Anderson Valley on tap at The Wheaty / Wheatsheaf Hotel
It’s time for another new and exciting range to hit the taps at The Wheaty in Adelaide. This time coming on to the taps is beer from California’s Anderson Valley. Some of their beers have been available in bottle and, surprisingly, in cans for a while now. However there is nothing like trying the beers fresh from the tap to get their real impact. While Anderson Valley may not be as in your face as some US breweries they produce fantastic well rounded and really well made quality beers.
The kick off event is this Friday, 25 November from 1700 at The Wheaty. First to go on tap is the very excellent Hop Ottin’ IPA. The IPA is probably my favourite of their range but that probably isn’t a surprise to anyone. Following will be the Boont Amber, their flagship, Poleeko Gold and the always reliable Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout.
So get down to The Wheaty from 1700. While you are thinking about it you should follow them on twitter here and sign up for their mailing list so you never miss out on what is happening. Hope to see you there on Friday. Get There!
Lunch at press*
If you are a beer lover and food lover there is a new restaurant in the heart of Adelaide that you really should get along and visit. Opening just a few months ago press* is in Waymouth street and is serving some great beer along with a fantastic menu.
We dropped in for lunch early on a Saturday afternoon. I heard good things about press* from a number of people. The thing that really got me interested was the talk of an excellent beer list that was on offer. The list didn’t disappoint either. Unfortunately they don’t have it online. However, it included selections from Brooklyn Brewery, Rogue, Bridge Road Brewers, Brewboys, Yeastie Boys and Mikkeller. Pretty amazing for a new restaurant in Adelaide.
It was fairly quiet when we went in and were seated with menus very quickly. Our waiter was really friendly and was just the right amount of attentive. He seemed preety interested in the beer and seemed very knowledgeable about the food too. After telling us about the beers and and answering some questions about the wine it was time to consider the food. You can find a sample menu online here. The menu changes regularly with available seasonal ingredients so they don’t put the full menu online. I can assure you it’s a great menu.
The recommendation to us and one I would make to others is to hit up the smaller part of the menu and order a few different things to get a real taste of what they have to offer. We selected some corgettes with Persian fetta, fish fingers(not what you remember from your childhood) and duck boudin. All of these were excellent. The duck was my pick but I can’t go past anything with Persian fetta either. All were good size serves and these three alone could have served as lunch for two. We didn’t stop there though and I am very glad that we didn’t. The decision was made to indulge our gluttony. We decided to share one dish from wood-grilled lowline Angus section. There were many steaks there that were really appealing but we decided to go for the six hour brisket with macaroni and cheese. This sounds like an odd combination particularly for a good restaurant. It works incredibly well. The brisket was moist tender and just plain fantastic. This is a cut of meat that for a long time was derided as being a bad piece. It just needs to be cooked right and the kitchen at press* has it sorted. I recommend trying it with the Mikkeller Jackie Brown or Brewboys Ace of Spades.
All of the food was excellent. The service was great. There is a fantastic selection of beer and wine. I can’t wait to get back for a longer meal when I don’t have to drive afterward. I am particularly looking forward to getting a group together and going in for the half Berkshire pig. The idea to sitting down to half a pig with a group of friends is very appealing to me. I have already decided this is what I am doing for my birthday if I don’t find an excuse to do it before then.
I can’t recommend highly enough that you get in and have a meal at press*. They are good people that serve great food and drinks. They have a real commitment to good beer so they deserve the custom of Adelaide beer lovers. You can follow them on twitter too.