01 July 2010

Canberra trip!

Just over a week ago the Fam and I took a trip down to brilliant -5c Canberra to catch up with the oldies. After we got settled the missis and I went out on the Friday night to check out the Wig and Pen brewpub in Civic (Canberra city) ... We had to line up and wait it out with the friday night crowd in the brisk Canberra air which wasn't to long... while waiting I was thinking to myself what a great thing for a Aussie craft brewpub to have people lining up to get in there!! This is definitely a good sign of things to come as more and more people discover PROPER BEER! When we got in the place was packed of people enjoying their brews with friends and work colleges alike! What welcomed us at the bar were  traditional British style Hand Pump taps alongside (great stuff!) several regular taps... No trouble in ordering pints at all the only prob was landing a place to sit!

So we pulled up at the bar and enjoyed the following brews

Venom Pale Ale -Massive Hoppy Brew (my favorite of the night!)

Kiandra Gold Pilsner -Czech Style Pils (would be great on a hot day)

Brewers IPA - Great 'ol skool IPA

Wig and Pen Pale Ale -Off the pump tap -Magic in a Pint!

A barley wine -No pints allowed -fair enough at 9-10% ABV it knocks yer socks off!



The most interesting brew of the night though was a dark and mysterious brew called "Olde spiced ale"- which is run through the fantastic signature Wig and Pen Randall. The Randall was filled with Truffles, Star Anise,Juniper Berries, Kumquats, Nutmeg and Cinnamon.Wow!...
It was a great punchy maltly brew which perfectly suited the cold Canberra night really well. The spices really warmed me up as the liquid goodness glided down my gullet.-Fantastic stuff!

Get down,over or up to Canberra to try this amazing brew before it dries up-- it is really worth it!
The Wig and pen Randall is an awesome combination of science and brewmanship which needs to be seen to be believed(and drank from of course!) Big thanks and kudos to head brewer Richard and the crew at the Wig and Pen for creating such an amazing beer experience!!



What I really enjoy about this place and many other Craft brew pubs around the world is the universal atmosphere the people are there to enjoy good beer/good times and not mess about and cause shit-Just goes to show what great people are who enjoy PROPER BEER!



On the following Saturday Arvo I took a quick trip out to Zierholz Brewery-Restaurant in Fyshwick to pick up a souvenir Stein glass and revisit one of my favorite brews Hopmeister. An amazing brew which I believe is a beaut blend of traditional German brewmanship and big hop infused American style ales. Great balanced maltiness teamed up with a great hoppy bite at the end..I came across Zierholz when I was down in Canberra a few months back for my birthday looking for a Keg of Craft beer goodness to share with the relos.  Zerholz head brewer Christoph looked after us back then with an German style ale which was an excellent session brew didn't blow anyones hop head off at the party but was excellent in quality and just great beer! It ran out pretty darn quickly!-Great by the stein!!

Again great peps at the Zierholz establishment on a busy Saturday Arvo including Wig and Pen head brewer Richard Watkins who I got to meet and chat to for a bit while he was sampling one of Christoph's latest creations-- great bloke!
If you find yourself at Zierholz Check out their superb tasting paddle and go from there.


Hope to see a PROPER colab brew by these guys say..Venom-meister 2IPA  ; ) ??
One can only dream...

And who said Canberra was boring?? They need a good smacking around the chops with some hops!

1 comment:

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