Barley wine, schapps & alpacas: Another great day up at Mt Tamborine
April 21, 2010
Last Saturday I saddled up in the Thirsty Critters bus and toodled on down to Roma Street to pick up my tour guests for the day. I thought I was taking a group of middle-aged women from a social club up to Mt Tamborine for the day. As I pulled up the bus and got out to collect my guests, a group of 8 very close friends of mine walked towards me. “Oh no,” I thought, “my mates have rocked up for an impromptu tour and I have no space left on the bus!”
Of course, there were no middle-aged ladies coming on the tour, my mates had set up an elaborate surprise in conjunction with my trusty (and sneaky) partner. Needless to say I was delighted – and apparently the look on my face said it all.
All aboard!
It was a glorious day for a tour last Saturday, with clear skies and sunshine the whole day. We scooted straight up to the mountain and settled in at MT Brewery, where the ever-hospitable Callum served several rounds of beer – all of which were well appreciated by my mates, who have developed a taste for quality beer at recent times.
After lunch at MT – their bar lunch menu is very reasonably priced and excellent food – we headed round to one of the newer stops on the Thirsty Critters itinerary, Tamborine Mountain Distillery.
The Distillery is an amazing place – a European-style cabin tucked away in North Tamborine, with beautiful forested surrounds. Exactly the kind of place you’d expect a distillery to exist! The staff are very hospitable and knowledgeable, the range of liquors is immense, and there’s a small shop with Russian-themed miscellania to purchase (the proprietors are Russian… of course). All of my guests sample dozens of different types of vodka, schnapps and absinthe, and purchased plenty of bottles for later consumption. The Distillery is a compulsory stop on any Tamborine tour from here on in!
Our final stop was Eagle Heights Brewery. My guests had already had a brilliant time, but the best was yet to come. Everyone took a seat along the bar while Brett talked them through the Eagle Heights Range, and everyone was blown away by the quality of the beer – so much so that they bought several cartons of beer to take with them.
As an added bonus, everyone got a sneak preview of Eagle Heights’ new seasonal beer, which nobody had tried before – Bulletproof Barley Wine. As the driver, I didn’t get to taste any, but by all accounts it is going to be a hit.
As we headed back down the mountain the guests called for one more beer, so we stopped in at the homely Bearded Dragon pub at the base of the mountain. Along with a couple of final drinks, we also found time to feed the alpacas and deers out the back. A great finish to a truly wonderful tour.
Thirsty Critters has tours running to Mt Tamborine and Byron Bay in the coming weeks, so if you’re keen on joining us – get in touch!
