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!
AABC and ANHC
Coming up this week are the Australian Homebrewing Nationals Competition judging and running in conjunction is the Australian National Homebrewing Conference. I’m off to Melbourne for both events so it looks to be a big week. Lots of events over the course of a few days all of which involve beer in some way shape or form. If you don’t already have a ticket you should think about getting one. Even if you are not a homebrewer there is plenty to see and do.
Besides the actual conference sessions which are mostly for real brewing geeks there are a number of events for those that are not brewers. On Wednesday night there is a dinner and judges calibration session at Biero, a new bar/restaurant in Melbourne. After judging on Thursday there is a dinner and drinks at The Local Taphouse in St Kilda. On Friday the conference gets into full swing with a bunch of sessions including a session on advanced flavour training. Friday night is the beer and food matching dinner which will be amazing if last time is anything to go by. After the dinner it’s time for club night where homebrew clubs from around the country put their best on show for everyone to try. This is a big night going on past performances so don’t go too hard too early.
On Saturday it’s back to the conference sessions. On Saturday there are a few more sessions for the lest technically inclined including talks on cooking and pairing food with beer and on calibrating your pallet. Later in the day there is even a cheese making presentation. One I think I will be attending. After the conference formalities wrap up for the day it’s time for the gala dinner where the National Brewing Competition awards will be handed out. Once again we get some great beers paired with fantastic food.
As you can see there is something for everyone. If you make it along you won’t be disappointed. Get There!
Here For The Hops on the road
My day job takes me to Sydney next week. I fly out Sunday afternoon and fly back the following Sunday. I will find some time to hit some beer venues whilst I am there. Given I am going to miss the Emerson Pilsner and Mikkeller tap launch at the Wheaty I will bring some reports of Sydney venues.
On the cards for the trip are Harts in the Rocks, The Local Tap House in Darlinghurst and Red Oak as a minimum. Hopefully I can hit some other venues too. I am staying out of the city which makes things a little more difficult but I believe the public transport is pretty good where I am staying. Any public transport is good compared to the basic hub and spoke setup that is the Adelaide system.
If there is anyone from Sydney that wants to catch up for a beer let me know. I’m always keen to meet more beer geeks. If anyone has suggestions of venues I would love to hear them too. I know I will be at Harts in the Rocks on Sunday evening so I will see you there if you can make it.