Good Beer Week (Part One)

This is the latest in the 'Nailed It' files - it was Eurovision weekend, so I made a vaguely European dish with gnocchi, tomatoes, aubergines, mozzarella, chick peas, courgettes, and shredded basil - very multicultural, n'est-ce pas?

And then it was time once again to go to Good Beer Week and GABS in Melbourne. Him Outdoors had cunningly booked an apartment very close to the action, so we drove down, dropped our bags, and headed out to plan our week. Dotted around the city are various pubs whose taps have been taken over for the week by breweries from a certain state or region. These are called Pints of Origin (or POOs) and we began at The Lincoln, which is the Tasmania POO for beer and fish and chips.

Him Outdoors deep in thought - and beer

Next stop was the Captain Melville, which had been taken over by Asia. An extremely friendly Irish barman (aren't they all?) made this little place a great experience, as he chatted knowledgeably about the beers and offered us highly appreciated suggestions. 

I was also touched by how considerate and affirming the graffiti is in the women's toilets. It's none of this 'Julie is a slag' stuff we used to get at school.

In the evening the Ale of a Time podcast was being recorded at The Catfish. As the featured guest was Melissa Cole, award-winning beer writer, journalist and Cicerone, I was keen to head along and listen to what she had to say about beer in the UK, women in the beer world and the nation's favourite drink in general. I shall write a future post on my other blog, but here are some pictures in the meantime.

Beer is a global phenomenon, bringing people together across the universe. Who should we bump in to but 'Colin, the Handsome yet Softly Spoken Scottish Proprietor of the Malthouse' (moniker created by beer writer, Neil Miller) in whose establishment we have spent many happy hours and hard-earned dollars. Great to see you!

Colin and Me

Another day; another Pint of Origin. Actually, there are two in St. Kilda, across the road from each other. Firstly we checked out the Ireland one at The Fifth Province. Once again we encountered a very friendly Irish barman who gave us advice on choosing both beer and food. While Him Outdoors plumped for the stew (it's cold outside and this is the perfect weather for it), I selected the bacon and cabbage, which I was assured was 'proper'. Indeed it was. 

'Traditional Irish boiled bacon with champ mash potato, buttered savoy cabbage and rich parsley cream' - it's proper

Over the road at the UK Pint of Origin, we tucked into a tasting paddle while the TV screened baseball. With elk heads on the wall, sliders on the menu, and neon beer signs blazing, Freddie Wimpoles is clearly themed as a U.S. sport's bar, so the setting was somewhat incongruous, but the beer was good. 

Perhaps it was too good, as we overheard the barman desperately trying to explain to a regular that for the duration of Good Beer Week, the pub was hosting some of the finest craft beers from around the world, and if he could only bear with it briefly, his Carlton Draught would be back soon. 

At least they got our flag the right way up

As we had another event to attend in the evening, we thought it would be wise to take a break from drinking and walk around the area. It was a very cold and blustery day - Melbourne by the sea can be particularly bracing - but there were some warming sights.

On a former bowling green, the Veg Out Community Gardens are like allotments without borders - they provide a common space for people to grow and create produce and ideas. Here you can find art and artichokes side by side.

Veg Out Community Gardens

Port Phillip City Lighthouse, St Kilda Marina

St. Kilda Pier

Rainman by Ken Arnold and Corey Thomas

Monument for a Public Building by Richard Stringer

And so back to The Local Taphouse in St Kilda, for more beer tastings. We sat upstairs at the Roof Terrace, which was pretty chilly, and then we headed back downstairs to the beer bar and the main event. 

 

Every month the Ale Stars conduct a talk and information session. It's all very light-hearted and good fun, with samples of beer and some food (that chicken pie was delicious). Seating is arranged so you end up on tables chatting to new friends and there's also a quiz, which is slightly beer related, so you may even learn something! The guest for Good Beer Week was Geoff Quinn founder and brewer at Buxton Brewery. He guided us through a range of his beers from Belgian and fruit beers to IPAs and Extra Stouts.

Geoff Quinn from Buxton Brewing

The trams are great in Melbourne, providing an easy, accessible and relatively cheap way of getting around the city. We hopped on one to The Windsor Alehouse, which was the Pint of Origin for the ACT and Regional NSW. Kevin Hingston was still there, holding court and entertaining the punters. Of course we had some of his Tennent's Peak Double IPA, but I was also thrilled to see the Thirsty Crow Vanilla Milk Stout from Wagga Wagga on tap - this is a favourite of mine, and hard to get hold of, so it's always a treat to stumble unexpectedly across it. 

Him Outdoors and the Hipster Boy