Four breweries in two states in one day – the best Thirsty Critters tour yet!
February 22, 2010
Last Sunday, Thirsty Critters embarked on our most ambitious tour yet! We visited no less than four breweries in two states, and had an amazing time doing it!
First stop on the day was Stone & Wood, where the ever-hospitable Ross and Brad showed us around their wonderful brewery.
Ross from Stone & Wood takes Thirsty Critters guests on a guided tour
There were some special treats for our guests – the first one being the inside word on their now-famous Draught Ale. It’s so popular that it’s moving beyond a purely draught beer, and has been bottled for distribution far and wide. We were privy to the first palettes chilling in the cool room, and a few of our guests were lucky enough to take some home!
4BC's Walter Williams enjoys some fresh Draught Ale straight from the fermenter
The second treat was something truly special – Ross and Brad let everyone drink some Draught Ale straight from the fermenter. This is not your everyday brewery tour experience! As a responsible tour guide, I couldn’t partake in any myself, and to say I was jealous was an understatement! But the look on everyone’s face assured me that they were thoroughly enjoying a beautiful, fresh, aromatic and tasty beer.
The new Byron Bay Brewery
After waving goodbye to the Stone & Wood lads we cruised around the corner to the new Byron Bay Brewery. Located in the old arts complex, the building has undergone a major facelift. There remains a cinema, huge outdoor area, and heaps of spacious seating. Newly arrived is all the brewing equipment and, bizarrely enough, a day spa! But it was the beer we were here for.
Lunch and beers at Byron Bay Brewery
Every guest was treated to a tasting glass of the five beers on tap – Premium Ale, Blonde, Pale Ale, Pilsener & Dark Lager. This was accompanied by a very tasty lunch, and there was not a single complaint amongst all the burgers, pizzas and salads devoured. The beer got the thumbs up too!
Cheers! Tasting beers at MT Brewery
After lunch and beers at the Byron Bay Brewery it was back in the bus and we headed back north into Queensland and up into the Gold Coast hinterland for a stop at MT Brewery. There was a lovely relaxed vibe up there, with some great entertainment from a solo guitarist busting out some some cool covers. The beer, as always, impressed everyone greatly, with special kudos going to their Yippy IPA and the new Blonde + Plus. Sadly, their renowned Black Cockatoo is now off the menu but apparently being replaced by something much better.
Ed pours some Settler's Ale at Eagle Heights Brewery
After our guests worked their way through their tasting tray, things got a bit impromptu. A suggestion by Matt Kirkegaard had us all getting back into the bus and swinging around the corner to Eagle Heights Brewery around 4.30pm. I think Ed, the affable and courteous gentleman behind Eagle Heights, was a bit surprised to see a group of 12 turn up so late in the day, but he was very generous in his hospitality regardless. He poured out a taster of their four beers on tap – Midstrength Pilsener, Pilsener, IPA and Settler’s Ale – and talked everyone through their composition and taste. He then led everyone down to his brewhouse for a tour of his small but efficient operation, grabbed a few of his bottled Witbiers out of the fridge and treated everyone to a taste of that too!
Ed in the brewhouse @ Eagle Heights Brewery
Needless to say, we headed down from the Mountain that afternoon as one very satisfied mob! Everyone was full of good beer cheer after a day of very special beery experiences!
Many thanks must go to Matt Kirkegaard who helped organise this tour – if you haven’t already, be sure to check out his latest venture Brews News. We’re organising another one like this in the very near future so if you’re keen, get in touch!
Almost all of these photos are courtesy Matt Kirkegaard – thanks Matt!
The Chief Thirsty Critter - a very happy tour guide indeed!
Is Queensland’s best pub in Toowoomba?
February 22, 2010
I found myself in Toowoomba the other day and so found an opportunity to finally check out the hallowed Spotted Cow pub. The Cow’s reputation as a bastion of good beer precedes itself and I’m a little ashamed it’s taken me so long to check it out! I will admit that my expectations were for a reasonably good pub with a range akin to the Platform Bar, but what I found was much more. While they don’t have as many taps as the Platform Bar, I was astounded at the three beers they did have on tap – Stone & Wood Stone Beer, MT 0909 Blonde and Meantime IPA!
Naturally, I treated myself to one of each, and they were all great – especially the Stone Beer.
What was even more surprising about the Spotted Cow was the beer selection in the fridge. Amongst the usual suspects there was – can you believe it – bottles of MT Brewery beers! Until now I’ve never seen MT beers in the fridge ANYWHERE… which makes the Spotted Cow a very special pub indeed!
The Spotted Cow is a great little pub which deserves it’s fine reputation for good beer. If you’re ever up on the range, drop in and enjoy a few cold ones!
The Hopping Mad Spectapular Beerfest @ The Local Taphouse, Sydney
February 12, 2010
A visit to the Local Taphouse in Sydney has been pretty high on my ‘to do’ list for a while now, and last weekend I finally made it down there. I was expecting to turn up, try a few of the varieties I’ve never had on tap, chill for a few hours and go home. Luckily for me, when I turned up I unexpectedly wandered straight into their Hopping Mad Spectapular Beerfest, which featured 20 additional hopped-up beers on tap. Needless to say, I started hyperventilating a bit, wondering whether this was some kind of ‘candid camera’ deal and had to tell myself to calm down.
The Taphouse knows how to throw a proper beer festival. In addition to simply having a great range of Australian and New Zealand beers on tap, they had booklets explaining each of the beers (ABV, IBU and prices) as well as info about the festival, hops, beer and responsible drinking practices! Mine made it home in a very tattered condition.
There was so many beers on tap, I neglected to keep track of what I tasted. I’d already worked my through at least half of them previously, and managed to taste the rest on the day. So I can now proudly say I’ve tried:
- Boatrocker Brewing Company ‘Alpha Queen’ American Pale Ale
- Bridge Road Brewers ‘Galaxy Single Hop IPA’ Single Hop India Pale Ale
- Feral Brewing Co ‘Fantapants’ Imperial Red Ale
- Holgate Brewhouse ‘Road Trip’ American India Pale Ale
- Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel ‘Three Sheets’ Golden Ale
- Mac’s Brewery ‘Hop Rocker’ Pilsner
- Red Duck Brewery ‘Bengal IPA’ India Pale Ale
- Stone & Wood Brewing Co ‘Draught Ale’
- Zierholz Premium Brewery ‘Hopmeister’ English Pale Ale
- Mountain Goat Brewery ‘Fancypants’ American Amber Ale
- Feral Brewing Co ‘Hop Hog IPA’ American India Pale Ale
- Colonial Brewing Company ‘Colonial IPA’ India Pale Ale
- Hargreaves Hill Brewing Co ‘Extra Special Bitter’
- Little Brewing Company ‘Wicked Elf Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale
- 3 Ravens ’55 APA’ American Pale Ale
- Burleigh Brewing Company ‘Duke Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale
- Epic Brewing Company ‘Epic Armageddon’ American India Pale Ale
- Murray’s Craft Brewing Co ‘Icon 2IPA’ Double IPA
- Epic Brewing Company ‘Epic Pale Ale’ American Brewing Company
For those who’ve never been to the Taphouse, it’s an essential stop on your next trip to Sydney. There’s a great vibe, friendly staff, good food, and it’s reasonably close to the city.
Next on the ‘to do’ list – the original Melbourne Local Taphouse in St Kilda! Hopefully later in the year.
Southern Tier beer tasting at Nectar, West End
February 1, 2010
The good people down at Nectar were kind enough to host a very special beer tasting event last Monday night at their store in West End. Southern Tier, one of the USA’s most respected microbreweries, is now available thanks to the gents at Innspire, and stocked at Nectar. Around 15 people were invited to sample the range currently available, and were also provided with some wonderful food courtesy of Fino.
The Southern Tier range is outstanding. It is wide and varied, covering many styles rarely available in Australia, and is top notch quality. Eight different varieties were on hand, listed below with tasting notes:
- Pale Wheat Ale – A very robust ale, quite different to what I was expecting, full of flavour, smooth and all-round lovely!
- IPA – A very fruity example of the style, very smooth and drinkable with no overwhelming bitterness. I’m not a fan of many IPAs but this one was enjoyed by everyone.
- Raspberry Porter – The real standout of the evening for me. A lovely round fruit flavour with a dry finish, less like a beer and “more like a Cherry Ripe” according to some!
- Old Man Winter Ale – Dark, warming and strong, like any good Winter Ale should be
- Iniquity Imperial Black Ale
- Cuvee Series Two – The most interesting beer of the night – lovely nougat and honey overtones
- Unearthly Imperial IPA – Much more intense than the standard IPA, with an ABV of 11%
- Choklat Stout Imperial Chocolate Stout – Thick and syruppy, but not sickly like other Chocolate Stouts I’ve encountered
The night was a great success, and an excellent introduction to the world of Southern Tier. I’d like to thank Carl and Mez for their wonderful hospitality, and Dave from Innspire for the beer. Go and buy a few bottles, you won’t regret it.
