t like wine, didn’t really know what else there was to drink. That’s a serious issue when living in a share house and attending Uni.

Then something happened. Standing in the Uni Bar one Friday someone handed me a Midori and lemonade thinking I might at least like that. It was such a pretty colour! And it tasted, ummm sweet! Then I spied my mate across the bar holding a can of Cascade Pale Ale. I was in shock. He hated beer as much as I did! Once I finished the Midori and had my manhood back intact, I approached him. He said it was ‘delicious and tasted like apples!’ Apparently someone told him that you have to have 4 or 5 of them in a row, and then you suddenly like beer! Just like that.

It took a few weeks before I had the nerve to try 4 or 5 in a row…but my god they were right! Beer rocked. Or at least the last 4 or 5 glasses of VB I drank sure did rock! Whooo I liked beer!

With my beer virginity gone, there was so much to learn about drinking beer in the coming months, including:

·         Beer and ice cream can (and will) make you vomit.
·         Cheap beer and chocolate leaves a rather slimy bitter taste in your mouth.
·         Beer and exercise don’t go well together. Especially if you have the beer first.
·         Beer and the Hobart Show is not a match made in heaven. Wouldn’t wanna sit behind me on that ride.

Just like cheap meals and boring lectures at Uni, beer and the potential for vomiting seemed to go together in the early days. Yet there was still something unique and attractive about beer! At least on the way in…


I guess you have to start somewhere. Whilst Midori is probably not the place to start, I am pleased to say I have not had one since, but have had more than just a few beers.

I even stopped throwing up. Eventually…

Stay tuned folks. Next time I will be exploring the sporting like culture of beer. That is, the fierce rivalries involved in drinking particular brands of beer!

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Sunday 31 July 2011

The Quest for Beer

Beer. I love it.

There. I said it.

But I don’t mean in a Bogan kinda way. I’m not talking about constant thoughts of grabbing the cheapest slab and knocking off can after can after can. Getting more and more drunk. Or cranking up the BBQ at every opportunity and washing down a few snags with a 6 pack of XXXX Gold. No thanks. Mind you, been there plenty of times too. Well not with XXXX Gold, but you know what I mean.

I think of myself as more of a ‘beer appreciator’. Kinda like a wine connoisseur…but without the pretentiousness of many wine connoisseurs. Or even just the name connoisseur. Bit wanky that is.

My love centres on that search to try a beer I have never tried before. It’s a good love to have as there are millions of them out there. Okay, some I don’t want to try. A lager infused with 3 day old baby raspberries and with a hint of cinnamon doesn’t exactly float my boat. Especially if I am paying for it! Though I still recall that beer I grabbed off the shelf a couple of years ago with a nice looking red chilli floating in it…

I thought ‘Holy crap! I love beer! And I love chilli! Bring it on!’

Worst $5 I ever spent. Ever.

I’m not snobby enough to refuse a beer from a brewing giant such as CUB. I enjoy a Carlton Draught at the footy as much as the next person. And I really dig their advertising. But my real beer hunger is trying out hard to find microbreweries and downing craft beers from some dude (or chick) that no doubt started as a homebrewer and had the passion to turn that into a small business. Hats off to ‘em for taking the punt I reckon. I can relate to that; however I just don’t have the balls to throw in a well paid, cushy office job to try and do what they are doing. At the moment anyway…(that’s a joke Mrs Sweeney!).

Where was I? Something about why I love beer but explaining that I’m not a Bogan. I don’t even know if Bogan is spelt with a capital ‘B’. Surely I can’t be one then can I? Anyway, doesn’t matter…

I love the concept that beer comes in so many different styles. Granted, not everyone likes beer, but there is generally something for everyone. How many people say they love beer but don’t like stout? Heaps. Or hate real English ale. Plenty of them too. I don’t think there is a style I hate. Probably cos I don’t actually consider floating a chilli in your beer as a style. But I do appreciate all styles. There it is again – ‘appreciate’.

Then there’s food. So many beers accommodate food and vice versa. Stout with bangers and mash with gravy. Yum. Nice ale with cheese. Defo. Crisp golden lager with seafood. Gimme. XXXX Gold with sangas…well no not quite!

I’m even fascinated with the names and the labels. Why does ‘Golden Lager’ suddenly sound more tempting than just a straight out ‘Lager’? I know you can’t tell a book by its cover, but a label that someone has spent time and energy designing grabs my taste bud’s attention a hell of a lot more than one that looks like a 7 year old designed on a Pixma Label Printer. Then again those printers do look pretty cool…

Then there’s the whole yeastie, living goodness of beer. How fascinating is it that it’s pretty much alive; like a micro-organism in a glass! Anybody? Anyone? There’s a real science behind it. The fact it is tapped and poured under certain conditions and temperatures. Fascinating. Yet it doesn’t take rocket science to make at home. Love it!

And don’t get me started on the history of beer. No, really. Don’t get me started. History is rather boring. No place for history in this beer blog!

Anyway, hopefully I have explained myself. I know I don’t need to justify it to anyone…and that isn’t even the purpose of these slurrings. The purpose is to convince at least one person out there not to drink a friggin Chilli Beer! What? No, that isn’t it either. Consider this the beginning, or better still, the background or introductory chapter to my ongoing quest that is all things beer.


Stay tuned folks. Next time I will be winding back the clock a few years (I’m not that old!) to where it all began! Yep, when I put down the Midori and lemonade and first started drinking beer.

Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!