There are a few reasons for my decision:

1) I was pretty crap at putting up new posts. I love the idea of having a blog but I always found excuses to do other things. I need somebody pushing me, or at least the idea that I might be letting somebody down, to write. And that brings us too…

2) I have agreed to become a regular contributor to Australian Brews News which is the brainchild of former Beer and Brewer editor Matt Kirkegaard.  These will start soon. I just need to deal with last bit of uni and finish the piece I am doing for Radio National’s Future Tense programme (radio is hard!). Sometime in the future I might even find some time to write something for my mate James Smith at The Crafty Pint.  These 2 sites are the future of Australian beer publishing and everybody should be checking them out daily. And…

3) I have a new job working on project development for the Victorian Association of Microbrewers Incorporated (VAMI)! I’d link to their site but they don’t have one as yet. Maybe one day soon. As I’ll be working for the people that the blog was intended to cover I think it’s best to avoid any notion of a conflict of interest.

Keep an eye out in the next edition of Beer and Brewer for a piece I wrote about hops. It’ll hopefully be on the cover of the Homebrew section.

So there you have it. Lots of new challenges in the beer world to keep me busy. At some point in time I will create a site that links to all my writing and I’ll note it on here.

And if you are a Twitter tragic like myself I can now be found @ChrisMc_Beer.

Thanks for reading and keep supporting Victorian beer.

Cheers

Chris

MUST BLOG REGULARLY!

The stupid thing is that I went out and had a fantastic night drinking Victorian craft beers a couple of weeks ago, took notes and photos (all of them poor), all with the full intention of blogging the next day but, of course, I didn’t.

But now I am so all is good. Let’s just hope that some of these notes still make some sense.

The occasion was my first Ale Stars at The Local Taphouse in St Kilda.  Not only was it my first Ale Stars but it was also my first visit to The Taphouse.  Now that I have been I realise that my complaint of it being too far from inner north abode was a pretty piss poor excuse. The place is heaven for a beer nerd. Great staff, comfy setting and fantastic beers. It’s almost worth moving to the other side of the river for.

Just kidding! No place is worth that.

This particular Ale Stars was in fact it’s second birthday and they had invited along some special guests in the form of Barry Cranston (2009 joint Australian Champion Homebrewer), Dave Bonighton (Mountain Goat founder) and Jayne Lewis (Head Brewer at the aforementioned Goat).

Dave and Jayne were there to present some special brews which had been developed recently at their Richmond HQ including one brewed by Barry and his co-champ Ross Mitchell.

It was this brew, the Two Champs kolsch, that was first up on the night.  Barry told us he enjoyed his short time as the boss at Goat HQ but it was unusual dealing with the increased quantities brewing on a scale much larger than he was normally used to.  This is only the second or third kolsch that I have ever tried and I’m just not sure if it’s a style that really does it for me.  Maybe on a stinking hot day sitting in a beer garden somewhere but not on a cold Melbourne winter’s eve.

I knew I’d have problems with these bloody notes (and my beer addled memory).

The next up was Dunken the dunkelweizen. My notes extend to “made with 50%wheat” and my sole tasting note is “cherries”.

That is called professionalism people. Take that those of you who argue that Australia’s journalism schools are inadequate!

In my own defense I do think I was taking a bit more interest in what Dave was saying about all things Goat than in what I was drinking.  He explained to us a bit about the formation of Goat and how it was sparked by the time he spent living in the US drinking the beers from the iconic Sierra Nevada brewery.  He also spoke about his excitement at the craft brew scene in Victoria. He put down any suggestion that there would be a Goat cider despite a lot of goading on the subject. I wasn’t 100% convinced though.

I took my chance to put on my “concerned retailer” cap and asked him if the production levels for the Rare Breed beers would be increased because, as you all know, they disappear off the shelves very quickly. His response was that was just the way they wanted it. They aren’t called rare just for the fun of it.

The third beer up was the Richard III, 7.4% doppelbock, brewed in conjunction with Richard Watkins from Canberra’s Wig and Pen brewpub.

I’ve got a lot more notes for this one because I loved it.  Yummy strong malty lager. Nice amber colour. Flavours of caramel and toffee. It’s all about the malt with this one. The hops are just there to hang out. This one was perfect for the cold winter’s night.

The last beer up for the evening was a Double IPA. At 8.3% this wasn’t a beer to trifle with although I fear a lot in the room did and paid the price the next day. (Hi Shandy).

I think it was a quote from Jayne that I’ve got written down here: “We smash the hops into it”.  I find it hard to find a better way to describe it. Cascade, galaxy and citra hops all play there part in this 65(ish) IBU monster. Normally that would be more hop than I can handle but I think by that time of the night my taste buds were pretty well shot.

Unfortunately, while all of these beers were on tap at The Local on the night, there is no guaranteeing they still are. If they can’t be found there I know some of them will be available at Beer Deluxe and at The Goat Bar in the brewery on Wednesday and Friday nights.

So there you have it, my first Ale Stars. Part beer nerd love in, part trivia night, part night on the tiles.

All of that adds up to a bloody good night out. Can’t wait for the next one.

And with a predictably crap punny headline too. Glory days.

But why now?

Well if you want to blame anybody for stirring me out of my blogging slumber then look no further than the nice folk at Liquid Ideas. They took pity on me last week and invited me along to the launch of Matilda Bay’s new beer, Longshot.

Longshot is a coffee infused dark ale that Matilda Bay have created in conjunction with Toby’s Estate, the Sydney based coffee company. The story goes that the genesis for the idea came one night during a beer fueled conversation between Matilda Bay’s head brewer Scott Vincent and the man behind Toby’s Estate, Toby Smith. Unlike most of those great late night ideas this one has actually come to fruition.

The co-creators: Toby Smith and Scott Vincent

Last week’s launch was held in Smith’s Brunswick cafe and featured Scott taking us through a tasting of most of the Matilda Bay range. Each beer was matched to a wonderful canape prepared by Blake’s Feast.  If only blogging about beer was this good all of the time.

Enough reverie about the menu, I should get back to talking about Longshot.

Some tech stuff:

6% ABV

They’ve used Northern Brewer hops.

It comes in at 40 on the IBU scale

Scott told us that the base beer is a robust porter but he was very secret squirrel about how the coffee was used.

We did find out that he and Toby chose a highly aromatic Ethiopian blend called Yirgacheffe after conducting a series of cupping exercises. Toby told us that Yirgacheffe was the name of the town where the coffee originates and the region’s coffee is known for its floral fruitiness with chocolate tones.

About 200kgs were roasted and delivered to Matilda Bay’s Garage brewery where the coffee was cold extracted.

A major problem to overcome was stopping the oils in the coffee from affecting the ability of the beer to form a head. Scott told us that he pretty much nailed the recipe on the first attempt but thinking he could maybe do better gave it another crack. He couldn’t and that batch went down the drain.

And that was as much as we could get out of them.  Toby told me later that even he didn’t know how the brewery side of things was done.

Apparently the aim was to produce a balanced beer that would contain obvious flavour profiles but not overwhelming ones.  Have they done that?  I think so. I find it a very easy drinking brew, almost sessionable.  The coffee flavours are there but only slightly more obvious than you find in many stouts.

Some criticism has been made that the coffee flavours are too muted when compared with many of the coffee infused beers on the market.

Not having a lot of experience with the style I decided to do a little bit of research.  The lengths I go to for my readers!

A trip out to Purvis Cellars scored me these little beauties:

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel, Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout and Meantime Coffee Porter

Oh, what hell this research was (where is the irony button on this thing?).

Each of those beers is a ripper but especially the Peche Mortel by Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel.  They all have such a kick of espresso like flavours that you would swear that somebody had just poured a shot into your beer. The Meantime label says that each bottle is the equivalent of one cup of coffee. In contrast, Scott told us that the caffeine level in the Longshot was negligible.

But these beers are not about balance. They are about trying to squeeze as much coffee kick into each bottle as possible and I love that but after the three of them I’d had enough. I can only wonder how full on beers like the Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and the AleSmith Speedway Stout are. Some day maybe.

For today I’d rather another Longshot but I seem to have drunk my last two as I’ve written this. Bugger.

More please

But if I want anymore then I will need to go to Dan Murphy’s.

And in that lies my only real criticism of this beer.  It’s exclusive to Dan’s. Apparently their decision to buy it on spec was enough for the bean counters to give Scott the go-ahead with production. Not a good development in the world of brewing in my humble opinion.

Disclaimer: As I said earlier I was lucky enough to receive some very nice food from the good folk at Liquid Ideas, Matilda Bay and Toby’s Estate. I was also given some beer and coffee samples and that spiffy glass you saw before.

I’m back.

Well the blog is. The truth is I never went away as anybody who follows me on Twitter, @AllAleTheBigV, will attest.

But my blogging was put on hold because of this little person…

Hello blogosphere I'm Maggie

Say hi to Maggie everyone.

But now that she is old enough to do this…

Isn't she cute

(you can follow her @MaggieGMcNamara)

I think it’s time to get the show back on the road so a little later tonight the first real blog post will be up.

Yay.

It’s good to be back.

That is a common response when I ask my customers about their summer break. But then again I do work in a part of Melbourne where Portsea is a much more likely holiday destination than Bonnie Doon.

Circumstance has meant that it was not till a few weeks ago that I had my own chance to visit Melbourne’s playground. The Mornington Peninsula that is, not Bonnie Doon.

And what did I find?

Well in Portsea and Sorrento it was pretty much what I expected. Gorgeous beaches, huge homes, conspicuous wealth and the lunching ladies of South Yarra. Nice, but not my world.

I wasn’t concerned though because I was fairly certain that my needs were catered for on other parts of the peninsula.

I wasn’t wrong.

About half way back up the peninsula is Red Hill.

As well as being home to wineries of the calibre of Foxeys Hangout, Port Phillip Estate and Montalto, and their Burgundian tendencies, it is also where you will find one of Victoria’s most well respected craft breweries, Red Hill Brewery.

Dave and Karen

RHB was opened by Dave and Karen Golding back in 2004 and they have established a great set up in the beautiful hilly countryside around Red Hill. Being the tourists that we are there was some thought we might have been a bit lost but eventually we found the rustic sign on the side of the road that beckoned us in with the promise of hops, fine ales and real food.  What more could you want?

We parked the car, almost in the shade of the hop trellises, and wandered down the hill to the brewery and the cafe nestled into the trees beside it.

Being a Friday there were no probs getting a table and we were soon in the care of some great floor staff.  The kind who realise it’s a casual dining situation and are themselves relaxed, perhaps even a bit cheeky, but are always there when you need them and are very knowledgeable about what’s on the plate and in this case, more importantly, what’s in the glass.

Girl O' Sea looking beautiful on the deck at Red Hill Brewery

Red Hill Brewery has 3 year round brews (a Scotch Ale, a Golden Ale & a Wheat Beer) and then a number of seasonals. Some of these, especially the Imperial Stout and the Christmas Ale, are incredibly popular and sell out quickly. Dave told me that they are overwhelmed by how popular the seasonals can be.

Summer sees the release of a Belgian Blonde. This year, as there wasn’t enough brewed for a general release, it was only available at the brewery and I was keen to try it. Fairly similar to last year although Dave said he does tweak the recipes.  For me it was sweet malts, a bit of spiciness and a creamy mouthfeel.  It went pretty well with my steak sanga.

A half drunk glass of Belgian Blonde begging to be finished

Girl O’ Sea went the vego option on the Ploughman’s Lunch, sans a glass of beery goodness due to the imminent arrival,  and we finished with a decadent chocolate cheesecake. If only there had been some Imperial Stout around to go with it.

Dave and Karen were gracious hosts and Dave took some time out from a busted water pump to give us a look in the compact brewery.  When we visited the brewery’s output was at its limit but some new equipment was on the way that would help increase it a little bit.

The brewhouse

Dave didn’t seem too convinced by the argument that it was a happy predicament to be in when you are always selling out.  I got the impression that he really values the customers that they have worked hard to get and wants to do the best thing by them.

I’d often wondered why Dave and Karen had decided to grow their own hops on top of the challenges of running a brewery.  The answer is that local council zoning regulations required some sort of primary industry on the property before they would give it the go ahead.  Dave described growing hops as “challenging”.  Anybody keen enough can head down to the brewery in March to take part in the hop picking festivities.

The hop trellises

Sounds like a fun day out.  Maybe I’ll get a chance to poke around for a lost bottle of Imperial Stout to go with that cheesecake?

But too often the parma in front of you was frozen not so long before it got put on the plate and the only beers available on tap come from the lovely people at CUB.  One bar/bistro has taken it on itself to provide a venue that not only elevates the humble parma to culinary heights but also celebrates many of the fantastic microbrews that can now be found in Victoria.

Located in Little Bourke St, Mrs Parma’s was opened in 2006 by Melissa Leaney and Fiona Melbourne.  Melissa and Fiona, both chefs with a history of working in fine dining, had the vision of doing something different.  They realised that there was a market for a bistro that focussed on parmas made by good chefs who had a commitment to quality ingredients (fresh chicken and veal, Italian tomatoes, quality mozzarella).  Pub food but at a restaurant standard.  It then seems like a natural progression to realise that if you are going to increase the standard of the parma on the plate then perhaps the standard of the beer in the pot needs to be improved as well.

When All Ale The Big V popped into Mrs Parma’s for a couple of pots and a chat last week, Fiona and Melissa told me that what they do is a passionate obsession for them.  They feel that all of their staff shares the same love and passion for what they do.

The beer list is all Victorian and mostly microbrews with Carlton Draught being the only concession for those that aren’t prepared to take the leap to something a bit more adventurous. Brews on tap at the moment include Flying Horse’s Dirty Angel, 2 Brother’s Rusty Pale Ale and Mountain Goat’s Hightail. Fiona and Melissa told me that the beers on offer do change every two to three months with the exception being their favourite Gippsland Gold, Gippy Gold as it’s known in the bar, from Grand Ridge. Two taps are kept for specialty kegs.

A range of stubbies are also stocked and one of the popular events in the bar is “Drink The Esky Dry” where a case of something new is featured on a Friday arvo.  Melissa and Fiona are committed to helping out the industry that helped them when they were first setting up the bar.  They told me that they had a terrific response from the brewers they initially contacted and that dealing directly with the brewer is one of the best aspects of the job.  When pressed on their favourite brewers they nominated Temple, Red Hill and Bridge Rd.

While beers will retain their pride of place at Mrs Parma’s do expect to see the odd cider on tap and the wine list is ever developing to reflect Victoria’s strong boutique wine industry.

I have to admit that I haven’t had a chance to try one of the parmas yet but I intend to rectify that in the next couple of weeks.  Anyone care to join me?  What better way to while away an arvo.  Good food, cooked with passion, washed down by some great beers.  Sounds like the good life to me.

I did find the time to pop out to Hawthorn recently to visit Slowbeer. What a fantastic beer shop.  It has only been open for a couple of months but it has already started to gain quite a reputation amongst Melbourne’s, and Australia’s, lovers of decent beers.  With over 600 beers available it’s not hard to understand why.

Chris behind the counter at Slowbeer

Chris Menichelli, who is one of the co-owners, took the time out to have a bit of a chat to me.  He told me that the store is something of a spin-off from Cloudwine Cellars which means that there is a solid retailing knowledge behind the venture.  Chris himself has been working in the industry for about 5 years and has a fantastic knowledge of the beer world.

Some of the Vic brews on sale

The Victorian brews have to fight for space on the shelves with beers from around the globe but they are well represented.  You can find the ranges from 3 Ravens, Bridge Rd, Holgate, Red Duck and Otway Estate just to name a few.  Of course we probably should try and broaden our horizon outside of Victoria sometimes and Slowbeer would be a great place to try something totally different.  Chris told me that they are thinking of perhaps getting a kegerator for the shop which would then allow them to fill reusable bottles.  Imagine the fun they could have with getting brewers to do one off specials.

I know it’s a week late but I just wanted to make a quick comment on the Top 20 Beers list that Peter Lalor put together for last week’s The Weekend Australian Magazine.

It seems Lalor’s list was driven more by what is available on the shelves of the magazine’s special edition sponsors, Dan Murphy’s, rather than any serious attempt at a definitive list.  Does anybody really think that between them Little Creatures, James Squire and Redoak produce 9 of the top 20 beers in the nation? And what about Coopers, Grand Ridge and Murray’s making up another 6?  Are the 15 best beers in the country produced by only 6 breweries?  I doubt it.

I find it hard to believe that anybody doing a serious study of Australia’s best beers would be able to ignore the output from breweries like Bootleg, Feral, 3 Ravens, Moo Brew or Red Hill.  If the list is going to be based on availability or on what is stocked at one particular retailer at least put that caveat with the piece.

Now I wonder what this list would have been like if Slowbeer had been the major advertiser?

As has been mentioned elsewhere AATBV hails from northern climes and I haven’t really had a chance to explore regional Victoria, other than the service centres (what was wrong with ‘truck stop’?) of the Hume, so pointing the Kingswood in the direction of our first stop, the Tooborac Hotel, was exciting.
Tooborac is situated 95 kms to the north of Melbourne and just to the south of Heathcote. The Tooborac Hotel, located on the Northern Highway, was built in 1857 and was once a Cobb and Co stop off point. The brewery, which is located in the blue stone stables at the rear of the pub, even comes with its own rifle slots. If you were to ever get involved in a siege then a brewery probably wouldn’t be a bad place for it to happen.

A grand old pub

The Carlin family owns the pub but it was the brewer, Damian Nippard, who was on hand to show AATBV around. Nippard was previously brewer at the Scottish Chiefs in Geelong and has been at the Tooborac for only a few months. The brewery equipment was bought in from the Rifle Brigade Hotel in Bendigo and has a capacity of about 600 litres. Nippard’s first batch of beers was only produced in September.

Damian hard at work

At present there are only two brews on offer: the Stonemason’s Pale Ale and the Woodcutter’s Amber Ale. The amber ale was the pick of the two for me. A mouthful of malt as you would expect from an amber but also with a surprising amount of hops (Pride of Ringwood and Goldings) kicking it along as well. Nippard describes it as “a brewer’s beer”. For me the pale lacked the same personality but I expect it’s a bit more sessionable and that is an important consideration for a brewpub. Better to have their own stuff flowing in the bar than something from the big boys.

At present the two beers are only available on tap at the pub but there are plans in place to release them in 640ml bottles. Nippard told AATBV that future releases would be a stout, already called the Blacksmith’s, and perhaps a hefe.

While the prospect of sitting on the shady verandah of the pub with a cold beer in my hand did seem to be a better option than facing the 35 degree day in a 40 year old car without air-conditioning we did have other commitments. And so on we went to the Murray.

After an evening spent sampling the nightlife of Corowa (we almost got locked in at the Hotel Australia when it closed at 10pm) and enduring an uncomfortable sleep in a cabin at the caravan park (the cheapest option is rarely ever a good option when it comes to accommodation) we rose to find a considerably cooler Cup Day.

Bets placed we headed back across the river in search of liquid refreshment. Although visiting Bintara Brewery was the main game on the day Rutherglen is one of AATBV’s favourite wine regions so stops at All Saints and Pfeiffers were required. Both produce wonderful wines and the memory of those fortifieds rolled around on AATBV’s palate for days.

Bintara Brewery is a part of Vintara Estate and is located 13kms to the east of Rutherglen on the Murray Valley Highway. Michael and Lisa Murtagh, both from old Rutherglen families, own the estate. Michael holds the dual roles of brewer and winemaker, amongst other things. He was out on the tractor working in the vineyards when we drove up the dusty driveway to the very modern looking building that houses the cellar door, restaurant and brewery.

Bintara H.Q.

Unfortunately the restaurant wasn’t open on the day we visited but I expect it must be a nice place to sit back and enjoy some lunch. Luckily for us Michael took some time off from his viticultural duties to give AATBV a look through the brewery and to pour a couple of cold glasses of the local product.

The brewery has a 1000 litre capacity and at present Bintara is releasing 4 beers: an Asian style wheat beer, a pale ale, a pilsner and an Irish stout. The wheat beer, made with 30% rice and Saaz hops, and the pale ale were on tap when we visited. The pale was the much nicer of the two.

Michael seems proud of his brews but the focus of the operation is obviously on wine. It appears that the brewery is there mainly to enhance the cash flow of the business especially with bulk sales of the stout to a local soup maker. The brewery equipment is even seconded during vintage to be used in the winemaking process.

Bintara head honcho - Michael Murtagh

We bid farewell to Michael just in time to hear our tips come very close to last in the big race and Girl O’ Sea steered the Kingswood towards the Hume for a quick trip back to Melbourne.

It was only on our return that I found out about another local microbrewery, the Buffalo Brewery at Boorham. We’ll have to visit them on another trip. It’s a tough life this blogging caper.

All Ale The Big V had a great night on Wednesday meeting brewers, marketers and distributors, all the while trying to find out some interesting tidbits for you dear reader. I need to thank everybody who was so generous with their time and samples.

The intention had been to visit every stand but the logistics defeated me. Next time perhaps.

What did we learn?

• Temple have a big announcement in the offing. Will Ron finally be getting his own brewery?  And if so, where will it be?  Lots of secret squirrel work happening with that one.

Temple's punk rock protege Pat O'Shea

• 3 Ravens bought along a ginger beer that also includes kaffir lime leaves.  Matt, the brewer, told us that it was a bit of a work in progress at the moment.  The ginger gives it a real kick and it will be a great thirst quencher on a hot day. It was also our first chance to check out the new names for some of the range.  The Bronze is now called the English and the Blond will be called the Golden. The new names also come with classy new labels which are an acrylic of some kind and are slightly raised in parts which give them a very tactile element.  We were also lucky enough to get a taste of the special bourbon barrel version of the Dark smoke beer which is on tap at Beer Deluxe.  It is very limited so get in there to see if any is left.

Matt and Marcus from 3 Ravens

• Sweetwater brought their new Summer Ale and Porter down from the high country.  Pete told us that he is using summer saaz and galaxy hops in the summer ale with some of them being grown locally in the Ovens Valley.  His aim was to produce a sessionable beer for the warmer months.  I’m prepared to put my body on the line and see if he succeeded.

Sweetwater's head honcho Pete Hull

• Bright Brewery are also going for a sessionable beer – a lager.  It’s not a beer that will change your life but it will go down a treat on a hot day.

• Holgate have a mid-strength English ale on the way.  For the moment it will only be on tap.  Perhaps an option for those who have been talked into being the dedicated driver for the trip to Woodend?

There are other scribbles in my notebook which may hold important information but unfortunately the generosity of the “tastes” being given to me affected my already poor note taking skills.

I’m looking forward to chasing up a lot of the contacts I made on the evening and hopefully that will result in some more interesting tidbits appearing here soon.  Keep your eyes out.

Kooinda is relatively new to the market and only released their first brew, a pale ale, last November.  It may only have been in production one year but getting to the position where they could start brewing took five years of planning, building the brewery and even manufacturing some of the brewing equipment.  A proactive approach when dealing with their local council helped them get all the necessary permissions without too much fuss.

When All Ale The Big V visited Kooinda HQ the first batch of their Hop Hurricane American style IPA was in the process of being brewed.  Never having had the chance to watch brewing happen at this level it was interesting to see the physical labour involved.  Big Mick seemed to be constantly lost in a cloud of steam as he stirred away at a bubbling mash.  Fenton was Mr Perpetual Motion as he carried away spent grain, measured out hops (Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade for all you hop heads out there) and made sure the timer was set for the next addition.  Unfortunately for Trav he had to take a break from the steam filled brewery to look after the nosy blogger who had come to visit and any cold beers he drank were purely for marketing purposes.

Mick likes to stir

Trav told AATBV that the plan for Kooinda was to produce “out there beers” made with passion.  The boys are fans of the American craft beer scene but think that the Australian industry is about 10 years behind what’s going on over there.  They intend to help us catch up by producing beers that lack not for flavour or character.  Judging by the amount of hops going into the Hop Hurricane it certainly won’t want for personality.

Plans are afoot to expand Kooinda beyond just releasing a new beer though.  Trav told us that they view Mountain Goat as a good yardstick for what they want to achieve and they are in the process of locating a new site for the brewery that will allow them to increase output to 8 hectolitres a batch from the current 4.  The hope ia also to be able to open a bar on the site that will have an emphasis on beer and food matching.  And the good news for beer retailers is that those crappy six-pack holders are almost gone and will soon be replaced with a sturdy, easy to carry model.

Trav and Fenton look like proud fathers.

I’m not sure which mob it was but I’ve been told that Kooinda means “happy place” in at least one Aboriginal language.  Judging by the smiles on the faces of the crew from Kooinda Boutique Brewery when All Ale The Big V visited last week we think that these blokes at least may have found their happy place.