Crown Lager

Feel like royalty and drink Crown Lager

For when the time calls to drink like royalty.

A commonly seen beer in Australia, the history surrounding Crown Lager seems to no longer be a talking point, surprisingly since it was originally only brewed for royalty.

According to online sources, the brewers (Carlton & United Breweries), promote the history that the original product formerly known as Foster’s Crown Lager was made from 1919 to only be available to visiting dignitaries that visited Australia.

I'm sure the royals knocked back a few of these!

When Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia in 1954, the brewery marked the occasion by releasing Crown Lager. This version of history seems to be up for debate due to confusion whether the public had access to it or not prior to 1954.

Fifty years later, ‘Crownies’ as they are now nicknamed can be bought by anyone (over 18 years old), almost anywhere in the land down under.

A very distinctive, easy to spot beer, it glows gold!

Crown Lager is one of the first beers I ever tried, something about it felt special, even though at the time I didn’t know the history of this product.

Crownies bring me back to my university days – not so long ago! 

Where my Japanese lecturer would talk about beer, he would joke about how he loved crownies. As a gift after each semester I would give him a six-pack to thank him – he was an amazing teacher and put up with us for four years after all. I saw him shortly after graduating and he finally admitted to me that he had in fact always preferred Cascade Premium Light, we would still joke about crownies though every time I saw him.

Crownies sponsor events such as the Allan Border Medal. 

Over the years in hospitality I have heard many comments that the quality of Crownies has changed, they don’t seem to be as popular anymore.

While living in Japan I could visit my favourite bar – TK6 – and there would always be cold crownies for sale to remind me of home.

This beer has been there for me and it is one I think that still deserves recognition.

Brendan Fevola enjoying some Crownies at the 2009 Brownlow Medal night.

Go on, feel like royalty and smash a carton of crownies!

Cheers,

Dave

Wizard Smith’s Ale

One of my all time favourite local beers

The History

Let me tell you a story about how a special local beer got its name.

Wizard Smith, a Tasmanian living in the 1920’s, had his dream job, working at the Boag’s Brewery. His job was a drayman (a person who delivers beer for a brewery) and also to collect the malt, to do this he had James Boag III’s heavy draft horses in his charge.

A severe flood came through and wiped out most of the low laying infrastructure around what is now known as Invermay, in Launceston. The horses stable was going to go under, so Wizard waded through the rising flood waters, rescued the horses, moved them to higher ground and saved them.

In recognition of his actions, Wizard Smith was granted by James Boag’s III a job for life, and later on a beer in his name, Wizard Smith’s Ale.

https://www.jamesboag.com.au/james-boags-wizard-smiths-ale/

Named after the hero, Wizard Smith

The Beer

A legendary pale ale in the English style, crafted from a traditional malt brew and dry hopped process. 

This is very unique compared to the many amazing beers that Boag’s has released in recent times. It has a beautiful rich pale ale flavour and leaves a fruity after-taste in your mouth.

It is only found in Tasmania and is considered one of the finer quality beers you can find here.

https://www.jamesboag.com.au/james-boags-wizard-smiths-ale/

Such a strange and awesome animal

Wizard has now helped more than horses

In 2007, on the year of its launch, J. Boag & Son pledged to donate $1 for every carton of Wizard Smith’s sold for the first 8000 cartons to fund a devil enclosure to help increase the population in Northern Tasmania after a deadly facial tumour disease swept across the state and decimated the population.

http://www.cmaa.asn.au/ContentFiles/CMAA/Documents/Magazine/2007/mag09-07.pdf p.48

The Tasmanian Devil is unfortunately still suffering from this plight; their numbers are low but many people are working hard to make sure that we don’t lose another irreplaceable Tasmanian icon.

I encourage you to drink Wizard Smith’s Ale and do what you can to help keep the Tasmanian Devil above ground.

Cheers,

Dave

Fresh Hop Beer Festival 2016

Hops, what make beer great!

Launceston has earned itself a new beer festival to add to your calendar. The Fresh Hop Beer Festival, held on April 23-24 was created to celebrate the first harvest of hops for the year is a unique kind of Beerfest, similar in feel but definitely has its own hoppy flavour.

The Festivals website gives a run-down of what was to be expected: “First Harvest beers from craft brewers around the state a weekend of fresh hopped beers from the 2016 harvest. An all Tassie line up of limited releases, with Hop Education, Q&As, live music, food, hop garden and hop brownies.” http://www.freshhopfestival.com.au/ 

Due to work commitments I got to see an hour of the Festival late on Sunday evening – I have to fund my drinking habit somehow.

The festival was held behind Saint John Craft Beer

I thought the festival was AMAZING!

Around fifteen craft beer brewers used their first hops of the season to make some great beer to try at the festival.

There was more than enough beer to try but because I was driving I had three (little) samples.

The beers that were available

Winston Brewing Co. First Harvest – Brown Ale

I had this first while sampling a HOP BROWNIE, more on that later. The beer was what I was hoping for, crafty, powerful and hoppy at 7%.

Van Dieman Steam Punk Ale

I got this for two reasons, I love Van Dieman and the name Steam Punk Ale, which I thought was an interesting name for a brew. Lower in content at 3.5% it still had a nice flavour and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Morrison Brewing Harvest IPA

For my last choice I had to go with the most local brew, and I was glad I did as this was my favourite, only wish I could have had more than a cup of it.

Morrison was the best! - They spelt it wrong

Some familiar food tents/ trailers were there to give us something to mix with the beer. The Morrison Smoked Chilli IPA Boozehound Hot-dog went down well.

Some of the food

The Boozehound with chilli beer sauce

HOP BROWNIES!!!!

HOP BROWNIES: A featured item for sale at the festival were harmless looking brownies, at first taste they seem like normal chocolatey goodness, by the time it hits the back of your mouth you get the green hoppy after taste. I took a couple home to try later, I wish I knew the recipe, they go down well with a beer.

I understand that this festival will be an annual event, it seemed to meet crowd expectations and is a great idea. I’ll have to book in the date for next year’s event and give it a proper effort.

Until next time.

Cheers,

Dave

Another great Tassie Beer Festival 

Tecate

Another Mexican beer for review

Look out Corona, Sol and Dos Equis, Mexico has another beer, which has been around since the 1950’s but has only just arrived in stores in Tasmania (Australia?)

First of all, there is a big difference between this and the other Mexican brewed beers we can get, it comes in a can.

It has a familiar Mexican beer taste like its buddies, a bit hard to drink at first but I think all Mexican beer I've had so far tastes a lot better with lemon or lime added (I had it without any fruit).

I recommend drinking it like this!

I also approve of this!

It’s weighs in at 4.5% so it falls in line with Mexican and Australian full strength beers.

Price wise it is a little cheaper than a carton of Corona, Tecate is supplied to Australia through a Woolworths owned business and sold in BWS stores.

It has received mixed reviews online, some people love it, others would only touch it if it was the last beer in the world – people seem to say that about every beer at some stage.

Hellboy approves Tecate

Best drunk on a hot day – don’t expect many more of those in Tasmania this side of 2016.

It has some nice advertising

This is also nice!

If you are looking for a different feel when you are in a Mexican mood then pick up some Tecate, just don’t forgot the limes!

Huh?

Cheers,

Dave

Tun Bitter

This American supplied beer to Australia has been giving me nightmares.

The Dave’s Beers of the World seasoned drinking team selected this for our next session drinking beer, however it was all gone before I even got a taste.

The review I was given was pretty bad, that it was a bad beer and drinking in even small quantities results in severe headaches the following day.

Nevertheless I was still determined to try just one, it only comes in a 30 block, but I was able to get one to try.

It comes to our shores by Woolworths, who have BWS and Dan Murphy’s – the main stores that sell it.

At first glance it looks like a beer, very pale in colour, it doesn’t have much of a noticeable smell either.

The taste is where my nightmares begin, it taste reminds me of fake beer, it is weak and watery.

It left a bad taste in my mouth.

That is all I have to say…

Cheers,

Dave

Worlds Biggest Selling Beer

What is the world's biggest selling beer?

If I asked you what you thought the world’s biggest selling beer was, what would you guess?

Good guesses would include the ubiquitous Corona and Budweiser.

I was hoping it would be Boag’s Draught but apparently I’m wrong.

These figures are from 2012

Whether it is the best tasting or most exciting beer is still up for debate but Snow Beer, brewed in China is #1. Primarily sold in China – a country of one billion people, it has a yearly output of around 61 million hectolitres, which is an f-ton of beer (according to The Ultimate Book of Beers, 2015).

Until I read it in a Beers of the World book I was recently given for a present I wouldn’t have believed that this beer that I have never heard of before sells more than any other brew in the world.

Not just China but the world apparently

This post is unique in that I’m writing about a beer I’ve never tried or even seen in the flesh, but I thought that I should share this with you, for Dave’s Beers of the World, Snow Beer by sales is the most popular beer in this world.

It is a pale lager with only 3.9% alcohol so it is a tease between a mid and full strength.

I want to drink you ;-)

I like the look of the green label and bottle from pictures I’ve seen, and recently I was informed that it is being sold in QLD, Australia.

I will endeavour to try this and let you know what I think.

Cheers,

Dave

I'll have my beer cold please =)

Easter Drinking

It's Easter time!

Happy Easter fellow drinkers.

Hope you are having a nice break/ not working too hard, I’m working most of the long weekend so I feel your pain. In between though I’ve been getting in the Easter mood and eating a lot of chocolate.

I’ve also found the perfect drink for Easter.

Image from Saint John Craft Beer Facebook page

La Sirene Praline Belgium Chocolate Stout from Victoria, Australia.

It was on tap at Saint John Craft Beer, I had to go and sample it before the keg ran dry, stout is usually a darker and richer feeling drink. The smell of this stout before I even tried it got me excited, a very chocolatey feel to it, the taste is what you would imagine. The chocolate taste overpowers the stout and makes it something easy and pleasant to drink. After a couple of schooners I got a Canimal of it to take home.

The Canimal

An awesome feature of Saint John, choose a beer they have on tap and they fill a 946ml can of it and seal it to drink later.

Another great Easter drink!

Imperial Chocolate Stout.

After I drank the last of the chocolate stout at the bar I heard about a special batch out in the back bar, made by the same brewery, the Imperial version is stronger and it is also amazing in every way.

In case you were wondering what Imperial meant in beers

“The term "imperial" was used in the 1800's for beer (usually stout) that was brewed in England but then shipped to Russia - specifically the imperial court of Russia! Brewers later started using the term more generally to indicate their top-of-the-line luxury beers.

With beers coming from American craft brewers these days, "imperial" is an indication that the beer is going to be big and bold regardless of the style. The hops and malts used during brewing are doubled or even tripled, and the resulting beer can pack quite an alcoholic punch ranging from 8% to 12% ABV.” http://www.thekitchn.com/beer-labeling-what-does-imperi-112370

Cheers,

Dave

La Sirene make Belgian and French style ales