Tag: Australia

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Sports & A Beer – Women’s World Cup

There has been some bad vibes from the 2023 WWC. Loads of injured players who couldn’t play. Teams feuding with coaches. Pay being a omnipresent concern.

Granted, there were a lot more concerns with the Qatar World Cup on the Men’s side but I have come to expect shady, un-fun aspects to the boys.

The positive part of me sees this as growing pains. For too long, too many issues were considered no concern. Pay, as I said at the top, being first and foremost on the long list but poor playing surfaces, sexism, predatory coaches and even shorts were a problem. Literally, this year, 2023, press was made of decisions to have kits with anything other than white shorts.

But the expanded field of teams has shown parity as favored teams have looked human and the plucky Morrocan side made the knockout round and had a player in uniform while still obeying religious clothing rules.

Maybe these bad vibes are needed to get us and FIFA to change for the better.

Now, to drink. I would say g’day to a big ol’ can of Fosters Lager but maybe a better choice would be to find a pale ale or session IPA with some of those NZ hops to toast the Kiwis who didn’t make it out of group play.

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Women’s World Cup Brewery # 2 – Black Hops Brewery

Who wouldn’t like a brewery with a first beer of eggnog stout? The three mates who started Black Hops Brewing now have three locations in Burleigh Heads, Biggera Waters & East Brisbane.

Let’s head to my taster tray…

Code Red – “A 6.2% classic American Red Ale. Rich toffee malt body and minimal yeast character. Winner of the Champion IPA title at RQFW Awards 2019 & 2022.

Foreverland – “Big pithy grapefruit and citrus dominates the aroma and flavour with a smooth, soft hazy malt bill to balance it out. Perfect for these warmer days.”

Red Velvet – “This Dessert Porter brings to life the intricate flavours of a red velvet cake. Savour each sip, where the fusion of cake and beer creates an epic taste adventure worthy of celebration. Raise your glass to HQ’s 7th Birthday and toast to a truly unforgettable experience. “

Untamed – “Capturing the wild spirit of the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, this NZ IPA commands a lineup of 100% NZ hops. Expect gritty bitterness, juicy tropical fruit and citrus aromas with a subtle malt body. “

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Women’s World Cup Brewery Tour – # 1 – Boatrocker Brewers and Distillers

Our first stop in Australia this month is in Braeside and specifically Macbeth Street for Boatrocker Brewers and Distillers.

Founded in 2009 by Matt & Andrea Houghton after a time where their beers were brewed elsewhere, they now have their own space and a Gin School!

Here are some beers for the taster tray…

Alpha Queen Pale Ale – “The beer that started Boatrocker…  Loaded with aromatic female hop flowers, this queen is highly hopped, wonderfully bitter and undeniably delicious.  Long live the queen!”

Conehead West Coast IPA – “Conehead is our latest core range IPA… Loads of hops, used in DIP hopping plus dry hopping, this is a beer that doesn’t shy away from bitterness and that lovely, dank resinous hop aroma. It’s a West Coast IPA that you can easily enjoy a few of.”

Yes Chef California Common – “A deliciously chewy bready malt base complimented by North American hops.  Delicious on its own but best paired with …. some Deep End Pizza!”

Basil and Berries – “After developing complexity for 18+ months, our foeder aged wild ale has been generously blended with 250 grams per litre of fresh basil and mixed berries.  The result is a distinctive fresh and fruity reinvention of the classic lambic style.”

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Little Bay Creatures

The Bay Area will be getting some Down under beer in the form of Little Creatures who are opening a brewery and restaurant in San Francisco this summer. You will have to dodge construction of the new Golden State Warriors Sports and Entertainment Center and Warrior fans to get the Fremantle beer.

Now you can hop from the worldly Mikkeller to Little Creatures for non US beer in San Francisco.

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FWIBF Brewery # 1 – Balter Brewing Company

Our first Firestone Walker Invitational brewery featured is Australian, Balter Brewing Company. There origin story is summed up as ” 6 Aussies and a Yank walk into a bar and never come out… “

The little smiley face on the logo will be on display for the beers that I might see at their booth, such as….

XPA – ” It might be pale but there’s nothing weak about this bad boy. This XPA’s tropical and floral aromatics set off a fruity palette that will punch your taste buds in the pleasure zone. Tailored for those who enjoy a fully-hopped beer that’s still easy to drink.”

Strong Pale Ale – ” Wrestle your thirst to the mat, with this Strong Pale Ale. Its smooth malt profile drips with juicy hop notes, and a snappy bitterness that finishes with a firm hand. Flex your flavour muscles and crack open the door to a little bit more.”

Captain Sensible – ” This ale balances refined malt undertones against vivacious hop notes to round out a full taste and mouthfeel that defies its mid-strength nature. Perfect for those who like to keep a lid on it, but still want to crack the top off a couple.”

IIPA – ” A noble beer for a noble thirst, this Imperial IPA is like a tangy fruit salad with extra punch. Clean, hefty hop notes provide substantial palate weight with hints of pineapple, pine and citrus, while the higher alcohol content delivers a delightfully dry, spicy finish. In a tall tin so you can share it with a mate celebrating a royal achievement, or simply soaking up the last shadows of a classic day. “

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Causes in Can Form

Wading into political waters with craft beer is sure to spark debate, that can be a good thing which is why I like the idea that Sparkke a brewery in Adelaide, Australia has decided to tackle. Being a socially conscious craft brewery.

You can see from the cans (which are very well designed IMHO) below that the brewery is not shy:

• “Consent Can’t Come After You Do” – a cider tackling sexual consent
• “Change The Date” – a Pilsner targeting Australia Day
• “Boundless Plains To Share” – a hearty ginger beer demanding better treatment of asylum seekers
•”Nipples are Nipples” – a lemonade addressing gender equality and supporting #freethenipple

Even cooler is that the brewery is run by a group of nine women. That, in and of itself is a statement.

They are making another statement by donating 10% of their profits to a range of community groups.

I have so many ideas that I would like to see added.

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Polling Down Under

The Beer Cartel polled 6,500 craft beer drinkers in Australia over a wide ranging set of preferences and came up with some results that you can see summarized below:
2016 Australian Craft Beer Survey Infographic
It is great to know what the top three breweries in Australia are so I can be on the lookout for them. I understand that it is a bit of a popularity contest but it makes for a good starting off point for the beer traveler that may be heading there.

This link will send you to the full results and though nothing leapt out as an outlier or statistically questionable, it is interesting to look at each question and theorize how the survey would come out if answered by American craft beer drinkers.

The questions that I wish would get asked to a group (maybe by the fine number crunchers at FiveThirtyEight) are the following:
The Best State for Beer – I am so done with the meaningless Best Beer City interwebs vote
The Best Country Brewing Beer – I assume that we would vote ourselves # 1 but who would win the horserace for the silver and bronze?
Can vs. Bottle preference – bottles won comfortably but 40% expressed no winner.

In addition to hoping that a similar survey can be done here, I hope the Beer Cartel will do this again next year to see if anything has changed.

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FWIBF15 – Brewery # 1 – Bridge Road Brewers

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This month, I am taking stock of the breweries that were part of the festivities of the highly regarded Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest and we start in Australia of all places with Bridge Road Brewers and a list of what beers that I would have in my taster tray.

Little Bling
“A mid-strength IPA that has followed in the footsteps of our original IPA, Bling and its big brother the imperial IPA, Bling Bling.”

Chestnut Pilsner
“A unique Australian Pilsner, brewed in Beechworth from Chestnuts grown locally in the Beechworth and Stanley hills. The Chestnut Pilsner also uses Galaxy hops from the Rostrevor Hop Garden in the nearby Ovens Valley.”

Fat Man Red Suit Big Sack Red IPA
“Originally brewed for export to Canada this red IPA showcases some of our Aussie Hops. Galaxy Topaz and Enigma.” (wonderful name for a Christmas beer!)

Enigma pilsner
“This pilsner has been brewed as an Australian take on the craft pilsners of NZ, A light bodied lager heavily hopped with the Australian hop variety Enigma.”

Beechworth Pale Ale
“Often the yard stick of micro breweries, this beer is based on classic American styled Pale Ales, crisp and refreshing, a mouthful of aromatic hops.”

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Eagle Bay Brewery

I talk of Eagle Rock Brewery here in Los Angeles but now I turn my attention many miles away to Eagle Bay Brewery in Australia.

I would really like to try some of the beers that are oftentimes shunned here in the U.S. like the kolsch, ESB and the English Mild. I think those would work in many a warm weather clime. The low ABVs would be perfect for the hot weather.

And not only do they do beer but they do wine and food as well and if the photos from their website are even close to accurate, this is one seriously beautiful place to sip a beer.

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Australian Brewery # 3 – Little Creatures

Our third and final stop on our tour of Australian craft breweries takes us to Little Creatures.

As was the case with the previous two breweries on this itinerary, the details are courtesy of the Crafty Pint. THE place to go for Australian craft beer information.

I am most intrigued by their single batch beers and the choices for them. Single hop beers tend to be the bigger hops. And by bigger, I mean your Centennial or Cascade or Nelson. But they do a East Kent Goldings. Then they do a batch of marzen. Very cool.