Purchased Beers

[Paul84]

Good tour of Tassie there @Rob Courtney. Will have to keep an eye out for that Winston IPA. In December i had one of the Carwyn Cellars advent calendars. Was so good. So many good beers ( mainly from over east) 

[Rob Courtney]

So, not to make you all think all I did was drink beers all week (I did) in Tasmania but with 2 days left, we dropped back into Hobart and after walking into the CBD from where i was staying, I noticed a craft brewery no more than 200 metres from where I was staying, so doing the right thing, once I dropped off the food at the house, I paid it a visit.

They had a few beers on tap to try and the first one I tried was a Japanese Rice Lager. I was interested to see how it compared to my one I had made earlier this year from a wort kit. This one was really nice and i asked what hops was used because i just wasn't picking it...Ella and Enigma. It will be worth trying that in a hops mix for a lager.

In one of the photos, you can see the large storage tanks at the back, they are the kegs they pour the beer from and just quietly...that's about the right size for a keg in my book

Lastly I had the XPA, it was a light XPA at 3.5% ( I was drinking on an empty stomach at that point so I went the lighter option, plus I'd never had a light XPA so I gave it a go. It is the beer in the picture below (half drunk because well, me. It was really good as far as flavour went for a light beer, just it had a weird taste on the back pallette whether it was a little metallic maybe, nothing bad but noticable, still it was good.

Luckily I do not have a place like this 200 metres from the house, it'd be dangerous

[Rob Courtney]

So at the end of cricket today, when at another club that has a bar, it is traditional to have a beer or two. Back when I first started running the bar at my club, I tried to get a few more beers than Carlton Draught and Melbourne bitter and people really appreciated it but...

Today, I went up to the bar and I had 3 choices Carlton Draught, Great Northern and Carlton Dry, such a bad, bad choice. I decided that I would toss a coin cause i can't drink the draught and it came up on the side of dry.

You know that scene from the Simpsons where Krusty Burger is the official sandwhich sponsor of the 84 Olympics and he takes a bite out of the burger before it cuts in the Ad?

Yeah, that's how I felt...how on earth are people buying cartons of that

 

[Sam Armstrong]

On 04/02/2023 at 3:57 PM, Rob Courtney said:

So at the end of cricket today, when at another club that has a bar, it is traditional to have a beer or two. Back when I first started running the bar at my club, I tried to get a few more beers than Carlton Draught and Melbourne bitter and people really appreciated it but...

Today, I went up to the bar and I had 3 choices Carlton Draught, Great Northern and Carlton Dry, such a bad, bad choice. I decided that I would toss a coin cause i can't drink the draught and it came up on the side of dry.

You know that scene from the Simpsons where Krusty Burger is the official sandwhich sponsor of the 84 Olympics and he takes a bite out of the burger before it cuts in the Ad?

Yeah, that's how I felt...how on earth are people buying cartons of that

 

Hahaha, all very bad imo but hard to determine which is worst. In my experience draught is slightly more (only slightly!!) more tolerable than the other two. It it was a hot day your mouth will feel more dehydrated than when you walked in!

As you probably know, the problem with many cricket clubs and associations (and probably all sporting clubs) across Australia, there is often a collective agreements or sponsorships between associations and mass breweries to make purchasing drinks cheaper, e.g. with Carlton United.

To buy anything better means the club takes the risk on outlaying more of their time and money. So you need a bar manager or purchaser with some relatively good taste (obviously each to their own, taste is subjective), purchasing know how, and customers who want it.

Example bring when the legend at our club in Perth brought Coopers green and little creatures pale behind the bar. Was a godsend not having to have corona or Carlton draught as the only options.

[Rob Courtney]

On 06/02/2023 at 9:00 AM, Sam Armstrong said:

Hahaha, all very bad imo but hard to determine which is worst. In my experience draught is slightly more (only slightly!!) more tolerable than the other two. It it was a hot day your mouth will feel more dehydrated than when you walked in!

As you probably know, the problem with many cricket clubs and associations (and probably all sporting clubs) across Australia, there is often a collective agreements or sponsorships between associations and mass breweries to make purchasing drinks cheaper, e.g. with Carlton United.

To buy anything better means the club takes the risk on outlaying more of their time and money. So you need a bar manager or purchaser with some relatively good taste (obviously each to their own, taste is subjective), purchasing know how, and customers who want it.

Example bring when the legend at our club in Perth brought Coopers green and little creatures pale behind the bar. Was a godsend not having to have corona or Carlton draught as the only options.

This is just small country town thing. I remember when I first came to my first club down here and after a few draughts I asked if he'd get a carton of Boags premium as I figured if nobody drank them, I'd knock off the carton in 6 or less weeks (2 after training, 2 after a match). He got them and there was a bit of a hush around the club when I started drinking it. I left at 7 on the Thursday, came back for the match 2 days later and the carton had been drunk.

I agree though on the sponsorship model, it makes it tough though with the way the bigger guys are buying up independents, there is a chance it gets better

[Rob Courtney]

There was a local craft brewery in Hanoi!!!

Firstly, Hanoi is lovely, hot but lovely.

Anyways, found this place on one of my walks then casually directed my family that way on our walk back down that street...they were obviously most surprised...maybe not my daughter, she sees through my shallow plans.

So first beer I had was a lager called "Gods water" @BrewArt Team, sounds like a name for a Brewprint...it's a bit cocky, maybe sacrilegious but still...

Apparently, Gods water gets served at close to 10C which was just disappointing but it was a nice effort, easily above the Euro and Japanese beers I was smashing but the Brewarts had them covered. It also cost about 6 bucks which frankly in Vietnam is just outrageous not too hoppy, maybe not hoppy enough.

Second beer I had was something suggested on here by a guy called maybe Jeff, Simon, maybe Steve a Sassion. I even took a picture of this one to the call from someone of "oh jeez dad, do you think you're a beer blogger now"...yep, the older they get (12) the less mouthy they do not get.

Once again, served at 10 degrees but it were a spicy bugger. It was a nice beer, not sure it is something I could session, could have been colder but it was different to my usual fare. Now I need to find one in a bottle shop to compare.

They did have a whole range of beers and if they were served at a decent temp, I may have tried a few more but they weren't and I was kinda looking out for my family whilst we were in another country so no need to get drunk.

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Stopped by a local taproom, H.H. Hinders, to sample a newly released special edition beer called rASSberry, an American wheat beer with raspberries. Very nicely done, typical quality for this brewery, where the brewmeister is something of a genius. 

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Always on the lookout for something different, we found a mixed 12-pack of 12oz cans from an area brewer, McFleshman's, whose Irish-pub themed taproom we visit all too infrequently. Interesting thing about this sampler box, is it contained 3 cans each of 3 different beers - an Amber Lager, a Hazy IPA, and a tasty Helles Lager - along with 3 "mystery" beers, that you won't know until you purchase and open the box. Sounded fun, so we bought and got it home. Well, when we opened it up, my bride was delighted to find that the mystery beer was an English Porter named White Horse. She has been horse-obsessed all her life, and will usually take a porter over just about anything else, especially on a cool afternoon such as we had yesterday. So, choosing the appropriate vessel, she poured her first as we settled in on the second floor deck where we could watch the horses grazing in their pasture. As with all our experiences with McFleshman's, nothing in the box disappointed.

[Rob Courtney]

53 minutes ago, Steve Gyldenvand said:

 my bride  has been horse-obsessed all her life, 

 

Which is why she married you mate

[Steve Gyldenvand]

1 minute ago, Rob Courtney said:

Which is why she married you mate

Well, pony, maybe...

[Rob Courtney]

Just jealous that you are able to grab a 12ver of beers like that.

Still, my beer scene is growing so maybe just maybe...

 

[Steve Gyldenvand]

1 hour ago, Rob Courtney said:

Just jealous that you are able to grab a 12ver of beers like that.

Still, my beer scene is growing so maybe just maybe...

 

Rob, we are very fortunate to have a large number of quality small and mid-size breweries offering these sampler boxes, which are easy to find at most beer retailers. One of our go-to supermarkets generally has a half-dozen or more available to choose from. Sometimes it'll be a themed selection, mostly IPAs, but usually it's a sampling of their flagship beers. These are simply a great way to add variety to a personal beer inventory. 

One of our favorite breweries is called Central Waters, located about 30 minutes away in Amherst Wisconsin. Their logo features a heron, and they call their sample box a "rookery", which includes their HHG (short for horseshoes and hand grenades) IPA, Rift IPA, Mudpuppy Porter, and Honey Blonde. It's a pretty simple decision when we can't decide what to buy.

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Follow-up on the McFleshman's sampler box, I put the last few cans in the fridge and was breaking down the box for disposal, when these fell out. A coaster, and a handy coupon for buy one, get one free pint at their taproom. That's pretty respectable marketing, in my book.

[Rob Courtney]

14 hours ago, Steve Gyldenvand said:

Follow-up on the McFleshman's sampler box, I put the last few cans in the fridge and was breaking down the box for disposal, when these fell out. A coaster, and a handy coupon for buy one, get one free pint at their taproom. That's pretty respectable marketing, in my book.

Brilliant

[Rob Courtney]

 

 

Was at a local brewery /diner Friday for dinner. Took a sixer home. I'm not sure if I am being overreacting but I do feel $38 for a six pack is a little OTT. It's a nice beer but yeah I can almost brew 2 prints for that money

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Well, my good friends at Rio Lobo have amazed me once again. One of the owner's sons-in-law, Hunter, recently went to Belgium on business. He knew I'd been there on a strictly beer-ness trip, so before he left he asked me for recommendations. I guess he paid attention, because he did a brewery/abbey tour in his spare time, and when he returned he presented me with a bottle of Trappist Westvleteren Blond. I had an opportunity to try a Westvletern 8 while in Belgium, and have regretted not trying to find a blond ever since. This beer can be obtained in the U.S., but they tend to sell for over $40US ($62AUS) PER BOTTLE.

We are going to save this for just the right occasion, fairly soon I hope. It certainly won't be the last beer we share that day, but it will absolutely be the first.

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Every year my daughter gets me a 3 month subscription to The Rare Beer Club, which sends me 2 - 750ml/25oz selections each month. Yesterday evening we opened one of the July beers. La Maline is a Flanders dark ale brewed in France by Brasserie Thiriez. This is a very porter-like beer, with good hop bitterness over roasted malt and caramel flavors, strong dark fruit character, and what I can only describe as an almost licorice aftertaste. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Steve Gyldenvand
add photo

[Rob Courtney]

On 11/09/2023 at 2:09 AM, Steve Gyldenvand said:

Every year my daughter gets me a 3 month subscription to The Rare Beer Club, which sends me 2 - 750ml/25oz selections each month. Yesterday evening we opened one of the July beers. La Maline is a Flanders dark ale brewed in France by Brasserie Thiriez. This is a very porter-like beer, with good hop bitterness over roasted malt and caramel flavors, strong dark fruit character, and what I can only describe as an almost licorice aftertaste. 

 

I showed this post to my daughter as inspiration for her to be a better child.

Apparently, though, that was just me asking for a vigorous critique of my parenting downfalls

[Steve Gyldenvand]

3 hours ago, Rob Courtney said:

 

I showed this post to my daughter as inspiration for her to be a better child.

Apparently, though, that was just me asking for a vigorous critique of my parenting downfalls

I should point out that the Rare Beer Club subscription was courtesy of the same daughter that gave me my Beerdroid for Christmas. I don't think that necessarily means I've been a great father, so much as it means she would appreciate having a better selection of beers available when she visits.

[Rob Courtney]

9 minutes ago, Steve Gyldenvand said:

I should point out that the Rare Beer Club subscription was courtesy of the same daughter that gave me my Beerdroid for Christmas. I don't think that necessarily means I've been a great father, so much as it means she would appreciate having a better selection of beers available when she visits.

I get it.

My daughter is only 12 but yeah a beer subscription...of all the schemes she comes to me for money for, that'd be the none I'd be happiest with 

It will happen, she was the one in Vietnam when I was in the craft brewery who sat by me whilst I knocked back pints, I have faith

[Rob Courtney]

So I was bought one of these for Xmas. When I was told " you like beer, we bought you a 5 litre keg" my first thought was " please don't let it be Bitburger, please".

Pretty standard German Pils, read up some reviews and it got talked up big time...obviously those people have never had Brewart. I mean, it is a very drinkable beer and 5lts of free beer is never a bad thing.

Mrs C said "you're not going to drink that all tonight are you?"

Challenge accepted

 

[Rob Courtney]

What I will say though is all the instructions are written in German and it is such a fun language, I read it like a 7 year old and it is like " Turn tap right" and with one more word remaining changes it to " turn tap to the right to promote flow"

Funny language, cool country

[Rob Courtney]

I'm calling this one early...reckon I might get a couple of bacon sandwiches tomorrow

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Speaking of Christmas gifts, my daughter and son-in-law came through again. The Stille Nacht is a prestige beer from Brouwerij De Dolle in Belgium. It is a potent, 12% ABV Belgian Pale Strong Ale, that I was fortunate enough to taste at the Trollekelder in Ghent back in 2017. We sampled an amazing assortment of Belgian beers in the course of 2 visits there, and we unanimously declared Stille Nacht as the best of them all. Since then, I have repeatedly searched for a supply of this beer in the US, always coming up with nothing. So imagine my delight when I was presented with 3 bottles on Christmas Day. They found it in a little specialty shop just a couple days earlier, just 3 bottles, and bought it all. For me. 

[Rob Courtney]

15 minutes ago, Steve Gyldenvand said:

Stille Nach

12%....I think my Coopers Vintage is a mean brew and that is 9, maybe 10%...and it is mean.

 

Crap, $21 a bottle in Aus...out of stock though