The huge Lion Nathan beer juggernaut has recently released a very interesting beer onto the Australian market- Hahn Vienna Red. This delicious beer has just hit the shelves and if our first taste was any indication- it is going to be a real winner for Hahn. We think of Austria more for some pretty bad things- the Sound of Music, Mozart and the Birthplace of Hitler, and not really for beer- but Austria has a very rich history of brewing- which is understandable as Germany and many of Europe’s other best brewers are really just down the road. Vienna Red follows in the tradition of a darker style of beer which is much more maltier than their cousins in Munich. This beer is a bit more bitter and crisper and more redish in colour than Pilsner or Munich Lager, it’s got a very noticeable floral hop aroma and goes pretty well with rich food like roasts and meats. Look out for it next time you are at a bottleshop- it is different enough to catch on and very very tasty. We have never really been a big fan of some of the Hahn products- but this one is a winner! Read the rest of this entry »
Our beer brewing friends at Lion Nathan are offering a great new promise- ‘beer brewed in compliance to the Natural Beer promise’. Their big brands- Tooheys New, Tooheys Old, XXXX Gold, XXXX Bitter, Swan Draught and West End Draught are now only being brewed using natural ingredients and no nasty artificial additives or preservatives. Similar to the Purity laws in Germany Lion Nathan have rules which only allow five natural ingredients in these beers, malted, or unmalted grains, hops, yeast, water and cane sugar- that’s it nothing else- no artificial colours, preservatives, flavour enhances or any other nasty chemicals. It’s usually the chemicals like preservatives and colourings like sulphur dioxide which give you that nasty head after a big night- not the beer. This is great news for beer lovers and hopefully it will extend to more of the Lion Nathan brands and all other beers for that matter- there is nothing better than natural ingredients, they taste better and they are better for you. Read the rest of this entry »
Over 150 years ago dark beers were very popular and in recent times they have made a bit of a come back with people wanting to try something a bit different to the general draft beer, with a bit of flavor and richness. Well the Fosters Group in Australia is producing Carton Black which is very reminiscent to their beers of around 1835. This great beer contains drum roasted malts and uses traditional top fermentation to produce a gem. The beer is not a strong tasting beer like Stouts or other dark beers it is quiet fruity and even smooth. It uses top quality Pride of Ringwood hops and has some beautiful dark coffee aromas well worth looking out for when next in an Aussie pub. It is available both in bottle form and on tap at many good establishments.
Prickly Moses is one of the new microbrewery brands popping up all over Australia. This one comes from the beautiful Otways on the Victorian South Eastern coast. Produced by renowned winemakers Otway Estate the beer is on of several boutique beers made at their micro brewery. The brewery has been producing fine beers for about a year and already have won awards for their brews including a Silver medal, 2008 Australian International Beer Show for their Summer Ale. The Summer Ale is a golden ale which has a certain clean freshness, its crisp and has a dry finish which some hints of citrus and tropical fruits. The beer is naturally fermented and contains no preservatives and the best thing is it uses water from the magnificent Otways which is crystal clear. The beer is starting to make inroads to pubs and restaurants around Victoria and can even be found on tap in some establishments- look out for it- you cant miss the prickly echidna logo.
Maryborough in Queensland Australia now holds the Guinness Book of Records award for the world’s largest pubcrawl. Last month the town of 26000 residents hit the 10 pubs in town to smash the record which was held by London with 3156 registered participants. Pubs on the crawl included the Criterion, the Post Office, The Royal, The Granville, The Old Sydney, The Oxford, The Aussie, The Westside Tavern, The Carriers Arms, Tinana Riverview, The Lamington, The Sunrise and the Central. The Maryborough pub crawl is in it’s 4th year and the biggest yet. But the Queensland town better watch out London is not happy. London with a 7.5 million people population bet Maryborough by only about 40 drinkers in 2006.
We have a bit of a treat for you today, a drop dead gorgeous sassy blonde! Yes that’s right hand crafted and very very tasty. Today’s beer comes from Murray’s Craft Brewing Company which is in Taylor Arm in New South Wales, Australia, which is a little north of Kempsy a little inland from the central coast. The brewery is situated at the legendary Pub with No beer, but it couldn’t be further than the truth out the back at the brewery where they produce some pretty fine beers. One we have been able to taste is Murray’s Sassy Belgian Blond – I actually bought it for the great label and was very impressed with the golden contents. The beer is a Belgian style pale ale and they claim it is the only one of it’s type produced in Australia. Its spicy and malty and uses real Belgian yeast and Styrian Golding hops to give it a beautiful taste- look out for it at some of the big bottleshops around Australia including Woolworths and Dan Murphy’s or you can even purchase online… you wont be disappointed! Read the rest of this entry »
Tropical Far North Queensland has a new brewery- The Blue Sky Brewery which will open in July bringing freshly brewed beer back to the city after a 15 year absence. And if all the attention it is getting it is sure to be a hit with both the locals and the huge tourist market this great city attracts. The brewery uses the latest in German technology and will be selling six brews available both on tap and in bottle form, there’s a Cairns Gold, True Blue Stout, Woody Ale and FNQ Lager to name a few. Situated in Lake Street in the CBD the brewery is more than a brewery it is promises to be one of Cairns’s best venues with a restaurant using local produce including the freshest of seafood and beef a a great bar which can hold about 400. Regular brewery tours will be conducted and there is even going to be what is called a Brewseum where you can see the history of beer in the FNQ area. We can’t wait to get up to Cairns and try this place (and get away from the cold weather)- it sound’s fantastic and we wish them luck!
If you are one of the first lucky people to try these new beers- drop us a line and tell us what you thought. Read the rest of this entry »
Powers Gold Bitter is a relatively new beer from the Fosters Group which is on sale primarily in Queensland Australia. This mid strength 3.0% alcohol beer is made at their Yatala brewery which is situated between Brisbane and Surfers Paradise. The beer is quiet a tasty drop for a mid strength beer with a sweetish aroma with distinct malt taste and a medium bitterness. The Power’s name comes from Bernie Power who worked at XXXX and had a bit of a tiff with the Bond management when they took over the brewery in the 1980′s. Bernie went on to brew his own beer Powers, Fosters later did a partnership with him in 1992 to get their foot into the lucrative Queensland market, they later took full control of the company. The name nearly vanished but was reinvented with Powers Gold Bitter in 2006. Read the rest of this entry »
We have all heard of the mechanical bucking bulls that get around some of the Country’n'Western themed pubs but this has to be seen to be believed- a full rodeo at the pub, complete with cattle, horses and cowboys! – I’m not kidding! Rockhampton not far from the central cost of Queensland in Australia is the country’s beef capital so there’s no better place for rodeo action- and why not at the pub. The pub once owned by 2008 Australian of the Year and country superstar Lee Kernaghan and not only features some of the region’s best beer and steaks it has a huge undercover arena where bull riding, rodeos and even some pretty big music entertainers perform. First licensed in 1878 the 130 year old pub can seat around 2000 for the rodeos, making it one of regional Queensland’s biggest undercover arenas. The venue also has gift shop, great steakhouse, gaming machines, a poker room and four bars featuring ice cold XXXX beer and of course Queensland’s favorite rum Bundy. The Great Western Hotel is one of the most unique pubs in Australia, if not the world and should be on everyone’s visiting list next time in Queensland Australia.
We are looking for unique and interesting pubs around the world, if you have a tip- drop us a line in!
Continuing this weeks boutique Australian beer theme-Coggs Premium is a new beer that has been launched on the market by two guys from Geelong, Australia, Nick Cogger and Geelong AFL football star Gary Ablett. The beer has taken Geelong and much of the region by storm since launch just a few months ago. The beer is hand crafted and best of all preservative free offering a full flavored premium style larger. The beer is brewed freshly in Victoria and is making big inroads into pubs, bars and restaurants. In some bars the beer is outselling popular drops like Corona. The boys are already looking for export markets with Thailand and Dubai in their sights, so keep your eyes out- it might not be long before Coggs Premium is in a fridge near you. Read the rest of this entry »
