Lots of Good Beer
Times are pretty good for us beer lovers in Adelaide. Over the last year or so we have seen a number of venues adding more craft beer to their lists and an increase in the rate of release of new beers from local breweries. Add to this some breweries in the start up phase and some new ones just launched and you have an exciting time for local beer people. While we would all like there to be more good beer available it is increasing.
I’m going to do some updates to the drink and breweries sections of the web site soon to reflect this. Thought in the time being I would do a really quick summary. Swell Brewery launched in the last year to plenty of good reviews. I have tried their first two beers but am yet to make it to the brewery or meet the brewer. There are a few other projects on their way to becoming breweries but we will wait until they launch before we say too much about them. The existing local breweries have also had a number of exciting new releases including the latest Devil’s Choice from Lobethal and the excellent Glactic Pale from Brewboys.
As far as places to drink go I still have my favourite. As anybody who has ever read this site know the Wheaty is my favourite and the Wheaty is still great but there are a number of other choices around too. As per an earlier article the Earl of Leicester is stocking some great beer, The Highway has started to really upgrade their list and The Lion has some great beer on their taps and in the fridge too. If you are looking for a restaurant then look no further than the excellent Shanker’s on Prospect Rd and Press in the city. While in the cbd the Crown & Sceptre and The Kings are certainly worth a look too.
All around things just keep getting better. I have even started to see some of the more accessible craft beers in mainstream bar. If I can walk into any pub and find a Pacific Ale or Punk IPA I would be pretty happy with that. Go to the pub and get some beer.
That Beer Moment
Most beer geeks have experienced that moment. I know I have. That moment when you really discover beer. Mine came after drinking beer even some good ones but there was the aha moment when beer just became an obsession for me. Most beer lovers have had and can remember that moment. My moment was on a trip to the US many moons ago. For me that beer was Sierra Nevada Pale. A beer quite a few people have had that kind of experience with. There was almost no good beer to be found here in Adelaide back then. The closes thing to craft beer I had ever had was Cooper’s Sparkling Ale. At the time the Sierra Nevada was a revelation to me. I had never tasted anything so bitter and hoppy. I didn’t quite know what to think about it but I knew I liked it. While it may seem quite restrained now days at the time it was an extreme beer particularly for my inexperienced pallet.
I was at the Wheaty the other night and I got to see someone else have their beer moment. For this person it was the Moo Brew Imperial stout through the glass hopper filled with Kopi Luwak coffee. Quite an exotic combination and a truly awesome one too. After tasting it the guy walked around the bar telling anyone that would listen how awesome it was and trying to convince them to try it. I think most beer lovers and probably anyone who is passionate about something knows what that moment was like. It was great to see someone else experience it. I’m really passionate about beer and it’s great to see someone else joining the club.
So what was your beer moment like and what beer was it?
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Lobethal = Win
Lobethal Bierhaus has scooped the pool at the Royal Adelaide Beer Show. Lobethal Bierhaus has taken out ten trophies at the awards ceremony on Friday night. A number of other local breweries also did well including a Champion ale for the GTS from Brewboys. Nobody came close to the sweep from Alistair at Lobethal though. Check out the article on Adelaide Now for some good mainstream press for craft beer.
So if you ever needed an excuse to get up to Lobethal and try their beers or drop in again to remind yourself how good it is you now have a good excuse. Go and see some other local breweries too. Get There!
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Like beer? Like Food? Go to Shankers
Another recent addition, at least recently discovered by me, is a great Indian restaurant just outside the city in Prospect. Shankers has been around for a long time but the move to their, current, Prospect Road location and increased focus on beer are relatively new. I dropped in for dinner recently and was very pleasantly surprised with the extensive beer list on offer.
The focus of the available beers is on Australian micros in general with a large portion of them being from South Australia. There is also a great range of styles on offer with everything from easy drinking lagers to robust IPAs and stouts. Whatever dish you pick from their menu you are sure to find a excellent beer to go along with it. Should be a good spot for English expats too. Now they can have a good beer with their curry at the end of a boozy night.
The staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic too. It’s great that they are not just paying lip service to beer but are really keen on promoting it too.
So if ou want a good meal and want to be able to have a good beer with it to head on over to Shankers and enjoy both in a great restaurant with excellent service.
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Beer People are Good People
Over the last couple of years in general and in the last couple of weeks in particular I have been catching up with a bunch of beer people around Adelaide, the country and even overseas on a couple of occasions. One thing that comes through again and again is that beer people, for the most part, are good people.
Particularly in the last week I have had some good conversations with people I had never met before or more involved conversations with people I had only met very briefly. To my great delight they were all really cool people. Everywhere you go and everyone you talk to in the beer world you find good people that make every pint a great experience.
When you are out have a chat to the other beer people around you. Say hello to me if you see me at the pub. You can see a photo of me on my list of articles at Brew News, though I’m more beardy now. I will be at The Wheaty on Monday night if anyone wants to join me for a beer.
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Crown & Sceptre
The Bar at the Scepter courtesy of http://www.sceptre.com.au/
Adelaide now has a new option for good craft beer. The Crown and Sceptre has hooked up with some of Australia’s best breweries and has a range of great beers available. They have pulled out a lot of stops and really jumped into it too. They have a great range of beer from the likes of Murray’s, Bridge Road Brewers, Stone & Wood and 8Wired from NZ. They aren’t dipping their toe when it comes to breweries or styles. On a recent visit I had an Icon 2IPA from Murray’s, a Chestnut Pilsener from Bridge Road Brewers and an Organic Ale from Mike’s. That is an amazing line up for a bar just getting into good beer. Have a look at the beer list on their web site for the full line up. I’m certain you will be impressed.
You really should go for the beer but there are other reasons to visit too. I visited for lunch recently and the food was great. They have specials going all week so if you are working in the city it’s a great spot for lunch and maybe a beer or two at lunchtime. Then you can head back down for after work drinks and it will still take you many visits to work through that beer list. On top of the food there is regular live music and DJs, check the gigs page for details. The Sceptre is just a cool venue. For those of you that live and or work in the city it’s a great spot and they are making a real commitment to good beer which is a rare thing within the cbd and the whole of Adelaide for that matter. Get down there and have a beer.
If they do get the support from beer drinkers we may even get them to add a tap or two of good beer. When you go in pick up a good beer and ask when the taps are coming. They are doing a great job but more people will give great beer a try if they know it is there. Get There!
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