My Top 10 - 2013

Howdy folks!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year…and all that.

As the year of 2013 comes to a close, it seems fitting to put together a countdown of sorts. Everybody loves a countdown and everybody loves beer (that’s right isn’t it?). So here are my favourite Top 10 Beers of 2013.

These aren’t necessarily new releases. Just the beers I really enjoyed drinking this year. A couple are newbies, some are old favourites and a couple are beers I’ve re-discovered this year for one reason or another. They may not even be my all time favourite beers…however in 2013 these guys got the nod.

Enough of that, let’s get to the beers that 2013 was all about for me…


Number 10

Rogue – Dead Guy Ale

Nationality – USA (Newport, Oregon)

Style – German Maibock       

ABV – 6.6%

An oldie but a goodie. This one makes the 2013 list as a re-discovery. Rogue beers have become widely available in Australia this year; making Dead Guy Ale easy enough to get your hands on.

The Ale is honey in colour and the biscuity malts aren’t subtle but they don’t mask the well balanced finish. Drink at Halloween if you want, or all year round. Or as we did, at the brewpub in Portland, Oregon!

I for one love the fact that I can (almost) easily get my hands on this beer in 2013!

Number 9 
Red Duck – Hoppy Amber

Nationality – Australia (Ballarat, Victoria)

Style – Amber Ale

ABV – 5.6%

Okay, I am clearly late to the party with this beer. It’s been around for a few years…but I just can’t get enough of it after discovering it in 2013. Maybe it was hidden behind all of Red Duck’s other beers. They do make a few!

It’s pretty much a hybrid of two of my favourite styles – IPA and Amber. There isn’t a lot to say…it is exactly what it is. It’s hoppy, it’s a bit malty (toffee) like any good Amber, but it’s also sessionable enough at 5.6% which isn’t too boozy; allowing you to have more than one. Or four. Don’t judge me.

Note – Red Duck plans to retire the Hobby Amber from its line up in 2014. I think I might chain myself to their brewery in protest. Boo.

Number 8

Brooklyn Brewery – Silver Anniversary Lager

Nationality – USA (Brooklyn, New York)

Style – Lager (Doppelbock)

ABV – 8.6%

Like all of Brooklyn’s ‘speciality’ beers, this comes in a 750ml bottle with a champagne type cork and was released early in 2013 to celebrate the New York brewery’s 25^th anniversary.

It might be called a ‘lager’ but it’s wonderfully complex. Re-fermented in the bottle, the beer is light copper in colour, has a fruity, hoppy aroma and almost surprisingly, is quite bitter and malty. To be honest, much like a top shelf champagne, it just tastes very special.

Number 7

Victoria’s High Country – Brewery Trail Rule 47

Nationality – Victoria (Collaboration - Bridge Road, Bright, Black Dog, Sweetwater)

Style – Abbey Tripel

ABV – 7%

This 2013 limited release beer is a Belgian inspired collaboration between the four Victorian high country breweries. It is an internationally inspired beer; Belgian in style, hops grown from the Victorian alpine region, malts from three continents and a Trappist yeast strain.

It pours rather light in colour but at 7% it is full of flavour with a high malt and hop profile. It is the added hop presence and strong malts that gives this beer its uniqueness; it’s a Belgian beer holidaying in the US. And I like it.   

Only one extremely technical and sophisticated word describes this beer….TASTY.

Number 6

Holgate Brewhouse – Beelzebub’s Jewels

Nationality – Australia (Woodend, Victoria)

Style – Oak Aged Belgian Style Quadrupel

ABV – 12.5%

The Prince of Darkness! What a beer. Strong, rich, malty. This is a special occasion beer. Aged in French oak it does have a complex ‘red wine feel’ to it but then the amazing malts take you to a whole other level.

In 2013 the 750ml bottle (sold for about $70 a pop) was re-released in smaller, 500ml bottles…kinda making it a new beer in 2013!

Skip dessert and instead grab this gold medal winning beer with some strong tasting cheese. Simply amazing.

Number 5

Stone Brewing Co. – Ruination IPA

Nationality – USA (San Diego, California)

Style – Imperial India Pale Ale

ABV – 7.7%

Incredibly hard to get (okay it basically isn’t available in Australia…legally); I am rating this beer based on a couple of recent trips to the US. A visit to Stone was an absolute highlight. I also spent a lot of 2013 thinking about Stone and this beer!

The Imperial IPA is a typical, first class West Coast IPA but everything is multiplied. Smashed with as many hops and malts as possible, and high in ABV, this is a real palate wrecker yet smooth and indulgent. It demands to be consumed with a massive rib eye.

Stone you brilliant, brilliant bastard.

Number 4

Hargreaves Hill – Phoenix

Nationality – Australia (Yarra Glen, Victoria)

Style – Imperial Red Ale

ABV – 9.3%

How do you describe this wonderful beer? How about ‘biscuit and caramel malted, ruby in colour and with a floral, pine hop finish’? Or just go with ‘wonderful’.

Brewed to mark the anniversary of Hargreaves Hill’s return to brewing after the original brewery was destroyed in the Black Saturday fires of 2009, this limited release was our beer of choice as midnight struck on New Years Day 2013. Unlike New Years Eve in general (overrated), the beer certainly wasn’t. Wonderfully luscious in all its amber, malty glory, if there is a better Imperial Red Ale around I want to drink it. Now.

Number 3

Black Dog Brewery - Leader of the Pack IPA

Nationality – Australia (Taminick, Victoria)

Style – India Pale Ale

ABV – 6.2%

Black Dog is in no way a household name in the craft beer scene, but this is due to change. Quickly. Their range of beers could be described as both hoppy and sessionable (i.e. perfect) and the Leader of the Pack IPA is no different. For mine, this is one of (if not the best) new-ish Australian IPA out there. Smashed with hops (Citra, Chinook, Cascade, Galaxy, Warrior, Simcoe, Stella, Columbus, Centennial and Nelson Sauvin…I did say smashed!), this is a malty, bitter and extremely floral beer.

In 2013 the brewery installed larger-scale brewing equipment, meaning this year they arrived as a serious player on the beer scene. Spread the word people. Spread the word.

Number 2
Mornington Peninsula Brewery – Russian Imperial Stout

Nationality – Australia (Mornington, Victoria)

Style – Imperial Stout

ABV – 9.5%

This gets better every year and this year’s winter release was superb.

As black as a beer gets with a lighter tan head, it is packed with complex chocolate and espresso flavours. The bitterness is there without overpowering the brew; this really does take some beating on a cold winter’s night. It’s ridiculously smooth and decedent and it smells magnificent.

Even better on tap, this is one to keep an eye out for every winter.

Number 1

Garage Project – La Calavera Catrina / Day of the Dead

Nationality – New Zealand (Wellington)

Style – Spicy Blonde Lager / Strong Black Lager

ABV – 6.9% / 6.7%

Maybe I’m biased by the fact we were in Wellington this year during the official launch of these two beers. Maybe because two versions of a beer is better than one. But either way these new releases lived up to the hype and are real stand outs of 2013.

These lagers were released in two styles - Day of the Dead (strong dark lager) and La Calavera Catrina (spicy blonde lager), but in no ways are they ‘boring lagers’ (as if they would be from Garage Project!).

La Calavera Catrina is the lighter of the two; a spicy blonde lager with rose water and slight watermelon flavours. But the chilli aftertaste gives this an amazing depth. Refreshing, a tad spicy and then that subtle warmth of chilli. It’s extremely morish!

Day of the Dead is a strong dark lager and unlike its ‘blonde sister’, has the added presence of cocoa giving it a darker, richer, smoky finish. Slightly less sessionable but more luxurious, this beer is pretty amazing.

Drink them with soft shell pulled pork tacos and you’ll see exactly why they came in at #1!

That's it! All in all another great year for beer...see you all in 2014!

Till then.

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Wellington. So much beer and wind…

Okay so the wife and I decided we wanted a long weekend away. Well…I was told we wanted a long weekend away. Preferably involving a passport.

Hmm. A short break overseas? From Australia. That pretty much means Asia…but with 7+ hours of flight time it isn’t really practical for a long weekend.

“What about New Zealand?” I said. “Remember, Wellington is meant to be great for craft beer. They host Beervana…!”

(For those not aware, Beervana is an annual craft beer festival and the biggest of its kind in New Zealand).

As fast as you could say ‘craft beer’ the trip was booked. Suddenly we were going to New Zealand’s windy city for four nights. Sounded like a good break and an opportunity to check out a city (and country for that matter) that we had never been to.

Planning the trip soon returned to the topic of beer and working out which of New Zealand’s breweries are actually in Wellington. Turns out some brilliant ones are there including Garage Project, Parrot Dog and Tuatara. Bonus. Even better - Garage Project and Parrot Dog are ‘downtown’ Massive bonus!

What we hadn’t realised was the number of dedicated craft beer bars that are actually in Wellington. Now we’ve been to the States and there is no way anything could rival Portland, Oregon. Or San Diego, California. No way. However Wellington appeared to be right up there. So much so the city has its own craft beer trail telling you which bars to go to for the best beer.

Purchase a pint at each venue and collect a stamp...get all 12 stamps and get yourself a t-shirt! Brilliant. How could this fail? (Remind me to tell you later exactly how this could fail…)

 Wellington's Craft Beer Trail Map

So off to Wellington we went. A ‘short’ 3 hours and 20 minutes later we landed in the Kiwi capital primed to check out our surroundings and find some of those craft beer bars (after all we did arrive at about 4pm Friday). But first it was a matter of clearing Immigration and Customs; where my wife told the friendly Immigrations Officer that we were ‘here to drink your craft beer’. Surprisingly after that, we were let in…

I won’t bore you with every beer of our Friday pub crawl, other than the next few hours were spent exploring the city and stumbling across the likes of Fork & Brewer, The Bruhaus, D4, Little Beer Quarter and The Tap Haus. That my friends, is 5 stamps on the trail map! Woohoo. We were well on our way to that t-shirt!

Alas we had our fill for one evening and called it a night. A big day was ahead of us exploring the city including the Botanical Gardens, riding the Cable Car and checking out the city’s Saturday craft market.

Long story short, we did all those things, and they were great (well the market was okay at best)…however this isn’t a travel blog. You want to know about the beer, right?

Well beer we did find…in the way of Parrot Dog and Garage Project breweries!

Parrot Dog Brewery

Whilst there is a lot to say about both, there are similarities in the sense that the sites are active, working breweries, they sell lots of merchandise, offer extensive tastings (free of charge!) and allow customers to fill up growlers for take away. Neither in fact have a licence to sell beer onsite. This meant no opportunity to sit back and watch the world pass by over a few beers at the brewery, but it didn’t matter. The quality of beer at both was outstanding.

Garage Project

Also outstanding was the fact that Garage Project was launching their new Day of the Dead beers on that very day! After trying both chilli infused brews at the brewery, staff told us to head over to Golding’s Free Dive Bar for the official launch. So head over we did! The ‘American style dive bar’ was a real highlight of the trip and a great craft beer venue. But it wasn’t on the beer trail map meaning no stamp and still no t-shirt. Boo!

But the Day of Dead through a tequila barrel sure made up for it! Smooth, rich and 11%

Golding's Free Dive Bar - Day of the Dead Launch

The next 48 hours involved a combination of sightseeing and touristy stuff (drinking a Tuatara APA after spotting the native tuatara at Zealandia Sanctuary was a highlight!), checking out some Kiwi scenery and eating and drinking. Oh yes, plenty more drinking…

Highlights of the latter included visits to more quality craft beer bars, including Malthouse and Hashigo Zake. Both were fantastic with a massive range of local and US craft beers, but it was Malthouse that struck a cord. A brief visit turned into a long afternoon session and the opportunity to talk beer with the bar staff (and a couple of American tourists). Just like being in Portland! Even found out that 50% of craft beer sold in New Zealand is sold in Wellington! We sure did come to the right place.

Oh and that would be two more stamps on the beer trail map thanks!

Unfortunately, that would also be the last two stamps on the beer map. We failed. A matter of too many venues and not enough time. And also geography. Some were scattered around the city a little too far; which became a massive effort when there is so many quality bars within short walking distance. Even some of the restaurants had ‘beer menus’ to rival the best bars in some cities.

I was crushed that I didn’t get the t-shirt…especially after finding out it had a great logo and design…sigh. But all was not lost! From out of nowhere my wife informed me that Malthouse was in fact SELLING the exact t-shirt! Why wasn’t I informed of this (8 stamps) earlier?!

 The Infamous T-Shirt Logo

Oh well, we had fun getting stamps and discovered a great little city in the process. And I got the t-shirt!

Wellington…we will be back. No doubt to attend Beervana in 2014!

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Portland. It Smells Like Amber Spirit

To a lot of people, especially those under 45, the word ‘nirvana’ relates to one of the biggest alternative rocks bands of modern times. However it also means a place or state characterised by freedom or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world. Thanks dictionary.com

In many ways the city of Portland (Oregon), in America’s Pacific Northwest, epitomises both uses of the term nirvana. The place is 90s grunge. Right down to the noticeable drug culture and uber cool, almost hippy feel. Locals sport sleave tatts, piercings are as common as the bicycles on the streets. T-shirts and jeans are the local dress code. It’s all very ‘Portlandia’.

Yet at the same time, the more traditional, spiritual meaning of the term is much more apt. Portland is characterised by its oblivion to pain, worry and the outside world. It has ‘achieved nirvana’ as they say. But I don’t mean nirvana in a socio-economic or even political sense. Go read a social science journal. I mean Portland has achieved what others cities can only dream.

Apologies to Munich and maybe Dublin, but Portland is a rare city that has achieved the ultimate nirvana. Beer nirvana! This is so bleedingly obvious locals even have a nickname for their great city...

Beervana.

Brilliant.

Let’s looks at why Portland, sorry I mean Beervana, has achieved beer nirvana.

Portland (let’s stick to the official name) claims to be a birthplace for craft beer in the United States. Quite possibly the ‘new world’. It was the early 1980s. Michael Jackson was number 1, Spielberg gave us ET and the beer scene was large corporate breweries like Budweiser. Portland had had enough and once appropriate legislative changes were made, brew pubs and breweries popped up everywhere. Today there is some debate as to whether Portland has the most breweries in the world, or simply the most per capita (London has recently claimed to also have the most breweries). Either way it doesn’t matter. They are everywhere in and around the city.

As a tourist to another city I would struggle to name another place that names one of city sections after the beer that is brewed there. The ‘Brewery Blocks’ within the arty, foodie Pearl District contains amongst other things:

- Rogue Public House
- BridgePort Brewing Company
- Deschutes Brewery

Okay so three breweries may not seem that big a deal, but credit where it’s due. In downtown Portland within a two or three block radius you have three of the ‘biggest and best’ craft breweries in the world. That sure is exciting.

Cross the Willamette River and it’s much the same. All within walking distance or at worse a short tram ride:

- Widmer Brothers Brewing

- Hair of the Dog Brewing

- Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

- Green Dragon Bistro & Brew Pub

- Cascade Brewing Barrel House

I mean come on; this is Disneyland for craft beer loving adults. By no means is that it either. There are some 40 breweries and brew pubs in the Portland area. That's a lot of good beer.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of other things to do and see in Portland other than beer hopping around the city (if you really must). There’s Powell’s Books – one of the best bookstores I’ve been to anywhere in the world. The amazingly decadent Voodoo Doughnuts....but even some doughnuts are made with beer supplied from Rogue Brewery. Likewise, Rogue makes a maple bacon doughnut flavoured beer. Brilliant! Sorry where was I? It came back to beer. There’s also Japanese and Chinese Gardens, Oregon forest. Oh and you know what they grow out beyond the forests? Hops! For the beer! Oops. I did it again.

In all seriousness however America’s Pacific Northwest is a renowned hop growing region and the quality of hops, water and barley all sourced locally is a major reason why so many breweries congregate in Portland.

I’ve seen a fair bit of the States. East Coast, West Coast, some parts in the middle. A number of cities are proud beer regions. New England. Seattle. San Diego is right up there. But nothing is quite like Portland. A walk around at night is a treat. Don’t like the brews at a particular brew pub? Fine. Take a 5 minute walk and go to another. And with so much good quality local craft beer available, regular bars, restaurants and hotels are almost forced to tap the very best. No Bud or Corrs Light around here folks.

The final point I’d like to make about Portland is that nickname again. Beervana.

Any city that actually debates what its beer related nickname should be is alright with me. Yes it’s officially ‘Rose City’ but the Portland Oregon Visitors Association promotes the city as either Beervana or Brewtopia. Posters in the city also dubbed it Brewtown. But in 2006 the Mayor of the city officially gave the city a new nickname - Beertown.

Really makes little difference what we call it.

What matters is Portland, Oregon has without a doubt achieved that illustrious state of nirvana. Beer nirvana.

And for that I will continue to toast Portland every time I raise a glass of delicious craft beer. Pioneers deserve such acknowledgement. Maybe you should toast them too.

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Randall? Is That You?

Folks, there’s a new kid in town. Well a relatively new kid anyway.

As if there needs to be another excuse to head to a microbrewery for a few brews, or a casual meal. Surely there’s dozens of reasons to do that already. The tasty, often hard to find beers should be enough to get you through the door alone.

But the emergence of a certain cylinder shaped device planted on the bar next to the beer taps has got my attention. What is this mysterious shiny thing? Is it for looks? Can I drink out of it? There doesn’t seem to be a way of getting into it yet it’s filled with…well I don’t know. Hops? Fruit? Cloudy brown liquid?

I initially didn’t know what these space aged devices were called. It seems that a specific brewery calls them one thing, another might call them something else.

What I do know is they are rare in these parts and no doubt expensive. I’ve only come across three of them. And considering the amount of breweries / bars around, that’s not many.

A bit of further research suggests they are called a ‘Randall’. Invented by the brilliant Dogfish Head Brewery in the US, they were looking for a way to make their 120 Minute IPA even more hoppy at a beer festival, way back in 2002.

So how does it work?

Despite looking rather mysterious, this little bad boy is simply an encased filtering device containing whatever the owners want to put in it. Let’s just say it’s filled with hops just like Dogfish Head invented it for. The device is attached to a particular beer on tap, so that when the beer is poured, it passes through the device to take on the additional flavours trapped within. Want more hops on the palette when you drink a Pale Ale? Pass the keg of Pale through the device. It’s like the beer has received a last minute tea bagging of flavour.

Fancy the Witbier with a bit more flavour? Maybe add some cut up fruit and spices to the device.

Brilliant.

Why am I so impressed?

As I said, there’s always a reason to go to a brewery. But, thanks to our US friends, there is officially one more reason. Yes, you can still drink that Pale Ale on tap at a particular brewery, but if they also run it through the ‘Randall’ then a whole new, additional beer has been created. A beer you will never drink again, and certainly never be able to find bottled. Re-visit said brewery and gone are the hops from the device. Suddenly a dark coffee and vanilla like substance has been added and their Stout is being passed through it. Just like that, a brand new, unique beer has been created on the spot. A brand new beer that I just must try…!

As mentioned, I’ve come across three of these devices recently. All seem to be slightly different. All three have their own unique name. Whilst none have been introduced to me as Randall, they all operate pretty similarly to the Dogfish original.

Temple Brewery in Melbourne’s northern suburbs has recently attached two devices and dubbed them ‘Fat Boys’ (one for each bar). The Fat Boys are the biggest and certainly the widest of the ones I’ve seen, so the name is pretty apt. It was filled with East Kent Goldings hops with their ESB passed through it when I visited last. The ESB is a great beer as it is, but the hops made it extra, extra special!

The second of the devices is at Mornington Peninsula Brewery down in Mornington, Victoria and is called the ‘Tardis’. This one has been there for a bit and was recently encased with lemons and attached to their Witbier, however they do change it often enough depending on what beer they attach it to.

Thirdly, I came across one in Hobart at the New Sydney Hotel. Nicknamed the ‘Hopinator’, this one was full of hops, plums and spices. The owner of the pub seemed pretty impressed with what he’d stuffed in there, and it made a local stout more like a Christmas Ale. According to the pub, the ‘Hopinator’ is the only one in Tassie.

So beer folks, as you can see I’m rather taken with the ‘ol Randall…or Fat Boy…Tardis…Hopinator. Whatever people want to call it, it is a brilliant invention. Whilst it gives me ideas of creating a little tea bag of hops and flavours and adding it to my glass of homebrew IPA at home…I probably should just accept that it won’t be as good, and keep heading to breweries with one installed.

They might be expensive to install, but as a beer enthusiast, they are well worth it I reckon!

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Bull at a Holgate

Approximately 45 minutes drive north west of Melbourne is the quaint little Victorian town of Woodend.

Sitting proudly at the end of the main street the brewery is rich in history. Originally operating as The Commercial Hotel, it was a popular stopover for horse drawn carriages between Melbourne and Bendigo during the Gold rush years.

Now it’s a bloody good stop over for craft beer enthusiasts. 

I originally visited the brewery with my wife in 2009 as a curious beer drinker on a casual days drive to the area. Thanks to Holgate and their range of brews, that day turned into an overnight trip, and nearby accommodation was required to avoid a beer fuelled drive home. That wouldn’t be such a good idea.

The grand Holgate Brewery is very much multi purpose. Operating as a brewery, it is also a bit of a ‘local’ for…well…locals. It has a fine restaurant (more on that later) and upstairs even has 10 refurbished rooms for B&B style accommodation.

The latest visit to the brewery was a little more civilised. Lunch with my wife and parents. I won’t go into the food details too much but I do want to say that the meal was a complete surprise. Breweries often favour simple meals to accompany the beers. Wood fired pizzas for instance. Nothing wrong with that, but at Holgate there is real emphasis on a relaxed, high quality lunch. Beer is certainly not the only reason to visit.

You have the choice of ordering from the Bar Menu – usual pub fare such as fish and chips, parmas, bangers and mash etc, or as we did, sit in the restaurant area and dine on eye fillet, pork belly, mixed grill or game burgers. Beer is ever present in the ingredients and I do have to say, the ‘beer garlic bread’ was divine.

A lot of breweries in Australia are very much pitched at the beer drinker. Well of course they are. Stupid thing to say. But after lunch at Holgate I left thinking the place is perfect for anyone. No non beer drinker could seriously groan at being taken there when the food is that good. Besides, the well stocked bar offers plenty of wine and spirit options.

Anyway, enough about the food and history lesson. Holgate has a reputation for making one of the country’s most highly acclaimed dark beers, but also constantly produce seasonal beers of extremely good quality. As usual, we opted for the beer paddle so we could try everything on offer. Here’s a run down of the beers…

Pilsner (5.1%)

To me, Pilsners are a pretty small step from lagers and are only just on the craft beer scene. They are often described as a ‘session beer’ and are brewed for easy drinking. Holgate’s version certainly fits that description but is malty and hoppy enough to be a pretty damn good attempt. Rather Bavarian. Nice work.

Mt. Macedon Ale (4.5%)

Another ‘session beer’ to an extent, the Ale is very much Euro malts meets US hops. And it works. Goes down easily enough and is just a little complex on the pallet; meaning it will pretty much please all beer style drinkers.

Brick Kiln Road – Wheat Beer (5.0%)

Another homage to Bavarian beer, the wheat beer is very much what you’d expect – low on the hops and high on the yeasty, fruity taste. No ignoring the clove and banana aftertaste. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of wheat beers (largely due to disliking the taste of banana), but credit where it’s due. This was high quality and easy to drink. My non-beer drinking Mum even liked the taste of this one!

Gruit Expectations (6.0%)

I hadn’t previously come across this beer, and have to say it epitomises craft beer. It’s unique and complex in every way, and very tasty. It’s based on their Belgium Blonde recipe, but uses herbs and spices instead of hops. Like drinking a beer from the days of medieval brewing. This is one to be enjoyed whilst watching Game of Thrones…

ESB (5.0%)

Holgate’s version of the classic English style ale is a complete winner. It quite literally is, as it’s won numerous awards over time. Along with Hargreaves Hill’s version, this would be my favourite ‘local’ ESB. English hops and crystal malts…it’s English. Special. And just a little bitter.

Hopinator (7.0%)

Wow. That’s all I’ve got. Wow. Our visit was the first time I’d tried the Hopinator and I’ve been drinking it ever since. Since my wife and I visited the US in 2011 we have been drawn to US style, big hopped IPAs or even better, double IPAs. Reminded me of Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum or Torpedo, to say you can really taste the floral/citrus hops would be a massive understatement. A brilliant beer for hop lovers.

Temptress (6.0%)

What can be said about the chocolate porter that hasn’t already? It’s award winning and highly rated (regularly features in the top 5 of the annual Critic’s Choice Top 100 Australian Beers). Cocoa, coffee and vanilla beans…it’s all in there. No Winter should pass without having at least one Temptress.

Double Trouble (8.0%)

A Belgium style Abbey Ale, at 8% this one has an immense alcoholic kick but is brilliantly smooth. Toffee flavour with a hint of rum, this is very much a sipping beer to be enjoyed over a massive wedge of cheese. Well named (it matters); this was very much enjoyed, even without the cheese. 6 pack to go thanks!

Anyway, that’s probably enough for me. In summary, Holgate Brewery is an awesome place to visit for either a quiet drink or a delicious meal. Even better, do both and stay the night!

Can’t wait to go back.

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Be True to the Beer in Mornington

Be true to the beer and those who drink it.

That’s the motto of Mornington Peninsula Brewery and it couldn’t be more apt. Create great beer and in turn reward loyal drinkers. And boy, they sure are creating great beer!

Set in a fairly non-descript industrial street off the highway in Mornington goes to show how serious they are about creating great beer. Sure, the owners could have spent millions on a seaside block at the end of Mornington’s main street, but that would create a false impression that their main priority is to run some sort of fine dining tourist attraction. It’s not. Creating great beer is the number one priority.

That said the set up inside Mornington Brewery is excellent. Open in 2010, the brewery boasts a large courtyard outside, plenty of space in front of the bar, an additional (more relaxed) area upstairs with couches, and best of all, the operating brewery is set behind the bar for all to see. Ask nicely enough and you’ll get a walk around / short tour of the equipment. Beer geeks rejoice.

The only food on offer at the brewery is more than adequate – wood fire pizzas made to order. In fact they are great quality and go ridiculously well with their hop slapped beers. My wife and I loved them. There are even a few hops in the bases of the pizzas…another win!

As for the brews, Mornington Brewery has a real US craft beer feel to it. Lots of Pales and IPAs. As a fan of US craft beer, this is a damn good thing.

Here’s a run down of their beers. All simply named, no gimmicks or quirky names, just really good beer that grabs your attention. Just like the brewery’s medieval logo featured on all the labels…

  

Witbier (4.7%)

A Belgian style wheat beer, this version is refreshing and goes down pretty easily. It’s a bit more ‘citrus and spice’ than some wheat beers. I’m not a huge wheat beer fan, but I can acknowledge that when they are good they are really good, and I certainly enjoyed this one. 

Pale (4.7%)

An American style Pale Ale this one is a cracker. Not too hoppy it could almost be described as a ‘session beer’. That said the American hops and malts are easily recognisable. Those after a Pale where the hops kick you in the teeth may not rush to this one; however it is a very fine, easy drinking brew.

IPA (6.2%)

What to say about the IPA? Like the Pale it is an American style brew and one of their best. It’s a great step up from the Pale with more hops and fruity bitterness. It’s my favourite brew of their regulars, but just be warned if driving to the brewery and ‘having a few’. At 6.2% it won’t take too many to put you over 0.05. 

Brown (5%)

This one is actually an English style Brown rather than an American Brown. It’s full of English malts with a tasty toffee flavour. It’s a lot smoother than what you might expect making it a year round brew rather than one to keep aside for the cooler months. I’m loving Browns like this more and more.

Porter (6 %)

Another fine English style beer, the Porter is dark brown with a tan coloured head. It’s pretty easy to detect the chocolate and malty aroma and taste. The brewery describes the beer as ‘rich, silky smooth and moreish’. I concur! Especially during a long cold Melbourne winter.

Specials

The great thing about any good microbrewery is the ever changing specials, seasonal brews and one offs. Mornington is no exception. At the time of my recent visit two brilliant IPA based beers were available to taste.

Imperial IPA (8.5%)

At 8.5% this monster IPA is big. In every way. It’s fruity bitter with stacks of American hops, yet despite the bitterness the malts makes it rich and tasty. Pouring a dark, burnt orange in colour it’s one of the better attempts at an imperial / double IPA. There’s a lot going on in there, but there’s definitely a lot to like.

White IPA (6.3%)

A newcomer to the beer scene in Australia, a White IPA is pretty much what you get if an American style IPA got it on with a Belgian Witbier. Whilst the combo may seem strange it really does work. With the light citrus wheat flavours of the Witbier combined with the hops and bitter goodness of the IPA, it’s a match made in Euro-US heaven. Like Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, it somehow works.

That’s it folks. If you still aren’t sold, the brewery also has live music sessions on Sunday afternoons. Stop reading and go. Now. Or Sunday if you like. I might be there too.

Mornington Peninsula Brewery

72 Watt Road

Mornington VIC 3931

www.mpbrew.com.au

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Whine and Dine

Okay so I'm a little peeved and need to get this off my chest.

I love a good beer and do enjoy going out to restaurants with my wife. Fine food, tasty beverages, what a great night out. Well no actually. Not at all unless I plan on drinking wine. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that (I love wine as much as the next person), my issue is with beer and the fact I am rarely able to enjoy good beer with a great meal in the vast majority of restaurants.

Whilst the consumption of craft beer is increasing and microbreweries and boutique beer dedicated bars are popping up around the place, the beer options on drink menus in restaurants is consistently a disgrace.

This was highlighted recently during a meal in a very good restaurant in Melbourne. We simply did not feel like wine, especially after a couple of quality beers before hand at Beer Deluxe. So, hopeful there might be a decent beer option to have with dinner I asked what beers they had available. Sadly I should have guessed:

• Carlton Draught
• Pure Blonde
• Crown Lager
• VB
• Cascade Premium Light
• Asahi
• Heineken

What a great idea. Add two recognisable foreign beers and 'everyone should be happy'. So typical of most restaurants. Why is it that when a restaurant plans a menu it takes the time to consider its wine list almost as much as the food itself; making sure various wine options and styles are considered. The restaurant in question had dozens of wine options with a pretty extensive Victorian selection. That's great. Yet putting together the beer list read like they had 30 seconds to come up with something. And its pretty much the same everywhere. I have sat in some of the best restaurants in Melbourne and been saddened at the beer options on their menu. As a beer drinker I think it detracts from its 5 star status.

How can a restaurant charge hundreds of dollars for a meal and offer up Carlton Draught (for example) as a beer option? It would be like merging Vue De Monde with McDonald's. Makes no sense to me.

Any beer enthusiast would know how well good beer can and should be matched to food. Some restaurants (such as Josie Bones in Collingwood) make the effort to ensure guests can drink excellent beer with great food, but that is such a rarity. The recent Brooklyn Brewery Degustation Dinner during Good Beer Week also showed how easily (and well) beer can be matched with food.

I understand that in a standard pub the majority of beer taps are going to be dedicated to the corporate giants. Fosters/CUB in Melbourne, Toohey's in Sydney and so on. There's various reasons why this occurs, most of them economical. But surely a restaurant has much more freedom to stock the beers they want on their menu? By all means offer Carlton Draught or Crownies if people are asking for them, but why on earth can't a selection (even a small one) of decent craft beer be on the menu? Make it regional if they like so tourists and locals get to try some of that state's finest ales. Restaurants bother doing that with wine don't they? It's good for the restaurant, it's good for the breweries, it's good for the economy...right?

But no. Restaurants continue to have a 1980s attitude that beer is a beverage best suited to pubs where cheaper is better and its primary purpose is to get people drunk. It doesn't really sit well in restaurants but the odd person (especially older, overweight males from previous generations) will probably ask for a beer with their meal because they don't drink wine, so we better stock a few generic, bland brands. But lets impress the sheila with plenty of good wine selections...

My gut feel is that the beer options in a number of good restaurants is getting worse not better. This is despite the increasing availability of good beer. Go to the website of any decent restaurant and 99% of the time you'll find the lunch/dinner menu and the wine menu. It's so irrelevant to the restaurant that the beer selection isn't even mentioned most of the time, when it could be a selling point! I've given up even checking for it on menus before going to a restaurant.

It's highly annoying that at home I know how well a Two Birds Brewing Golden Ale goes with Thai food. Or a Holgate Temptress with chocolate pudding. Or a Red Hill Imperial Stout with oysters. But that's okay, beer at a fine dining establishment seems to mean pork belly with Carlton Draught, wagyu beef with well, Carlton Draught or seared salmon with...well you get the idea. Thought I was in a restaurant not sitting at the football.

No wonder I stick to wine every time. Such a shame really...

Anyway rant over, I'm out of breath. Until next time!

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Life’s too Short to Drink Bad Beer

It’s Friday 11 May 2012.

In Victoria, that means the start of Good Beer Week. How very awesome. Dozens and dozens of beer events, tastings, beer infused dinners, festivals, brewery showcases…

That said, this blog is not about Good Beer Week. That speaks for itself.

In fact this blog isn’t really about anything. You may call it the ‘Seinfeld of blogs’.

With Good Beer Week only hours from starting this seems an apt time to flog the merits of craft beer and stick the boot into bland corporate swill. Quite frankly, life is too short to drink bad beer. Seriously, just because it’s made cheap and therefore sold cheap(ish) and is widely available, does not justify drinking it by choice.

Yeah craft beer can be a little expensive. But as a beer drinker there is nothing better than exploring craft beer, trying different styles and types and learning what suits your palate. I guarantee that once you realise how nice a good IPA or Red Ale is, the thought of drinking a ‘pot of draught’ will make you reach for a red wine. I mean, did any hops even die for that beer?

Despite a drop in beer consumption in Australia over the past decade, the sale of craft beer is increasing roughly at 3% per annum. That’s a great start but could be a lot better. Australia is a good decade behind the United States in terms of the number of craft breweries, sales and how craft beer is simply a part of the local beer drinking psyche.

Not convinced you should put down that generic lager which is on tap everywhere and reach for a beer with actual taste and flavour? Well let me put it in perspective for you by comparing it to that other major alcoholic beverage that most of us enjoy…wine.

Let me set the scene. You’re partial to a wine and therefore like everyone, make the effort to know what you like. It might be Shiraz, Pinot or Sav Blanc. You also know a few wineries that you enjoy and therefore make the effort to look for them when in the bottle shop. Maybe it’s a State or a Region you trust. Either way, most people have a maximum amount they want to spend on wine but wouldn’t touch the $5 bottle just because it’s cheap, or because you see it around everywhere like it’s soft drink. You assume it will taste like vinegar, right? So why on earth do you treat beer with such discontent and accept the cheap, tasteless shit as the ‘preferred choice’? Don’t be so lazy and show a bit of respect to your taste buds!

And hey, supporting small business is cool too right? What’s more enjoyable than realising that tasty Ale comes from Bright or Mornington Peninsula? Suddenly you have a damn good excuse for a weekend away! Sell it as a romantic getaway if you have to, but just do it!

Deep breaths Todd, deep breaths.

Anyway, enough from me…see you all over a glass of tasty, flavoured beer…

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

Beer - The Anticipation

Yeah okay, sounds like a corny line from a VB or Carlton Draught commercial. Or even Guinness for that matter!

Let me explain…

Enjoying good beer is a bit like looking forward to something special. Christmas morning. Carlton winning the flag. My wife’s Malaysian Chicken Curry. Being handed a briefcase full of cash. All exciting things! Gone are the days for me where drinking beer was something to do just for the sake of it.

Now I generally get excited about drinking good craft beer and seeing as I have been thinking about this for some time, I think I should try and put it in writing.

Here are some of those exciting things that I think you just don’t get with other tasty beverages. And more importantly, here’s a list! Woohoo, I love a good list…

• Beer Deluxe. If you’re a lover of good beer and you haven’t been to Beer Deluxe then I am just speechless. Yes there are some other great craft beer joints around – Mrs Parmas, The Taphouse etc but Beer Deluxe is special to me as it’s located at Fed Square in the heart of the city where I work. These days it’s my must visit place for a good beer before heading to the footy or dinner. Whilst personally there is room for more beer taps (cos I’m greedy) than what they have (or at least don’t repeat the same beer over more than one tap), I do get mighty excited knowing I’m heading to Beer Deluxe for a beer. It’s the anticipation of what they might have on tap that night.

• Purvis Cellars. Purvis is also special to me as it is my main source of drinking craft / international beer at home. Since having a dedicated cupboard for craft beer, trips to Purvis (or for that matter Slow Beer) have gotten a little bit more interesting. These days a few beers at home ‘whilst watching the footy’ means sampling the highest quality Pales, IPAs or Red Ales. Now that’s worth looking forward to!

• Brewery visit. Bridge Road in Beechworth, Bright Brewery, True South in Blackrock, Holgate in Woodend, Temple in Brunswick East, Mornington Brewery in umm Mornington, a trip to the Yarra Valley or Red Hill…is there anything more exciting than lunch and beer at a local brewery? During the dreary winter months of Melbourne unless I’m watching the mighty Blues, nothing beats a planned trip to a brewery. The anticipation literally kills me! Okay it doesn’t but you know…

• Seasonal brews. Possibly the best thing to anticipate about craft beer are the seasonal / speciality beers. For instance, here in Victoria at the moment we have Bridge Road and Mikkeller’s Dark Harvest, Mountain Goat and Mikkeller’s The Gypsy & The Goat and Temple and Weihenstephan’s Unifikator. In America, beer fans are known to queue overnight at their favourite brewery for the release of a speciality beer. Many breweries create a speciality beer to match the season such as Summer Ale or Pumpkin Ale (for Fall/Halloween) and the beers simply aren’t brewed outside those seasons. Now that’s something to anticipate!

• New Brewery / Brew. Nothing quite like the anticipated launch of a new brewery or for that matter a new permanent beer from an existing brewery that you know and enjoy. A couple I'm currently looking forward to - the second brew from Two Birds Brewing (a Red Ale to follow up the great Golden Ale) and the wider availability of beers from newbie Black Dog Brewery. Cannot wait.

• Homebrew. Oh the anticipation. Look I’m not a great homebrewer. I think it comes out alright and others seem to like the beer (or are at least very polite), but there’s nothing quite like the anticipation as the bottles sit for a month before cracking into them. At the moment a Boston Red Ale sits in the dark cupboard seductively telling me to take its top off. Anyway, I look forward to having one…

• Good Beer Week. It’s nearly here! Good Beer Week in Victoria runs 12 to 19 May 2012 with 50 events around the state. Think Comedy Festival but for beer. Cept there’s nothing funny about this. I’m heading to ‘The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular’ – where the Royal Exhibition Building will resemble a massive craft beer hall. The exciting thing is there will be 60 beers brewed specifically for the event! Unavailable anywhere else! I’m also attending the ‘Brooklyn Brewery Degustation Dinner’ at Beer Deluxe. Having been to the brewery when in New York in 2011, this one is just a little exciting too! I can barely wait!

 

Whether it’s a specific event that doesn’t come around that often like the Good Beer Week, or just stumbling across a new craft brew that you are yet to try, the anticipation with good beer cannot be denied.

And for that maybe those corny VB or Carlton Draught ads are actually right. Just a shame about the beer…

Stay tuned folks.

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

This Bushranger Knows his Beer

The minute you walk into Bridge Road Brewers just behind the main street of Beechworth you are greeted with dozens of references to Ned Kelly. Posters, signs, t-shirts. The image of ol' Ned on their beer labels isn’t by accident or coincidence.

Ned certainly adds charm to your visit. You are after all in Victoria’s high country where Australia’s most famous bushranger once did his thing. However if the brewery was actually around in the mid to late 1800s, Mr Kelly would have been a whole lot easier to catch. This place screams afternoon session. Avoiding it is…well, just stupid.

In terms of the brewery itself, you have the option of sitting inside near the bar (where you can look lovingly at brewing tanks and take in that familiar smell of a brewery) or outside in the spacious courtyard. Many ‘small’ breweries get the visiting experience completely wrong despite how good their beer is. Some are in the strangest setting such as an industrial or manufacturing area, which leaves you just a little flat. Bridge Road nails it. Beechworth itself couldn’t be a cosier town and the brewery is perfect for a family lunch, boozy afternoon or pre dinner drinks. Or all three as we did!

Quite simply it’s a damn good brew pub to visit. There’s an impressive pizza menu and leave room for one of their giant pretzels with dipping sauce. Goddamn…

One of the main highlights is the range of beer available. Whilst a lot of craft microbreweries produce 4 or 5 brews, Bridge Road puts out 7 regular beers, 3 beers under their Chevalier range and numerous seasonal / specials. Many of the regulars started out as specialty beers but simply took off and are now available all year round. That’s a credit to them in itself! Considering the quality of their beer it really is hard to believe the brewery has only been open since 2005!

With such a wide range of beers (which obviously try and appease the ‘I only drink lager so what should I get’ drinker right through to the seasoned craft beer drinker), the best thing to do first time is get a tasting paddle. Interestingly you can choose how many beers you’d like on your paddle (one, four, six, eight or ten) but we weren’t going anywhere in a hurry and certainly weren’t driving so we opted for the paddle of ten…each!

Here’s a run down of their beers –

The Regulars…

Hefe Weizen

A German styled wheat beer, this one isn’t at all bad. I’m personally not the biggest fan of wheat beers as I find they usually lack a bit of a hop kick and the banana/citrus hit doesn’t do a lot for me, but I can certainly appreciate the attempt. Would certainly go down with the giant pretzel (I wouldn’t know, the pretzel was demolished well before I tried the beer!).

Australian Ale

The brewery describes this as the perfect introduction to craft beer, and that’s exactly what it is. Think lager but with plenty of flavour, it would appeal to drinkers who are a bit ‘scared’ of most craft beers often loaded with hops and malt. A great session beer on a hot day, I suspect it sells very well on tap at the brewery!

Chestnut Pilsner

Pale and crisp the pilsner is actually brewed with local chestnuts (or so they say!). This is another beer that suits summer months and lager drinkers as it’s very approachable. I’d never tried this beer before visiting the brewery as I rarely seek out pilsners but I must say I was very impressed with this effort.

Beechworth Pale Ale

Hello hops! I would describe this pale as US in style. Full flavoured and plenty of hops like Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale or similar. Good pales have plenty of aroma and this one was stacked full of it. We ended up in a pub later that night and I found myself ordering this beer.

Bling India Pale Ale

I’m currently going through quite the ‘IPA phase’ and Bridge Road’s Bling doesn’t disappoint. Malty, hoppy, this is a big, brash IPA. Loads of aroma, IPA lovers will surely love it. Also check out their speciality (often milder) IPAs including the now widely available Galaxy IPA.

Robust Porter

First thing that hits you with this porter is the chocolate and coffee aromas. The second thing is the chocolate and coffee taste! This is a cracking Porter, which would obviously be suited to the colder months. Would go down a treat with English style pudding or as the Irish do - fresh shellfish. Bring on winter.

Celtic Red Ale

Hard to have a favourite with so many high quality beers but this one would have to come close. This also started out as a speciality beer to celebrate Beechworth’s annual Celtic festival. It’s now a staple and it’s easy to see why. Very malty, very Irish, very yummy!

The Chevalier Range…

Biere De Garde

Spicy, toffee, fruity, this is a big dark, Belgium/French style ale. A tad sweet this isn’t a beer to have to start your night! It’s a nightcap beer or would suit desserts or I’d be keen to try it with stinky cheese. Any excuse really.

Hefe Weizen Dunkel

Slightly dark in colour, this Bavarian styled brew has a strong aroma of spice, citrus and banana. Lots of banana. Goes down very smoothly…this is a quality beer even though style wise it isn’t the type of beer I’d usually go for. 

Saison

Australian microbreweries seem to have a love of Saison at the moment and this one is one of the best. Ranked #5 in the ‘Critics Choice Top 100 Beers 2011’ and you can see why. Their take on the classic Belgium ale is a real winner. Light, amazing aroma, yeasty and just a little tart. A Saison like this can be anything – food accompaniment, wine replacement. Do yourself a favour as Molly would say, and go and try this beer.

The Specials…

Far too many to mention and ever changing, a real highlight of this brewery is the range of speciality ‘one off’ beers that they produce. Pride of Ringwood IPA, Stella IPA, Summer IPA, India Saison, Dog’s Breakfast, B2 Bomber…the list goes on and on! I’d love to say more but this blog is already long enough and if I haven’t convinced you to go out and try anything (or everything) donning the Bridge Road label then I have already failed!

Admittedly Bridge Road’s beers are widely available in bottle shops that stock a range of craft beer, and often on tap in places like Beer Deluxe in Melbourne. But the 3 hour drive from Melbourne (7 from Sydney) gives you a much greater appreciation of this already impressive brewery.

Owner Ben Kraus has done a fabulous job with his beers and you just know he’s only going to get even better, which is a massive win for us craft beer lovers. Can’t wait to see what they produce next!

Till then,

Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!