A tasty innovation

Just before Christmas 4 Pines announced their intention to develop 4 beers that enables imbibers to experience and compare different hop varities. On the 9th of January, all 4 beers were launched. The beers had the same base ingredients with the exception of a single hop variety being used in each one. 4 continents contributed with Amarillo from the US, Galaxy from Australia, Aramis from France and Sorachi Ace from Japan. The drinkers have fun, learn a little and the brewers get to understand what the customers prefer.

4 Pines Amarillo and Holger Osieck

On the evening I visited 4 Pines, I was delighted to see the Socceroos coach Holger Osieck blowing the froth off a couple with his Frau. I think Holger’s been an awesome selection by the FFA. The team plays exciting footy, he gets results and the Socceroos have made a great start on the road to Brazil in 2014. I told him so, and his reaction was humourous and modest. Seems like a genuinely nice guy and I hope he continues to get the results. That’s him behind the Amarillo.

4 Pines Galaxy

The 4 beers were all distinctly different. The Amarillo had a really unique cloudy appearance, the Galaxy was quite coppery, whilst the Aramis was quite light. From a personal perspective (and I’ve discussed this with Illiards), I ranked the Amarillo first, then Aramis, Galaxy, and Sorachi Ace. None were bad by any stretch – but the combination of the visual beauty and Pale Ale flavours made the Amarillo the winner for me. The Sorachi Ace travelled well in the 4 Pines Growler (gees that’s a good invention) and all 4 could make a re-appearance and I wouldn’t be unhappy.

4 Pines Aramis & Kofta

Hats off the 4 Pines for this innovation, but it looks like this is an emerging trend. The Marstons Beer Company of the UK is introducing one new single hop beer each month. The Galaxy hop from Australia features in February, but the Kiwis have 3 varieties represented.

Sorachi Ace + growler

Brewing in Byron

Over the years I’ve had some pretty good pub experiences in Byron Bay. The Rails was a particular favourite, but that was many years ago and Coopers was a radical beer. The Buddha Bar has been around in various forms since it was a piggery in the late 1800′s. There’s been a large backpacker’s for many years out the backand there’s been live music also over many years. There’s now a very large beer garden and a spacious outdoor performance area, with plenty of shade. The vibe (it is Byron after all) is cool and there’s an eclectic crowd of backpackers, families and locals.

A bountiful rack

There’s been some solid coin dropped on the inside and the shiny brewing equipment is righ in amongst the tables, chairs and booths of the Buddha Bar/Restaurant. A long bar dominates about 50% of one wall and there are 3 banks of taps all serving Byron Bay beer. There’s 6 standards – Premium, Blonde, Pale, Pilsener, Redbelly Mid Strength and Billy Goat Dark Lager. They do seasonals and the current offering was an American Pale Ale. The American Pale wasn’t a face slapper by any means, but was a subtly hoppy beer – maybe an entry level American Pale. A perfect beer garden number. The Pilsener was pretty uninspiring, but the Redbelly Mid Strength was an absolute ripper. For a mid strength, it had colour and taste. Not a malt bomb, but a really pleasant malty mouth feel. A really good mid strength. The stand-out, however, of the four was the Billy Goat Dark Lager. Crisp, roasted and mocha – this was a robust dark lager, and again a really good beer garden bevvy.

The permanent menu

You don’t need many reasons to go to Byron Bay, but the Byron Bay Brewery and Buddha Bar/Restaurant certainly give you another couple. Byron Bay Brewery’s – Facebook is the best way to see what’s coming up there.

There’s plenty of big eating and drinking at this time of year and there’s no shortage of booze options available. The beer scene is big and growing, and Tony from Toowoomba has started to discover some craft brewers that have emerged of late. You’ll recall the Aussie that’s set up a brewery in a major Shanghai hotel and he’s now found a couple in Beijing.

Tsingtao is China’s second largest brewery and was founded in 1903 by the Germans in the city of Qingdao. Qingdao is the home of one of the great beer festivals, which is held in August. I can’t imagine how much of the standard Tsingtao is made annually. That’s the standard bevvy that is widely available in Chinese restaurants and even at Dan Murphy’s. There’s not many varieties of Tsingtao, but there is a stout that is reasonably widespread in Beijing. I turned one of these up in a bottle in Sydney’s Chinatown. It’s not the greatest stout, but it has a go. At 7.5% it doesn’t muck around. It’s thinner than most of the Australian Stouts and less complex, but has a pleasant bitterness.

The less than can be said for Draco Super Premium Beer the better. It made for a good tie-in to this post, but that’s about it. The can talks about being brewed with German inspiration, but then like many Chinese or Taiwanese beers actually contains rice. I’ve had good Chinese beer – I’m yet to have a good Taiwanese beer – and Draco maintains that track record.

Happy Chinese New Year to you all – and maybe the auspiciousness of the Dragon prevail.

Blue skies at the Montague

It was a warm afternoon in Melbourne, and I was in a suburban hotel in South Melbourne with tables and chairs on the pavement. It had been a long day of gasbagging at work and I was flagging. What was required was a big, thirst quencher of a beer, and fortunately the Montague Hotel had it waiting. Epic Brewing Company’s Armageddon IPA is one of the finest beers I’ve tried. It lives up to the lofty promises it makes on the label and delivers before, during and after you drink it.

A simply cracking beer

Epic Brewing Company’s website is one worth visiting. It reveals a brewery that has a fine, irreverent sense of humour, but also has all the deep knowledge and passion of a fine master brewer. There’s a blog to which you can subscribe and they claim to be the first brewery on Twitter (@epicbeer). They’ve also built up a reputation in the US having collaborated on a beer with high profile brewer Dogfish Head. Plenty of awards and the Armageddon IPA has been judged New Zealand’s best IPA for 3 years running.

Excelent beer label hyperbole

So, what’s the hype all about? Firstly, this is a confident beer – “The Answer to Everything” proclaims the label. Secondly, I just love a 500ml bottle and the barman at the Montague gave us two chilled glasses to keep things cool. Thirdly, the colour is just classic – deep amber. Fourthly, the aroma is big – not as massive as some – but you know you are about to engage with hop heaven. Fifthly, it is a taste sensation. It’s a sharp start, but it just keeps cranking up the longer you drink it. Lastly, the finish keeps going and going. 20 minutes after my last swallow, the hoppy bitterness was still playing around in my mouth. It is indeed as the label promises “a Zymurgical big bang” (I reckon that should be zymological – of the chemistry of fermentation). A candidate for “If you had to have one last beer, what would it be?” for sure. At 6.66% alcolhol, you’d be comfortably numb to whatever the Apocalypse threw up anyway.

PS: I’ll get back to the Montague for a meal at some stage. It’s connected to the Courthouse in North Melbourne, which has given me a couple of great food experiences. Menu looked good.

Eventually Maori warriors felled Russell which resulted in the many fleeing the town, allowing it to be rebuilt in a more respectable manner.

Our 10 minute ferry ride from Paihia to Russell led us to a very historical location in Russell.  This correspondent can confirm that the Paihia to Russell ferry doesn’t cater for anyone to drink a bottle of amber liquid and photograph it.

There are many aspects of Russell that are steeped in history. One of the most significant is that it is home to the watering hole that can proudly claim the status as NZ’s first licensed hotel in NZ (this was granted in 1827). This is The Duke of Marlborough Hotel. Today there are no Maori warriors or lawless European settlers, instead a very quaint setting with a live (chilled out) band on the foreshore directly opposite, entertaining the many tourists.

The Duke of Marlborough - site of NZ's first licensed hotel (1827)

The Duke of Marlborough’s interior is a step into the back into the early 20^th century – quite exquisite.  More importantly, it has a respectable Kiwi Craft Beer menu. The chosen drop on this occasion was Moa. We’ll get to the beer shortly……more about the area first.

Paihia is the jewel in the crown of the Bay of Islands – a glorious beach and countless adventure activities and more. The Swedish, German, English, Aussie, Russian and other accents is testimony to the pulling power of this little gem. Given NZ’s summer weather tendencies, we were fortunate to a hit a good spell of sunshine.

Magical Paihia

Kiwisinoz spent half a day on a fishing boat and successfully landed several snappers. Surely all this talk about old pubs, European settlers, and sensational fishing has pommy_ch tempted to visit one of his colonies.

The snapper were plentiful!

A Bay of Islands description might as well be deleted if Waitangi is not mentioned. Just 1.5km from Paihia, Waitangi is the where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6^th 1840 between the Maori chefs and the European settlers. It set out how the two peoples are to live together. Feb 6^th is NZ’s national day. Although almost 172 years has passed, the treaty is still clouded in controversy.

Following this, kiwisinoz jumped on a day tour to visit the northern most point in NZ. I had to remind myself that I’m in NZ while on this day tour, the foreign accents on the trip could have fooled anyone into thinking they were somewhere in Europe!

Highlights were 90 mile beach (that’s the stretch of coast right at the top of the north island). European settlers named it 90 mile beach – it’s actual 64 miles – a slight rounding error perhaps, or a measuring instrument slightly out. What is amazing is that 90 mile beach is a state highway! When the roads are closed, traffic is diverted to the beach (provided the tide is not in!).

kiwisinoz sandboarding at 90 mile beach

Cape Reinga is the most northern point in NZ. It is a very sacred place for the Maori. It’s where spirits enter the underworld. As the picture below shows, I was exactly 1,975km from work in Sydney, 6,211 km to the South Pole, and 3,827km to the equator (in case you were wondering).

Cape Reinga - NZ's northern most point

Ok, so the scene has been set, now to the all important beer review. As mentioned earlier, The Duke of Marlborough has an impressive beer menu. One particular beer stood out for me as  I had never heard of it – the Moa Original. On closer inspection of the bottle, I learned that it has won silver at the Australian International Beer Awards, gold at the NZ Brew Awards, bronze at the Asia Beer Awards. An admirable haul of medals that Mark Todd on Charisma would be proud of. The name Mao is taken from the giant flightless bird that once roamed the NZ landscape. It reached an impressive 3.7m in height and weighed about 230kg. They became extinct several hundred years ago.

Moa Original - an absolute gem

The Moa Original is a relatively undiscovered gem for mine. It’s smooth on the way down, with the taste being a perfect blend of malt and hops. It’s easy to drink with a refreshing after taste right down to the last drop. A natural artesian water spring flowing directly beneath the Moa Brewery adds to the distinct flavour. Unlike the giant bird, this beer is not big and bold, but it’s equilibrium of ingredients had this correspondent nodding furiously in approval. My curiosity of the Moa – the giant extinct bird and the beer are now equals.

On perusal of the Moa website, I discovered there are in fact 10 varieties of beer and 2 ciders and is currently one of the largest New Zealand beer exporters to the United States. The Moa Brewery is nestled amongst the vines of the world famous winemaking region of Marlborough, New Zealand.

We’re off to NZ’s next capital city tomorrow – Auckland.

http://www.kiwisinoz.com.au/

3 Mountains

Something that really irks me about the fine country I live in is the gouge mentality of its commerce. I know it’s most likely a worldwide phenomenon but it’s seems especially prevalent in Australia which is meant to be the land of the fair go and egalitarian principles. The gouge, I theorise, is the reason our tourism industry is failing. For years it has relied on ‘fresh meat’ from Japan, Singapore and, now, China. So why, I guess, would you as an Aussie tourism operator provide value for money when you can gouge unwary travellers who are unlikely to return anyway? For locals the archetypal gouge is ATM fees. These absolutely sh*t me. I know, I know these are like $2 per transaction but its the principal of the thing. a) I am accessing my own money and b) the buggas pay zero interest on it. The banks claim they are simply passing on the fee that bank x charges for bank y customers to use the ATM. But don’t all these cross bank fees pretty much cancel themselves out? It’s worse when your a customer of bank b (for blue) whose ATMs are rarer than hen’s teeth hence pretty much forcing me to pay for each and every ATM transaction.

No gouge here

We're effluent

The 3 Monts poured a very light gold colour with a strong head. It had rich taste that only got richer as you drank more. It packed a satisfying 8.5% ABV. This is no Euro mass produced lager with the associated astringent taste. Will definitely be enjoying this again.
]]> http://backoftheferry.com/2012/01/17/3-monts-and-the-great-aussie-gouge/feed/ 1 illiards 3mons 3mons2 3mons3 http://backoftheferry.com/2012/01/16/wellington-epic-scotts-brewing-co-and-the-malthouse/ http://backoftheferry.com/2012/01/16/wellington-epic-scotts-brewing-co-and-the-malthouse/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:21:05 +0000 kiwisinoz http://backoftheferry.com/?p=5536 ]]> “Throw ‘em into the deep end with the big boys and see if he has what it takes”

I now appreciate the pressure that James Pattinson, Doug Bracewell, Ed Cowan and Sonny Bill Williams have felt recently – making their debuts on the big stage.

As I make my debut botf post, I can feel the pressure now that I have joined illustrious company such as bladdamasta, illiards, pommy_ch et al in the botf dynasty. With a click of a button, I could be dispatched faster than a Chris Martin long hop.

Kiwisinoz also has the honour of posting the first ever botf blog from Aotearoa (that’s NZ)…..

A nation’s capital – I bet you’re thinking of a city full of public servants clocking in at 9 and leaving at 5pm on the dot, wearing brown socks and carrying their 1970’s briefcase in a place whose night life doesn’t have a lot to offer….am I right?

Wellington is NZ’s capital and is far from the image you’ve just conjured up in your mind. In fact Lonely Planet dubbed it the world’s coolest capital city. The New York Times also gave it a great write up for the yanks.  To cut to the chase for botf’s Australian readership, Wellington is NZ’s equivalent to Melbourne – it has a plethora of small boutique bars and restaurants, it’s an arts & cultural hub, the people are content, and well……it’s often damn freezing, with the added pleasure of the fierce wind.

Sensational views over Lyall Bay from Maranui Cafe

The day started with breakfast at Maranui Café.  Located in the Lyall Bay surf clubrooms, it has fast become a Wellington icon, famous for its glorious food served whilst enjoying a breathtaking view of Lyall Bay beach and the entrance to Wellington harbour. A must for any tourist to Wellington are Maranui’s brekkie options – the perfect cure for a session the night before.

Too windy? Great views from inside Maranui Cafe

Let’s get to the beer section of this debut post before the selectors start to wield the axe. An Epic Lager was downed for the first time by this correspondent, while Mrs kiwisinoz downed (in a more civilised manner) a Scotts Gluten Free Pale Ale (I can hear the groans already….but read on before judging).

Firstly, the venue that these liquid refreshments were critiqued at – The Malthouse.  This is a craft beer lover’s paradise! Wall to wall fridges and taps full of NZ craft beer (and cider). If you’re looking for a standard Henie, Stenie, or DB Export, don’t even bother setting foot in this place. Botf correspondents would think they’d died and gone to heaven. As a born and bred Wellingtonian, I used to frequent The Malthouse in years gone by (before the “in oz” suffix was obtained) when it was located on Willis Street. Now in the hustle and bustle of Courtney Place it is far more accessible.

The Malthouse has stood on the gold medal podium for 2 years running, picking up Best Bar Venue and Best Beer Menu – need I say more botf correspondents and readers?!?! It would be criminal not to come here.

The Malthouse - Best Beer Venue and Best Beer Menu winners

Our barman Danny blew us away with his in depth knowledge of almost every beer that was enquired about. No doubt one can only obtain this expertise through “taste testing”. I aspire to reach Danny’s level of knowledge (only through “taste testing” of course) and his first class service. The Malthouse is better for having Danny – cheers bro!

Wellington's resident beer expert Danny

To the beer – the Epic Lager is something else! The first few sips were like the Sydney NYE fireworks going off in my mouth. Extremely hoppy all the way through, it’s the wholesome flavour that grabs you like Guptil grabbing a Phil Hughes nick. It definitely got my attention.

It took a few sips to get accustomed to the wholesome full body hoppy taste, but after that it was extremely pleasurable on the palate. Some beers start to lose their flavour towards the end and even give a strange after taste, Epic is not in this category. The last gulp was just as good as the first.

There is no doubting why this beer is called Epic, nothing better describes it than its name. In the words of bladdamaster, this drop is very sessionable.

At 5%, this beer would also go down well with a seafood platter or you could skip the platter and Danny would be there to either pass you another Epic or dazzle you with another Kiwi craft beer.

Epic Lager - truly epic in hoppy taste

Mrs kiwisinoz tried a Scotts Gluten Free Pale Ale – I can see the eyes rolling at the sheer mention of gluten free beer but don’t let that turn you off trying this immensely pleasurable pale ale. From the picture, there is nothing hippie or alternative about the bottle, making it quite an acceptable drop to drink with your mates without letting on its gluten free.

The mrs prefers to ensure food is always consumed whilst drinking, she reckons this drop is best enjoyed with a smoked chicken salad or light pizza.

For those who prefer gluten free food and drink (whether it be personal choice or medical reasons), Scotts Gluten Free Pale Ale makes for a healthy alternative without sacrificing flavour or quality.

It’s smooth on the palate making it perfect for a cheeky lunch time beer. The sweetness of honey is subtle on the palate yet balanced with a slight bitter after taste to warrant another:

“Hey Danny, get us another Scotts bro”

“Yip, sweet as, told ya the missus would ike it aye!”

Therein ends the debut, next post from the Bay of Islands. KiwisinOz

Scotts Gluten Free Pale Ale

Double Island Point Lighthouse

This BotF correspondent was lucky enough to be the recipient of a Prickly Moses Mixed Gift Pack in the recent inaugural Back of the Ferry Kris Kringle. That’ll mean a spike in Prickly Moses beer reviews, which isn’t a bad thing, because I haven’t had a dud yet. Prickly Moses beer is part of the Otway Estate “empire”. Kicked off as a grape grower in 1981, Otway Estate produces wine, beer, cider and cordial in what looks like an sublime setting. I’m pretty keen to do some day trips in Victoria this year, and at a little more than two hours from the Melbourne CBD – Otway Estate looks like an ideal place to visit.

A travelling companion

I’d packed a stubby of Otway Stout with me to Rainbow Beach and it accompanied me on a kayaking trip to view the Double Island Point lighthouse and the 90% chance of seeing dolphins. Despite the 90% promise, I wasn’t confident. My tribe had been to Tin Can Bay a couple of days before to feed dolphins that turn up almost every day. For the preceding 363 days of 2011, dolphins had failed to turn up on only 3 days. We made it the 4th in 364 days. We’d blown 99 in 100 odds – 9 in 10 seemed too long. The kayaking itself was great fun, even if my 12 year co-paddler stroked to her own unique syncopated rhythm. Double Island Point is famous for its 500m wave if conditions are right and we paddled over some healthy swell. The guide was panicking and there was more than a little relief in his voice when a dolphin and her calf(?) bobbed up close to our fleet. Their visit was very short and I was unable to get a shot of the Otway Stout next to the dolphin, so you are stuck with the lighthouse instead.

Beautiful blackness

I ended up losing that stubbie, so I had to wait until Sydney before I could get my hands on one. It was worth the wait. It actually would have gone down pretty well after the kayaking expedition, which is surprising for a stout. The label doesn’t lie when it says that the Otway Stout is a sessionable stout. It’s not too heavy, but it has all those lovely stout flavours I crave – roasted malts, cocoa and coffee. I’m two down in my six pack and the Otway Stout is the stand out so far (I’m also a sucker for a stout). I’ll be returning to this one for sure.

True label hyperbole

The black hole

While I was busy browsing the interweb I came across an article claiming “Sydney’s George St rated in world’s top shopping spots“. I could not believe it. It could not have been ‘rated’ by anyone who has actually been to George St. For those who are familiar with Sydney’s main thoroughfare also know that it’s famous (notorious) for it’s trashing souvenir shops, takeaway food chains and gridlock traffic.

A quote from the article states “…It made the cut because of its friendly department stores and brightly lit boutiques, along with quirky shops at the southern end and top-end fashion stores and cafes in the Queen Victoria building“. I reckon these muppets did not leave the Queen Victoria building. As for “quirky shops at the southern end”…..south of Market St has to be one of the most execrable parts of the city. It’s pretty much melange of cinema complexes, trashy bars and subterranean internet cafes (who actually uses these anymore?). At least 20 years ago it had army surplus stores every 50 metres (remember those?!) and it was worth a visit.

As for being rated one of the world’s top shopping thoroughfares..bollocks.

Now for something far more pleasant. The Surefoot Stout is an all-too-rare Rare Breed beer from Mountain Goat Beer. It was great drinking and as black as the ace of spades. Held to the light not a photon got through. It tasted beautifully smooth with a hint of coffee and a slight roasted flavour. There was no after taste bitterness. More please.

The Australian craft beer twitterverse, blogger verse and Facebook pages are all abuzz with the news that the 4th Annual Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll is now open for voting. The poll is put on by the Local Taphouses at Darlinghurst and St. Kilda (two places you should visit often) and is being jointly supported by the two best sources of Australian craft beer news – The Crafty Pint and Australian Brews News.

It’s definitely worth having a vote, but just scrolling through the 800+ beers in the drop-down is a real eye-opener. At Back of the Ferry, we’d thought we made a dint in the range of Australian beers, but when you look at the list of beers and the number of brewers that make them – we’ll never come close. A large part of the reason is that many of these beers are only available in the city or state in which they are brewed. For example, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Nail Brewing beer in NSW (though I haven’t been to the Warners Bay bottlo), I haven’t laid eyes on a Seven Sheds and I hadn’t heard of Wagga Wagga’s Thirsty Crow who have a massive 10+ beers on the list until I did some scrolling. A second reason is that you’d have to be drinking over 2 beers a day and travel as often as Kevin Rudd to get around Australia at the right time to sample the hundreds of seasonals that are released each year.

I’m not complaining by any stretch. How different from 25 years ago when a trip to Melbourne meant VB, Carlton or Fosters, a trip to Brisbane meant XXXX, a trip to Adelaide meant West End, Southwark or (thank heavens) Coopers, a trip to Perth meant Swan or Emu or a trip to Sydney meant Tooheys, Tooths or Reschs. It is a fantastic revolution and one that Back of the Ferry will continue to enjoy participating in.

Have a vote and keep your eye out for the Top 100 to be announced on Australia Day.