ABC Beer Night Reviews

Beer & food enjoyed at ABC gatherings to date.

2013-09-16T03:39:00.001-07:00

	Beers	Smack value	Food
1	All Bar Nun		Wednesday, 9 September 2009
	Zierholz German	4.3%	Calamari.
	Zierholz Weizen	4.4%	Spicy Chicken Wings.
	Zierholz Hopmeister	5.0%	Lamb Cutlets.
	Zierholz Porter	5.8%	Sweet Little Chocolate Balls.

2	Debacle		Wednesday, 18 November 2009
	Real Belgian Pils	5.0%	Prawn, a Scallop, a Fresh Oyster with Lime Sorbet.
	Titje	4.7%	Satay Chicken Skewer with a Bit of Rice.
	Chimay Blanche/Tripel	8.0%	Grilled Haloumi Cheese.
	Warsteiner Premium Verum	4.8%	Pork Belly.

3	Wig & Pen		Wednesday, 27 January 2010
	Wig & Pen - Kamberry Ale	4.8%	Garlic Bread and Some Nice Little Prawn Kebabs.
	Wig & Pen - Brewers Ipa	6.0%	More Garlic Bread, Little Dim Sims /Sweet Chilli Sauce.
	Wig & Pen - Rumpole Organic Pale	4.6%	Crisp Hot Potato Chips & Some Sate Chicken Kebabs.
	Wig & Pen - Velvet Cream Stout	5.7%	Potato Wedges / Deep Fried Chicken Pieces.

4	Wood Duck Inn		Wednesday, 17 March 2010
	Guinness Extra Stout	6.0%	Oysters Kilpatrick.
	Hand-Crafted Bohemian Pilsener	5.9%	Lemon Grass Chicken.
	Redback Original Ale	4.7%	Seared Prawns in a Spicy Peanut Sauce.
	Beez Neez	4.7%	Rare Seared Beef in Worcesthire Sauce.

5	Jim Murphy Airport Cellars		Wednesday, 19 May 2010
	Knappstein Reserve Lager	5.6%	Toasted Sourdough Bread Swiss Cheese &
	Knappstein Reserve Lager	5.6%	Olive Tapenade and Salted Cashews.
	Weihenstephan Vitus	7.7%	Butterflied Cabanossi & Spicy Plum Dipping Sauce.
	Westmalle Trappist	9.5%	Lovely Beef Stew and a Serve Of French Fries.
	Dark Island from the Orkney Brewery	4.6%	Danish Blue Cheese, Dutch Gouda Cheese and Water Crackers.

6	All Bar Nun		Wednesday, 28 July 2010
	Hahn Super Dry	4.5%
	Malt Shovel Brewery James Squire Sundown Lager	4.4%	Pork sausages with onion rings and Tuscan salsa.
	Kosciuzko Pale Ale	4.5%	Rock salt & pepper calamari with a lemon aioli.
	James Squire Amber Ale	5.0%	Rich Irish stew with sticky rice pilaf.
	James Squire Porter	5.0%	Mini white and dark chocolate banana muffins.

7	King O’Malley’s Irish Pub		Wednesday, 15 September 2010
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8	The George Harcourt Inn		Wednesday, 17 November 2010
	Heikeken	5.0%	Mini beef mingions & coconut prawn with coriander.
	Summer Bright Larger	4.2%	Orange glazed chicken tenderloin.
	Boag’s Draught	4.7%	Lightly spiced crumbed lamb cutlet.
	James Squire Golden Ale	4.5%	Mini 3 cheese and garlic Pizza.

9	The Belgian Beer Cafe		Wednesday, 23 February 2011
	Stella Artois	5.0%	Truffled Chicken & Nori Roulade.
	Hoegaarden	5.0%	Hoegaarden & Dukkah Battered King Prawns.
	Leffe Brune	6.6%	Grilled Lambs Tongue, Haloumi, dried Tomato and olive salad.
	Belle-vue Kriek Cherry Beer	5.1%	Belgian Chocolate Mousse Tartlette, liquored Cherry Griottes

10	All Bar Nun		Wednesday, 13 April 2011
	PIPSQUEAK best cider	5.2%
	Little Creatures Pilsner	4.6%	Oysters Kilpatrick.
	Little Creatures Pale Ale	5.2%	Scallops, crumbed in coconut & a mango chutney dipping sauce.
	Little Creature Bright Ale	4.5%	Teriyaki Chicken legs.
	Rogers Beer	3.8%	Pork Belly marinated in the “Rogers”.
	White Rabbit – White Ale	4.5%	Cheese & Crackers
	White Rabbit – Dark Ale	4.9%	Cheese & Crackers

11	All Bar Nun		Wednesday, 22 June 2011
	Coopers Pilsner 62	5.0%	Tempura Prawns
	Coopers Pale Ale	4.5%	Lamb Kofta sticks
	Coopers Dark Ale	4.5%	Pork Belly bites.
	Coopers Sparkling Ale	5.8%	Pork Ribs
	Coopers Stout	6.3%	Steak & Chips

12	Siren Bar & Restaurant		Wednesday, 28 September 2011
	Lord Nelson Brewery – Three Sheets	4.9%	Salt & Pepper Calamari
	Lord Nelson Brewery – Old Admiral	6.1%	Chicken Pieces cooked fresh herbs
	Paulaner Hefe-Weizen	5.6%	Crumbed Crispy Chicken
	Paulaner Original Munich Larger	4.9%	Pork Ribs in Hickory Smoked Sauce
	Paulaner Oktoberfest	5.8%	Sweet Potato Chips

13	Pork Barrel Café & Bar		Wednesday, 30 November 2011
	1842	4.9%	Tempura Tiger prawns with aioli and lemon
	Warsteirn Premium German Beer	4.8%	Provolone Arancini & Mini Peking Duck Pancakes
	Scharers Lager	4.9%	Mixed assortment of Pizzas.
	White Rabbit – Dark Ale	4.9%	Chocolate tart with praline mascarpone and cherry compote

14	Zierholz Premium Brewery		Wednesday, 15 February 2012
	Schankbier	2.7%	Hand cut wedges
	German Ale	4.3%	Garlic Bread
	Hopmeister	5.0%	Selections of sausages
	German Pils	5.0%	Roast pork belly
	Weizen	4.4%	Chicken schnitzel, Salad
	Amber Ale	4.9%	Sauerkraut
	Porter	5.8%	Creamy mash

15	Plonk		Wednesday, 18 April 2012
	Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye	8.0%	Anti Pasta Platters
	Dieu du Ciel Charbonnière	5.0%	Cheumpi with a ricotta cheese dipping sauce
	Maudite	8.0%	Garlic lamb skewers
	Brewboys Ace of Spades	5.9%	Satay chicken skewers

16	Debacle		Wednesday, 04 July 2012
	Budvar Budejovicky	5.0%	Fresh Pizza Bread
	Schöfferhofer German Wheat Beer	5.0%	Trio of House made dips and Pizza Bread
	Mac's Gold	4.0%	Selection of Debacle Pizzas
	Coopers Stout	6.3%	Hot Chips with Sweet Chilli & Sour Cream

17	Gryphons Caffe & Bar		Wednesday, 22 September 2012
	Vale / Ale	4.5%	House Made Dips & Bread with Home Made Sausage rolls
	Vale / IPA	5.5%	Salt & Pepper calamari, marinated pork ribs, Chilli Chorizo
	Vale / Dark	4.5%	Pepperoni, Margherita & Supreme pizzas
	Vale / Dry (not available on the night)	4.5%	Chocolate mud cake and ice cream

18	Rydges Capital Hill		Wednesday, 14 November 2012
	Pilsen Callao	5.0%	Salmon Ceviche, with chilli and avocado salsa
	Feral Hop Hog	5.8%	Grilled morten bay bug, bush spiced smash potato
	Weihenstephaner Vitus	7.7%	Lamb shoulder roasted, Fried potatoes with diced bacon & onions
	Beer Lao	5.0%	hot chicken curry
	Stone & Wood Pacific Ale	4.4%	Lime sorbet with dried mint
	Young's Double Chocolate Stout	5.2%	Banoffee pie w caramel, Chantilly cream, chocolate shards & toasted coconut

19	The Mint Garden Bar		Wednesday, 20 February 2013
	Bridge Road Brewery’s Chestnut Pilsner	5.0%	Strawberry gazpacho
	Vale / Ale	4.5%	Duck parfait
	White Rabbit – Dark Ale	4.9%	Tempura prawns
	Bridge Road Brewery’s Galaxy single hop IPA	4.8%	Coconut & lime chicken skewers and Fish & Chips

20	Siren Bar & Restaurant		Wednesday, 24 April 2013
	Matso's Pearler's Pale Ale	4.5%
	Matso's Ginger Beer	3.5%	Tiger Prawns in a Thai Red Curry Broth w Soba Noodles & Asian Greens
	Matso's Smokey Bishop	4.7%	Scotch Fillet atop wilted spinach and chat spuds w a chocolate jus
	Matso's Mango Beer	4.5%	Assorted Cheese & Fruit Platter
	Matso's Chilli Beer	4.2%

21	The Uni Pub		Wednesday, 19 June 2013
	Dirty Granny	5.5%	Palate Cleanser
	Itchy Green Pants	4.7%	Thai Pumpkin Soup
	Minimum Chips	4.7%	Minimum Chips beer battered Barramundi & Chips
	Fat Yak	4.7%	Angus Beef & Fat Yak Ale pie
	Dog Bolter	5.2%	Chocolate Mousse

22	Gryphons Caffe & Bar		Wednesday, 28 August 2013
	Murray's Craft Brewing Co Whale Ale	4.5%	Calamari & Oysters
	Murray's Craft Brewing Co Punch & Judy's Ale	3.9%	Horderves & Lamb Meat Balls with dipping sauce
	Murray's Craft Brewing Co Angry Man Pale Ale	5.0%	Buffalo Wings & Arancini Balls
	Murray's Craft Brewing Co Dark Knight Porter	4.5%	Lamb Cutlets
	Murray's Craft Brewing Co Punk Monk	7.5%

20. Siren Bar l Restaurant - Wed 24 April 2013

2013-05-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

The latest meeting of the ABC was held at Sirens Bar & Restaurant in Gungahlin. This was the second meeting to be held at Sirens after the committee was very impressed with the standard of beer, food and service provided back in 2011. It’s safe to say that we weren’t disappointed this time around either, as the staff there put on another fantastic evening.

The meeting featured beers from Matso’s brewery in Broome Western Australia, along with a hostess provided to deliver information about each beer, and a menu selected by Sirens head chef.

Matso’s website states: “at the helm of Matso’s Broome Brewery we are fortunate to have the services of Marcus Muller, a Master Brewer who has over 16 years brewing experience around the world. Marcus combines the finest natural ingredients, traditional time honored brewing techniques and modern technology, to produce a range of beer styles that -above all else- aim to deliver flavour.”

Well we certainly got plenty of flavour from the beers, and the chef provided a fantastic menu designed to match these flavours.

As we got settled in for the evening, Dan Gaul welcomed ABC members (I don't think we had any guests) to our 20th gathering and served us up a Matso's Pearler's Pale Ale at 4.5% ABV. It’s a drinking beer, not a thinking beer, and is very easy to down quickly, which certainly happened to all of our beers.

The night started with Tiger Prawns in a Thai Red Curry Broth with Soba Noodle and Asian Greens, accompanied with Matso’s Ginger Beer at 3.5% ABV. The curry was hot (as all curries should be), making a few of the boys work up a sweat while eating it. Luckily the Ginger from the beer was a great match with the Asian flavours in the curry, making the ice cold ginger beer a perfect match for this dish.

At the beginning of the second course our beer hostess took a liking to Neville Betts and decided to throw herself into his lap. Unfortunately for Nev she was carrying a tray of the next beer offering at the time, which ended up all down his front, making it look like he had bladder control issues. While the poor hostess was mortified at this occurrence, no one else was too worried as, let’s face it, there was a chance the Neville was going to end up looking this by the end of the night anyway.

So the following beer was Matso’s Smokey Bishop. This beer is classed as a dark lager at 4.7 % ABV. This beer was the best beer of the night for me, a lovely dark, crisp lager, allowing the flavour of the light and dark Munich and chocolate malts to shine through. This was accompanied by Scotch Fillet resting atop Wilted Spinach and Chat Potatoes with the Chef’s special sauce. I noticed a few of the lads were concerned as to what the chef’s special sauce just might be, but all fears were allayed when it turned out to be a chocolate Jus. And while the menu might have listed the Scotch Fillet to be resting on the spinach and potatoes, it certainly didn’t get to rest for long as it was wolfed down by the hungry ABC members. (Yes we love meat) Another thing I learnt from this course was that my wife is right, everything does go with chocolate.

The next course was a cheese and fruit platter, accompanied by Matso’s Mango Beer, which is a Mango infused Belgian Blonde Beer at 4.5% ABV.

The Beer Judging Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines class this as a fruit/ vegetable beer (yes, beer is a vegetable too) and you can certainly taste the Mango fruitiness coming through the Belgian Pilsner malts, making this a healthy beer to drink. Remember, beer can be included in the recommended servings of five fruit and vegetables a day.

The last beer for the evening was presented by our hostess as a “surprise” beer and we were encouraged to just hook in and throw down a glass full, to get a special experience from this beer. Now my past experience with attractive long haired blond girls who suggest I just hook in and enjoy the experience has never turned out well, so I decided to have a small taste of the beer offered. And I was glad I did. It turned out we were trying Matso’s Chilli Beer at 4.2% ABV , a wheat based chilli infused beer.

Now I have had beers that have a hint of chilli in the past, and I quite liked them. But this had a whole heap of chilli added, and it had the potential to raise your blood pressure. I’m really glad I got to experience this beer. I’m also glad I didn’t buy a case of it. I also heard a few of the boys had some concerns with this beer along the lines of if you eat chillies they burn your ring on the way out, what does it burn when you drink them? Happy to report there were no ill effects at my end.

As usual we enjoyed a few more beers along with a never ending raffle and some great conversation to finish off the night. Thanks must go to Dan Gaul and a his staff at Sirens, Matso’s brewery as well as our beer hostess who did a great job, even if Nev had some explaining to do when he got home.

Make sure you keep an eye out for the next ABC evening. Apparently there is no truth in the rumour it is being held at a Brazilian Churrasco restaurant in Dickson.

This night gets our 2nd ever 5 out 5:-

Report prepared by Matt Garven (Mattress) May 2013.

19. The Mint Garden Bar - Wed 20 February 2013

2013-04-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

For our 19^th ABC gathering we ventured to unknown waters, The Mint garden bar attached to the Sage restaurant, it’s a tranquil outdoor setting set in the beautiful heritage gardens of one of Canberra’s oldest buildings – Gorman House.

Our host for the night was Dan Kolek. Dan has been in the food and beverage industry for a long time and he certainly knew his stuff when it came to the beers on offer.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was Bridge Road Brewery’s Chestnut Pilsner (5%), a unique Australian Pilsner, brewed in Beechworth from Chestnuts grown locally in the Beechworth and Stanley hills. The Chestnut Pilsner also uses Galaxy hops from the Rostrevor Hop Garden in the nearby Ovens Valley. This unique lager is very pale and presents a crisp 'pilsner' like profile combined with a distinct nutty character owing to the use of Chestnuts in the mash.

Our 2^nd beer was a beer we’ve tried before, but that didn’t matter as it’s a beauty. “Vale Ale” (4.5%) an Australian Pale Ale with a refreshing balance of malt, hops and yeast characters. Hop additions of amarillo and cascade give a wonderful fresh crisp finish with lingering flavours of citrus, passionfruit and peaches. The hop flavours and aromas are matched beautifully with the sweet honey finish from crystal malt.

By this point all members and guest we’re getting a little hungry, Dan delivered with tasting plates from The Sage restaurant next door which had Strawberry gazpacho, Duck parfait, Tempura prawns and Coconut & lime chicken skewers. The food was beautifully presented and tasted great, the only problem was, there wasn’t enough of it. While some additional food was being sorted our 3^rd and 4^th beers came out.

Our 3^rd was “White Rabbit – Dark Ale” (4.9%) An intriguing dark ale, rich, dark and flavoursome but at the same time ever refreshing. Malt driven but with the aromatic lift of generous doses of hops. Again it was beer we’ve tried before, but as it’s one of the tastiest Dark Ales on the market there certainly wasn’t any wastage.

Our final beer was Bridge Road Brewery’s Galaxy single hop IPA (4.8%). Taking its name from the Australian Galaxy hop variety this is a great single Hop IPA. Single hopped beers are exactly that; they use one hop for bittering, aromatics and flavour, making the beer a great representation of that particular hop variety. This beer displays fresh, floral and fruity characteristics.

Just as our last beers were being served, Dan brought out a number of serves of Fish & Chips that the chef from the Sage restaurant had whipped up for us, this finished off the night beautifully.

A big thank you to Dan Kolek, his staff and to the chef and staff from the Sage restaurant for another great night of beers and food.

Another great raffle was run with the lucky winners receiving two tickets to the Small Brewers beer festival.

This night rated: 3 ½ beers out of five:-

ABC in the Beer & Brewer Autumn 2012 issue

2013-01-07T22:32:00.003-08:00

18. Rydges Capital Hill - Wed 14 November 2012

2013-01-04T18:02:00.001-08:00

Just when you thought that after 17 ABC gatherings that they couldn't get any better, for our 18th gathering Winga (Craig Simpson) and his staff at Rydges Capital Hill have put together in my opinion our best one yet.

Winga gave his staff a pretty basic brief that he wanted them to use their immaginition and come up with some great beers and food for a beer night that he'll be hosting for the little beer club he's part of.

Well they went to town and prepared a six course degustation menu that was absolutely fantastic.

Rather than go on with my normal gribble, below is the menu from the night that says it all:-

This night scored a perfect 5 out 5:-

17. Gryphons Caffe & Bar - Wed 19 September 2012

2013-01-04T17:44:00.001-08:00

For our 17th ABC gathering we called on our old mate Dan Kenny, ABC member and owner of new bar:- Gryphons Caffe & Bar in the Griffith shops.

Dan and all his staff have hosting a beer club gathering down pat after hosting 4 fantastic nights at their old pub - All Bar Nun. When All Bar Nun was forced to shut it was a big kick in the guts to the ABC as All Bar is where it all started for us and we've had some very enjoyable nights there.

As soon as we settled into Gryphons it fitted like an old boot and I'm sure we'll be having many more enjoyable nights at this fine establishment. Dan arranged for the lads from McLaren Vale Beer Company to be our beer gurus for the night. Hayden Kemp from MV Beer kicked the night off introducing himself and giving us a quick history on MV Beer and then he guided us through their fantastic brews.

Our first beef of the night was a “Vale Ale” (4.5%) an Australian Pale Ale with a refreshing balance of malt, hops and yeast characters. Hop additions of amarillo and cascade give a wonderful fresh crisp finish with lingering flavours of citrus, passionfruit and peaches. The hop flavours and aromas are matched beautifully with the sweet honey finish from crystal malt. This Ale helped us wash down some very tasty house made Dips & Bread with homemade Sausage rolls.

Our 2nd brew for the evening was “Vale IPA” (5.5%) an Australian interpretation of an American IPA, using a combination of hops from three countries. Galaxy from Australia, Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand and Citra from the United States. Malt flavours are derived from the combination of pale, wheat and crystal. Very hop forward showing strong pine and citrus notes, with stone fruit and passionfruit characters. The malt structure is beautifully matched with the dry hopping, giving this beer a refined balance. This was perfect beer for the platters of Salt & Pepper calamari, marinated pork ribs, Chili Chorizo that were brought out and smashed by all in attendance.

The 3^rd beer of the evening was meant to be a “Vale Dry”, unfortunately stocks were low and Dan arranged for everyone to try the “Coopers Celebration Ale” (5.2%) which they just happened to have on tap. It incorporates three different hops varieties – Centennial from the USA, Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand and Pride of Ringwood from Australia – to produce a beer that displays strong estery characteristics. It has a rich aroma of fruity esters with a slight hint of citrus and has a warm finish on the palate. It is also slightly more bitter than other Coopers ales. We were served up some of Gryphons now famous Pepperoni, Margherita & Supreme pizzas.

Our final brew for the evening was “Vale Dark” (4.5%). Designed using pale, Munich, crystal and Carafa roasted malt. A filtered beer with brilliant clarity, dark brown in colour with ruby and garnet highlights. It has a strong malt backbone with hints of coffee, chocolate and cocoa that balance the use of falconer’s flight hops, giving rise to citrus, pine and vanilla flavours and aromas. The combination of dark malt and hops with lager yeast delivering a crisp, clean dark beer. I can’t think of better food match with this beer than Chocolate mud cake and ice cream. Special..

Gryphons scored a massive: - 4.8

16. Debacle - Wed 04 July 2012

2012-09-24T04:51:00.002-07:00

We’ve just had our 16th gathering, returning back to Debacle for our second visit after our 1st one back in 2009. This gathering fell on the 3rd and final State of Origin so it was decided that trying to have a Beer Guru for the evening was way too hard. So Debacle selected 4 beers and put on a feed of Trio of House made Dips with fresh pizza bread and a selection of their very tasty house made pizzas.

Our 1st beer was “Budvar Budejovicky” (5 %) By far and away the best known beer in the Budvar portfolio. Brewed from nothing but local natural materials in a 100 days brewing cycle ( 90 spent fermenting ) it is universally regarded as one of the world's great lager conditioned beers. It certainly helped wash down the tasty Trio of house made dips on fresh pizza bread.

Our 2nd beer was “Schöfferhofer German Wheat Beer” (5%) Hefeweizen is brewed in Bavarian tradition using wheat malt. The live yeast gives bottle "conditioning" guaranteeing a refreshing fruity flavour. The yeast sediment also leads to the "cloudy" nature of the beer. The State of Origin just kicked off so every eye was on the big screen and the beers just seemed to disappear down each punters throat.

The 3rd beer was a “Mac’s Gold” (4%) Brewed in New Zealand Mac's Gold has a light fruitiness with hints of citrus and sweet malt. The subtle mid palate bitterness of the hops is balanced by a smooth, delicate caramel sweetness that leaves a crisp finish and refreshing aftertaste. Pizza was served and it was like a feeding frenzy.

The final beer of the evening was a “Coopers Stout” (6.3%). With its robust flavour comprising a blend of fruit, chocolate and hop bitter notes, it’s everything a stout should be. Brewed naturally using a top fermentation method, Coopers Stout’s unique rich, dark texture comes from specially roasted black malt. Not a beer for everyone, but for the dark beer lovers it’s a classic.

Debacle scored a massive 4 out 5:-

Our special thanks goes out to all the guys at Debacle for providing the venue and the great beer and food.

For the record the dirty Queenslanders won yet another State of Origin series.

15. Plonk - Wed 18 Apr 2012

2012-05-08T05:01:00.002-07:00

We’ve just had our 15^th gathering and they just keep getting better. This gathering was a little different as we were hosted by what would have to be the best bottle shop in Canberra – Plonk in the Fyshwick markets. Ant from Plonk arranged for us to come in after hours on Wednesday the 18^th of April. He put on the Beers on and we (Kenny & Oners) put on the food.

Ant from Plonk approached the ABC via Oners after reading our article in the Feb 2012 edition of the Beer & Brewer magazine. When we were discussing what sort of beers we’d like, it was made clear to Ant that we wanted some beers that none of us would have tried before, he didn’t disappoint and we were given the opportunity to experience some very different & unusual beers. Ant was the perfect beer guru and host and shared this wealth of beer knowledge running us through the tasting notes of each of the four beers.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was a “Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye from California USA” (8%). Essentially a strong American IPA made with 20% rye malt. Darker in colour, Hop Rod Rye boasts a huge hop aroma and flavour accompanied by a slightly sweet, malty finish. Deep copper colour with a minimal light beige head that leaves very nice lacing on the glass. Pine aroma dominates with some spices. The taste up front malty, with a nice kick of hops in the centre and finishes with a gorgeous weave of rye and spice. We kicked off the food for the night with a couple of platters from the Euro Deli a couple of doors down from Plonk, they and speck, salami, ham, cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes etc… Very nice

The 2nd beer was a “Dieu du Ciel Charbonnière from Montreal Canada” (5%). Brewed in the tradition of the smoked ales of Bamberg (Germany), this amber ale has delicate malty and smoky aromas. It is full-bodied, malty and slightly sweet to the taste, very thick in the mouth and the smoke flavour is almost overwhelming, in a good way (a few ABC members said this beer was like getting a jumper that has been next to a camp fire all weekend, soaking it in beer, wringing it out and drinking it) Not for everyone. Kenny & Red got busy on the BBQ and cooked up some very tasty little mince sticks called “Cheumpi” with a ricotta cheese dipping sauce.

The 3^rd beer was a “Maudite from Quebec Canada” (8%). The Damned One is a Belgian Strong Ale, mahogany-coloured, rich-tasting premium beer that has a distinctive, complex taste. Because of the warmth it releases, this strong character beer must be served cool but not cold. Perfect with pasta, red meats, stews and spicy dishes, it also makes a good aperitif and after-dinner drink. Ant said that some have rated this beer the BEST IN THE WORLD; I couldn’t argue with that, it is certainly up there. By this point in the evening the boys were getting pretty hungry and Kenny & Red were getting busy on BBQ with some Garlic Lamb Skewers which went down a treat.

The 4^th beer & last beer of the evening was a “Brewboys Ace of Spades from Adelaide” (5.9%). This stout is best described as an extra stout, not dry or sweet. It has a hefty mouth feel, well balanced with a moderate alcohol and bitterness leaving you wanting more. The dark roasted aromas suggested charred nuts, sweet blackberry and a strangely attractive dirty character. This stout is not a huge face slapping hit of flavour, rather it is well balanced, rich and easy to enjoy. The last food of the evening by our master chefs Kenny & Red was a serve of Satay Chicken Skewers. Everyone certainly went away well fed.

Midway through the night Ant hosted a little beer trivia, throwing questions out to the very attentive ABC members and handing out little prizes to those that answered correctly. A very big thanks goes out to Ant from Plonk for his hospitality and fantastic service. He was a very busy man keeping up with Janso’s intake of beers. Please remember to drop into Plonk each and every time you’re out at the Fyshwick markets and sample one or two of his endless range of beers.

Plonk scored a massive 4 out 5:-

14. ZIERHOLZ Premium Brewery - Wed 15 Feb 2012

2012-03-19T00:30:00.002-07:00

Our 14^th ABC gathering, who would have thought!!!! We were fortunate enough to land Zierholz Premium Brewery out at Fyshwick as the venue for our 14^th gathering, thanks to some good work from ABC member Mick Ashley and of course our President Shaun O’Connor.
While the structure of the evening was a little different to way our past gatherings have run, i.e. 4 beers matched with 4 tapas style food dishes, it was another very enjoyable evening. As Zierholz is a working brewery, we were given a tasting paddle straight up which contained a sample of each the of the 7 brews that Zierholz brew on premises and has on tap.
Cristoph, the proprietor and owner of Zierholz (who was our beer guru at our 1^st ever ABC gathering back in September 09) was on hand to put his beer guru hat on again and explain the complexities of each of his 7 brews. As we sat down and sampled the beers off our paddles and listened to Christoph’s incredible knowledge of Beer, we had our taste buds kicked into gear with some hand cut wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce along with some very fresh and tasty garlic bread.

Zierholz Amber Ale – 4.9%

o Dusseldorf Style Ale, Nutty malt and bitter hops with hints of roastiness and caramel

Zierholz German Ale – 4.3%

o Cologne Style Ale, Crisp, delicate, easy drinking and very moreish, the original Zierholz beer

Zierholz Hopmeister - 5%

o English Style Pale Ale, Fruity hops and juicy malt, appetizing dry finish

Zierholz Pilsner – 5%

o Traditional North German Pilsen style larger, sweet malt and zesty hops with a dry finish

Zierholz Porter – 5.8%

o An assertive beer with a lot of bitter chocolate and roasty flavours, potent yet very smooth

Zierholz Schankbier – 2.7%

o German draught. Fully flavoured lager with plenty of body and flavour for a low alcohol beer (not a winner)

Zierholz Weizen

o Traditional German Wheat Beer, banana fruitiness and clovey spice, tart, refreshing

After our little sit down, Cristoph took us on a quick tour of the brewery. Again we were treated to Cristoph’s amazing knowledge of beer as the explained the workings of the brewery in great detail.
As we returned from our little tour the Zieholz staff brought out some more food, which encapsulated what breweries in Germany must be like. A number of platters were served up to each table and they contained:- Salad, Creamy mash, Sauerkraut, Braised red cabbage, Spatzle w/ bacon & mushroom, Chicken schnitzel, Selections of sausages, Whole roast suckling pig.

A big thank you to Cristoph and all the staff from the Zierholz Premium Brewery for their hospitality and fantastic service.

We used this gathering to bring in a new “ABC rating system”, each member / guest was given a voting slip and the results were tallied based on Beer, Food, Service, Ambiance & Beer Knowledge.

Zierholz Premium Brewery scored a massive 4.8 out of 5 :

If you haven’t been to one yet, you’re missing out and you’re soft. Remember it’s a never ending world of beers out there, so it means there will be many more ABC gatherings. Please remember to show your support to all the pubs/businesses that have supported us:- Pork Barrel Café & Bar, Siren’s, All Bar Nun, Zierholz Premium Brewery, Debacle, The Wig & Pen, The Wood Duck Inn , Jim Murphy’s Airport Cellars, King O’Malley’s Irish Pub & The George Harcourt Inn.

13. The Pork Barrel Cafe & Bar - Wed 30 November 2011

2012-03-13T03:48:00.000-07:00

The number 13 is often called an unlucky number, well I think that all the ABC members will beg to differ as we certainly got lucky with “The Pork Barrel Café & Bar” as the venue for our 13^th ABC Gathering.

While we weren’t supplied with a beer guru for the night, all the staff at the Pork Barrel were most helpful and did their best to answer any questions from ABC members and guests.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was “1842” (4.9%). 1842 is a little bit different to the traditional pilsner. It is fermented 50% longer than normal pilsners - allowing the barley malts to blend together for a smoother finish and a finer natural carbonation. As well as the noble Saaz hops, they also use some hop varieties that are normally found only in IPAs. When first trying 1842, the first thing you we noticed was the perfect golden colour and clearness of the beer. The beer was clear and cloudless and the head was thick, fluffy and pure white. We were served up some very tasty Tempura Tiger prawns with aioli and lemon, which were a perfect match for the 1842.

The 2nd beer was a “WARSTEIRN PREMIUM GERMAN BEER” (4.8%). Premium Verum, a pilsener style beer, is Warsteiner's most popular beer, and is exported to over 60 countries. The ingredients are forest spring water, two-row malted summer barley and all German hops. Transparent light gold in colour when poured. Aroma of pilsner malts and light hops. Taste is clean, crisp, and slightly bitter. Provolone Arancini (risotto balls) were served with this beer and they were absolutely beautiful. They were followed by Mini Peking Duck Pancakes, which were fantastic.

The 3^rd beer was a “SCHARERS LAGER” (4.9%). From Scharers Little Brewery in Picton. A traditional all malt beer, fermented in the traditional German method with a long cold storage. Quite full-bodied with a big malt start, balanced with quite a high bitterness and hop flavour and a dry finish. The Lager has a hoppy, aromatic, and sometimes honeyish nose. We sat down and ate our main course of Pork Barrel Pizzas; each table was served a selection of 3 different Pizzas: Pesto – Sliced Tomato, Bocconcini and Pesto

Continental – Pepperoni, Eggplant, Artichokes, Olives and Feta & Provincial – Olives, Anchovies, Roast Capsicum, Basil, Chili and Garlic. As a big Pizza lover, these Pizzas got a big tick from me.

The 4^th beer of the evening was a “WHITE RABBIT – DARK ALE” (4.9%). Rich dark and flavoursome but at the same time ever refreshing....malt driven but with the aromatic lift of generous doses of hops. Raisin like ester characters derived through its open fermentation bind a balancing act of flavour with a malt bill that rewards the parched palette with a rich, dark colour without losing any sessionabilty qualities. A perfect desert beer and again the Pork Barrel didn’t disappoint, serving up a delightful Bitter sweet chocolate tart with praline mascarpone and cherry compote.

As usual a raffle was held on the night, we raised a $150 and this was donated to Paddy Gallagher’s Movember cause.

The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket.

A big thank you to all the staff from the “The Pork Barrel Café & Bar” for their hospitality and fantastic service.

12. Siren Bar l Restaurant - Wed 28 September 2011

2012-03-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it, we’re up to our 12th ABC gathering and they just keep getting better. Dan Gaul and all the Staff from the new “Siren Bar + Restaurant” Gungahlin’s first Bar & Restaurant put on a fantastic night of beer and food..

Kate from the Lord Nelson Brewery in Sydney was our beer guru/host for the evening and she did a great job and she certainly knew her beers.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was a “Lord Nelson Brewery Three Sheets” (4.9%). The term Three Sheets originates from the 1800’s when Sailors at the time had a sliding scale of drunkenness “three sheets was the falling over stage: tipsy was just ‘one sheet in the wind’ or ‘a sheet in the wind’s eye’.” Three Sheets is an Australian Pale Ale brewed for aroma, flavour and drinkability using Australian pale malted barley and the freshest hops available. The chef whipped up a beautiful serve of Salt & Pepper Calamari which was a perfect match for the Three Sheets.

The 2nd beer was a “Lord Nelson Brewery Old Admiral” (6.1%). Old Admiral gets its name from the Commander and Chief of the Fleet, strong and assertive. Old Admiral is brewed in an old ale style, full bodied, malt driven with hints of mocha and caramel, balanced with generous hop bitterness. We were served up a nicely cooked chicken and herb dish which balanced beautifully with the long dry finish of the Old Admiral.

The 3^rd beer was a “Paulaner Hefe-Weizen” (5.6%). An authentic Bararian-style wheat beer, naturally cloudy with tones of deep gold. High in effervescence, low in calories with a uniquely crisp, refreshing fruity or clovey flavour. This beer was used to wash down some chicken wings done in a very tasty crispy batter with an orange dipping sauce. “Beautiful”.

The 4^th beer of the evening was a “Paulaner Original Munich Lager” (4.9%). 100% natural, brewed from pure spring water using Paulaner’s centuries old exclusive yeast strain, Hallertau hops and malted Barley. Rich and true in taste, with its all natural flavours with the traditional German light hoppy finish. The guys at Sirens served up some beautifully cooked Pork Ribs in a rich hickory sauce which were a perfect match for this lager.

As a very special treat for last beer we were served a “Paulaner Oktoberfest” (5.8%). This is The Munich Oktoberfest celebration’s favourite beer. 100% natural, brewed from pure spring water using Paulaner’s centuries old exclusive yeast strain, Hallertau hops and malted Barley. A classic Bavarian “Marzen” style, clear with a rich amber colour with a rich, full taste and a creamy full finish. There wasn’t much room left for food after all of the previous dishes, so the sweet potato chips were a very nice way to finish off the evenings menu.

The new ABC shirts proved to be very popular, with a good number being sold. Dan from Sirens put up what would have to be the best raffle prize we’ve had to date, a BOAGS DRAUGHT KEG SPEAKER. Patty G did a great job selling a very healthy number of raffle tickets and the lucky winner “Barra” was very happy to walk away with such a great prize. The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket.

A big thank you to Dan Gaul and all the staff from Siren’s for their hospitality and fantastic service and a very big thank you to Kate from the Lord Nelson Brewery for being our Beer Guru for the evening. Kate ran a very good show, she was very patient with our unruly crew and did a great job explaining each beer and food combination.

11. All Bar Nun - Wed 22 June 2011

2012-03-13T03:39:00.002-07:00

Our 11th gathering was meant to be held at a new establishment in Gungahlin called Sirens, but due to some land lord issues it was not ready to host the ABC, so the boys from All Bar Nun stepped up again, and with very short notice put on a cracker of an evening.

The two Dan’s and all staff at All Bar put on another fantastic evening of beer and food. The beers for the night were all by Coopers To start the evening off we were treated to a nice little glass of “PIPSQUEAK best cider” (5.2%). It was a little confusing at first as this was served in grape fruit glasses and a lot of ABC members thought they were being setup to drink the evil grape juice. Light & bright in colour, with a front up apple flavour and great lingering texture, a very nice little starter.

Our 1st beer for the evening was the “Pilsner” (4.6%). A refreshing and elegant lager styled on the classic European pilsners that uses the finest ingredients and enjoys an extended fermentation period. Tasmanian Hallertau, New Zealand Pacifica and Czech Saaz hops are added throughout the brewing process giving a light flavour and crisp Bitterness. This was perfectly matched with a serving of Oysters Kilpatrick.

The 2nd beer was the “Pale Ale” (5.2%). Bag loads of Cascade and Galaxy whole hop flowers that have been sourced direct from hop growers in Victoria, Tassie and the US are thrown at this beer, creating an intense citrus and grapefruit aroma and flavour that has been balanced with a careful selection of specialty malts and a local pale malt made to Little Creatures own specifications. Preservative and additive free our Pale Ale is live-yeast conditioned in bottles and kegs for unmatched freshness and character. We were treated to some beautifully cooked Scallops, lightly crumbed in coconut and breadcrumbs with a mango chutney dipping sauce

The 3rd beer was the “Bright Ale” (4.5%). Bright Ale is a beer that glows with sparkling golden Vienna and Cara malts and Little Creatures own local pale malt. To these, heady summer fruit aromas of luscious pineapple, passionfruit and melon are extracted with a generous addition of whole Cascade and Motueka hop flowers. Absolutely delicious in combination with the little Teriyaki Chicken legs served up with this ale.

The 4th beer was the “Rogers Beer” (3.8%). This mid strength beauty weaves together the best whole hop flowers and toasted malts into a silky session ale like no other. Light, citrus hop notes roll gently into roasted hazelnut, toffee and caramel malt flavours, creating easy-drinking ale of flavour and finesse. The All Bar chef hit the nail on head, serving Pork Belly marinated in the “Rogers”, it was so juice and tender, a perfect combination.

As a special treat the All Bar boys then put on a 5th beer “White Rabbit – White Ale” (4.5%) and a 6th beer “White Rabbit – Dark Ale” (4.9%) in conjunction with several mixed Cheese platters and crackers. Both these beers each went very well with the different cheeses.

The most important part of the evening was most definitely the “Fitting of the FEZ”, each member was called forward and was crowned with his very own FEZ. I don’t know how we came up with Fez’s but my goodness they look funny. From now on each member will be required to wear his FEZ when attending any future ABC gatherings. Also on the evening a logo was decided upon (see above), be sure to turn it upside down to fully appreciate it.

A big thank you to all the staff at “ALL BAR NUN” for their hospitality, service and very tasty menu. Once again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the FEZ-ivites.

10. All Bar Nun - Wed 13 April 2011

2012-03-13T03:37:00.004-07:00

We’ve reached our 1st mile stone, 10 beer club gatherings, how time flies when you’re having fun. Our 10th gathering was a very import for each member as it was the “Fitting of the FEZ” night. For such a special occasion it was only fitting that we returned to where it all began, to what is now called the spiritual home of the ABC, All Bar Nun.

The two Dan’s and all staff at All Bar put on another fantastic evening of beer and food. The beers for the night were all by Little Creatures. To start the evening off we were treated to a nice little glass of “PIPSQUEAK best cider” (5.2%). It was a little confusing at first as this was served in grape fruit glasses and a lot of ABC members thought they were being setup to drink the evil grape juice. Light & bright in colour, with a front up apple flavour and great lingering texture, a very nice little starter.

A big thank you to all the staff at “ALL BAR NUN” for their hospitality, service and very tasty menu. Once again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the FEZ-ivites.

If you haven’t been to one yet, then you’ve missed out. The only way you’ll get to one is to be invited by a member.

9. The Belgian Beer Cafe - Wed 23 Feb 2011

2012-03-13T03:34:00.005-07:00

We’re running a bit behind for 2011 with our 1^st beer club for the year only taking place on the 23^rd of February, and by the good turnout our members have been hanging out for it. For our 9^th outing The Belgian Beer Cafe in Kingston was selected as the venue.

The Belgian Beer Cafe, Little Brussels is a welcome addition to The ABC’s list of venues, offering a unique exploration of Belgian traditional fare. We were treated to some traditional Belgian beer and food. One small criticism of the evening is that the The Belgian Beer Cafe failed to supply a beer guru to introduce each of the beers and explain the different food combinations, that said they did come up with a very creative menu that really combined well with all the beers sampled.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was meant to be a “Belgian Real Pils” but due to a technical mishap this beer was unavailable and we were served a “Stella Artois” (5%) instead. Belgians have been making beer since the 14^th century and Stella Artois reflects this tradition of finely crafted brewing. The world 'Stella' is Latin for 'star' and Stella was originally a limited release Christmas beer. The word Artois comes from the surname of the master brewer, Sebastian Artois. This golden Belgian brew is a signature blend of premium malt and Saaz hops. Quite malty on the mid-palate, Stella Artois is a full flavoured, superior quality beer with a rich, estery, creamy aroma a fine clean bitterness and a hint of citric fruitiness.

We were served up a small but very tasty “Truffled Chicken & Nori Roulade” which was served cold and even though we were meant to be drinking the Belgian Real Pils, the Stella really went very well with this dish.

The 2nd beer was the “Hoegaarden” (5%). Hoegaarden (pronounced whogarden) is a white beer which is brewed in the Belgian town of Hoegaarden by the De Kluis Brewery which is now owned by Interbrew, the brewery that also owns Stella Artois. The white beer is brewed to a traditional recipe which dates as far back as 1445, although the beer Hoegaarden has only existed since 1966. Hoegaarden gets its great taste partly due to there being special ingredients added during the brewing process, such as - wheat, coriander and curacao orange peels. Also the pale, cloudy appearance of this mysterious looking drink is all thanks to an additional second fermentation in the keg. This beer was accompanied with some “Hoegaarden & Dukkah Battered King Prawns” which were absolutely beautiful and a perfect match to this beer.

The 3^rd beer was a “Leffe Brune” (6.6%). Leffe Brune (brown) is an authentic abbey beer, brewed according to the traditional recipe of the Abbey of Leffe. Leffe Brown has a delicate taste of vanilla and clove the full aroma of toffee and caramel with a dark-brown appearance due to the use of darkly roasted malt; it has a medium body with a good foamy head and a very well balanced bitterness. A very pleasant beer to wash down a serve of “Grilled Lambs Tongue, Haloumi, Oven dried Tomato and olive salad, the toffee and caramel flavours of the Leffe Brune combined very nicely with this dish.

The final beer of the evening was the “Belle-vue Kriek Cherry Beer” (5.1%). This beer is actually classed as a fruit beer; it is created with the addition of two important and unique ingredients, ripened Morello cherries and elderberry juice. It is then left to mature in oak casks, where the ageing process can last for 2-3 years before the beer is ready for drinking. The result of all this is a truly beautiful tasting fruit beer with a distinct tartness. Belle-Vue Kriek is a Lambic style beer which traditionally are only brewed in Belgium. Lambic beers are fermented differently to conventional beers using a process called spontaneous fermentation. This unique process gives the beer a distinctive flavor which in this case is very true. Not only is the taste of this beer unique but so is its appearance. It is a cherry color when poured along with a creamy full head and a pleasant fruity smell. What a perfect way to finish off the evening with a serve of Belgian Chocolate Mousse Tartlette with liquored Cherry Griottes, the beer & mousse were made for each other.

Our little club underwent a small name change from “The Australian Brew Club” to “The Australian Beer Club”, which seems to fit a little better given the fact that we don’t brew much beer ourselves, we certainly do enjoy drinking it though. The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket (just ask Oners). The raffles were again very popular with some nice little prizes won by some lucky attendees.

A big thank you to all the staff at “The Belgian Beer Café” for their hospitality and service and very creative menu.

8. The George Harcourt Inn - Wed 17 November 2010

2012-03-13T03:33:00.001-07:00

It’s true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s definitely what we had at our 8^th ABC gathering held at the George Harcourt Inn for the first time.

Ray Ballantyne from Lion Nathan was our beer guru/host for the evening and for someone that said he was no expert on beer, he certainly had all of us fooled. We were accommodated outside in the George’s new very nicely done out-door area, it was a little chilly but we soon warmed up after a couple of beers.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was a “Heikeken” (5%), this is a beer that most of us would have come across once or twice over the years, but it doubt many of us would have ever taken notice of the tasting notes, That’s the beauty of having a beer guru to give us a run down. Heineken is a refined, easy drinking pilsner. A slightly yeasty first impression underlies a unique fruity character with refreshingly mild bitterness; rounded off by a smooth honey palate and a clean, crisp finish. Ray did make special note that the Harcourt would be endeavouring to match the beers with food that complemented each beer. They did a fantastic job first up serving us up mini beef mingions - seared eye fillet of beef on toasted croute with basil pesto brushed with clarified butter & coconut prawn with coriander, lime and ginger dipping sauce - lightly coated with shredded coconut, fried until golden brown, served with Lime, ginger and coriander dipping sauce

The 2nd beer was the “Summer Bright Larger” (4.2%) by XXXX. An ultra refreshing, low carb, full strength beer – free from artificial additives and preservatives. This beer has been specifically designed as an easy drinking beer - perfect for a hot Australian summer’s day. Its fruity aroma and smooth hop character balance its light malt flavour to make this a seriously refreshing beer. This beer was accompanied with sticky orange glazed chicken tenderloin - lightly coated in tempura batter finished with a sticky orange anglaize which really suited the fruity characteristics of the Summer Bright Larger.

The 3^rd beer was a “Boag’s Draught” (4.7%). Beer guru made us try and guess what this beer was. No one picked it as Boag’s, even though many of us have downed 10,000 of these at the Brumbies over the years. Brewed to a century old recipe, Boag’s Draught is a full- bodied lager with smooth hop bitterness and a crisp, refreshing aftertaste. Golden syrup in colour with a balanced aroma of fruit esters and late hop notes. We used the Boag’s to wash down a lightly spiced crumbed lamb cutlet with cracked pepper sauce - shallow fried until golden brown, finished off in oven until cooked to medium to medium well. “Beautiful”.

The final beer of the evening was the “James Squire Golden Ale” (4.5%) Golden Ale has been brewed as a real quaffing (to drink heartily) beer. Fresh toasted grains of barley and wheat give it a rich orange-amber colour, whilst new season Amarillo hops provide a tropical/stone fruit aroma and restrained, bitter finish. Our final serving of food for the evening was mini 3 cheese and garlic Pizza, containing a mixture of fetta cheese, mozzarella cheese and boccincini cheese with a tomato pesto and on a fresh Pizza Base.

The gathering was a buzz with excitement with talk of a trip to Hobart to attend the beer festival next year. It’ll be a work in progress for the next couple of gatherings. Given the warmer weather we’d been having a few members turned up in thongs and they of course needed to make a donation to the fine bucket. The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket. The raffles were again very popular with some nice little prizes own by some lucky attendees.

A big thank you to all the staff at The George Harcourt Inn for their hospitality and service and a very big thank you to Ray Ballantyne from Lion Nathan for being our Beer Guru for the evening. Ray ran a very good show, he was very patient with our unruly crew and did a great job explaining each beer and food combination in a very relaxed and informative manner.

7. King O'Malley's Irish Pub - Wed Sep 2010

2012-03-13T03:31:00.001-07:00

Oners couldn't get a leave pass for this one, so no else could be bothered doing a report.

6. All Bar Nun - Wed 28 July 2010

2012-03-13T03:28:00.005-07:00

We’ve come full circle for our 6^th ABC gathering, we were back where it all started at All Bar Nun and what a joy it was to be back.

Dan Kenny from All Bar Nun and Michael Vanzetti from Lion Nathan were our hosts for the evening and we were accommodated in the very comfortable lounge bar that was perfect for such a gathering. They even put together a flash menu for the evening.

On arrival we were treated to a beer to get us started, it was a “Hahn Super Dry” served up in a nice little Malt Shovel Brewery - James Squire middy glass which was our to keep. Brewed using the finest ingredients with no preservatives or additives. An enhanced brewing process breaks down more of the natural sugars to deliver a Super Dry taste with only a third of the carbs of standard full strength beer. A very nice little starter.

The 1^st official beer of the evening was the “Malt Shovel Brewery James Squire Sundown Lager” (4.4%). A thirst-quenching lager for all occasions, brewed using pale and carapils malts and a unique blend of hops. Clean, fresh grassy aroma and a distinctive hoppiness, yet a mild bitterness on the late palate. The beer was served up in jugs and Mick our beer guru for the night showed us how to get the most flavour out of a pour by using a very simple pouring method (if you weren’t there, you’ll have to come to the next beer club to find out what it is). We were served up a very nice little dish of Italian Pork sausages with onion rings and Tuscan salsa which matched this beer very nicely.

The 2nd beer was the “Kosciuzko Pale Ale” (4.5%). On pouring into a glass you’re treated to a light amber colour liquid. The aroma of this brew is fairly inviting with hints of tropical fruit and citrus zest and sweet malt. On the palate there were honey and melon notes initially, with a medium body and malt character, it finishes with a nice balance between fruit and bitter notes. This beer is perfect to drink with seafood and we serve a beautifully cooked plate of rock salt & pepper calamari with a lemon aioli.

The 3^rd beer was the “James Squire Amber Ale” (5%). This brew has a full, amber-red colour with its hand crafted unique brew of three malts and three different Tasmanian hops along with a 125 year old top fermenting ale yeast this beer delivers a rich creamy and slightly nutty finish. A fruity full-flavoured ales goes best with red meat and the All Bar boys had done their home work and served us up a bowl of rich Irish stew with sticky rice pilaf.

The final beer of the evening was the “James Squire Porter” (5%) This beer is almost black, with ruby highlights. It has dense, beige, head and an appetising aroma of fresh cream and coffee. A very creamy beer in texture, too, but by no means full-bodied. The palate is initially coffeeish, also with smooth black chocolate and caramel flavours. Then a development of malty, grainy, notes: cookies or biscotti. Then well-done toast, finishing crisply. Beer Guru said this is perfect with chocolate mud cake but there were no complaints with the mini white and dark chocolate banana muffins the chef from All Bar whipped up.

A special new award was presented on the night for the worse dressed and Tom Waters was the very deserving recipient wearing a very hideous pair of sky blue pants. As usual the fine bucket received some nice little donations.

Our very special thanks go out to all the guys at All Bar Nun especially Dan Kenny, the chef and to the Very Nice Waitress for the fantastic food and service and to Mick Vanzetti for Lion Nathan for providing the great beers and raffle prizes.

5. Jim Murphy's Airport Cellars - Wed 19 May 2010

2012-03-13T03:26:00.001-07:00

Well how time flies, we’ve just had our 5^th ABC gathering and it will be a very hard one to top. Our

First Bus trip, The Hall to Majura Park express (approx travelling time 2hrs). A very big thankyou goes out to Brian O’Connor for driving the bus and getting us all to and from this beautiful gathering.

Adrian Murphy (AJ) & Rob from Jim Murphy’s Airport Cellars were our hosts for the evening and we were accommodated in their board room, which is upstairs overlooking the shop floor. It was a perfect setup with a huge 20+ seater boardroom table. It was the first time the guys had hosted such an evening and it won’t be their last as they did a fantastic job.

As we entered the boardroom we were handed an ice cold “Knappstein Reserve Lager” from the Knapstein Enterprise Brewery (5.6%). This is a Bavarian style lager which was released in 2006 by one of Australia's most highly regarded grape juice makers - Tim Knappstein. Made with Australian malt and unique sauvin hops, it delivers a beer with fruity malt and hop aromas, a gentle warming palate, with a dramatic bitter finish. Crafted to reflect grape juice characteristics in style, structure and complexity, the ‘reserve lager’ is crisp, aromatic and pale in colour. This was accompanied by some toasted sourdough bread with melted swiss cheese and olive tapenade and salted cashews.

The 2nd beer was a “Weihenstephaner Vitus” from the Freilsing Brewery in Germany (7.7%). A classic, unfiltered wheat beer from the world's oldest operating brewery, operating since 1040. A light-coloured, spicy single-bock wheat beer, bold and sweet on the palate with hints of spicy cloves and orange with banana overtones. This beer was perfectly matched with a serve of warmed up butterflyed cabanossi with a spicy plum dipping sauce.

The 3rd beer was a “ Westmalle Trappist Tripel” from the Abbey of Westmalle Brewery in Belgium (9.5%). A Belgian Abbey Style Tripel brewed by one of only seven breweries in the world officially entitled to call themselves an “Authentic Trappiste Breweries”. This Trappiste beer has undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle, in the cellars of the Abbaye of Westmalle under the direction of the monks who utilize only natural ingredients of water, barley, malt, yeast, and crystallized sugar. Glowing orange-gold in colour, with herbal aromas, with complex flavours that meld rich malt sweetness, warmth, hops, and powerful drinkability. This was accompanied by a serving of lovely beef stew and a serve of french fries which on such an autumnal evening was a another perfect match.

The 4th beer of the evening was a “Dark Island” from the Orkney Brewery in Scotland (4.6%). It is more of a dark ale (porter style) than a stout with a bitter-sweet roasted malt taste, with bits of chocolate, coffee, herbs, and spices. The aftertaste is a bit herbal and has a slightly bitter taste. This was a really nice beer accompanied by some strong flavoured Danish Blue cheese, Dutch Gouda cheese and water crackers.

AJ & Rob were very clever with the table settings and set 3 grape juice glasses and one water glass per guest, knowing very well that it would spark some conversations that included the word to describe grape juice that we are forbidden from saying. The fine bucket received some nice little donations.

Our special thanks go out to all the guys at Jim Murphy’s Airport Cellars, AJ & Rob for providing the venue and the great beers and food and to our bus driver Brian O’Connor for getting us all home safely (except for Oners, who was made to take a cab home because he lives on the darkside (Rivett) of town).

4. The Wood Duck Inn - Wed 17 March 2010

2012-03-13T03:25:00.000-07:00

The old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Well the ABC members certainly didn’t have that problem on St Patrick’s Day 2010, they were very thirsty.

Allyson Wedrat and the staff of the The Wood Duck Inn out at Hall hosted the 4^th ABC gathering on the 17^th of March 2010. The Wood Duck is like Hall Rugby’s club house, across the road from The Hideout (Hall Oval), a home away from home for many of the ABC members.

The 1^st beer we drunk was “Guinness Extra Stout” served in the stubbie. This was perfect beer to start the evening with given it was St Patrick’s Day. As the name implies, this is a solid, full flavoured beer. From the same family as Guinness and Murphy's & Cooper's Stout. It retains the natural brew aspect, so it isn't like the Guinness you'd get from a tap. It uses specially roasted black malt to produce a strong, dark flavour. The Extra Stout was matched perfectly with a serving of Oysters Kilpatrick.

The 2^nd beer was “Hand-crafted Bohemian Pilsener” from the Red Hill Brewery. Based on the classic style of lager first brewed in the town of Pilsen in Bohemia (now Czech Republic), this is an unfiltered, yet clean & balanced beer. A generous malt character imparts a slight sweetness which is balanced by potent hop bitterness, achieved by 3 hefty additions of hop flowers in the boil. A long and cold fermentation period followed when plenty of hop flowers were steeped in the conditioning tanks with the beer for a further 6 weeks creating a floral and spicy aroma. Golden in colour with a dense white head, it went very well with a serving of lemon grass chicken.

The 3^rd beer was “Redback Original ale”. Using bushels of the country's finest malted wheat, malted barley and a perfect blend of Saaz and Pride of Ringwood hops, Matilda Bay brewers have been producing Redback Original for more than 20 years. The deliciously refreshing brew is modelled on the creamy, wheat-style beers of southern Germany, and has become a benchmark for Australian wheat beers. This was accompanied by a beautiful serve of seared prawns in a spicy peanut sauce.

The 4th beer of the evening was the “Beez Neez” another beauty from the Matilda Bay brewers. This is a unique Australian made specialty beer. Brewed with a blend of premium pale malted barley and malted wheats with an equal amount of pure light amber honey. The light malt palate with its sominating honey aroma and flavour create a pale light golden coloured beer with a moderate bitterness. Our last little feed for the night was a very nice little serving of rare seared beef in worcesthire sauce.

The 5^th – 25^th beers were various delectable tipples all from the taps at the Wood Duck. Members showed their stamina & prowess at guzzling approx 25 beers each, could have been a better effort but members showed restraint due to having to work the following day.

Our special thanks go out to all the guys at The Wood Duck Inn for providing the venue and the great beer and food.

A good little raffle was held with the first prize being a bottle of “La Trapple“as well as some Hall Rugby merchandise as the minor prizes.

Don’t forget beer was invented by monks, so each drink you get closer to god! I think I met him after the last beer club meeting.

3. The Wig & Pen - Wed 27 January 2010

2012-03-13T03:22:00.001-07:00

Well how time flies, we’ve just had the third Australian Brew Club gathering which was held at The Wig & Pen on Wednesday the 27^th of January 2010 and again it was a great success.

The Wig & Pen is a traditional brewpub and has been part of the Canberra social scene since 1994. It has ten different beers brewed on premises, some on Tap and some on Hand Pump.
The food was traditional pub fare. It was a bit of a step down from All Bar Nun and Debacle, nun the less it nicely suited our casual gathering

The 1^st beer we tasted was the “Kamberry Ale”. A German Style ale, pale to golden in colour with a hint of graininess and fruit in the aroma. Light to medium body, a very easy drinking ale. We were served some garlic bread and some nice little prawn kebabs.

The 2^nd beer was “Brewers IPA”(hand pumped). The India Pale Ale is a classic variety of British ale designed to survive the rugged sea voyages to India. The use of four malts and four hops combine to create a very hoppy ale. An earthy and ripe fruit aroma makes way a for a robust malty middle palate and a long dry finish.

We were served more garlic bread and some little dim sims accompanied by some sweet chilli dipping sauce.

The 3^rd beer was “Rumpole Organic Pale”. Brewed using ale malt from Warmister Maltings in the UK and organic caramunich from Weyerman Maltings in Germany. The hops are a new variety from Tasmania called Galaxy. The rich biscuity malt is balanced by the intense passionfruit and grapefruit aromas. This beautiful ale was accompanied by some perfectly cooked, crisp hot potato chips and some sate chicken kebabs.

The 4^th and last beer of the evening was the “Velvet Cream Stout”. This was a deliciously creamy and roasty dry stout with an intense lingering dark bitter / sweet chocolate finish. They use an innovative conditioning technique to achieve the outstanding creamy smoothiness. This was a perfect beer to wash down some potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce as well some golden brown deep fried chicken pieces.

Our special thanks goes out to all the guys at The Wig & Pen for providing the venue and the great beer and food.

The warm weather resulted in a nice little windfall, we were able to fine anyone not wearing their Hall socks as they were wearing thongs. Again there was a fine for anyone caught using the word “WINE”, this is continuing to be a very good money spinner as quite a few guys were caught out.

2. Debacle - Wed 18 November 2009

2012-03-13T03:20:00.005-07:00

The second Australian Beer Club gathering was held at Debacle on Wednesday the 18^th of November and again it was a great success.

Michael Lonard from Beer Importers & Distributors Pty Ltd was our host/beer guru for the evening and explained all the ins and outs of some of Europe’s finest beers. The extra couple of % alcohol in some of these beers was really felt on Thursday morning.

The 1^st beer we tasted was the “Real Belgian Pils”. Pilsner style bottom fermentation beer. Malt enhancing upon tasting, it leaves the hops to offer a hint of bitterness without lingering and without acridity, and to take on a thirst-quenching role with a surprising flavour for a Pils. The Pils was perfect to wash down a nice little plate of seafood. We had a prawn, a scallop and a fresh oyster with lime sorbet on it (very special).

The 2^nd beer was “Titje”. White top fermentation beer, which was cloudy white in colour.

It possesses a highly refreshing flavour where the coriander plays the perfect thirst-quenching role. Upon tasting, the dried orange peel arouses a noticeable quiver.

We were served up a beautifully cooked satay chicken skewer with a bit of rice.

The 3^rd beer was “Chimay Blanche/Tripel”. This top fermented Trappist beer, refermented in the bottle, is not pasteurised. This beer with its typical golden colour, its slightly hazy appearance and its fine head is especially characterised by its aroma which results from an agreeable combination of fresh hops and yeast. The beer's flavour, as sensed in the mouth, comes from the smell of hops: above all it is the fruity notes of muscat and raisins that give this beer a particularly attractive aroma. The aroma complements the touch of bitterness. There is no acidity, but an after-bitterness which melts in the mouth. As a bit of a first for most of us, we were served plate of grilled haloumi cheese with this beer and it was perfect match.

The 4^th and last beer of the evening was the “Warsteiner Premium Verum”. A world class international pilsner, Warsteiner Premium Verum is a slightly pale German-style pilsner with clean crisp, refreshing import taste. Warsteiner is brewed with fresh Arnsberger Forest spring water sourced at the brewery Warstein, Germany, naturally soft water that helps create the smooth taste and thick creamy head. Warsteiner truly is The Premium German Beer. Brewed according to German Purity Law of 1516 with no chemicals, additives or preservatives. Brewed exclusively with German hop varieties featuring Noble Hallertau hops and 100% two-row German spring barley malt. This beer went very well with the nice little pork belly we were served.

Our special thanks goes out to Michael Lonard and all the guys at Debacle for providing the venue and the great food.

We had a few slow learners and a few quests that were caught without their Hall socks on and were fined accordingly. Again there was a fine for anyone caught using the word “WINE”, this is proving to be a very good money spinner as quite a few guys were caught out.

1. All Bar Nun - Wed 09 September 2009

2012-03-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

The inaugural Australian Beer Club was held at All Bar Nun on Wednesday 09 September and was a great success.

Cristoph from Zierholz Premium Brewery was on hand and explained all the ins and outs of some of his finest European beers. It was bit like feeding strawberries to pigs, we couldn’t get them down our throats quick enough.

The 1^st beer we tasted was the Zierholz German Ale a Koelsch (or Cologne) style beer, this went down very nicely with the beautifully cooked Calamari. We were advised by Cristoph that it is fermented using a unique yeast strain from Cologne and cold conditioned to highlight its smooth character. The end result was a bright, golden ale with a nose tingling hop aroma, appetizing malt and delicate fruit palate and a crisp dry finish.

Our 2^nd beer was the Zierholz Weizen, this poured with a pillowy white head and had an effervescent body. With it’s spicy clove, vanilla and banana characters created by a unique strain of German hefeweizen yeast it was the perfect beverage to wash down some very tasty spicy chicken wings.

The 3^rd beer of the night was the Zierholz Hopmeister. Built on a solid base of the finest English and German malts, the Hopmeister is then bolstered with layer after layer of intertwined hop flavour, aroma and assertive bitterness. The Guys at All Bar out done themselves by serving up plates of perfectly cooked lamb cutlets which were absolutely beautiful and then to be able to wash them down the Hopmeister, It doesn’t get much better than that.

The last beer of the night was the Zierholz Porter, by this point poor old Cristoph had lost all control and it was just a bit of free for all. This beer was made up of a special selection of malts to create a rich and dark ale as they were in London in the days of old.

We finished off the night with some sweet little chocolate balls which again were the perfect combination.

As the guys at All Bar needed to decide on a Zierholz to start selling on tap, they got us to put the 4 beers to a vote, and the most popular with the Bushedranger’s was the Zierholz German Ale.

Our special thanks goes out to Dan Kenny and all the guys at All Bar Nun for providing the perfect venue and food and to Cristoph and Zierholz Premium Brewery for the awesome selection of beers.

A bit of fun was had with the fines on the night, a couple of very senior Bushedranger’s were caught out without their Hall socks on and were fined accordingly.

There was a fine for anyone caught using the word “WINE” and special mention must go to Steve Fagg for catching Pat Gallagher using this word in Auslan sign language.