Beer is the new wine

[SpaceMonkey]

With the spate of boutique breweries and beer cafes springing up all around Australia it appears that beer is no longer just for swilling, and the appreciation of fine ales is approaching the same sort of level that wine has enjoyed for years. So I thought I'd start this thread for the beer fanciers on ITM to discuss all things hopped, malty and alcoholic. What are your favourite brews/breweries? Favourite pubs with a good selection of gourmet ales? Anyone here brewing their own and managed to make anything particularly stunning? (Note if you think VB, New or XXXX are decent beer your opinion is immediately null and void).

I've recently had the pleasure of discovering the Chimay trappist beers from Belgium, they're bloody expensive ($7-$8) a stubbie at Dan Murphy's) but they are worth every cent. 7-9% alcohol but unlike most strong ales the alcohol doesn't overpower the taste, in fact I'd rate the Chimay Red my favourite beer ever. Anyone else tried these beauties?

[loopi]

Excellent thread, SpaceMonkey!

I'm a big fan of Japanese beers right now, and currently drinking Asahi fairly often. used to HATE beer, but only because I hadn't tasted any GOOD beer (First one was a VB).

Also I'm all for supporting Aussie beers, but aren't most of the aussie big names owned by international companies? :(
that said, i like cascade and boags. Carlton draught is ok when i'm a bit underfunded.

An interesting one I tried (but cant remember the name of) was this dark, almost spicy? malty beer which had an almost creamy head. wish i could remember.

[ms money penny]

My fav beer would have to be either Asahi or Hoegaarden :love:

Much love

[mike_L]

Get into Dan Murphy's and get a 6-pack of Kingfisher. They are an Indian lager, they are superb icy cold.

I'm yet to find 'Speights' anywhere here, that is all I drank in NZ last year, but have never seen it here.

I love beer, I have too many favourites ;D

[funkyhouser]

Big fan of St Arnou pilsener from the boys at brewtique. Crisp and clean with an excellent balance of malt and hops(imported from the czech republic for an authentic pilsener taste). Only distributed in NSW on tap for that freshly brewed flava.....i'll have another one thanks...heh

[argy-bargy]

Get into Dan Murphy's and get a 6-pack of Kingfisher. They are an Indian lager, they are superb icy cold.

I'm yet to find 'Speights' anywhere here, that is all I drank in NZ last year, but have never seen it here.

I love beer, I have too many favourites ;D

Yeah mate i was in NZ last year as well and really enjoyed the brews over there, Particularily 'tui'. Its a bloody great beer, very easy to drink and has a slighly sweeter aftertaste. But i havent seen it available here.
Does anyone know/seen where you can get these NZ beers?

[little chris]

dont mind asahi, & boags.

if funds are kinda short carlton draught

[SpaceMonkey]

Yeah mate i was in NZ last year as well and really enjoyed the brews over there, Particularily 'tui'. Its a bloody great beer, very easy to drink and has a slighly sweeter aftertaste. But i havent seen it available here.
Does anyone know/seen where you can get these NZ beers?

I recently got back from a few weeks in NZ and couldn't believe the number of new brews over there. Just about every brewery has 3 or 4 new products on offer and some of them are brilliant. If you see it around I highly reccomend Monteiths Summer Ale, that shit goes down like a soft drink, brillian on a hot summers day.

[SpaceMonkey]

if funds are kinda short carlton draught

Fuck that. I got into making my own beer because I got sick of paying decent money for shit beer. Now I only buy beer if I'm out or if I want to buy something special, I've got a good stock of decent home brew for regular drinking. I'm finishing off a longneck of home-made Hoegarden-style wheat beer as I type, not a bad drop although it doesn't hold any head for some reason.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Big fan of St Arnou pilsener from the boys at brewtique. Crisp and clean with an excellent balance of malt and hops(imported from the czech republic for an authentic pilsener taste). Only distributed in NSW on tap for that freshly brewed flava.....i'll have another one thanks...hehI know of one bar in Melbourne that has St Arnou on tap and it is super tasty :drool:

Boags is my standard beer

[gravy]

Delerium Tremens
Duvel
Kwak
Gulden Draak
Bruges Tripel

these are a few of my favourite things ...

[gravy]

Hoegaarden Grand Cru.

[caramellokoala]

beer :love:
asahi ftw!

[gravy]

BEST BEER IN THE WORLD (http://www.proximedia.com/web/degoudenboom.html)

[SpaceMonkey]

I'd really like to try some Westvleteren Abt 12 one day, it's rated by many as the world's best... unfortunately its almost impossible to get as it's only sold at the monastery gates and there is a strict limit on how much you can buy at a time... so the chance of ever sampling some unless I'm in Beligium is pretty close to fuck-all.

[Punk in Drublic]

Dan Murphys is shit! X( (I used to work for them)

Theo's FTW!



My favourite beer of all time would have to be:

KILKENNY

such an awesome beer :blush:

[Vote Quimby]

Must say I was pretty disappointed with the poor selection of Aussie beers, especially the lack of small breweries. But I've noticed some new ones coming out lately and the beer fest a few months ago was a good place to taste some new stuff.

Got to agree with the St Arnou Premium Blonde.

Quite like the James Squire Amber Ale.

The more new brewers the better.

[SpaceMonkey]

Dan Murphys is shit! X( (I used to work for them)

Theo's FTW!



My favourite beer of all time would have to be:

KILKENNY

such an awesome beer :blush:

From the point of view of someone who doesn;t work for either... I don't realy give a shit as long as the selection and prices are good.

[gravy]

I'd really like to try some Westvleteren Abt 12 one day, it's rated by many as the world's best... unfortunately its almost impossible to get as it's only sold at the monastery gates and there is a strict limit on how much you can buy at a time... so the chance of ever sampling some unless I'm in Beligium is pretty close to fuck-all.
overrated simply based on it's rarity. there are better brews out there, that are more accessible. Westvleteren's a tasty beer, but it's not the best in the world.

[SpaceMonkey]

overrated simply based on it's rarity. there are better brews out there, that are more accessible. Westvleteren's a tasty beer, but it's not the best in the world.

Yeah I'd believe that... but would still be cool to try some. However I'd only pay the celar door prices, notthe ridiculous price the stuff fetches when people unofficially resell it. And hey, even an overrated Belgian Trappist is still likely to be bloody good!

[gravy]

in belgium, the price for westvleteren doesn't go up much more than the what the monastery sell it for. the complex rules about how many cases you can buy from the monastery and the strong beer culture in belgium results in the beer being about 2 euros per 330mL bottle. if it cost too much, belgians would simply switch to another delicious beer. and no-one is able to buy more than what the monks decide is there fair share.

it was hard for me to believe, but there they were, sitting in a 7/11 type convenience store, cheap as Crown Lager, 1 billion times better. if you're a beer lover, you have to go to Belgium

[SPOKEYDOKEY]

cascade

[SpaceMonkey]

in belgium, the price for westvleteren doesn't go up much more than the what the monastery sell it for. the complex rules about how many cases you can buy from the monastery and the strong beer culture in belgium results in the beer being about 2 euros per 330mL bottle. if it cost too much, belgians would simply switch to another delicious beer. and no-one is able to buy more than what the monks decide is there fair share.

it was hard for me to believe, but there they were, sitting in a 7/11 type convenience store, cheap as Crown Lager, 1 billion times better. if you're a beer lover, you have to go to Belgium

/me checks bank balance for cost of airfare to Brussels

[Doully]

The Beach Road Hotel (in Bondi Beach, Sydney for non-Sydneysiders) is usually a goer for kiwi beers... They've definitely had Tui at some stage (maybe still do) and I know they've got Speights on tap and in the bottle shop... But its better from the tap than in stubbies.

Keep an eye on the Beach Road Hotel now that the Super 14 is close to starting as they always hook up some kiwi beers for the rugby season.

Beer by the case is really cheap in New Zealand. I was over there for Christmas and we were getting Corona, Becks, Stella Artois etc for $25-$30 a case!

[Doully]

I've always been partial to Peroni... Especially when tucking into a steak at Hurricanes.

As far as local beers go James Boags Premium is the best of the 'mass produced' beers.

I've noticed everyone seems to enjoy Asahi, but I find it lacks flavour. Its a nice beer for hot days but I think it lacks body.

[Bracko]

i actually think the opposite.

wine is only going from strenght to strenght.

[Spokey is Shit]

SPOKEYDOKEY get your finger out of your arse and learn how to mix you ugly f*#k. And then you can F*#k Off. :haha:

[Gotti]

Big fan of St Arnou pilsener from the boys at brewtique. Crisp and clean with an excellent balance of malt and hops(imported from the czech republic for an authentic pilsener taste). Only distributed in NSW on tap for that freshly brewed flava.....i'll have another one thanks...heh
yeah my old local (the greengate hotel in kilara (syd) used to have 4 on tap :drool:

and for all you bastards who live in melbourne

http://www.beerawards.com/beerfest2/details.htm

[spazmatron]

i'm a small time beer drinkin lazy man.. i do like a hoegaarden but not from a bottle.

drunk many a little creatures, kinda liked it at first but after a couple the taste wears thin and then becomes annoying and then yuck.

i like porters, for those living on the northside of melbourne ('spec yo), the fitzroy ales and porters brewed at the Labour In Vain on brunswick st. are delightful. particularly a nice porter on a cold winter night. mmm.. same thing in england, you'll find some ace little beers in the country pubs.


and then there's this:
OPB (http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/content?oid=23587)

[peepyfun]

im a fan of the belgium beers as well. chimay, forbidden fruit, leffe, duvel. paid $14 for a bottle of duvel couple weekends ago though :|

is oz, coopers pale is my fav close second is little creatures. if im eating seafood i like a crisp and dry beer that doesnt overrun the flavour of the food. medium bodied foods like pizzas etc youcant go past a little creatures

[mike_L]

Yeah mate i was in NZ last year as well and really enjoyed the brews over there, Particularily 'tui'. Its a bloody great beer, very easy to drink and has a slighly sweeter aftertaste. But i havent seen it available here.
Does anyone know/seen where you can get these NZ beers?Yeah Tui is a top beer too. Is that the fruity one? I can't remember too well because we used to sample all the Tui's when we were drunk and couldn't remember which ones we liked. I'm assuming that Tui have a range, otherwise go we were drunk :lol:

The drive-thru bottle-o at Mortdale sells cases of Becks that are imported from Istanbul, not brewed in Victoria. We stumbled accross it by accident and decided to compare the locally brewed with the Itanbul version. I could never drink another bottled Becks from Australia again :| I don't think they brew it in compliance with the Becks standards. The one from Istanbul was so smooth and full of taste!


Speaking of Belgian beers (earlier posts), Leffe blonde is a great beer, mmmmmmm.

Spokes - have you had the cascade 'four seasons'? It is beautiful, they change the formula every season. I've only ever had it draught though, never bottled.

[Mish Mash]

I spent a few weeks in belgium last summer, what a dream that was, 24 hr convenience stalls selling duvel, chimay, leffe etc for 2 euro each (and i got to go to 10 days off), really amazing. I went to one bar that had over 1600 different beers, having one a day would take almost 5 years to taste them all!

I am not a big fan of the 'refreshing' beers with no flavour (asahi, corona, hoegarden etc). ok, they are awesome cold on a hot summers day (but what beer isnt?) but generally i like a bit more meat and grunt in my beer.

you guys think Aus had a bad selection, come to Sweden, the only choice in the government run alcohol store (only open business hrs) is what colour can you want your piss to come in, but beggars cant be choosers

[tim-e]

Beez Neez
Redback Bitter
Heineken (not strictly boutique, but a fine brew nonetheless)

[crazy_tripper]

Get into Dan Murphy's and get a 6-pack of Kingfisher. They are an Indian lager, they are superb icy cold.


word, they're so refreshing.

drunk many a little creatures, kinda liked it at first but after a couple the taste wears thin and then becomes annoying and then yuck.


i know what you mean... i love little creatures but if i drink too many in a row it gets a bit bad. that's only out of the bottle though, on tap i don't get sick of it


at the moment i really like the blonde leffe for tasty goodness. and i've been getting back into coopers pale

[mike_L]

you guys think Aus had a bad selection, come to Sweden, the only choice in the government run alcohol store (only open business hrs) is what colour can you want your piss to come in, but beggars cant be choosersDuck over to Denmark for beer!

Oh I love corona and hoegarden, I like my light crisp beers. But I also love to start a night off with a nice big fat guiness. Just depends on my mood I guess. However, I'm not a fan of the really really dark belgian beers.....a bit too harsh a taste for me.

[argy-bargy]

Duck over to Denmark for beer!




Ha mate it couldnt more true.
I lived in southern sweden not long ago, and people would literally take the ferry over to denmark with an empty shopping trolley and come back with 7 cases of beer.
Must be even easier now that the bridge btwn the two countries has been finished.

[Doully]

But I also love to start a night off with a nice big fat guiness.

I'm holding off on my first Guiness until I get to Ireland... I figured that given its one of the world's great beers that I'd wait until I was in its home town before I sampled the love.

[mike_L]

Ha mate it couldnt more true.
I lived in southern sweden not long ago, and people would literally take the ferry over to denmark with an empty shopping trolley and come back with 7 cases of beer.
Must be even easier now that the bridge btwn the two countries has been finished.And then you take back all the empty bottles and get a decent refund. Over there they recycle the bottles by pressure washing them and filling them back up again. A lot smarter than crushing and melting them....apparently you get good money back for them also.

[Miss Jax]

Coopers Pale, Rogers and Stella. No necessarily in that order.

And Rugenbrau ftw! Probably actually a shit beer, but 3 nights washing down a big bowl of swiss noodles by a fireplace in The Alps and I thought the local brewery was the best ever!

[special ed]

id hit it
http://morphsie.studentenweb.org/fak/images/hoegaarden.jpg

[bricktop712]

kronenbourg 1664

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9175/b16646ux.jpg

:thumb:

[Spectrum]

While in Interlaken (Switzerland), we enjoyed their local brew...

http://svoboda-lubos.wz.cz/Pivovary/Svycarsko/Rugenbrau-Interlaken/S_Rugenbrau_3.jpg

Though, considering that's all we drank there, my reference for what's good may have been a little off, however, it seems to get good reviews.

[Spectrum]

How do you guys rate Tooheys Extra Dry? Became a staple for a while.

(And yes, I do realise this is supposed to be a gourmet thread! :lol: )

[bricktop712]

if we're talking strictly ales then i'd nominate - JS amber ale - as my favourite local.

(although it seems to have gotten shitter ever since production was outsourced to somewhere or other)

haven't really tried a lot of the dearer imports.

[cinditude]

my fav beers ATM would be Becks (and a lay down) and any Japanese and Mexican beers.

http://www.goharpos.com/images/menuitems/beer_bottled_asahi.jpg

The Lord Neslon and the Austrlian hotels in the Rocks do some pretty nice pub brewd beers.

[spekk]

Get into Dan Murphy's and get a 6-pack of Kingfisher. They are an Indian lager, they are superb icy cold.

I'm yet to find 'Speights' anywhere here, that is all I drank in NZ last year, but have never seen it here.

I love beer, I have too many favourites ;D


can get speights on tap at beach rd hotel in bondi. did you get into montieths at all? they are from the west coast, south island. i prefer the golden ale, but they also do a great line in seasonal beers. how about mac's from nelson. clean and fresh...ahhhh the kiwi's do know how to brew a great beer. :drool:

montieths is available at that great bottl-o on kingston rd in enmore/stanmore. they may even have some speights or be able to get it if you ask.

[horst]

They serve Trappistes Rochefort at the Belgian beer cafe, it's the most expensive they have at $16 for a 330ml bottle, but dare I say incredible value for money. If you can appreciate belgian trappist style beers (and it's not to everyone's taste) this will just blow you away it's such a freakin epiphany.

[The Brain]

Asahi, on tap, in Japan. Is awful. I'm sure it isn't the same stuff they put in the bottles.

I'm currently quite fond of Kirin Yebisu.

[Lambretta]

I am a fan of beer. I love it.

I love Australian Beers and I love some European beers.

I've never been a fan of wife beater (Stella), but I always loved Red Stripe and Carlsberg and 1664.

Here I love Coopers, Carlton Draught, Cascade Blonde and Cascade Pale Ale.

But then I also love beers such as New, Extra Dry etc.

In fact, I rarely come across beers I dont like.

Some European Beers such as Hoegaarden etc are great for a schooner or a pint, but I prefer easier drinking beers in large amounts.

[argy-bargy]

Currently drinking a beer that ive never had before and im really impressed:
Blue tounge Beer. From The Hunter valley, fairly expensive but i recon its a great brew.
A couple of mates arnt to keen on it though so perhaps its an aquired taste.....actually maybe ill drink it when im not pissed and give an opinion later

[Punk in Drublic]

The 'imported' beers that they have started brewing in Australia are ghey.

They don't even compare to the real stuff from overseas - they are just a poor imitation and dont do the real beer justice.

For example, Becks, Heineken and Nastro Azzuro (a.k.a Peroni) are nowhere near as good as the imported versions.

[speedEEE]

Deuchars IPA or Caly 80.
Chamois
Nastro Azzuro

Coopers Pale Ale.

mmmm beeeeeer.
feed me beeeeer.

[Doully]

Currently drinking a beer that ive never had before and im really impressed:
Blue tounge Beer. From The Hunter valley, fairly expensive but i recon its a great brew.
A couple of mates arnt to keen on it though so perhaps its an aquired taste.....actually maybe ill drink it when im not pissed and give an opinion later

Keep an eye on Blue Tongue as I think you'll be seeing some big things from this brewery this year ;)

[squak]

i like beez neez

and

corona wit a slice of lime

[SoupBoy]

I'm a big fan of beer. I have to say I'll drink most if given to me apart from VB but a couple of my favourites would have to be Beez Neez, Guinness and Elephant Beer. Elephant Beer is quite nice for an 8% I think, not too strong :).

Not really a fan of asashi, only bought it once and didn't really do much for me so unless someone buys some for me i won't touch it again.

[BambiEyes]

Anyone tried this beer before? My cousin is a Tassie brewer and I got to drink a lot of it at his wedding. Tasty shit! Have been keeping an eye out for it in Melbourne, but haven't spotted it yet.

[gravy]

pauwel kwak. tasty belgian beer, comes with it's own glass, as seen below

http://www.truebeer.com/ProductImages/beer-glasses/belgian-beer-glasses/kwak-glass.gif

[Pigman]

You havent tasted beer until you've tried these four. Rare as hens teeth though.

- Anto Zeerdo
- La Fa
- Red Reigh
- Bonslei Export

[tim-e]

Currently drinking a beer that ive never had before and im really impressed:
Blue tounge Beer. From The Hunter valley, fairly expensive but i recon its a great brew.
A couple of mates arnt to keen on it though so perhaps its an aquired taste.....actually maybe ill drink it when im not pissed and give an opinion laterThey also do a very nice alcoholic ginger beer.

[MROC]

They also do a very nice alcoholic ginger beer.

Ooo yeah that stuff is great.

A nice new one i found recently is Kokanee (canadian), really refreshing beer.

[SPOKEYDOKEY]

SPOKEYDOKEY get your finger out of your arse and learn how to mix you ugly f*#k. And then you can F*#k Off. :haha:


...cascade

[ShyBoy]

- Toohey 'Pils'
- Toohey 'Old' - on tap only
- Asahi

[Meester]

Don’t like Asahi, to me it seems boring… I love my Redbacks, Beez Neez are great too. Imported Becks is awesome, but the locally produced stuff doesn’t compare. Sol is a tasty Mexican beer which is far cheaper than Corona, and even tastes better. Of the more mainstream varieties, I enjoy a Boags or a Coopers (red or green is fine), and will even stretch to a VB when cash is running low, Melbourne Bitter and Reschs are also quite nice. The one beer I won’t touch is New. I detest the stuff. I will refuse this always, even if someone’s buying for me (ok maybe not then, but you know what I mean).

If anyone knows the bottle shop on Norton St Leichhardt, down near Grappa’s and the City West Link (I can’t remember its name), this place is the best for all alcoholic needs. It’s got so much stuff in there and it’s really cheap!

[SpaceMonkey]

I don't like the whole Asahi/Tooheys Extra Dry/Corona dry beer style. Just tastes like slightlyy hoppy water and fermented dextrose...

[Bracko]

How do you guys rate Tooheys Extra Dry? Became a staple for a while.

(And yes, I do realise this is supposed to be a gourmet thread! :lol: )worst piece of sweet crap I've ever tasted.

if offered a tooheys red or TED, I'd go reds for sure..... it has a terrible taste and is sickly sweet.


my friends were rather gob smacked when i said this and more.... they all love the rubbish.

[DJ-MUNCHKIN]

I had a budweiser last night, but can't really comment on if I liked it or not, I was pretty drunk already by the time I got onto those ...

Hate Corona's ... and not like that love/hate shit ... I just genuinely hate it!

[Chunky]

Was on the Beck's last night. They leave you with an empty wallet and a nasty hangover.

[MidgetFidget]

I heart beer.

Grand Ridge - Yarra Valley Gold is really good, it's a seasonal beer though and it varies
Mountain Goat - Surefoot stout, IPA are good too especially on tap.
Holgate Pale Ale
Rooftop Red
The beers at James Squire brewbar on russell st are great too.

[coxl]

when im rich i like sapporo from japan.
but when im poor which out numbers the rich times coopers red is the way to go.

[Bracko]

coopers sparkling or pale ale is the way to go... definatly my fav. along with boags draught

[nettsu]

these have probably all been mentioned before:
Stella (my personal fave)
Heinenken (its because i'm dutch)
Ichiban
Asahi
Perroni

and tried Pure Blonde last night - not bad :thumb: well from what i can remember...

[BOKSOFROX]

For me it also depends on the time of day, temperature, and weather.

Theres a lovely pub in Canberra called the Wig 'n Pen. They have some very nice brews that they brew in house.
Sometimes i feel like something light and easy going for a hot siesta like day; so a Corona goes down smoothly (like water :lol:)
Becks, Beez Neez, Boags are ones that i drink as well. For a cold and stormy night, i prefer my darker thicker beers like Guiness or Kilkenny.
Once in a while I enjoy some homebrew ginger beer i get going, or other oddities i may brew (provided the temperature in the place i stick the keg remains pretty steady);

I quite like beer. :-)

[HERCULES555]

Im surprised at the lack of German beer's mentioned. Germany is to beer what France is to wine, there the best. Straight up Germany is home to the best beers, followed closely by Belguim (but yet still far behind). Im reading names of some beers that are very over rated Asahi, Heineken, Perroni, Stella, Becks (german) are all nice but plain beers kind of like the toasted cheese sandwich of beers. Comparable to fosters for us as what they are in there home country. But again it all comes down to personal taste, so drink what you like. For me the southern German varietys of wheat beer Hefe Wiezen is a clear cut winner. Dunkle, Krsytal and Hefe Weizen are awesome in particular brewerys Franzikaner, Schnierdweis, Andecks, Berchtesgarden Hofbrau', Stuggater Malteser, and the pinnacle of all (for me) SAN WALD www.sanwald.de

[HERCULES555]

san wald

[Rodski]

2 words.. Blue Tongue.

On Tap in various places about town now too... Only downside is that it becomes crazy juice after a few too many, just like other fruity beers

[Bracko]

i find blue tongue quite bland and tasteless.

there's nothing wrong with it, but there's little that speaks out.

great beer, but nothing special for the price.... although the ginger beer is nice for a difference.

[SpaceMonkey]

Once in a while I enjoy some homebrew ginger beer i get going, or other oddities i may brew (provided the temperature in the place i stick the keg remains pretty steady);

I made a killer ginger beer a few months back, boosted up a CB Gingerr beer kit with about 200g of fresh ginger plus some extra malt extract & dark brown sugar. Came out about 5% alcohol and tasted awesome over ice... was way too easy to get shitfaced on though because it went down like a soft drink! Will be putting a new batch down this weekend ust as soon as I get the The Coopers Heritage Lager that's currently brewing out of the fermenter!

[Bracko]

out of interest do you use the plastic keg or a stainless one?

[horst]

Im surprised at the lack of German beer's mentioned. Germany is to beer what France is to wine, there the best. Straight up Germany is home to the best beers, followed closely by Belguim (but yet still far behind).

I can't see how you can really make a valid comparison, what the Belgians make shouldn't even be called beer, it's so far removed from "normal" beer. and they are drunk very diffrently, you wouldn't drink more than one of the trappist beers in a session, while a Pils or a Lager you'd drink to refresh yourself which is something you wouldn't do with a belgian beer. But I do agree Weizen rocks hardcore and is one of the great refreshing experiences, why it isn't more popular here is a bit of a mystery (and pity)
I really rate Red Back as one of australia's top 3 which they call a wheat beer but is quite diffrent to the german style. James Squire was making a wheat beer a couple of years ago, which was by far the best beer they've made. but I haven't seen it anymore.

[bazza]

Good thread

At the moment I am liking fuller body beers (which means I don't drink as many in a row)

Favourites:
Little Creatures Pale Ale
Coopers Pale Ale

Also like Coopers Sparkling - but it is high in alchohol content so I can only drink a few at once

Some others I have liked:
Beer Chang: From Thailand. A few places have it in Australia (Thainabox) - refreshing like most asian beers
Brooklyn Lager: Had this in one or two pubs in NY. Haven't seen it anywhere else.

Also - perhaps people should list places that serve good and bad Guiness around the place.
For sydney:
Good: Durty Nellys - Paddington
Bad: O'Mallys - Kings X

[THEHEATH]

and tried Pure Blonde last night - not bad :thumb: well from what i can remember... Was just about to ask if anyone had tried this. Anybody else had it yet?

[mesh]

mmm beer ...

Fav's = stella, hoegaarden, lil creatures, beez neez

And if buying cheap jugs, its gotta be 50's fo sho

P.S. anyone tried the Red Oak on clarence st, syd? i hear good things ...

[the 12th man]

are you serious? a 'beer cafe'?

[Mickstah]

For those of you in the Wollongong/Sydney area and bored one night, definitly worth checking out Five Islands Brewing Company in Wollongong. Located at the Entertainment centre they have a selection of their own brews on tap. Some are fantastic, others I'm not so sure about, but definitely worth checking out for a night of different and unusual brews.

Here's (http://www.fiveislandsbrewery.com/6.html) a list and description of the beers. I reccommend the snowboard Hefeweizen.

Some personal Favourite beers:
Asahi
Bees Knees
Coopers Pale
Little Creatures

I also don't mind Red Stripe on occasions.

[BOKSOFROX]

I made a killer ginger beer a few months back, boosted up a CB Gingerr beer kit with about 200g of fresh ginger plus some extra malt extract & dark brown sugar. Came out about 5% alcohol and tasted awesome over ice... was way too easy to get shitfaced on though because it went down like a soft drink! Will be putting a new batch down this weekend ust as soon as I get the The Coopers Heritage Lager that's currently brewing out of the fermenter!

Yeah, my mates and i have a bunch of kegs in their share house. We have 3 small 20-30 L ones; and a massive 60L fermenter.

We tried a ginger beer, and it was like what you said. Really tasty, got you sooooo gone, because it went down wildly easy. That batch was a massive hit at the "first of summer holidays batch" party last summer; so we replicated it in the large fermenter and had a smashing (smashed) good time crawling about off our tits on the tasty ginger.

Some of the gravity readings put it as about 5% (5.3) which was tough stuff for something that went so easily. A hit with the ladies too 8)

[Bracko]

G
Beer Chang: From Thailand. A few places have it in Australia (Thainabox) - refreshing like most asian beerschang is good :thumb: it's better in thailand though.

[mesh]

are you serious? a 'beer cafe'?

ya - there are a tone of them around the same vicinity up near clarence/york st, the Bavarian, the Belgium, etc. Tis cool for a few (dozen) after work drinks if your located in town

[loopi]

I think beer cafe's are an excellent idea. having aussie and international beers all under one roof, cold and in a place where you can bring mates is awesome.

[buck naked]

Definitely concur with the positives on Blue tongue - super beer

Don't mind the Asahi's, Boags from the bottle shop or to have with dinner.

Belgium beers are shit and def will try that Indian beer that a few punters have mentioned...

Despite the first post, there is nothing better than sitting at an old school pub drinking new or draught, especially when you are to settle in for the afternoon...... I love New off the tap, and prefer it in an ice cold schooner glass.... drinking from a bottle at the pub just ain't right.

[SpaceMonkey]

out of interest do you use the plastic keg or a stainless one?

Just the standard coopers plastic fermenter, and I bottle into either recycled stubbies or longnecks, or if it's goingto be drunk quickly at a party I just use recycled 1.25L PET bottles with the Coopers screwtop caps. I don't know of anybody using a stainless fermenter for home brewing, I wouldn't really see the point in it, it'd be unnecessarily heavy, less temperature stable and you wouldn't be able to see what was happening inside it. People who have their own kegging systems for putting their finished brews into use metal kegs for that though.

[SpaceMonkey]

I think beer cafe's are an excellent idea. having aussie and international beers all under one roof, cold and in a place where you can bring mates is awesome.

Beer cafes rock. Most ofthem serve arety-killing but tasty north european style food tooo. ITM beerpig meetup at onwe of the Sydney Beer cafes anyone?

[HERCULES555]

I can't see how you can really make a valid comparison, what the Belgians make shouldn't even be called beer, it's so far removed from "normal" beer.

Trappist ale's may be the signature beer of belguim its by no means the most widely produced or drank.

It is hard to compare beer's of different styles, its akin to comparing Pinot noir to a savigon blanc.

[argy-bargy]

Ooo yeah that stuff is great.

A nice new one i found recently is Kokanee (canadian), really refreshing beer.

Yeh i tried the kokanee when i was in canada last year, not bad at all.
One cool thing about that beer is the label. Its got a massive snowy mountain peak on it and there is always a really small mountain climber on it, and they print it so hes in a different spot each time. Its great fun trying to find him.

[BOKSOFROX]

we once tried fermenting coke syrup as an experiment in our little experimental keg.

it didn't go horribly wrong; it didn't go awesome either. it tasted like coke with a hint of yeast and an alcoholic content of like 2% :-( its because the temperature and sugars were all retarded and it died.

[Bracko]

Just the standard coopers plastic fermenter, and I bottle into either recycled stubbies or longnecks, or if it's goingto be drunk quickly at a party I just use recycled 1.25L PET bottles with the Coopers screwtop caps. I don't know of anybody using a stainless fermenter for home brewing, I wouldn't really see the point in it, it'd be unnecessarily heavy, less temperature stable and you wouldn't be able to see what was happening inside it. People who have their own kegging systems for putting their finished brews into use metal kegs for that though.
i personally think the plastic adds an undesireable flavour to the beer and makes is harder to clean the kegs properly. you getmuch better beer from stainless or highly polished brass/copper.

[argy-bargy]

damn i had a big one last night, but it wasnt all bad.
This irish bloke shouted me a beer and when he asked me what i wanted i said 'surprise me' so he got me a guiness with a shot of blackcurant cordial in it. Im usuaslly not a fan of the thicker beers (guiness, kilkenny etc) but this wasnt to bad, definately an improvment on straight guiness anyway.

He recons that everyone did it back home but ive never heared of it.

[Andy_Matter]

The 'imported' beers that they have started brewing in Australia are ghey.

They don't even compare to the real stuff from overseas - they are just a poor imitation and dont do the real beer justice.

For example, Becks, Heineken and Nastro Azzuro (a.k.a Peroni) are nowhere near as good as the imported versions.
Can't agree with you more - I've often wondered how the local brewed under licence stuff compares to the real thing. Guinness is a great example - the Australian brewed stuff was complete shit and tasted nothing like real Guinness.

AFAIK Sapporo was the only Japanese beer in Oz that actually came from Japan. However, I had one today and was dismayed to see it was brewed in Canada!

My favourite beer at the moment is Weihenstephan Hefe Weizen.

http://www.brauerei-weihenstephan.de

[SpaceMonkey]

i personally think the plastic adds an undesireable flavour to the beer and makes is harder to clean the kegs properly. you getmuch better beer from stainless or highly polished brass/copper.

Mate I'd agree with you if we were talking about long term storage but it's only in the fermenter for a week or two, I really don't think the plastic taints it at all. For bottling I definitely prefer glass to plastic though. As for cleaning, just wipe any gunk off and fill it with diluted bleach overnight, that kills any nasties.

[SpaceMonkey]

we once tried fermenting coke syrup as an experiment in our little experimental keg.

it didn't go horribly wrong; it didn't go awesome either. it tasted like coke with a hint of yeast and an alcoholic content of like 2% :-( its because the temperature and sugars were all retarded and it died.

Sounds like a better effort than my attempt at cider a couple of months back. I tried to brew a cider from scratch out of apple juice, champagne yeast and raw sugar, but after a couple of weeks all I had was rancid vinegar :( luckily I was using my small (15L) fermenter, so only about $13 worth of ingredients went to waste.

[squak]

strewth! looks like a recent trend in USA, is aluminum bottles. has anyone tried one of these? just wondering what they taste like??? and if/when aluminum bottles will ever take off here.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/images/news/AlumbtlcnsHR0605sm.jpg

article here: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/AlumBottle062405.htm

[SpaceMonkey]

strewth! looks like a recent trend in USA, is aluminum bottles. has anyone tried one of these? just wondering what they taste like??? and if/when aluminum bottles will ever take off here.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/images/news/AlumbtlcnsHR0605sm.jpg

article here: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/AlumBottle062405.htm

Fuck I hope not. For a start I've always thought beer tasted better out of glass than aluminium cans. Secondly glass is way more recyclable, you can re-use glass bottles (not that the breweries do) but aluminium has to be melted down to be recycled.

[squak]

yeah i know what you mean about tasting better out of glass. fo sure!

it might come down to $$ and profit. will be interested to see what happens though.

[argy-bargy]

strewth! looks like a recent trend in USA, is aluminum bottles. has anyone tried one of these? just wondering what they taste like??? and if/when aluminum bottles will ever take off here.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/images/news/AlumbtlcnsHR0605sm.jpg

article here: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/AlumBottle062405.htm



HAHAHAHA budweiser 'select'
HAHAHAHHAHA






HAHAHAHAHHA

[Bracko]

Mate I'd agree with you if we were talking about long term storage but it's only in the fermenter for a week or two, I really don't think the plastic taints it at all. For bottling I definitely prefer glass to plastic though. As for cleaning, just wipe any gunk off and fill it with diluted bleach overnight, that kills any nasties. plastic will actually leach some of the beer out, and the beer will leach some of the plastic + old beer in. (trust me on this one)

but for 2 weeks of fermentation, you're right it shouldn't be too bad.... maybe all the home brew I've had is just made by idiots and can't do it properly. :lol: the only beer I've liked is bondi blonde made by a vendor of ours.

i have never.ever. had a home brew I've even remotely wanted to finish... and i can drink some pretty aweful beer (except VB)

p.s. if you can get a hold of it, 80% caustic solution is the best thing for washing.... I'll check up on how PVC handles it, but it shouldn't be a problem.

[Warren G]

corona wit a slice of limeI thought this was the BEER appreciation thread? :haha:

My favourites

Nastro Azzuri Peroni
Stella Atois
Asahi
Carlton Draught
Tooheys Extra Dry
Tooheys Pils
Becks
Bees Nees
James Squire
James Boags Premium

Does anyone drink Fosters? I've had it a couple of times overseas, but never here :lol:

[squak]

I thought this was the BEER appreciation thread? :haha:

each to their own mr.g :haha:

[hunter]

schofferhoffer krystalweizen

http://valwill.free.fr/simage/schofferhofer003.jpg


OR

erdinger krystal klar

http://www.bier1.de/images/ErdingerKristall.jpg

that's it fullstop

[tim-e]

Fuck I hope not. For a start I've always thought beer tasted better out of glass than aluminium cans.I've seen Heineken in aluminium stubbies lately, too. I haven't brought myself to have one though - I won't even drink it from tap in a bar, I always get it in a bottle. It tastes way better.


We used to brew ginger beer at home when I was a teenager. We had a collection of 1L glass bottles and used metal screw caps, and fermented the bug in a large Moccona jar. We were making what we thought was a non-alcoholic recipie... until my dad blew 0.048 one afternoon when he went out somewhere after drinking some. No wonder we all found it so "refreshing" :lol:

[HERCULES555]

schofferhoffer krystalweizen

http://valwill.free.fr/simage/schofferhofer003.jpg


OR

erdinger krystal klar

http://www.bier1.de/images/ErdingerKristall.jpg

that's it fullstop


Yes yes yes. A true connoisseur. !

[SpaceMonkey]

plastic will actually leach some of the beer out, and the beer will leach some of the plastic + old beer in. (trust me on this one)

but for 2 weeks of fermentation, you're right it shouldn't be too bad.... maybe all the home brew I've had is just made by idiots and can't do it properly. :lol: the only beer I've liked is bondi blonde made by a vendor of ours.

i have never.ever. had a home brew I've even remotely wanted to finish... and i can drink some pretty aweful beer (except VB)

p.s. if you can get a hold of it, 80% caustic solution is the best thing for washing.... I'll check up on how PVC handles it, but it shouldn't be a problem.

I'm aware that plastic leaches over time, which is why long-term bottling into PET bottles isn't a great idea, your beer will go flat after abvout 2 years. However a week in a fermenter is too short for anything noticeable, especially considering the relatively small surface area of plastic that comes in contact with the beer compared to when it's in bottles.

And yes you can make some pretty feral home brew but it's also fairly easy to make decent stuff too. Just don't skimp on the ingredients, If you're trying to make it for $10 per batch (a tin of Coles Farmland draught and a bag of table sugar) it will taste repulsive, but if you actually spend $20-$25 on good ingredients you'll get a product that's more than drinkable and you're still only paying about $1 per litre.

[zeus]

Beer is the amber fluid of the gods....

I love just to drink beer for the taste. Nothing better than having a few brews at the end of a hard days work during a hot evening.

My favourite beers include

Coopers Pale Ale
Coopers Sparkling
Coopers Vintage
(yes, I am South Australian)
Hoegaarden
Leffe
Efes
Becks
Heineken
Guiness Draught
Guiness Extra Cold

[sydslovak]

Have always been a fan of Aussie Beer.Was often partial to a Cascade and didn't mind a night on the Squires.I am living abroad at the moment and into Slovak and Czech beers.These boys have got their brewing down pat.Each reigon of Slovakia brew their own beer,and all claim it to be the best.I can't tell you who is right or wrong,but the beer is is great.Haven't come across one that I can fault.Same goes with the Czech beers.
SARIS
KOZEL
TOPVAR
KRUSCOVICE
ZLATY BAZANT
All good beer.Do not know if your local will stock them.If not,get yourself to the "Prague" Resaurant in Kings X.(Down the road from the Icebox)They have a good range of beer on tap and bottled aswell,all from this part of the world.I reccomend the KRUSCOVICE.Drink it with the Pork knee.F**king sensational

[custaro]

schofferhoffer krystalweizen

http://valwill.free.fr/simage/schofferhofer003.jpg


OR

erdinger krystal klar

http://www.bier1.de/images/ErdingerKristall.jpg

that's it fullstop
Right on mate. Both seem to be pretty widely available these days too.

[horst]

A few bottle shops in Sydney sell Southwark old stout which is unbelievably lovely, and pretty good value at $5 for 750ml at 7.4% alc. It's very rich and creamy and not as bitter as Coopers Stout, and much more refined then Sheaf or Cascade, the only other stout I know of is Abbotsford Invalid Stout which is also very nice, anybody know of other australian ones?

Amazingly visiting Adelaide a couple of years ago, we were unable to find Southwark old stout in a any pubs or bottle shops (but we didn't look that hard I could find it in bottle shops in Sydney afterall I wanted it from the tap), we found one pub with southwark old stout in the window of the pub in leadlight, excitedly we went inside and ordered a couple of pints, the publican said : who? never heard of it. when we pointed out that there was advertising in his window for this beer, he said: there is?
argh

[Pigman]

strewth! looks like a recent trend in USA, is aluminum bottles. has anyone tried one of these? just wondering what they taste like??? and if/when aluminum bottles will ever take off here.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/images/news/AlumbtlcnsHR0605sm.jpg

article here: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/news/AlumBottle062405.htm
Some drinks were being served in the UK in those aluminium bottles. Quite funky.

Also very handy as thats one less fucker you have to keep an eye on incase they unexpectidly try to wrap a glass bottle around the back of your head. Not something you really have to worry about in Aus though.

[argy-bargy]

Some drinks were being served in the UK in those aluminium bottles. Quite funky.

Also very handy as thats one less fucker you have to keep an eye on incase they unexpectidly try to wrap a glass bottle around the back of your head. Not something you really have to worry about in Aus though.


Another thing i was thinkin about is how long they'll take to warm up. Glass resists heating up a hell of a lot better than aluminium, so unless your into scolling beers theyd suck pretty hard me thinks.

[NIK-O-LAKI]

http://img1.travelblog.org/Photos/2361/13683/t/58359-Belgian-beer-1.jpg

http://www.theblackadder.co.uk/Duvel.jpg

http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/knobu22/imgs/4/0/40057d25.jpg
http://www.winedine.com/beer_labels/sp_fz_hw_d.gif

Beljian and German beer FTW! :thumb:

[BOKSOFROX]

Originally Posted by Bracko
plastic will actually leach some of the beer out, and the beer will leach some of the plastic + old beer in. (trust me on this one)

but for 2 weeks of fermentation, you're right it shouldn't be too bad.... maybe all the home brew I've had is just made by idiots and can't do it properly. the only beer I've liked is bondi blonde made by a vendor of ours.

i have never.ever. had a home brew I've even remotely wanted to finish... and i can drink some pretty aweful beer (except VB)

p.s. if you can get a hold of it, 80% caustic solution is the best thing for washing.... I'll check up on how PVC handles it, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Yessssssum.

My group brew the beer in plastic kegs; its only in there for 2-3 weeks. Then we stick it in the hundreds of glass bottles we have.

Tell you what though; its a mammoth task to clean, sanitize, clean again, etc etc just for the process of bottling. As we usually put all the kegs in at the same time; and we get a yielding of about 70-80 filled bottles. They are then left to sit a while longer for the carbonation process; and usually they sit there even longer because we simply can't drink it fast enough.

Needless to say; after bottling, we clean all the kegs out thouroughly. We'd use that pink powder (forgotten its name) to sterilize. Make sure the taps; filters; everything was spick and span. The day after bottling; we'd fire it all up again.

Epic turn over, and after we initially started we've done some really nice brews.

I think the total number of bottles of beers we've brewed in that house is around the 1200 mark now since about a year and a half ago.

What can i say, we're all engineering students.

[THE BEAT]

Gotta love beer.....mmmm beeeeeer.

Choices:

Asali
Tooheys Extra
Corona
James Squires
Crown
Becks
Stella

[MadOogles]

- Anto Zeerdo
- La Fa
- Red Reigh
- Bonslei Export
I'd agree with 3 of those, but don't like the taste of La Fa, it's a touch BITTER

[SkitzoDancer]

i just enjoyed a blue tongue lager... t'was quite the tasty treat! their alcoholic ginger beer is also quite delicious.

[Bracko]

What can i say, we're all engineering students.
why haven't you built a micro brewery then ;)

/has new idea for thesis :drool:

[Serotonin]

My favourites:

Peroni
Stella
Becks
Heineken
Little Creatures
Coopers Pale
Tooheys New

[Kimberley]

Not a fan of beer myself - I guess I've never ovecome my problem with the taste...:p

but I thought I'd join in this thread and plug my friend's beer!
http://www.pigsfly.net.au/

https://www.pigsfly.net.au/~pigsflyn/images/logo2.gif

[littlemissnrg]

I think beer cafe's are an excellent idea. having aussie and international beers all under one roof, cold and in a place where you can bring mates is awesome. There's a place on the Gold Coast called the Belgium Beer Bar which has heaps of Aussie and International beers on tap. Haven't been there yet but all reports so far are :thumb:

Although I like to try out lot's of different beers I always come back to Toohey's Extra Dry, it always satisfies :)

[BOKSOFROX]

why haven't you built a micro brewery then ;)

/has new idea for thesis :drool:

we put that idea for redoing the garage ... but one of the housemates had a shitfit. bastard. :( i want a giant stainless steel tank :) complete with fuzzy leg warmers :P

[Punk in Drublic]

I have decided that I'm going to make my own batch of home brew :thumb:

I'm gonna go down to the "Brew Shop" today and check out how much it will cost and what is involved.

[Junglejunkie]

chang is good :thumb: it's better in thailand though.
Word! That was all we drank in thailand. Definately not as nice when you get it here, and not as strong either.

My Picks.
Coopers Sparkiling! YUMMO!
Chimay (in the blue label)
James Boags premium
Little Creatures Pale. (beaut beer but hangover from hell)

[Bracko]

I'm aware that plastic leaches over time, which is why long-term bottling into PET bottles isn't a great idea, your beer will go flat after abvout 2 years. However a week in a fermenter is too short for anything noticeable, especially considering the relatively small surface area of plastic that comes in contact with the beer compared to when it's in bottles.

And yes you can make some pretty feral home brew but it's also fairly easy to make decent stuff too. Just don't skimp on the ingredients, If you're trying to make it for $10 per batch (a tin of Coles Farmland draught and a bag of table sugar) it will taste repulsive, but if you actually spend $20-$25 on good ingredients you'll get a product that's more than drinkable and you're still only paying about $1 per litre.furry muff... both you and BOKSOFROX bring up very valid points. it must be a personal thing... I've just never tasted a home brew i like, and some of them are supposed to be very good.

[Bracko]

Word! That was all we drank in thailand. Definately not as nice when you get it here, and not as strong either.

yeah, it's the VB of thailand... but i really liked it. singa was great too, don't get me wrong... but chang got you smashed well.

the reason why it's stronger is that there's no set alcohol level in thailand for the beer... it can vary from can to can :D

[MidgetFidget]

plastic will actually leach some of the beer out, and the beer will leach some of the plastic + old beer in. (trust me on this one)

but for 2 weeks of fermentation, you're right it shouldn't be too bad.... maybe all the home brew I've had is just made by idiots and can't do it properly. :lol: the only beer I've liked is bondi blonde made by a vendor of ours.

i have never.ever. had a home brew I've even remotely wanted to finish... and i can drink some pretty aweful beer (except VB)

p.s. if you can get a hold of it, 80% caustic solution is the best thing for washing.... I'll check up on how PVC handles it, but it shouldn't be a problem.
You just haven't had good homebrew!

My brother is a beer snob, he brews his own and while not all of his brews turn out great, some of them have been fantastic. He goes hardcore though and does it all from scratch, and uses live yeast cultures. A couple of years ago he brewed a stout that is still the best I've tasted.

[BOKSOFROX]

furry muff... both you and BOKSOFROX bring up very valid points. it must be a personal thing... I've just never tasted a home brew i like, and some of them are supposed to be very good.

I don't know my stuff well enough, but if you've got it really down tight: you can brew something really nice and original, enter it in a competition ... you may not win 1st prize or something... but if you get approached by a brewery asking for the recipe you can sell it; plus make royalties on a beer you made! BEER! Gosh! That'd be so cool.

"WOW!? Where did you get all this money?"
"You know that new Tooheys beer? I made it."
"OMG. Do you want head?"
"Yeah, just pour it into the glass properly"

[NoKatze]

I Like Booze!@&^*@#@