Last Tuesday, I was lucky enough to get a behind the scenes tour of a microbrewery in Melbourne with an old college friend Gavin, who had been working as a barman while he completes his masters degree. Having worked in a bar for many years, I knew the basics of what goes on in the serving area, but I had never experienced the intricacies of the beer brewing process on such an up-close level.

On the day in question, the brewery had been experiencing an issue with their air compressor, something that I had never thought too much about in the bar scene as I was busy muddling limes and pulling taps. However, in the beer industry, Gavin told me that compressed air systems are one of the most important systems to keep the brewery working and they are used in a number of different applications including pushing fluids through tanks, aerating yeast and water plus a whole slew of maintenance and cleaning requirements to make sure that the flavour of the beer remains consistent in each batch.

I’m not particularly technical, so when it comes to broken down machinery, I’m a big believer in leaving it to the experts. The air compressor in question was a big square unit made by a company called ELGI. Gavin had called the local Melbourne Air Compressor service agent, a business called Compressors Australia who sent out one of their technicians to find out what the problem was.

Luckily, it was an easy fix with an inner working needing a small adjustment before the compressor kicked back into gear. The brewery was up and running again and Gavin preceded to show me how the air compressor was used in aerating the wort at the beginning of the brewing process.

The microbrewery itself was impressively clean, with small

A world where your custom-made beer costs half the price that craft beer costs you in the shops.

Many Brisbanites are already aware that such a world exists in the guise of Brews Brothers in East Brisbane. I’m constantly surprised at the amount of people who’ve never heard of the Brews Brothers service though.

For the last few months I have been embracing the Brews Brothers concept and enjoying every moment of it.

The process starts when you wander down to their ‘shed’ in East Brisbane, and enjoy a friendly greeting from Mike, the owner of Brews Brothers, or one of their courteous staff. You’re then welcome to peruse their massive range of 225 brews – each matched to a well-known brew so you know what to expect. Examples are Victory Bitter (VB) St Ella (Stella) and Carl’s Lager (Carlsberg). There’s also plenty of copies of much better beers than those just listed, and a few special ‘in-house’ brews. A lot of the varieties are bottled and chilled in the fridge for you to sample before you decide.

Unlike your local bottle shop, you’re not going to walk out of Brews Brothers with a carton. You’re committing to a keg of beer, or roughly 6 cartons of beer. Depending on which style you buy, this costs between $140 and $180. While more of an investment than a single carton, you are actually getting incredible value. For the premium ($180) range – which I heartily recommend – you are looking at a per-carton cost of $30. That’s the same price as a shitty carton of megaswill, and believe me, the final product at Brews Brothers is anything but shitty.

Once you’ve decided which brew you like, it’s up to you how involved you’d like to be with the brewing process. Mike or one of the staff will walk you through every step, or you can just pay your money and come back when its ready, which is anywhere from two to four weeks, depending on the quality and strength of the brew.

After you beer is finished brewing, the real fun begins. If you like, you can take the whole keg home – they have taps and gas you can hire if you’d like to have a proper keg party. But if you want to enjoy your brew over a period of time, you can bottle the whole keg up yourself. Obviously you have to collect 6 cartons worth of bottles to bring in, which isn’t too much of a challenge for beer lovers.

On bottling day, you firstly wash and sterilise your bottles, then rack them on the ‘christmas tree’ to dry. The Brews Brothers crew tap your keg next to a bottling bench, where you fill your bottles one by one, then cap them with a bottle capper.

The team at Brews Brothers supply you with glasses and encourage you to enjoy as many beers as you like while you’re bottling. Of course, if you drive down there to do your bottling, drink responsibly!

And so ends the bottling at Brews Brothers. Now you’re free to go home and enjoy your brew! Before you leave, make sure you order your next keg

Sound like your kind of thing? Then head on down and say hello to the Brews Brothers team!

Germany in particular is one country that has always seemed to have it’s drinking culture sorted. A nation where you can legally drink at 16, buy a beer in pretty much any retail outlet, and celebrate beer for a whole fortnight at Oktoberfest seems like a pretty fun and relaxed place. They’re still not free of their own fun police, though, as this recent article in The Local attests:

Cities consider ban on ‘beer bike’ tours

Vehicles for city tours such as multi-person bikes offering free-flowing beer are increasingly sparking the ire of both motorists and pedestrians in Germany, leading some cities to consider banning them. The wide, multi-seat conference bikes, often converted to “beer bikes” with a keg in the middle, create traffic jams on narrow streets, according to Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel.

The beer bikes, which allow for passengers to imbibe while a sober driver guides them on their tour, are particularly controversial, the paper said.

The rolling keg parties have been visible on Berlin streets for some time, but were allowed to hit the southern city of Stuttgart’s streets just this summer following approval by the Baden-Württemberg state parliament.

Meanwhile the Rhineland city of Düsseldorf is concerned about the “indiscriminate peeing” and noise that accompanies the beer bike tours. The municipal public order office there tried to have the vehicles banned last year with a successful case in the city’s administrative court, but failed to convince an appeals court.

The state’s top administrative court in Münster will now address the case in October, and the nearby city of Cologne plans to model their regulations accordingly, the paper said.

Officials in the German capital have also decided to wait for that ruling.

“Then we’ll discuss it,” Mathias Gille, spokesperson for the Berlin city government’s traffic control office, told the paper. “There are no motions to ban them. The beer bikes and rickshaws are not to be overlooked, though.”

But deputy leader of the Berlin Free Democrats, Klaus-Peter von Lüdeke, told Der Tagesspiegel that he wants the vehicles banned.

“These rolling beer bars take up the width of a car and are real traffic impediments,” he said.

Beer bike drivers are required to remain sober while they guide the tours, but Lüdeke said they still could not be trusted to negotiate traffic.

But Green party state parliamentarian and member of the committee for traffic and development Claudia Hämmerling rejected a ban on the vehicles.

“There’s also a danger from regular bike riders,” she told the paper.

Now I don’t know about you, but riding a beer bike around a beautiful German city on a sunny day sounds about as much fun as one can possibly have while sitting down. It also boggles my over-regulated Australian mind that such a thing even exists, although I have heard of similar contraptions operating in Portland, USA. It would be a shame for such beautiful and practical pieces of machinery to be regulated out of existence.

Granted, the Germans have a long way to go before the fun police bring things down to the level we’re on here in Australia now. But it’s worth keeping in mind that we’re not the only nation that has to deal with wowserish fun police.

The guide below is a listing of South East Queensland and Northern NSW’s best places to enjoy a cold craft beer, or find one to take home. If you think this guide is missing anything please get in touch.

I do already have a list on the site of great venues to tour but if you’re looking for something a little more comprehensive, then the list below is probably for you!

BREWERIES AND BREWPUBS

Burleigh Brewing Company
17A Ern Harley Drive, Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Brewing are Queensland’s flagship craft brewery. Pumping out fantastic ‘regular’ beers like 78 pale ale, Hef witbier and Bighead low-carb, they also produce acclaimed seasonal beers like Black Giraffe and Fanny Gert’s Bickie Beer. Their beers are now widely available in stores and on tap, but nothing beats a visit to their huge brewhouse, where you can find master brewer Brennan and ‘My Wife’s Bitter’ namesake Peta doing their thing. The brewhouse only opens to the public once a month, but Thirsty Critters tour guests are always welcome!

Stone & Wood Brewery
4 Boronia Place, Byron Bay NSW
A small and very friendly brewery run by a few of Australia’s most renowned brewers in the back blocks of Byron Bay. Their flagship beer Pacific Ale was voted Australia’s #1 beer in the 2011 Critics Choice Awards. They also brew a Pale Lager made entirely from German malt and hops, and the occassional special brew like Stone Beer and Red Relief. Locals also get to enjoy their Kellerbier, on tap at pubs in the Byron district only (and for those in the know – it’s also on tap at the Brisbane German Club).

MT Brewery
165-185 Long Road, North Tamborine
MT Brewery is part of a very popular and tourist-friendly complex atop Mt Tamborine at Eagle Heights, sitting alongside the excellent Witches Chase Cheese Company and Liquid Amber restaurant. There’s around 7 craft beers on tap at any time, including 2 Belgian ales and the legendary Black Cockatoo dark lager. Their Belgian ‘St Bridget’ dubbel is also highly prized.

Brisbane Brewhouse
601 Stanley Street (Cnr Annerley Rd), Woolloongabba
Many years ago Brisbane had a brewpub called Aurora’s in the CBD – the same people that moved on from there re-opened in South Brisbane at the Clarence Corner Hotel in 2010. The old pub is still at the front, but out the back is a relaxing lounge with the Brewhouse range on tap, including Sunshine honey wheat, Brisbane Pale Ale and seasonals like Up Yer Kilt Scottish Ale! Fantastic food is also available.

Sunshine Coast Brewery Bar and Restaurant
22 Ocean Street (intersection of Ocean Street & Horton Parade), Maroochydore
The Sunshine Coast Brewery itself is located in the Kunda Park industrial area, but now you no longer have to make your way out there to enjoy their award-winning range of beer. The Brewery Bar & Restaurant is located quite close to Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore and has all their beers on tap, including a fantastic Rye ESB and Best Bitter, and for the brave, a chili Beer! There is also a great variety of food on offer.

Byron Bay Brewery
1 Skinners Shoot Road, Byron Bay NSW
Located at the old Arts Factory, the Byron Bay Brewery is part of a complex also including a cinema, day spa, concert venue and backpackers accommodation! Six of their in-house beers are usually on tap, including a very good pilsener and their great ‘Billy Goat’ dark lager. There’s a huge beer garden to sit in and enjoy the good beer and Byron vibes.

Bacchus Brewing
2 Christine Place, Capalaba
Bacchus Brewing is a ‘brew for you’ type operation with a difference – they’re all-grain brewers, meaning your beer is brewed exactly like your favourite craft beer is made. They can brew a huge range of beers for you, and friendly proprietor Ross is always happy to take you through his range of beers available for your brewing pleasure. Some of their beers are starting to appear at beer festivals and on tap at places like Archive, so keep an eye out!

International Hotel
525 Boundary Street, Spring Hill
With the demise of Oxford 152 and The Brewhouse, the International Hotel is currently Brisbane City’s only microbrewery. They’ve got four on tap, including a wheat beer, pilsener, Irish ale and midstrength.

BARS, CLUBS & PUBS

Archive
100 Boundary Street, West End
With the demise of the Platform Bar, Archive is now Brisbane’s only ‘A Grade’ craft beer bar. Their front bar maintains a steady range of excellent Australian craft beers on tap, while their ‘Next Door’ bar showcases even more on constant rotation. They hold very regular craft beer appreciation evenings and the occasional craft beer festival. After you’ve sampled a few draught beers, head out the back to their bottle shop to take some home – they have the best range of take-away craft beer in Brisbane. You can also buy a growler to refill each time you come back!

The Spotted Cow
296 Ruthven St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba is the unlikely home of the Queensland pub that has been the most vocal supporter of craft beer for many years. They always have a few great taps of Aussie craft beer on the go, a huge range in the fridge, and constant lashings of live music to enjoy your beer with. Their inaugural ’Milking The Cow’ craft beer festival in 2011 was a huge success, and promises to get even bigger thanks to the huge amount of support that the beer-loving folk behind ‘The Cow’ have cultivated. A must-visit if you’re up on the range.

Kerbside
Constance Street (Ann Street End), Fortitude Valley
The only place you can get a decent beer in the Valley. No taps, but a great range in the fridge, including selections from Yeastie Boys and Holgate. A wonderful place to relax with a cold beer, with great ambience and superb retro decor.

Brisbane German Club
416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane
An amazing range of German beers you won’t find anywhere else, including the bizarre rauchbier (smoked beer) and wonderful weissbeir (wheat beers) like Maissel’s Weisse. Awesome German food at great prices too.

The Pig & Whistle
123 Eagle Street, Brisbane
Worth a mention here because they always have Stone & Wood on tap. The ‘Spitfire’ is actually a bitter brewed by Burleigh Brewing, and they have recently had Murray’s Punch & Judy Pale Ale on tap too. Worth a look if you’re down that end of the CBD.

Platform Bar @ Grand Central Hotel
270 Ann Street, Brisbane Central Station
Now defunct, thanks to the major brewers stamping out their craft beer taps.

BOTTLE SHOPS

Next Door Cellars
85 Russell Street, West End
So called because they’re next door to Archive (you have to actually walk in the back door of Archive), Next Door Cellars is one huge refrigerated room full of tasty, tasty craft beer from Australia and abroad. An outstanding selection, including some very rare and premium beers under lock and key!

The following bottle shop chains stock a very good range of Australian and international craft brews:

Festival Cellars
87 Charlotte Street, Brisbane
196 Musgrave Road, Red Hill

Chalk & Cheese
Locations in Kelvin Grove, Fortitude Valley, West End, Tenerife & Auchenflower

Melbourne Hotel Cellarbrations
2-12 Browning Street, West End

OTHER

Good Beer Lunches
Join renowned beer expert Matt Kirkegaard (ex-Beer & Brewer editor and regular contributor to The Punch) on a journey through great food and beer. Held regularly at beer-friendly venues around town, each Good Beer Lunch matches four gastronomic treats with a fantastic beer. A highly recommended experience.

Here at Thirsty Critters we pride ourselves on staying up-to-date with all things beer-related in South East Queensland and surrounds. So it was with great interest that I recently read that we have a new brewery in our midst – albeit a little further from Brisbane than those we visit on a regular tour. To sample the wares produced by Castle Glen requires a full day’s commitment, as it’s located just outside Stanthorpe in southern Queensland.

(Yes, Stanthorpe is in Queensland, not NSW. If I had a dollar for every time somebody had tried to convince me otherwise…)

And so it was last Sunday we got in the car and set off for Stanthorpe. The drive out there seemed far shorter than the last time I attempted it some 10 years ago, I guess the roads must be much improved these days. It’s a pretty good day trip, with excellent roads all the way, mostly dual carriageway, and ample overtaking lanes. We stopped for a late breakfast in Aratula and arrived in Stanthorpe around midday, about 2.5 hours after leaving Brisbane.

I had no idea that Castle Glen was actually… a castle. In the meandering hills of outer Stanthorpe it doesn’t look too out of place, if you imagine you have momentarily been teleported to the English countryside.

Castle Glen is actually renowned for its liqueurs, of which it seems to produce hundreds of varieties, in addition to wines, ports, sparklings and liqueur fudge.

The beers have been a relatively recent addition to the lineup, produced with the same equipment as the rest of the product range. In addition to those listed on the website, they also had a Dark Ale, English Ale and Munich Ale available.

The very friendly staff had three varieties on hand for us to try – the Chardonnay, Ginger Beer and Dark Ale. We only got to sample a small amount of each, so this is not a final verdict – that will have to wait until we bust open the selection of 750ml bottles we brought home with us.

The Dark Ale was agreeable but perhaps not dark enough. I brought a bottle home with me so I will let it age a little and try again.

The Chardonnay Beer was, to sound obvious, different. Quite clearly made from a chardonnay, so quite reminiscent of a saison. A little too sweet for my liking, although quite mild considering the 9.5% ABV. A good attempt at something no other Queensland brewer is doing, as far as I know.

The standout, surprisingly, was the ginger beer. I’m not a fan of ginger beer at all and was expecting to be overcome with a full payload of ginger, but it was much more subtle than that. Again quite tame considering the 11.5% ABV, it was a very refreshing drop that I’m looking forward to trying more of.

The good news for anyone wanting to try these beers is that we might soon be able to enjoy them a little closer to home – Castle Glen are opening a satellite cellar door at Mt Tamborine in March. Unfortunately, due to Queensland’s archaic liquor licensing laws, they won’t be able to sell the beer, but they’re working to change that ASAP. We will keep you posted on the Thirsty Critters blog.

In the meantime, a day trip out to Stanthorpe is certainly recommended – there’s plenty of other great things to do out there besides sample beer. We also visited a cheese factory and had lunch at the delightful Bella Rosa’s tea room just down the road from Castle Glen.

Three cheers for Castle Glen, Queensland’s newest craft brewery. We look forward to visiting the next one!

If you haven’t already seen, my name is Tom and I’m a bartender by night and a lover of all things gastronomic by day. The more that I’ve spoken to people about my obsession, the more I realise that there are a few of us out there, and as a collection it would be ideal to give ourselves the moniker ‘Bevonomes’.

In the same way that I’ve seen so many people become passionate about food, whether that be eating at fine dining establishments or just staying home and perfecting their recipe for a light and fluffy lamington, I began to notice that my job was creeping into my home life and I had become somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to creating the perfect drink.

I was no longer happy to sip on plain water in a glass, but would opt to create a muddle of lime and mint leaves with sparkling mineral water for a perfect refreshing treat. When drinking is something that we do so often during the day – don’t forget 8 glasses of water every day! – I think its a nice idea to turn it into a kind of ceremony where we can take a moment and sit back and relax while really enjoying a beverage rather than just opening a can of soft drink or filling a glass from the kitchen tap.

Of course when it comes to alcoholic drinks, we add a whole other dimension of possibilities and I’m a big believer in experimentation with introducing contrasting flavours and textures to make a drink ‘pop’. In the coming weeks, I’ll be adding more posts about particular drinks, so you can sit back, relax and sip my creations in your home.

But for now, I’ll bid you adieu and get on with one of my personal favourites.