Good Beer Wheaty Day 2 – Whisky and Sour Beer
We are now half way through Good Beer Wheaty at The Wheatsheaf Hotel. On the upside we have two more great events to go. First up was the ages of whisky, an event I was involved with. The first half of the tasting was based around the stages of production. I made a wash and we got to taste it before fermentation as a wort, after fermentation as wash and then as a new make spirit. I thought it was a really interesting process and tasting. You start with something really malty and sweet. From fermentation it became very mineraly and had lots of banana like fermentation character. Once it was fermented it had the strong alcohol aroma but there was still some malt there. After the distillation process some of the malt flavour made it through. I was expecting just straight hot alcohol and was surprised that there was malt still there. It wasn’t pleasant by any stretch but it was interesting.
After a break it was time for some cherry beers from Alistair at Lobethal Bierhaus. Alistair has taken his heffe and stout and aged them in barrels on sour cherries. I didn’t think I was going to like as fruit beers aren’t generally my thing. However, these were really good. I didn’t a get a strong cherry flavour but there was some interesting sourness and other flavours. I need to go back for more today to really get it straight in my head as there is a lot going on. If you weren’t there last night try to get down today and get some. I don’t know how much there is and you don’t want to miss out. Also on tap last night was the very limited Watermelon Warhead from Feral. This is a Berlinerweisse at 2.6% with watermelon added to it. It’s an amazing combination of sour and sweet fruit. That is a “light” beer I could get behind. Another one that isn’t going to be around for long so you should get in to try it.
Today it’s time for Doctors Orders goes Locum. Doc is coming into to town with a special one off prescription. We still don’t know what style the beer is but it will be poured three ways. It will go through the hopper, off a regular tap and from the hand pump. I con’t wait to see what Doc has in store for us. If his commercial releases are anything to go by this should be a great beer. This is a one off so get to at The Wheaty tonight or you aren’t ever going to get to try this beer. I’m sure you don’t want to miss it. Get There!
Good Beer Wheaty Day 1
Day 1 is over and day2 is about to begin. Day1 was fantastic with a big group in for th hop nerd session. It did get nerdy too. As predicted terms like alpha acids and humulone and many other were used. Stephen got right into the details about hops and explained it well. The only problem with the presentation was that it didn’t go long enough. There could have been another two hours of presentation and still not covered everything. I think everyone there was enjoying it enough for it to go on even further too. Big thanks to Stephen for an excellent presentation and some great beers too.
Once the hop session was over it was a short wait to the Topaz Fix release. I don’t remember a release going going so quickly either. For the first fifteen minutes the tap was basically left open and glasses were swapped and filled. I’m not sure exactly how long it lasted but I doubt there is any of it left. That was the only keg of it too. I believe that some bottles are going to be available around the country but that is it for keg product.
Today we have the whisk(e)y tasting. There will be a bunch of tastings and the talk will be on the process of making spirit. There will be tastings of wort, wash and finally new make spirit at the end of the process. Should prove to be a excellent and interesting session. After that we get to try some new beers from Lobethal Bierhaus. Alistair has added sour cherries to his heffe and to his stout. This is not normally my kind of thing but I do like to try anything innovative brewers are doing. It will certainly be interesting and may even be very tasty too. Going along with that theme there will also be a rare sour on tap from Feral so even more reason to get there.
Another excellent day ahead. So come on down and join me and everyone else for a beer.
Good Beer Wheaty 12 – 15 May 2012
Taking inspiration from Good Beer Week in Melbourne Adelaide’s own Wheaty is having it’s own beer Festival, Good Beer Wheaty!
There is going to be a ton of exciting events. Check out the link to the program above and read my take below. While I want to jump straight into the event I will be involved with lets start from the start and work our way through. There are also some as yet unconfirmed events I will cover quickly at the end but will focus on the events that are currently on the schedule.
To kick things off and get everyone warmed up on Saturday 12 May we have a hop nerdery session hosted by Stephen Nelsen. This will focus on new and emerging Australian hop varieties. The session will cover everything from hop basics through high hop nerdery so don’t be surprised if you hear terms like alpha acid and cohumulone. To make things more exciting there will be tastings of new and rare beers featuring these new Australian hops. If you don’t get to the session you may never get to try these beers again. Better get in and get your tickets as this one will sell out fast.
Next up on Saturday evening is the launch of the Beer Here, Northdown and Nelsen collaboration brew. This beer is a version of the Beer Here Hop Fix except it features Topaz hops. The new version is called Topaz Fix. This is one of the new Australian hops that will be featured in the hop nerd session earlier in the day. The beer will eventually make it out and around the country but the first keg will be tapped at 1700 on 12 May 2012 at The Wheaty.
If you can back up for another session on Sunday it’s going to kick off nice and easy with a whisk(e)y tasting session. This is the event I’m involved with but I can’t go into the detail so as to maintain the mystery. Whisky(e)y is just distilled beer after all so it fits into the theme of the festival. Run by local whisk(e)y gurus Dr Paul Gooding and The Odd Whisky Coy’s own Big G. There will be a bunch of tastings at this event from wort, through wash, new make spirit and some finished whisk(e)y. Should be fun and you get to learn about the whole production process.
If you have the staying power to keep going there is even more on Sunday. The afternoon session is the Cherry Experiment with Alistair from Lobethal Bierhaus. Alistair has taken some local sour cherries and added them to his heff and the oatmeal stout. Fruit in beer isn’t really my thing but I am keen to give it a try. Should be a good contrast to the malts from earlier in the day.
I guess we all have to go to work on Monday so we have to wait until evening for the next event. What an event it will be though. The good Doctor himself, Darren Robinson, of Doctor’s Orders Brewing will be at The Wheaty for Doc Goes Locum. On the night a new beer from Doctor’s Orders Brewing will be poured three ways. You get to taste the latest concoction from a regular tap, through the glass hopper and from the hand pump. The style of the beer is still under wraps and knowing Doc this could be anything. Doc doesn’t tend to brew the same things as everyone else so whatever this is it’s sure to be very creative and something you haven’t tried before. As Doc says “Come get your beer prescription”.
To wrap things up on Tuesday night there are some more international visitors at The Wheaty. Visiting to talk and share their wares are Stu and Sam of the Yeastie Boys. This promises to be a fun event with a tasting of the range of Yeastie Boys beers, some seasonal releases and possibly a couple of surprises. The guys are also going to talk about contract brewing which is something that tends to have a bad name here in Australia but is a well accepted norm in New Zealand craft brewing. I’m personally a fan of the concept and look forward to the talk. On top of all of this there is rumours of some announcements too. You won’t want to miss this event or any of them for that matter. I personally plan to be at every one of them. They make really awesome beer too so go drink some of it.
That is the quick run down of the scheduled events. On top of those, already scheduled, events there are a couple of unconfirmed possibilities that sound pretty exciting. There is a chance that The Wheaty will be part of the Good Beer Week People’s Pint launch of Double Hoptondre. The other unconfirmed event is a possible strike tasting of Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops. No details on when this will be so you better just get to every event. There are very limited quantities of both beers so just make sure you are at the pub all day for the four days so you don’t miss out.
So that is Good Beer Wheaty! You aren’t going to want to miss any of it. I’m planning on being at every event and have taken time off from my day job for the purpose. Get There!
Beer Stuff Around Town
Lots of good beer stuff going on at the moment. New stuff from local breweries and interesting beers arriving at local pubs.
At the Wheaty there is plenty of good stuff coming up. This week has many exciting new beers coming up. Already announced in the regular Wheaty mail is lots of tasty treats. This Friday, the 10th of February, is the start of a run of what promises to be excellent single hop IPAs from Mikkeller. First up on tap this Friday is Citra. I love this hop so can’t wait to see what Mikkeller has done with it. Also coming up, hopefully this week, are some excellent new arrivals from Green Flash and Bear Republic. I had the very good luck of having some of the Bear Republic beers fresh from the taps when I was in the USA and Racer 5 is one of the best IPAs I have had. I personally can’t wait to get a chance to try it again. Also in stock right now are a bunch of new wheat beers from German brewer Schneider. Things are looking good over the next few weeks. Get There!
Shanker’s on Prospect Rd is updating it’s list again. They keep turning it over and adding more good beer. Recently some beers from Bridge Road Brewers have found their way into the fridge and I hear there may be some India Saison on the way soon. I also managed to get to Shanker’s for my Birthday which happened to coincide with the Prospect Road Street Party for the Tour Downunder. On the night they had a special beer brewed by Beard and Brau on tap. It was a very tasty pale ale which went down a treat in the hot weather and with the great food. To top all this off there is a rumour some very tasty locally made beers may be turning up on tap on a permanent basis at Shanker’s in the near future.
Across town at the Earl of Leicester there are some great beers hitting the taps and in the fridge. I’m not sure if I mentioned it previously but they are, as far as I’m aware, the only venue pouring the Double Red from Beard and Brau. It’s a great beer and my favourite from Beard and Brau so far. They currently have the Poleeko Gold from Anderson Valley on tap too. I’m yet to see it anywhere else in the country on tap and haven’t seen a mention of it in bottles either. There is a bunch of other great beers in bottle too and the food is always great. Get down and check them out.
The Highway have been putting some god beers on tap too. On my last visit they had both The Runt and Barrel Fermented Hop Hog from Feral. They have had great stuff in bottles for some time now and it’s great to see some great Australian craft beer hitting the taps. In bottle there is a great selection from across the ditch in NZ and from the USA. I enjoyed some tasty drops from Epic, 8Wired and Yeastie Boys on my last visit. The beer list is improving with every visit and the food coming out of the kitchen is excellent too.
At The Lion in North Adelaide they have been turning up the craft beers in recent times too. Recently there have even been beers from American favourite Rogue. However they seem to always have at least a couple of Australian crafts on tap. On my most recent visit there were beers from Lobethal and Moutain Goat on tap. In the fridge was the Pike’s Stout which I hadn’t had before. They are brewing their beers at Hargreaves Hill now and this is a pretty good drop. There is normally beer from the likes of Yeastie Boys, Brooklyn Brewery, Sierra Nevada and Hitachino. There really is a good range of beers now and you should get down there and check it out.
On the brewery scene Brewboys have updated the Charger lager now called Charger E55. It’s a great drop and I don’t know how long it will be available for so get down there and try some. In addition there are always new single batch and or single keg beers going on tap. If you don’t get down regularly you won’t get the chance to try them ever. The regular lineup is great too so just go and talk to the brewers and have a few beers.
Over at Beard and Brau there is the aforementioned Double Red that they have out at The Earl. You really should get there to try it. I don’t think it’s available any more but if you can find it the Tourrific Pale Ale was a great drop. It’s a great and really drinkable American Style Pale Ale. To try the range get to the Earl of Leicester as they usually have a large number of Beard and Brau beers. Shanker’s generally have a couple available too. You can drop into Shanker’s just for a beer too.
Lobethal have been releasing some new beers too. The latest verion of the Devil’c Choice is out and a tasty drop it is. If you like high ABV Belgian style ales then this should be right up your alley. They have recently started brewing a new beer just for the Good Life Pizza shops. I haven’t even had a chance to try it myself yet. I’m told it’s quite a tasty drop. This is unconfirmed but I believe it’s an American Pale Ale with a good hit of Citra hops. The Pilsener has recently undergone a change in recipe too. I’m not sure if this is just for The Wheaty or it’s a availble generally. Either way they have dried it out and made it a little more bitter. It has worked a treat and made what was a good beer even better. It’s currently on tap at the Wheaty and tasting great.
Down at Steam Exchange they also have a new release. It’s a Belgian Trappist style called Flurieu Family Reserve. I have to admit it is a little sweet for my tastes but it does have some really interesting flavours and should be given a try. My tastes are more on the bitter side anyway. I haven’t been down to Goolwa for a while to visit the brewery so plan to do that in the next few weeks. Always good to hang out at the brewery and have super fresh beers.
Well that is the wrap up for now. This has turned out much longer than I expected. Apologies if I have missed anything it’s just that there is so much going on. Just get out there and drink some great beer. Support your local breweries and your local venues. See you at the bar.
Events at The Wheaty / Wheatsheaf Hotel
Well Adelaide we are in for some real treats over the next couple of weeks. There are a couple of great events coming up at The Wheaty that you really should add to your calendar and get along to. First up this Wednesday, 5th of October, it’s drink a local night again. A week later on the 12th of October the movie “Beer Wars” come to Adelaide with a screening at The Wheaty. Add these to your calendar then read on for details.
Beer Wars has been on a tour of Australian craft beer venues and this month it lands in Adelaide at The Wheaty. A quick description from the site:
“Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs – Sam and Rhonda – battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.”
A very appropriate time to see this in Australis with the recent take over of Foster’s by SAB Miller. Adelaide’s own Cooper’s brewery is now the largest Australian brewer. The big brewers keep getting bigger but we have a bunch great small local brewers who are bucking the trend and make great beer from small breweries that focus on flavour. Some of those brewers will be along on the night for a Q&A session after the movie. Included in the line up will be Ben Kraus of Bridge Road Brewers and the man responsible for bringing the movie to Australia, Alistair Turnbull from Lobethal, Simon Sellick from Brewboys and Gareth Andrews from Steam Exchange. Should be plenty of opinions and plenty of discussion. Like we need an extra excuse to go to the pub for great beer. Hope to see a bunch of people there. Hope to see plenty of people there supporting the event.
Coming up even sooner is the regular “Drink a Local” event. Every month we get two new beers from breweries in and around Adelaide. This month we see beers from Lobethal Bierhaus and Barossa Brewing Co. From the Barossa we have the Miller’s Lager. A Bavarian style lager that actually sees a real lagering period unlike the big boys who just make claims about time in their advertising. From Lobethal Bierhaus we have my favourite of their beers, surprise surprise, the double hopped IPA. It’s a great hoppy beer with tons of flavour and aroma and the bitterness isn’t too high for those that don’t like to be knocked over by bitterness.
So plenty coming up over the next couple of weeks at The Wheaty. Hope to see you there.
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Drink a Local at The Wheaty / Wheatsheaf Hotel plus The Font of Darkness
There is normally a good reason to go to the Wheaty on the first Monday of the month with the opportunity to meet the brewers and taste their new brews going on to tap. This Wednesday, 3 July 2011, there is the extra incentive of the “Font of Darkness”.
The two locals will be going on to tap as usual. This month sees the Lobethal Red Truck Porter and the Barossa Brewing Company Grenoch Dark Ale. Both beers that have poured at the Wheaty in the past and both are excellent beers. The Lobethal Porter recently scored the award for Champion Porter at The Royal Adelaide Show Beer Competition. The Grenoch Dark is always one of the fast selling and most popular beers at the Wheaty.
The highlight this week is the Font of Darkness. One font plus the hand pump gets turned over to dark beers. The line up is pretty good too. On top of the two locals there is the Renaissance Chocolate Oatmeal Stout and, one I’m really looking forward to, Karma Citra black IPA from Feral. The highlight is going to be the Moo Brew Imperial Stout done three ways. First is the Vintage Barrel Aged on a regular tap. Next is the Vintage Barrel Aged on the hand pump which hasn’t been done before. Finally we have the regular stout through the glass hopper filled with Indonesian Kopi Luwak Weasel Coffee which is being referred to as Moo Poo.
I suggest not driving the car on Wednesday as it’s quite a line up and you may, like me, want to try them all. It’s sure to be a great night with Daryl from Barossa and Alistair from Lobethal along for the ride too. Get There!
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