Reasons to drink - Hanami

Not that we ever need a reason to drink beer, there are events around the world where it makes even more sense.

This time of the year (in Australia) Japanese cherry blossoms that are around blossom for a short time and remind us why Japan is such a beautiful place.

As a part of my aikido group I participate in a yearly hanami, or flower viewing in English. It’s a unique time of the year where people (in Japan) gather under the cherry blossoms, drink, eat and immerse themselves in nature now that spring has arrived.

I’m sure there are many places where sakura are planted in Australia are planted but I only know of Deloraine, Tasmania where many trees that were donated to the area by Japan were planted by the river.

I have toasted to the blossoms in fashion this year, with Japanese beer. As an added touch we make sushi to take with us and drink warm saké, Japanese rice wine.

The pictures in this post are from last year.  

Cheers,

Dave

NZ Pure

In all of my beer drinking experiences I had yet to come across anything from New Zealand.

Now I can say that not only do they have beer but I have tried one and can say it was pretty good.

In saying that, NZ Pure won the trophy at the 2012 New Zealand Beer awards for being the best New Zealand style lager.

The make-up of the beer is similar to other beers I have discussed, made using malt, hops, water and specially selected yeast it is pure in that it is beer made from the core ingredients (remember the old German beer purity laws?).

Pure, just like the beer

Upon tasting I had flash backs to James Boag’s Pure, a fantastic beer that is sadly no longer with us.

I have never been to New Zealand but I know some people from there, a nice country with a lot of culture and history to share. If their beer is this good, I’ll have to put them on my bucket list to visit one day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWOwe_n-2Gw

The locals enjoying the scenery

This one isn’t as easy to find given that it’s an import, but it is owned by Asahi (the Japanese are back!), who obviously export it as one of the better beers New Zealand has to offer.

I wonder if there are any other NZ beers in Tassie that I can find? I’ll keep you posted.

Cheers,

Dave

XXXX Gold

This Queensland staple has risen up to become one of Australia’s most popular beers.

It isn’t even full strength, at 3.5%.

XXXX, also simply just called Gold is a Queensland born beer, it has in recent years been passing the title of best Australian Beer back and forth with VB.

A mid strength lager and low carb beer, it has become a sponsor of many major events and in 2012 the company even bought a three-year lease for an island and named it XXXX Island.

The yellow logo with the four X’s can likely be found in every pub and bottleshop from Tasmania to far north Queensland. It was even being brewed here in Tasmania until recently.

Also available in 30 blocks

I personally know a lot of people who turn to this now because of its lower strength and the better after effects. It is promoted as a beer you can drink more of (than regular beer) and still enjoy it. I 

have been known to drink it on occasion if I want to sober up quickly afterwards.

The best place to have a XXXX

Some XXXX Gold advertising:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsAAnPuSyvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thH3PmwlYLM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRUoqy595M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E64CKQBsqGs

Another reason to like XXXX Gold, the XXXX Angels!

The Angels!

Cheers,

Dave

Boag's Draught

My #1 go to beer!

It has been a long time coming but now I’ve got to my #1 go to beer.

I met a Japanese person visiting Launceston for the day yesterday and they were now hooked on Boag’s Draught, it was a sign that I should get this post done.

I want to tell you what I know and love about this local treasure.

The Facts:

If you drive from Launceston to Hobart you can see brewery sponsored signs, the north side have Boag’s the south side have Cascade. What I think is funny about the divide of two breweries on one island state is that I can name a few bars in Hobart that have Boag’s on tap rather than their local product.

Boag’s Draught is the most ubiquitous of the Boag’s products, found in many shapes and sizes, cans, stubbies, long necks and even kegs =) It is virtually a crime in Tasmania for a pub not to have Boag’s on tap (Craft beer bars excluded of course). It’s green label design makes it easy to spot in fridges and bottle shop cool rooms.

This is a long neck 750mls of pure awesome

Tasmania loves to brag about its clean water, one of the fine products that go into Boag’s Draught. Pride and passion are also added to the brewing process, the full-bodied lager with a smooth hop bitterness is crisp and refreshing, perfect for drinking in large quantities.

The pure waters of Tasmania:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94syGYcdGcU

Boag’s Draught is made in Launceston, northern Tasmania (where I live). The person on the logo associated with the beer is St. George, a great Roman dragon slayer back in his day who probably also slayed a few beers too.

The brewery has trucks drive around the city with malt in the back, the distinctive smell is meant to encourage the city to drink beer, trust me, it works.

I still serve.

Boag’s Tester Reserve:

In 2006 Boag’s launched an ambitious advertising campaign, they formed the Boag’s Tester Reserve. Anyone old enough could sign up to be a member, they would receive a set of dog tags (I still cherish mine) and go out and test Boag’s Draught as often as they could. I had just come of legal drinking age around that time but I was captivated by the ads on TV and the games on their website. With great regret (for legal reasons I believe) the campaign suddenly ended. I won’t ever forget the beer wars of 2006-7 So many brews were consumed…

They haven’t always kept me happy:

The current label is not the best they have come up with, I preferred the last one, something about the colour and the design was better. I understand they changed it because they didn’t want St. George to be left handed (I am a leftie).

Boag’s Draught has suffered like many other beers by a change in recipe to lower the cost several years ago. I witnessed it first hand when locals who drink more draught than water suddenly had to adjust to a different product.

This was my favourite design

Boag’s Draught today:

Now called James Boag’s Draught, the beer is now 99.9% sugar free on average, a recent initiative by Boag’s and their affiliates to promote healthier beer drinking. Cans are now available in a 30 block in order to compete with VB.

I’ll leave you with the Tester Reserve motto,

I hope you can enjoy a Boag’s Draught or two soon,

Cheers,

Dave

Tester Reserve motto:

Duty: I am duty bound to maintain the fine quality of Boag's Draught by testing it regularly.

Respect: I must always respect the full-flavoured Boag's Draught taste and the master brewers responsible for it.

Self-Sacrifice: I shall never say no to making a bottleshop run, no matter how far it is, or what time of day.

Courage: I will unflinchingly face up to any bouncer, bitchy barmaid or whining girlfriend who tries to stop me testing Boag's Draught

Loyalty: I pledge to test Boag's Draught and only Boag's Draught as long as I have breath in my body.

Asahi Super Dry Black

A spin on black beer

Japan is a country of beer drinkers that like to experiment, they don’t always come out with a win but sometimes they do.

Most bars in Japan give you a choice when you ask for beer if you want regular or black.

When you think of dark, black beers you immediately think of stouts or heavy tasting brews.

Asahi Dry Black is a beer, not a stout, according to Dan Murphys, Dry Black is “Bold and refreshing, Asahi Super Dry Black ventures into new territory for dark beer. Using the same yeast strain as Asahi Super Dry, this great brew is unlike any other. By inheriting the DNA of “Karakuchi” (Dry), Asahi has successfully blended the rich aromas and flavours while maintaining a smoothness never before accomplished in dark beer.”

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_ER_1000004292_10210010/asahi-super-dry-black-334ml 

Looks good enough to drink!

One strange thing I noticed a lot of Japanese do in my time over there was to order a ‘half and half’ which would be half Super Dry and half Dry Black, it was very nice!

Half and Half!

Recently I ventured out into Launceston for two nights in a row of ‘bar hopping’ and both nights I ended up in the Star Bar and both times I had a schooner of Dry Black. It is a very nice beer and if you are looking for a change why not have a couple?

There is also a lime version

An issue is its scarcity out of Japan. It isn’t as widely available as the Asahi Super Dry and is only in select bottle shops and bars.

Cheers,

Dave 

She needs a Super Dry

Y&J Naked Ale

A craft beer with a naked twist

I love going to Melbourne, I try to visit at least once a year. One of the reasons I go is to visit the Young and Jackson and have a pint of their Naked Ale.

The Young and Jackson is a restored boutique style pub with over 30 beer taps and three levels including a rooftop bar on the corner of Swanston and Flinders Street.

Across the road from Flinders St Station

This time around though I learn that they don’t make it anymore… according to the bartender anyway.

Instead I settled for a new beer made exclusively for the hotel, Chloe’s Pale.

Y&J's have a great selection of craft beer available

I wanted to write a blog post about the Naked Ale, I’ll do it anyway though to let you know what you are missing out on.

Pale yellow in colour, it was an “unfiltered heferweisen beer with strong banana flavour on the nose, fruity flavours, rich in clove, nutmeg and cinnamon characteristics”.

Named after Chloe, a model from Paris who had a naked portrait done of her and has complimented the Young and Jackson hotel since 1909.

A nice view while you have a beer or two

Until recently it was a core beer which they have been making for some time through different breweries, old stubbies can be seen on display in the hotel.

It is a unique hotel with an interesting back story, next time you visit Melbourne I suggest you visit and see what they have on tap, you can also get a picture with the portrait!

Cheers,

Dave

Tap Beer

Time to talk about tap beer

An amazing thing about beer is the various ways we can get it, cans, stubbies or on tap. Beer on tap though is a completely different way to drink beer, there are many things that have to go right for you to get a good looking beer from a tap. I’ve been drinking tap beer for almost ten years and have been pouring for others for more than seven, I’ve seen a lot of good pours and too many shocking ones.

To have a proper tap beer set up you need taps, a drip tray, a chiller, gas, glasses and most importantly a keg of beer. By the time it takes to set that up you could have easily gone to the fridge several times and had some stubbies.

look at all the taps!

Beer taps come in all shapes and sizes

It has its benefits though, standard Australian kegs are 50L so it will take a while to finish, bars can have several different beers running at the same time, and they are always chilled and ready to drink no matter what time of day it is (in a perfect world).

Popeye in Tokyo, Japan has 70+ beers on tap daily

But with these benefits there are many things that can go wrong, the tap might not be used correctly, the chiller might shit itself or not be at the right temperature, the glass could be warm or dirty, the keg might not be tapped properly, something seeming so simple isn’t always.

In my opinion the best way to pour a beer is by following the DO’s and DON’Ts

DO use a cold glass/ container – room temperature is acceptable.

DO tilt the glass at first when you start to pour and straighten up as the beer reaches the top.

DO turn the tap off before the beer overflows.

DO drink it, unless of course you are bartending then drinking on the job is bad!

DON’T use a dirty glass, the beer won’t get a proper head and there are germs etc.

DON’T bash the glass into the tap, it might break.

DON’T let the tap immerse itself in the beer.

It's important to tilt the glass as you pour

Naughty, don't do it!

The frothy foam at the top, known as the head, is a widely debated topic around the world. The Japanese bartenders love to give a big head on beers they serve, on the other hand, in Australia, if you serve someone with more than a finger of head you might get ripped out from behind the bar or even have the drink thrown back at you. In my opinion I’d be happy to get any head…

This head might be okay in Germany and Japan but not Aus

What do you think about my tap beer suggestions?

Have you had any interesting tap beer experiences, share it with us?

Until next time.

Cheers,

Dave

True or False?

VB is made from the run off from wasted tap beer?

I wish it was true but I’m pretty sure they make it almost the same as every other beer. I have seen a cartoon meme though with a urinal wall that feeds into VB kegs on the other side. I couldn’t find it again…

VB being made, JK