Archive for the ‘Beer’ Category
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Inspiration can come from the strangest places, just ask the brewers of Matilda Bay Brewing Company. As the beer boffins tried to name their incredibly hard to make but very easy to drink cloudy ale, they scratched their head and they scratched their hot and itchy green work pants (an occupational hazard of the job) and inspiration finally struck. From that point on, the brand new Matilda Bay ale was to be called (insert heralding trumpet here)… I.G.P. (Itchy Green Pants).
I.G.P. is the beer the Matilda Bay brewers have always wanted to brew so it’s only fitting that the name be a hat tip to the hot, sweaty work they put in day in and day out brewing great beer.
Here’s what you need to know – it’s an Australian ale, it’s 100 per cent malt, mmmm malty goodness, it’s conditioned, it’s cloudy and it will absolutely slake your thirst. There’s a fruity aroma with an initial maltiness that leads into a creamy mouth feel. Some late-hopped fruity Galaxy & peppery Summer Saaz hops give it a zesty clean finish. It’s also got some naturally occurring yeast sediment that adds a very nice complex flavour profile and means before you crack one open you’ll need to give the bottle an enthusiastic roll to unsettle this yeasty goodness before pouring. So go on, get rolling…
As if I.G.P. isn’t already awesome enough, it’s also the first beer to come out of our still-shiny-because-it’s-so-new Port Melbourne Brewery. To start with, I.G.P. will be available in draught only in a bunch of equally awesome venues until the brewers stop itching and actually bottle it.
Head brewer Scott Vincent put down his pint of I.G.P. long enough to say, “Some might say that brewing beer is the ultimate dream job, but no-one ever talks about I.G.P. syndrome that’s a result of the hot, hard conditions we endure brewing.
“It’s a small price to pay though. I.G.P. might be a difficult beer to make but it sure is a beauty to drink. Refreshing, balanced, cleansing on the palate, it’s the ultimate Australian ale.”
Being such a refreshing ale means I.G.P. can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and matched with anything, but the Matilda Bay brewers will all tell you that they can’t think of a better partner for I.G.P. than gourmet lamb sausages and kangaroo steaks on the BBQ.
From the 2,000 square metre Port Melbourne Brewery that now serves as home base for Matilda Bay also comes Matilda Bay Brewery Company’s other beers and cider as well as all their crazy ideas for new brews.
To become a fan of Matilda Bay visit www.facebook.com and search for Matilda Bay Brewing Company or follow Matilda Bay on Twitter @MatildaBayBeer.
I.G.P will be available on tap at selected bars and pubs around the country from February, 2012. Keep your eye on Facebook and Twitter to find out where the first I.G.P. taps will be available. 4.7% ABV.
Tags: ale, Galaxy, Matilda Bay, Saaz
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Friday, October 7th, 2011
Moving out of your parents home and making your own way in the world has long been a rite of passage for young Australians. However, with the cost of living continuing to rise, share house living is often the only option available to young people look for a cost-effective accommodation.
Nationwide there are currently around 573,000 Aussies aged 18-24 years living in a shared household*, an increase of 40,000 people in the past 2 years**. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, life costs rose quite significantly over the past three months, with rent (up 4.5%), electricity (up 10.7%) and water (up 12.8%) rising and hurting share houses across the country. In addition, the cost of food increased by 6.1% over the same period with price rises in staples such as fruit (rising 66.6% in price) and vegetables (rising 9.7% in price) costing Aussies more than ever before.
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Tags: Carlton Dry, Carlton United, Competition
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Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Boutique beer store Beer Cartel has introduced keg fresh beer as it seeks to become Sydney’s premier craft beer bottleshop. In January 2011, online retailer Beer Cartel made the decision to open a bottle store in the suburb of Artarmon, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. The premise for the store was to become Sydney’s premier craft beer bottleshop, with an aim of bringing the amazing flavours brewed in craft breweries in Australia and overseas to the homes of consumers.
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Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Vale Dry from the McLaren Vale Beer Company has recently won a gold medal to call its own at the 2011 International Beer Challenge in London – one of only two Australian brews to win gold.
Head Brewer Jeff Wright said the McLaren Vale team was elated with the win: “We love Vale Dry, we know our fans appreciate it, and now to have a panel of international judges tasting over two days and then awarding it gold is very satisfying indeed,” Jeff said.
The International Beer Challenge has been held annually for the past 15 years with the judging panel made up of beer aficionados, drinks journalists and category experts. A total of 25 gold medals, 64 silvers and 127 bronzes were awarded globally.
The McLaren Vale Dry is now in the running to be judged the world’s best beer with trophy winners and the overall winner of the International Beer Challenge to be announced at an awards ceremony in London on September 12.
The McLaren Vale Beer Company’s range is steadily expanding with Vale Ale, Vale IPA, Vale Dry with a forth brew Vale Dark set to be launched next week.
For more info be sure to check out http://www.mvbeer.com/
Related Posts
McLaren Vale Ale Review
McLaren Vale Beer Co Lands 2 In The Hottest 100
Tags: mclaren vale, Vale Dry
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Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
VB, Australia’s favourite beer, today launched a new heritage branded VB can. The first in a series of exciting innovations set to hit the Aussie market this year, the limited edition packaging features the original artwork which adorned the first ever VB can sold back in 1958.
1958 was a significant year for beer, as VB and Fosters simultaneously became the first Australian beer to be sold in cans. Originally launched as a 13 1/3 fluid ounce steel container, the first VB cans lacked the convenient ring-pull of the modern aluminium can, instead requiring drinkers to punch a hole in the top using a ‘church key’ device. But the brewers were definitely onto something, identifying that the new packaging could chill beer faster than glass – and the tinnie was a perfect fit for the ‘best cold beer`.
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Tags: Carlton, Carlton United, VB, Victoria Bitter
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Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Recognising that the greatest lives are shaped by random fun, Carlton Dry, one of Australia’s fastest growing beer brands, has today announced the ‘Carlton Dry 100’, a year-long promotion which puts one hundred once-in-a-lifetime experiences up for grabs.
With the ‘Carlton Dry 100’ there is no piking. If you win, you have to drop what you are doing, grab your mates and set off on your adventure within 48 hours. If you fail to act in time and don’t have the guts to go for it then you get nothing. A new winner is selected and the ‘Carlton Dry 100’ challenge is issued to them.
From being chased by wild bulls in Spain, to living it up in Las Vegas, the rewards are all about grabbing whatever random opportunity comes your way and going for it. Kicking off on June 30, a range of experiences will be given away every week for the next year.
Vincent Ruiu, Carlton group marketing manager said, “The ‘Carlton Dry 100’ gives its fans the chance to live in the now, and know that tomorrow doesn’t matter until tomorrow.
At Carlton Dry, we’re all about rewarding those people who are up for dropping everything and doing something random with their mates.”
If you’re all about having an awesome time with your mates, doing whatever you want, whenever you want, then sign-up to be part of the ‘Carlton Dry 100’ on the Carlton Dry Facebook page and you’ll be the first to know about each prize draw: www.facebook.com/carltondryaustralia
With 100 prize draws in play, every few days a new prize draw will kick off, keeping the good times coming all year long. Each prize draw will open with a call to action through multiple media channels including the Carlton Dry Facebook and Twitter accounts, by email and via the brand new ‘Carlton Dry 100’ iPhone app, designed to let Dry drinkers know when the entry window into the latest competition is open.
Other prizes worth dropping everything for and living in the now include: A trip for three to a full moon party in Thailand, being VIP with your mates at the opening party of SPACE nightclub in Ibiza, adrenaline-packed snowboarding trips, exhilarating motocross lessons and much, much more. Carlton Dry is a refreshing, easy drinking dry lager brewed to have a smooth crisp finish, with lower carbohydrates.
Tags: Carlton Dry, Fosters
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Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Sydneysider’s mouths are set to water this week, as Australia’s favourite tap beer, Carlton Draught, brings Australia’s greatest tasting meat to selected pubs around Sydney.
Carlton Draught partnered with free range farm, Jac Wagyu, to rear 20 head of cattle on the quality ingredients used to create Australia’s favourite draught beer, Carlton Draught.
The result of this program is a modern twist on a classic Australian pub tradition of beer and meat trays.
“Carlton Draught and pub meat trays are both classic Aussie traditions,” said Vincent Ruiu, Carlton Group Marketing Manager. “The only way we could make this better was to combine Australia’s favourite draught beer with Australia’s finest meat trays.”
The meat has been produced to celebrate the Carlton Draught Massive Meat Wheel promotion which gives Aussies the chance to go for a spin on the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel, the EDF Energy London Eye, competing to win $100,000 and a meat tray.
The Carlton Draught Wagyu Beef, made from beer, will be available for sampling at a series of pub tasting events across Sydney including:
- Longueville Hotel, Lane Cove – 11 April
- Nelson Hotel, Bondi Junction – 16 April
- Orient Hotel, CBD – 14 April
- Paragon, CBD – 21 April
- Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay – 11 April
Also a limited amount of the Carlton Draught Wagyu Beef will be available for Australians to purchase directly from Jac Wagyu or one of their preferred suppliers via the company’s website www.jacwagyu.com.au
For more details on these tasting events and other events in different states watch for updates on the Carlton Draught Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CarltonDraught
For more information on the Massive Meat Wheel promotion visit: www.CarltonDraught.com.au
Related Posts:
Carlton Draught creates the world’s greatest ever meat tray
Tags: Carlton, Carlton Draught, food, meat
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Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Two years on from the launch of Matilda Bay Brewery Co’s Fat Yak and it’s hard to imagine the craft beer landscape without this North American style pale ale. Now that Fat Yak is one of the most popular craft beers in Australia, the Matilda Bay team thought it time Fat Yak started sponsoring major events and slapping its logo on high profile athletes known the world over.
Or Mongolian racing yaks.
You see, while Matilda Bay might be big in the little world of craft brewing they remain extremely small in the world of big beer bucks. So in 2011 Matilda Bay is investing its ENTIRE GLOBAL SPONSORSHIP BUDGET into Mongolian yak racing and sending one lucky Fat Yak drinker to Mongolia to race a yak and meet the superstars of yak racing like Naransteg, also known as ‘the hoof master’.If you’re reading this and thinking Matilda Bay is taking the piss, you’re wrong. Matilda Bay is DEAD SERIOUS about this promotion, as serious as they are about brewing great tasting beer and they’ve been scrimping and saving every penny to put toward some ads and promotional packaging to get as many Fat Yak drinkers to enter as possible.
The promotion started on the 21st of January runs through until March 31 entry is very simple just buy a case of Fat Yak from the bottle-o or grab a Fat Yak at your local, get a unique code and enter it online at fatyak.com.au.
Matilda Bay is one of Australia’s leading craft breweries producing some of Australia’s favourite specialty beers like Fat Yak and also including the full-flavoured and award-winning Alpha Pale Ale, the quirky Beez Neez, the wheat beer that started it all Redback and the salute to Oktoberfest lagers, Big Helga. Traditionally Matilda Bay also launches a limited edition seasonal release for summer and winter. These have included Crema, Barking Duck, Barking Flamingo and most recently their coffee infused dark ale called Longshot.
Head to www.fatyak.com.au or www.youtube.com/fatyakracing for more information and to view Fat Yak TVCs and videos.
Tags: Fat Yak, Matilda Bay
Posted in Beer | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 7th, 2011
Beer has been a part of the Australian cultural landscape since the overseers of the First Fleet realised that rum was not the most ‘sociable’ liquid upon which to build a colony.
Until recently, though, the Australian drinker has had little choice with a succession of pale gold, fizzy and lightly hopped beers dominating the market. But things are changing. A new breed of brewers are leading something of a Beer Revolution and are bringing new and exciting beer styles to the masses.
But how does the average drinker know which beer to choose and what style, colour and flavour will suit their tastes or match with different foods?
The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers is a new book produced by the team who published the very popular Beer Lover’s Guide to Australia in 2010. Bringing together a team of talented and knowledgeable beer writers, venue operators, social media commentators and the brewers themselves, this book seeks to do what has previously been thought impossible; to take a nomination list of almost 450 beers and rank the Top 100.
Showcasing a huge range of styles and introducing this new breed of brewers to a public looking for more than the mainstream has offered, The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers is a snapshot of the Australian brewing scene today and provides a view into the future of the beverage we all love to love.
As beer is such a subjective topic, The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers is sure to cause many a bar stool debate and more than a little interstate rivalry but life would be pretty dull if we all agreed on everything, wouldn’t it?
The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers
RRP $14.95
Available from bookstores & newsagents from April 1, 2011
For more details or to by the book online go to http://www.beerloversguide.com.au/
Tags: beer review, Book
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
Cascade Brewery Co has appointed 
as its new Head Brewer following on from Max Burslem’s transition to the newly created role of Transformation Manager.
With more than 20 years brewing experience in English breweries in Berkshire and Manchester, Mike started his career in a small brewery working on the development of craft style beers.
On his appointment at Cascade, Mike said he is delighted to take on the task of Head Brewer and is already feeling at home in Tasmania.
“Cascade is an incredible brewery and site, with a strong tradition and heritage in brewing. Cascade’s founder Peter Degraves chose this site for brewing in 1824 for the quality of its water and the brewery continues to benefit from his foresight.”
“Cascade is unique amongst Australian breweries in that it continues to malt barley for brewing in its own maltings and it continues to focus on traditional brewing methods. This combination results in high quality beers which are valued and enjoyed by beer lovers. I’m amazed by the innovative ideas and new products developed by the Cascade team. Our relationships and support for Tasmanian farmers and growers ensure the highest quality ingredients are used for our beers.”
Mike said he was looking forward to working with Cascade’s former Head Brewer Max Burslem and the Cascade team over the coming months to ensure Cascade continues its rich tradition of brewing beers enjoyed by beer fans around Australia.
Cascade Brewery Co is Australia’s oldest brewery and is renowned for using Tasmania’s high quality barley and hops together with the pure mountain waters of Mount Wellington to brew its range of acclaimed beers.
Tags: Brewer, cascade
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