Posts Tagged ‘beer’
Tonight.
To eat: Baked Beans courtesy of Tresna.
Now, Two Metre Tall cider (more on this later).
Next. Some Young Punks “The Squids Fist” Sangiovese/Shiraz.
Later. Running with Bulls Tempranillo.
(this order may vary)
You should follow me on Twitter.Steinlager Pure in Melbourne, Australia
A frequent search query that people arrive here is for “Steinlager Pure in Australia.” Rather than arriving to anything useful they have reached my Steinlager Pure review. Until now I was under the impression that this beer was simply not available over the ditch but I was wrong. Today I spotted a shelf full of it in the All Nations Backpacker Bar near the corner of Flinders St and Swanston St in the Melbourne CBD. I believe it was brought in for Waitangi Day, but it seems like they have a fair bit in stock.
You should follow me on Twitter.Why do people like the Belgian Bier Cafe?
This post was written by Bruce Thurlow who’s normal prose cover the pages of The Black Keys Fan Lounge, The Adventures of Mr Dingleberry and Travel Generation. His opinion on the Belgian Bier Cafe on St Kilda Road rang ever so true with us all here at My Aching Head.
The other night at the Belgian Bier Cafe on St Kilda Road, someone asked: why do girls like yoga?
Not such an unusual question when drinking at a boys-only gathering whilst contemplating the meaning of life and drinking expensive imported beer.
There’s plenty more questions about girls with no definitive answer, I thought, without being drawn into the conversation. I had after all been stuck for minutes wondering why I was paying A$7.50 for a Leffe Brun (Dark). This sweet brown beer isn’t as popular as its Blonde brother, but it is my personal favourite. When I say ‘favourite’ I mean it’s my beer of choice on the rare occasions I venture to this so-called ‘Cafe’. So-called because I was sitting at a picnic table placed on an otherwise dusty-brown piece of dirt – average facilities masquerading as a classy establishment. Others weren’t so lucky having brought their own picnic blankets or camping out on a rare piece of grass.
Upon the table was a ‘tray of frites’ I had bought for A$7.50 and smothered in mayonnaise to be shared amongst friends. I’m not sure how regular fried chips taste any different simply because they are described in a foreign terminology and served in an un-common fashion. I would have been happy with a bowl of chips.
Before long someone bought a Duvel, 8.5% of alcohol, pure bottled fury. It was also marked at an angry price, AU$10.50. The bottle did look pretty cool though. I guess the guy who bought it was already pissed.
After a long conversation about Hong Kong martial arts movies and directors had petered out, I asked everyone at the table: why do people like this Belgian Bier Cafe? There was no answer. It was obviously just one more of those questions that has no definitive answer.
You should follow me on Twitter.Australia Day Survival Guide
The 26th of January, Australia Day is probably the second booziest day on the international calendar (after St Patricks Day) but it isn’t only about the booze. Australia Day is a celebration of beer, food, sport and the process of talking a lot of shit. This is a quick guide to make sure your Australia Day is a good one.
- Something to do. Whether you are holding your own barbecue, heading down to the bowlsy for a few ciders or going to the cricket, the important things is having a plan (something I don’t have this year.) This is no fly by the seat of your pants day, and things to do a usually in abundance. Just remember, what ever you decide to do you should be near a wireless and a TV so you can monitor the Triple J Hottest 100, the cricket and the tennis.
- Booze. Not having enough booze is one of the easiest mistakes to make. You are going to be spending the better part of 18 hours in the sun drinking so at the very minimum a carton of beer is a good start. If you are going to a BBQ, you should think about the bloke who nobody likes stealing your beers, and your mate under-catering and needing a couple of yours, so purchase accordingly. If you are a sheila, a bottle or 2 of some Rose, Sauvignon Blanc and bubbly are good options and having a backup bottle of lemonade for a couple of chandies is a good idea.
- Food. Pretty much any meat product would be considered Australian. The Australian Lamb Board would have us eat lamb, but personally I prefer steak and sausages. Homer Simpson said, “You don’t make friends with salad” but nobody will sleight you if you show up with a meat tray under 1 arm and a bowl of salad on top of you carton.
- Sport. Most of the Australian summer revolves around sport and Australia Day is no different. There is always cricket and tennis on and regardless of whether you follow them, it’s worth reading the sport section of the paper the day before so you at least know what is going on in those arenas and you can sound knowledgeable when you are standing around the barby.
- Mates. Probably the most important thing, is to have a couple of good mates around. If it’s having a hit of backyard cricket, on the boat fishing or just hanging around, it is all going to be better with a couple of your best mates.
What are your Australia Day tips?
You should follow me on Twitter.Monteiths 140 Pale Ale Review
Recently Monteiths Brewing company has released a limited release beer celebrating 140 years of brewing. It is supposed to be brewed in the style of the 18060s, which due to the fact that I’m a child of the 1980s I can’t comment on. Now, I’m not a fan of a limited release consumable of anything, least of all beer, it’s one of those things give me a taste of something that I might fall in love with and then cut off the supplier. Anyway, to the meat of it all, the beer.
When I first tasted it I wrote in my notes that it was a “subtle flavour” but now when I sit down with a bottle of it I’m thinking to myself just how flavoursome it is. This flavour certainly isn’t a refined clear crisp taste but more of a harsh fruit taste. The beer has a cloudy texture, kind of like someone has mixed in a bit of dirt to each bottle. I’m not sure if it’s the actual flavour or this texture, but It reminds me a lot of a Coopers Pale Ale.
It definitely isn’t an easy drinking beer, the first half a glass didn’t slide down like the other Monteiths do but once your palate has adapted to the interesting flavour it is a much different story. This isn’t a bad thing, I have a problem with a lot of the new beers brought onto the market being devoid of any beer-like flavour.
All in all, I enjoyed the Monteith 140, but I probably won’t be sucking back too many of them. It is only available at Monteith’s bars or in 4-packs from some bottle shops and supermarkets. I could only find it at New World in Queenstown and at the princely sum of $14 for 4 it isn’t even close to being affordable. Next time I’m at Monty’s though I’ll give a few more pints a go, I suppose I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
You should follow me on Twitter.Beer Cocktail Competition
I’ve been brewing over having a cocktail competition here on my blog for a while now and recently while I was in Melbourne decided what it should be. I’m announcing the My Aching Head Beer Cocktail Competition, so head on over to the page and get your entries in.
I’m keen to add some new exciting drinks to the drinking repertoire.
You should follow me on Twitter.The Shandy (or Radler)
I must confess, I’ve got a real penchant for beer and I think it’s pretty good just as it is. That and we have a definite policy here at My Aching Head of trying not to shirk your responsibilities to the booze when you are drinking it, this is to say there’s not much room for light beer or half nips. However, there is a definite need for these types of drinks for drivers and children. All that aside, the original idea of the radler was brilliant, as my Bavarian (not German) friend delighted in telling me a genius bartender realised that he was running out of beer and decided to start selling it watered down with lemonade to cyclists – as though it was what was intended all along. The Wikipedia article on Shandy covers this and more, I’m particularly impressed with the section on the turbo shandy, a staple of some of my more fund-limited friends.
So I’m telling you stuff you probably already know,and having read the Wikipedia article already you will know that radler is German for “cyclist” but as one of my good friends (also from the aforementioned southern region of Germany) taught me, “shandy” is the German word for “shame”. Quite fitting really as shame is the emotion you should be feeling when drinking a shandy.
All of this is pretty harsh really, but it’s not all bad, a shandy can be very refreshing of a heavy morning and probably won’t have the effects of pushing you over the edge back into a drunk state. Secondly, there is a Monteith’s beer in New Zealand called Radler. This is a very crisp clean beer with a twist of lemon flavour yet it isn’t watered down at all, weighing in at 5% this is a perfect beer for a summer’s day (well, not quite as perfect as a Monteith’s Summer Ale).
You should follow me on Twitter.