Weihenstephaner Pils

October is almost over, but I finally made it to a German festival.

Grindelfest at Grindelwald, Tasmania, was a lot of fun, advertised as a family event there were lots of activities for the kids while the adults partook in beer and food.

Between plastic steins of Carlton Draught, pretzels, bratwurst and even a tornado potato I enjoyed every moment of it.

Enjoying the great Tasmanian weather

Bratwurst "German sausage"

The only issue I had was their beer, I was hoping for something German to suit the event, but Carlton Draught was all they had available. Once I got home I opened a Weihenstephaner Pils, a real Oktoberfest kind of beer imported from Germany.

A bit hard to pronounce it is a great sized bottle at 500ml and has the typical old German beer feel to it, more of a punch than anything in Australia.

Weihenstephaner Pilsner is a traditional Pilsner style beer with a smooth, pale malt background and the grassy, floral aromas of European Hallertauer hops. Sweet and well balanced with a refreshingly crisp finish.  

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_904073/weihenstephan-pilsner-500ml

This Pilsner is just one of many beers the brewery exports, I’ll have to try the others someday.

The Weihenstephaner range

The beer festivities for Oktoberfest are coming to a close but Halloween is on the way/ already here and I actually found some decent horror themed beers to share with you.

I picked up a German hat there to 'blend in'

Until next time,

Prost

Dave

Bitburger Premium

I have been trying to decide which German beer to start with, Bitburger boasts that it is Germany’s #1 draft beer, a good start.

This beer is good but it packs a good bitter punch, the first couple took a while to get down but after that the others didn’t last long.

Four million hectolitres of this centuries old German product is brewed each year so there are a lot of people that also agree this is worth drinking.

It tastes like beer heaven

This description comes directly from their website: “Its refined herbal notes are delicately poised, followed by a nutty and honeyed aftertaste. The overall impression of this gently sparkling beer is one of deep harmony, with the unmistakeable bitterness of the hops balanced and contained by an agreeable, mellow sweetness in the body.” 

http://www.bitburgerinternational.com/bitburger/products/bitburger-pils/

It looks like the six-pack I got is actually the real thing - because it was brewed in Germany - many international beers are brewed to a recipe at a different source and therefore different to the original product.

Made following the German purity laws it only contains water, malted barley, hops and hop extract.

I’ve just had my last one, time to go searching for something else to drink.

Cheers,

Dave

Oktoberfest 2017

It's Oktober! Bring on the celebrating!

Hello fellow beer drinkers, it’s a special month for us, October is around the time when Germany have their massive annual beer celebrations for Oktoberfest, just because we aren’t in Germany it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the same kind of fun.

This month I will be hunting around my city, looking for places that are celebrating Oktoberfest while also on the lookout for some amazing German beers.

Last year I posted a blog about when Oktoberfest actually is (it starts in September), but I didn’t explain how it came about.

There is something I love about this event... the beer! 

Oktoberfest’s roots actually came from a royal wedding in Munich on October 12th 1810, between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese.

Citizens were invited to attend to celebrate the event which was so popular it was decided to be held again the following year but as a horse race and agricultural event.

Look at all those jugs... of beer!

The celebrating continued over the years where beer stalls begun to pop up, by 1896 the beer stands became tents and the beer culture took over to become what it is now, more than a hundred years later.

Forward to today and I was heading to Saint John’s for my (at the moment) weekly visit, they had advertised a German platter on their Facebook page on Thursday, by Tuesday though it was gone, another blow was learning that they also had several German beers on tap, all gone by the time I visited though, a chance missed.

Wish I could have tried this...

Saint John's Oktober feast

Let's go!

At Grindelwald on October 28th, Grindelfest will be held again, this time it will be a more family orientated event but still promises an Oktoberfest style, I’ll try and get there.

I’ll keep searching for things to eat and drink around Launceston, I might even bring the boot out of storage and show you how to drink!

Prost (cheers),

Dave

History found at: http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/events/oktoberfest/history.html

Pictures are from Google and Saint John Craft Beer's Facebook Page

What the German's like to eat

Iron Jack Lager

Add caption

Australian bottleshops are now stocking yet another beer in a saturated market, Iron Jack, a midstrength lager is hoping to capitalise on any room left from XXXX Gold and Great Northern.

Their unique spin is that it’s for the Australian country man, who goes out bush and likes to have a few.

Lion who already have a good chunk of the Australian beer market have just released this beer with high expectations.

In cans and stubbies

A lion spokesman has been quoted saying that “There is a market for contemporary and sessionable mid-strength beer, with really low bitterness and a bit of hop aroma to start with, but finishes really clean,” Lion brand director, Jack Mesley explained in an exclusive interview to launch the product.” (https://www.beerandbrewer.com/lion-announces-launch-iron-jack-mid-strength-australian-lager/)

I was lucky enough to try one before its release, in my opinion, it tastes like a weak Toohey’s Extra Dry.

I hope it does become successful, the midstrength market is dominated by Queenslanders, I haven’t discovered yet where this is being brewed.

Let me know what you think when you try one.

Cheers,

Dave

Bombers Kolsch Ale

This is probably going to be my most passionate post on this blog.

My football team has made it to the finals of AFL in 2017, at the same time they have just released a limited supply of specially labelled beer, I'm watching the game while typing this, win or lose I'm pretty happy.

Essendon have joined with Colonial Brewing (Victoria) to make a special hand brewed batch of it's great tasting Kolsch Ale.

Love the design

Several players were involved in making this and getting it ready to ship to thirsty fans.

Michael Hurley helping to stack cartons

The only downside to it is once I've drank them all they're gone as the supply sold out pretty quick, luckily Colonial make regular Kolsch Ale so if the Bombers do make it to the next game I will still enjoy their flagship beer for 2017.

Go Bombers,

Dave

EFC 2017!

Snake Venom Beer

A special beer brewed in Scotland, this beer is quite rightly named because enough of it will probably kill you. Looking to create the World’s Strongest Beer, Brewmeister Brewery experimented to create a brew that is 67.5% in alcohol content… you read that right, 67.5 bloody percent!

A good whiskey is usually around 40% so this is something spectacular.

Because of the hazardous level with the beer it actually has a warning label on each stubbie, the brewers strongly recommend to not have any more than a small shot per serve and to drink it like a spirit.

It probably kicks like a snakebite too...

Snake Venom was created by using smoked peat malt and two kinds of yeast, it gets its high alcohol level from freezing several times during the fermentation process.

Add caption

Add caption

It does cost a bit but it will definitely give you a buzz.

Who wants to come to Scotland one day and try this with me?

Cheers,

Dave

Information collected from http://www.executivestyle.com.au/worlds-strongest-beer-contains-675-alcohol-2wcv0

Sapporo Beer Festival

A return to my second home at the right time of the year meant that I could return to the Sapporo Beer Festival, a beer lovers dream come true.

Around late July to the end of August, Odori Park, an eleven-block long park in Sapporo becomes a sea of beer gardens, Japan’s main breweries, Asahi, Yebisu, Kirin and Sapporo each have a block to themselves and set up enough room for hundreds at a time.

Odori Park, Sapporo

Once you decide which brewery you want to visit you go to the purchasing area to get a ticket for your drinks and food.

The beer comes in many sizes, you can have a regular mug or go for a mini keg you can pour from by yourself.

Once you have your tickets you go to the collection area and collect your order.

If you can find a seat you are set.

It is the middle of summer at this time of the year in Japan, the sun is hot but doesn’t burn like it does in Australia.

Over one million people pass through the beer festival each year, that is a lot of beer!

It was a great feeling being back, I only wish I could have stayed there all month.

This was me back in 2013 with a 4L tube!

Cheers,

Dave