Froth Craft Beer Magazine by Froth

CRAFT BEER MAGAZINE Edition 10 - sep 2016

independent. awesome. free. FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

LETTER FROM CONTENTS THE EDITOR Dear Lovely Froth Readers, Hello! How are you all going? I hope you are well. So how about that winter huh? Step aside, crappy weather, it’s time for SPRING! In this edition of Froth magazine, we investigate some delicious spring beers, get really excited about the Lager Renaissance that is totally happening in Australia right now, and we also get way too jazzed about beer cans and how fabulously that is going. Seriously though, it’s an Exciting Time to be an epic beer nerd, and I hope you will join me on this wonderful quest. We also chat with some lovely people from Nomad Brewing in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and how their experiences living in Italy influenced their beer philosophy. If that wasn’t enough sweet sweet content for you to read on the loo this month, we also compare craft beer with cult movies, discover what folk rock band The Beards like to drink, and ponder why some of us like to hoard cardboard beer coasters. My mum checks out awesome Melbourne brewers Old Wives Ales and realises she hates their entire range, but then reveals a surprise beer THAT SHE ACTUALLY REALLY LIKES! Not even kidding. We also have a bunch of other cool stuff, so dive in!! Cheers and beers! Emily Day, Froth editor

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAGAZINE IS AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION PUBLISHED IN MELBOURNE. INDEPENDENT. AWESOME. FREE. Publisher: Alfie Dog Media Editor: Emily Day Printer: Printgraphics Design: Clint Weaver (@pocketbeagles) Contributors: Sarah White, Pia Poynton, MC Jarratt, Celia Drummond, Graham Frizzell, Will Ziebell, Dan McEvilly, Struan Logan, Timothy Stevens, Matthew Mister, Rob Schenburg, Illustrations: Clint Weaver, Rocco Fazzari, Sarah Canning. Cartoon: Michael Alesich Frothword: Oliver Hayes Cover Art: Clint Weaver Printed by Printgraphics in Melbourne on paper produced using sustainable forestry practices.

All information © Alfie Dog Media. The opinions of contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. For editorial and advertising inquiries, contact frothbeermag@gmail.com Want Froth sent to your home? Subscribe at: frothbeer.com/subscribe WWW.FROTHBEER.COM facebook.com/frothbeermag @frothbeermag @frothbeermag

THANK YOU

Massive thanks to my parents David and Silvia Day for going on beer journeys and reviewing beer for me, my homies Darren Smith and Kelly Morton for putting up with me when I come home late and leave Burger Rings in the shower, all the awesome beer peeps like Dave from Temple, the Kaiju kids, Frase and Grum from Exit, Bad Shepherd, Wolf of the Willows, Beth Brash from Beervana, Georgia Munn from Welly on a Plate, Liam, Phil, Lou and Mick from team Beervana, Kerrie and Brooks from Nomad, our excellent contributors who are so good I can’t even handle it: Sarah White,

Beer News – We check out all the latest goss from the Aussie craft brew scene

Spring Beer – Rob Schenburg recommends his top five spring beers from sunny WA

Lager than Life – Beer historian Will Ziebell probes pilsner’s proud past

Like a Bock out of Helles – Graham Frizzell takes a closer look at German lagers

Getting Blind – The surprising results from our lager blind taste testing party

Wandering Nomads – We chat to the Northen Beaches brewery that’s making waves

Show Us Your Tinnies – Marie Claire Jarratt visits the Sydney bottleshop that’s crazy about cans

Can-do Attitude – We delve into the tinnie trend that’s taking over the world

A Rather Crafty Odyssey – When Dan McEvilly wants a beer, nothing can stop him

Mum’s Beer Reviews – Silvia Day reviews the beers from Old Wives Ales

What’s in a Rider – Timothy Stevens chats with Aussie band The Beards about their favourite drink

Struan All Over Australia – Our resident Scottish comedian tracks down the best bars in the Outback

Beer Label of the Month – Who will take out the prize for this month's best label design?

Pils-Seekers – We chat with the home brew heroes who love making a good lager

Turning Over a New Leaf – Why not get Dad a good Father’s Day present this year

Oh the Germanity! Pop on your lederhosen and check out the upcoming Otway Oktoberfest

The Cult of Craft – Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Craft Beer

Coasting along – Why do we hoard cardboard beer coasters? Or is it just me

Fun pages – Crafty Comic, Frothword and the Mostly Beer Quiz

Pia Poynton, Struan Logan, Graham Frizzell, Will Ziebell, Timothy Stevens, Matthew Mister, Rob Schenburg, MC Jarratt, Dan McEvilly, Scott Trainor, Michael Alesich, Rocco Fazzari, Sarah Canning, Celia Drummond, Oliver Hayes; Shayne Dixon from BeerMash, Arrisje Burnside and Amy Moylan from the Schaller Studio Hotel in Bendigo, Suzi Owen from Purvis Beer, Daniel Parsons-Jones from Australian Home Brewing, Dan Fardon from the Merri Mashers, Peter Love, the kids at Catfish, Foresters and Moon Dog, Cassie O’Neill from Stomping Ground, Trevor Birks, Joel Bateman, Travis Lewis, everyone who supported us by buying an ad, and epic, epic props to Froth designer Clint Weaver for weaving his special brand of arty magic around each magazine.

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

BEER NEWS

Words by Emily Day

Brewers Feast is offering punters the chance to win a VIP craft beer package to their festival on October 28-29. The prize includes two tickets to Brewers Feast, $50 worth of festival currency, a T-shirt and a case of craft beer. Leave a comment on the Brewers Feast Facebook page or send an email to info@brewersfeast saying why you should win the prize. The best reason as judged by the team will win the VIP festival package. facebook.com/brewersfeast Mornington Peninsula Brewery has released its second nitro can. Following the success of their Dog's Bollocks ESB, MP Brewery has followed it up with Sacchariferous Stout on Nitro, a sweet/milk stout brewed using lactose, and utilising nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide to carbonate the beer to give it a creamier, smoother texture. The MP brewing team have coined the phrase "vertically with enthusiasm" to encourage customers not to dilly-dally when pouring the beer, in order to provide the best taste and texture. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on this limited edition run, get ready to pour vertically and vigorously. mpbrew.com.au

Sample Brewing is releasing its limited edition Experiment No.2 – Cola Porter. Sample Brew teamed with PS40, a new bar in Sydney’s CBD and the home of handcrafted PS Sodas. PS Soda’s Wattle Seed Cola botanical mix (wattle seed, cola nut, cassia bark, nutmeg, star anise, coriander, lavender, citrus and vanilla) will be added to the kettle of Sample’s new porter producing a final beer with a rich, deep dark red colour, off-white fluffy head with the aromas of cola, spice, orange and malt while keeping the bitterness quite light to ensure the beer is refined and easy-drinking. samplebrew.com.au

SA Beer News by Sarah White. Big Shed Brewing Concern has relabelled their popular Golden Stout Time. This beer, originally brewed for GABS 2015, is enduringly popular and was voted number 16 in this year’s Hottest 100. The new design easily fits in with their other light-hearted labels – it's fun, interesting and well done, just like the beers the Shed makes. Clare Valley Brewing Company has undergone a rebranding (left). Their design has been streamlined from ornate Americana to minimalist stencilled initials. The change of artwork has made the beers distinct on the shelves and reinforces their focus of producing enjoyable and authentic beers. cvbc.beer Pirate Life Brewery recently announced it had established its own distribution company and plans to export to New Zealand, Hong Kong and the UK. They also released their first bottled beer, Cerveza Negra, a Black Ale aged in Tempranillo barrels in collaboration with the Barossa Valley's Tomfoolery wines. This collaboration continues with future releases slated for a saison in Granache barrels later this year and a stout in Shiraz barrels early in 2017. piratelife.com.au

WA Beer News by Pia Poynton Prancing Pony Brewery from South Australia has won gold for its India Red Ale and silver for its Black Ale in the International Beer Challenge 2016. The IBC attracts entries from more than 30 countries around the globe, including Weihenstephan (Germany), Deschutes (US) and Brewdog (Scotland). “The recognition this gives us on the world stage is in ‘money you can’t buy’ territory,” says Prancing Pony CEO Corinna Steeb. “Not only does it put the brewery on the map, it also showcases the Adelaide Hills, South Australia and even Australia as a big player in the beer industry.” The Prancing Pony India Red Ale is also in the running for the best in class trophy and Supreme Champion beer, which will be announced on September 5. prancingponybrewery.com.au

Gage Roads continue to release their award-winning Little Dove into the world. Four-packs of the 330ml bottles, which is now part of the core range, will be available nationwide as the WA brewery start to make their mark outside of their home state. gageroads.com.au Gage Road's Little Dove won champion beer at the recent AIBA awards.

Prickly Moses has signed contracts for The Espy Hotel in Queenscliff. The pub is set to undergo some exciting changes, with contracts recently signed for new owners to take over the freehold and business in the coming months. The new owners hope to reinvigorate the treasured icon, founded in 1879, while retaining its historical charm. To be renamed ‘The Queenscliff Brewhouse’, it has been purchased by a consortium of owners including shareholder Otway Brewing, makers of Prickly Moses beer. “We have big plans for The Queenscliff Brewhouse,” said company director Andrew Noseda. “There are some things which we hope to achieve before Christmas, like increasing the number of taps from eight to 20 in the main bar, and other plans which will unfold over the coming years.” pricklymoses.com.au Otway Brewing directors Andrew Noseda, Luke Moore and Tony Xerri.

BrewCorp, the Feral Brewing and Nail Brewing shared production facility, is set to move to their new location in coming months. The site is three times the size of the current brewery and warehouse which will lead to equipment upgrades and the installation of a canning line towards the end of the year. nailbrewing.com.au, feralbrewing.com.au In Margaret River, Cheeky Monkey Brewery will be releasing their next limited-release edition Southern Wailer. The beer, a 6.5% West Coast IPA called Hop Flinger, will be available in 500ml cans towards the end of September. cheekymonkeybrewery.com.au Pia Poynton also works for Nail Brewing.

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

SPRING INTO THESE DELICIOUS BREWS

Words and photos by Rob Schenburg

Spring. Plonked between that gloomy weather of winter and the beckoning heat of summer, it calls for a tender balance of the extremes. Dark, rich and heart-warming beers for those cosy nights by the fire, and the fresh, light and hoppy side of the spectrum for the balmy days spent basking in the sun. Froth’s WA correspondent Rob Schenburg counts down the top five spring beers from the country’s western state.

Brewery: Feral Brewing Beer: Sly Fox Summer Ale ABV: 5.7% / Brewed in the Swan Valley

Another Feral beer makes the cut this spring and it's pretty easy to see why. The Sly Fox puts other summer ales to shame with its super sessionability and tasty nature. The enticing hop flavour combo dishes out platters of zesty citrus and passionfruit, decorated with hefty amounts of floral undertones. Towards the end you're left with a sweet, doughy malt warmth which is quickly engulfed by grassy hops that get you going to your next gulp. If you're in the market for something delicious and refreshing that won't knock you off your chair, the Sly Fox is your solution.

Brewery: Eagle Bay Brewing Beer: Vienna Lager ABV: 4.9% / Brewed in the Swan Valley

Eagle Bay has a knack for acing the subtleties of beer and the Vienna Lager is no exception. A slightly sweet biscuity malt is paired with a light and fresh hop bitterness, making this one bloody refreshing drink. Once you've taken a sip, you're left with a grainy aftertaste that fades slowly, leaving a clean, semi-dry finish. There's nothing over the top with this beer, but its greatness comes from its simplicity. The only reason you'd put this beer down is to pick another one up.

Brewery: Nail Brewing Beer: Huge Dunn Imperial Brown ABV: 8% / Brewed in the Swan Valley

The "Imperial" postage stamp is placed on far too many beers today, but it's a title that has to be earned. It’s a quality that historically would have been fit for the Russian court, and Nail's Imperial Brown deserves a front-row seat next to the Tsar. It's dessert in a brown glass wrapping – there are tonnes of thick dark chocolate and toffee that ooze from the sides, paired with overripe fig and dark plum pudding. Surprisingly, with all of this going on, there's none of that cloying sweetness that accompanies many browns. Weighing in at 8%, a boozy warmth rolls over you like a cosy blanket, radiating heat over the back of your mouth, substituting any need for a fire.

Brewery: Feral Brewing Beer: Karma Citra India Black Ale ABV: 5.8% / Brewed in the Swan Valley

The black IPA truly is the embodiment of spring. Toasted malts rolled around in rich toffee are the perfect accompaniment for a chilly stormy night, while the fresh hoppy citrus and tropical fruits celebrate the summer yet to come. The combination of roasted malts and Citra-hopped goodness put a strong step forward in favour of bitterness, while the sweeter, smooth pine and thick caramel allows the other foot to follow, helping to make this beer a well-balanced entity.

Brewery: Black Brewing Co. Beer: XPA ABV: 6% / Brewed in Wilyabrup, WA

The 'X' in XPA could represent many adjectives, and to each person it would have a different meaning. But for each version of that 'X', there's something in the description that rings true. There are those who see it as denoting 'extra': an extension to your run-of-the-mill pale ale. More hops, providing a pine and citrus hit. More malt, bumping up the smoothness and imparting an apricot nectary vibe. And more alcohol, adding a velvety texture to that thick body. Then there are those who see the 'X' as a cross: a meeting point between a pale ale and an IPA. Bigger than any pale, yet not as bitter or full-on as an IPA. A perfect go-between for when neither will satisfy your itch. It may even represent the X-rated nature of the beer, because definitely it makes you want to do naughty naughty things. However it's interpreted, the one certainty is that the 'X' in this XPA definitely marks the spot.

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

Lager than life Pilsners are underappreciated in craft beer circles, probably a hangover from the style’s long association with megabrewing corporations and industrial lagers. Such a stigma is unfortunate, particularly since the history of the style in some ways mirrors the stories behind many of the breweries we know and love today. The first pilsners were the result of a conflict between amateur brewers who wanted to preserve the integrity of their local beer, and the professionals guided by nothing but short-term profits in mind. The actions of these amateurs created the template for the production of industrial lagers that has lasted to this day. While it may now be the most brewed style in the world, comparatively it’s one of the newer styles out there. The Czech beer that would eventually become Pilsner Urquell was first brewed in 1842, making the style just two decades older than Coopers. By the time pilsners came along, brewing was pretty ingrained in Czech society. They had been making ales since at least the 10th century and lagers since about the 1400s. One of the great brewing centres in Bohemia during the middle-ages was Pilsen, founded by King Wenceslas II (not the guy from the Christmas carol) in 1295. Wenceslas II granted ‘brewer’s rights’ to all citizens of Pilsen, which meant that anyone who owned land within the town’s limits was able to brew and sell their own beer. This was somewhat unusual for the time as this was a right often reserved for the nobility and clergy. Due to Pilsen’s location close to the Bohemian and Bavarian border, as well as its accessibility, the city become an important trade route over the centuries. By the start of the 19th century, Pilsen

HISTORY 1O1: THE PERPLEXING PROVENANCE OF PILSNERS. was one of the largest cities in Bohemia but had managed to develop a reputation as a place to go if you enjoyed bad, expensive beer (so pretty much like Australia in the 1990s). There’s many reasons why Pilsen’s beer could have become so bad over time, but much of the anger was directed towards the city’s professional brewers and maltsters. These professionals owned all the large-scale brewing equipment and were distinct from those who brewed in their homes or taverns under Wenceslas’ brewer’s rights (known as burgher brewers).

The burghers feared that if Pilsen kept producing killer beer then eventually nobody would go near it. The burghers believed that the professionals were demanding too high a price for their beer and slow sales were resulting in much of the city’s beer going bad. Things became so dire that in 1838, angry tavern owners emptied 36 barrels of beer in the town square because it was deemed so infected that drinking it would have likely resulted in death. The burghers feared that if Pilsen kept producing killer beer then eventually nobody would go near it and their centuries-old brewer’s rights would be lost to them. Making matters worse was the fact that lager brewers in Bavaria had been developing quite the reputation for themselves and it was feared the

city would soon be flooded by cheaper, better beer. The burghers knew the only way they could brew on a large enough scale to compete with the professionals was if they had their own brewery. So in 1839 they declared they would build their own, which was to be known as the Bürgerbrauerei (meaning the Burgher’s Brewery). Both this brewery and its flagship beer would become known as Pilsner Urquell (which in German means ‘original source of pilsner’). Perhaps due to the poor reputation of Pilsen’s beer, the founders looked elsewhere for their first brewmaster. They hired Josef Groll from Bavaria, due to the area’s reputation as producing some of the finest lagers of the day. Although Groll would have been well versed in brewing beers with bottomfermenting yeast, his Bavarian lagers would have been far darker than modern pale lagers and similar to today’s dunkels (darks) and rauchbiers (smoked beers). This was because most malthouses heated grains with direct heat, causing the resulting malts to be dark and smoky. The Burgher’s Brewery contained its own state-of-the-art malthouse, similar to those in England. These were a product of the industrial revolution and used indirect heat to produce paler malts. With a light golden appearance, prominent noble hop aroma and a clean, crisp taste, the first beers to come out of the Burgher’s Brewery in 1842 were said to have caused a sensation. The AustrianHungarian Empire (of which Pilsen was a part) was by then well-connected by an extensive railroad network and the beer quickly crossed the continent. Within decades, many of the breweries in the region were producing similar beers, and eventually most of those that couldn’t adapt to the new style closed their doors. Over time, this obsession with golden lagers would spread to the rest of the world. The burghers of Pilsen were seeking to ensure that people would be interested in buying locally made beer in the years to come. In trying to hold onto their traditional rights, the burghers actually revolutionised brewing and beer across the world. It had taken centuries but lager’s time had come. Will Ziebell is a beer historian based in Melbourne. Instagram @will_ziebell

The beauty of German beer is its importance in everyday life and its cultural significance. After all, what else could command the oldest consumer protection law on Earth? As the late beer writer (and not pop icon) Michael Jackson (The Beer Hunter) once said of German culture: “There’s a beer for every season, and an occasion for every beer.” And much like in neighbouring Belgium, beer styles range from region to region. Bavaria is far and away the most famous region in Germany for its beer. Of the 1250 or so breweries in Germany (four times the number of any other country in the EU), half are in this south-western German state. The Bavarian capital of Munich is home to six major breweries, most of which are internationally recognised names with regal or monastic heritage. Indeed, the Hofbräuhaus (pronounced “Hof-BROY-house”) is owned by the state and the name translates to The Royal Court House. Throughout Bavaria, lager rules supreme during much of the year. As such, those looking from the outside in may see lager’s spectrum to be rather narrow or devoid of excitement as malt character heavily dominates over hoppiness. However as the people of Bavaria celebrate several events throughout the year with a unique beer, while also considering it a vitally important foodstuff, there are several variations within the realm of lager. MUNICH HELLES HELLES MUNICH Taking after the Czech Pilsner style and historically significant for introducing cleaner malt, Helles (meaning light in German) is the most ubiquitous of all Bavarian lager styles. MÄRZEN MÄRZEN This literally translates to March and is a stronger seasonal lager that is more malt-forward than Helles and slightly hoppier. This beer differs from Oktoberfestbiers in name only. BOCKBIER AND AND DOPPELBOCK DOPPELBOCK BOCKBIER Once Oktoberfest packs up, brewers hasten to work on this most wintry of beer. Bockbiers take that much longer and infinite patience, however the ordeal shows in one of the world’s most robust beer styles. The stronger doppelbock, meanwhile, was brewed with those requiring sustenance during Lent in mind. Bocks and doppelbocks are well known for being gorgeously malty with very little hop bitterness. EISBOCK EISBOCK This elusive style is much like the doppelbock, however the brew is snap-frozen towards the end of the maturation process to reduce water content and bump up the final ABV. The end result is an incredibly rich and potent beer.

I SEE YOUR SCHWARZBIER IS AS BIG AS MINE! Graham Frizzell takes a close look at the dizzying world of German lagers. Words by Graham Frizzell Illustration by Clint Weaver MAIBOCK MAIBOCK The “Mai” in Maibock translates to “May” and “bock” translates to “goat.” This is a beer with a kick, as its ABV sits at around 6-8%. This style is famously malty and chewy – perfect for celebrating the region’s brief transition from winter to summer. DUNKEL AND AND SCHWARZBIER SCHWARZBIER DUNKEL Dark, but in no way resembling a stout or the assertively hoppy dark pilsner, dunkels and schwarzbiers are known for their slightly sweet, nutty and soft vanilla palate. RAUCHBIER RAUCHBIER Translating to “smoke beer”, rauchbier was ubiquitous before modern brewing methods and the advent of cleaner malt, coupled with improved brewing equipment. The tradition of smoking green brewer’s malt over an open fire, however, is kept alive in places such as Bamburg. Suffice to say the smoky maltiness of rauchbiers pair magnificently with smoked meats. Away from Bavaria’s monasteries and royal palaces, there are few other discernable regional interpretations of lager. Dortmunder from Germany’s north, a moderately hopped, fullbodied and clean lager designed to slake the thirst of Dortmund’s industrious steelworkers, being perhaps the most famous. FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

BLIND TASTE TESTING LAGER PARTY Words by Emily Day

It turns out that one of the funnest things you can do as a fully grown human who likes beer and sunshine is to throw a blind taste testing party on a sunny day, invite a bunch of your best mates around and shove them in the garden with some craft beer, paper, pens and a sense of adventure. (This was actually Graham Frizzell’s idea, who is legally blind and thought he should live up to his beer-writing blog name: blindtastetestgrahamfrizzell.blogspot. com.au.) Here are some interesting results from the day:

Beers

GARAGE PROJECT

Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner (New Zealand, 6.7% ABV)

EDGE BREWING PROJECT Cool Hops Australian Lager (Victoria, 4.6% ABV)

GARAGE PROJECT

Sauvin Noveau Grape Harvest Pilsner (NZ, 8.5% ABV)

COEDO

Shikkoku Black Lager (Japan, 5% ABV)

BAD SHEPHERD

Blind Taste Test Rules

1. Invite some friends around. Make sure they’re awesome. 2. Realise at the last minute you forgot to make tasting sheets. Grab some paper and draw up the following categories: Appearance (score out of 2), Aroma (score out of 3), Taste (score out of 5) and Total (score out of 10). 3. Try and find enough pens for everybody. Wonder why none of the pens in your house work. 4. For it to be scientifically rigorous, someone needs to be the pourer, which means you sneak the beer out of the outdoor beer fridge, stuff the beer up your jumper and smuggle it into the kitchen, pour it out into a jug and then come back out and pour it into everyone’s glasses. #science 5. Realise that you should have bought two of every beer so everyone gets enough. 6. More people show up and you go f*ck f*ck f*ck and try to find enough wine glasses. (Wine glasses are cool for tasting because it feels posh and you can swirl it around.) 7. Drink all of the beer, everyone writes down their scores. 8. Enjoy the sunshine. 9. Your flatmate, who is a legend, fires up the barbecue and makes sausages. Champ. 10. Gather up everyone’s notes and then reveal to your mates what the mystery beers were. They will be surprised and interested! You are a great host. Now you can have a beer.

California Lager (Victoria, 4.5% ABV)

SOUTHERN BAY

Requiem Pilsner (Victoria, 5% ABV)

WEIHENSTEPHANER

Pils (Germany, 5.1% ABV)

PABST BLUE RIBBON

American Lager (US, 4.74% ABV) Our fridge full of lagers

STILLWATER

Yacht Lager (US, 4.2% ABV)

Note: (I feel like a bit of a goose because I bought some Czech pilsner to be historically accurate and then we forgot to drink it. I guess this is the difference between Froth and actual scientists.)

Results:

Kiwi brewery Garage Project were the winner in the scores, with their Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner coming in at 8.3/10 overall, and their Sauvin Noveau Grape Harvest Pilsner in third place with 7.6/10. Second was Melbourne brewers Edge Brewing Project with their Cool Hops Australian Lager at 7.8/10. Everyone loved the Japanese Coedo Black Lager, which came fourth at 7.3. Close behind was Bad Shepherd’s California Lager at 7.2, while the rest of the beers were not far behind, although a surprise result was the Stillwater Yacht Lager from the US, which comes in a simply stylish can and I was really looking forward to trying, but which most people found not to their liking and only rated 4.5/10.

Comments from the panel

GARAGE PROJECT / Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner Appearance: “Clear” – “Very light cloudiness but quite clear” Aroma: “Light, subtle, floral” – “Smells the best so far” – “Tropical fruits, melon, citrus” Taste: “Resin hop, stabby, peppery bitterness” – “Very nice aftertaste” – “I want to savour this! Which is wrong for lager!” – “Very sessionable, nice and fruity, light bitterness”

SONGS TO LISTEN TO WHILE ENJOYING LAGERS

EDGE BREWING PROJECT / Cool Hops Australian Lager Appearance: “Medium colour and opacity” – “Slight cloudiness” Aroma: “Smells fresh” – “Melon, citrus zest, fruity” – “Hoppy zing” Taste: “Is it Czech? Avoiding a Prague pickpocket good! Perfect hoppiness” – “Lingers” – “Crisp! Feels more European than any other” – “Very nice hint of malt sweetness. Nice amount of hop bitterness” GARAGE PROJECT / Sauvin Noveau Grape Harvest Pilsner Appearance: “Cloudy” Aroma: “Fruity, stonefruit, citrusy” Taste: “Very hoppy, tropical fruit, marijuana, high ABV” – “Hoppiness, balance, teetering on the edge” – “Flowery, sweet, hoppiest of the bunch. Definitely crafty!” – “New world hop characters, nice sweet maltiness, very summery” COEDO / Shikkoku Black Lager Appearance: “Deep treacle colour, red ends” – “It looks different!” – “Quite nice and dark red” Aroma: “Choc, vegemite, coffee” – “Roasty, coffee” Taste: “Well-rounded roastiness and a touch of dark fruit. Like the first winter night.” – “Lovely taste” – “Roasty, toasty, hits the notes” – “Nuttiness, roast and burnt coffee and very slight raisin notes” BAD SHEPHERD / California Lager Appearance: “Darker, almost amber” – “Good clarity” Aroma: “Understated, pleasant” – “Smells more like a lager but maybe more citrusy” – “Caramel maltiness and zest” Taste: “Tastes pale ale-y, big, well-balanced, tasty” – “Zesty, balanced, subtle caramel malt” – “Better! Like a proper lager” – “A decent caramel malt backbone and good hop bitterness on the end” Dan Schofield inspects the colour of the lager.

SOUTHERN BAY / Requiem Pilsner Appearance: “Lovely straw colour” – “Slightly cloudy” Aroma: “True to style” – “fruitiness, sweetness” – “Very malty aroma. Biscuity and caramelly” Taste: “Drying, subtle, pleasant bitterness” – “Fruitier and sweeter but lacking a little hoppy flavour” – “Dry but without end bitterness, gulpable” – “Solid, easy-drinking” WEIHENSTEPHANER / Pils Appearance: “Clear gold” Aroma: “Sweet, subtle, honey” – “Sweet and malty” Taste: “Dry, refreshing, floral” – “Macro, everyday” – “Sweet, possibly too much but I like that” – “Very sweet, assertive bitterness, a classic everyday lager” PABST BLUE RIBBON / American Lager Appearance: “Clear, bright” – “Fantastic clarity” Aroma: “Floral, banana and dusty” – “Sweet, banana, smells great” – “Fruity and light citrus, caramel and biscuity” Taste: “Very sweet, light malt, banana” – “Sweeter than it ought to be, zero hop character” – “Tastes like Boags” – “Smells so much better than it tastes” – “Smashable as fuck” – “Easy drinking beer like an everyday lager” STILLWATER / Yacht Lager Appearance: “Cloudy” Aroma: “Wheaty, strong” – “Smells like a farm in harvest season” – “Light citrus” – “Floraly” Taste: “Sweet, thin, bitter, earthy, straw” – “Gardeny” – “Party beer, would just keep drinking and not even caring” – “Bland, not horrible, would drink but not rush out to buy” Thanks to everyone who participated in the blind taste test!

CHUMBAWUMBA: TUBTHUMPING British alternative music band Chumbawumba had a career spanning three decades, playing anarcho-punk, pop-influenced music, world music and folk music that tackled issues such as animal rights, pacifism, class struggle, feminism, gay liberation, pop culture and anti-fascism. Seriously though, can you name any of their songs apart from this late ’90s drinking anthem? With the catchy refrain of “I get knocked down, But I get up again, You're never gonna keep me down” and the humorous “Pissing the night away … He sings the songs that remind him of the good times, He sings the songs that remind him of the better times” this song flew to the top of the charts in 1997 and became one of the most memorable booze-chugging ditties of the era. UNDERWORLD: BORN SLIPPY This song by British electro group Underworld became famous after it featured in 1996 cult film Trainspotting. The lyrics were inspired by a night out in London after vocalist Karl Hyde was chucked out of a pub and was trying to catch the last train home. Describing the disjointed nature of the song, Hyde explained: “A drunk sees the world in fragments and I wanted to recreate that.” He told the Guardian: “The vocals were done in one take. When I lost my place, I'd repeat the same line; that's why it goes, "lager, lager, lager, lager". The first time we played it live, people raised their lager cans and I was horrified because I was still deep into alcoholism. It was never meant to be a drinking anthem; it was a cry for help. Now I don't mind. Why Born Slippy? It was a greyhound we won money on.” When they were approached by director Danny Boyle to use the song in Trainspotting, they refused as they didn’t want to glorify drug culture. Hyde told Q magazine: "Danny convinced us to go to the edit suite and we realised it was the opposite of glorification. It perfectly put the song back into context.” WAGONS: BEER BARREL BAR On a more positive note, this tune by local band Wagons is an ode to the “joys of having a quite bevy at home”, says singer Henry Wagons (right). Appearing on their 2014 album Acid Rain and Sugar Cane, it has a relaxed beat and lyrics that reference several well-known Melbourne bars. FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

WANDERING NOMADS Froth chats with Kerrie Abba from Nomad about living in Italy, brewing with seawater and their Northern Beaches brewery that is unleashing its unique beers across the world. A while ago I picked up a beer in a bottle shop that had a squid clinging to a surfboard on the label, and a bunch of words I had never seen before. I was like … “Freshie Salt & pepper Gose? What even IS that? WHY IS THERE SALT IN MY BEER!?!?!?” Since then, a lot of (sea)water has passed under the bridge, and the salty German beer style is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. And since releasing the Freshie, Nomad Brewing have continued pushing the envelope, creating beers using native ingredients and collaborating with some of the most interesting figures in the industry. Nomad Brewing grew out of a friendship between Leonardo Di Vincenzo from Birra Del Borgo brewery, and husband-and-wife team Kerrie Abba and Johnny Latta, who lived for eight years in Barolo in north-west Italy. “My husband Johnny and I moved there with our four-week-old and 18-month-old children for a 12-month experience that extended out to eight years,” Kerrie says. “In Italy we lived in a small village but in an area which from a gastronomic point of view is world class. Barolo wines, white truffles, porcini mushrooms and as we discovered … great craft beer!” The couple started Experienceit beverage distribution company, exporting Italian wine to Australia. However they soon found that the craft beer scene in Italy was just as fascinating as its wines. “The craft beer scene came as a surprise for us,” says Kerrie. “We moved to one of the most famous wine-growing regions in Italy (and the world) yet were so pleasantly surprised to find most bars and restaurants serving local, amazing craft beers. “More than that, craft beer was integrated in all facets of culinary life, and in fact we really discovered craft beer in Italy at a large cheese festival!” Kerrie says there is a huge amount of craft breweries in Italy, and beer is considered an artisan product that is appreciated and served in many restaurants and bars. “Beer pairing with food is still seen as an event here whilst in Italy is just occurs naturally – eat great product then drink a great artisan beer, naturally!” During her travels in Europe and America, Kerrie found herself falling in love with craft beer. “My excitement for beer came from first discovering Italian beers then travelling through Europe and the US discovering many great breweries and beers. My taste

Nomad owners Johnny Latta and Kerrie Abba

is very much swayed towards the sour styles and the less hop-forward European styles.” As the Australian beer scene evolved, she says she started getting excited about the quality of beers and the great range of styles being produced here, “especially the more interesting sour and barrel-aged styles”. Nevertheless, starting up their distribution company, and then their own brewery, was tough work. “A lot of people think that it’s all about being at bars and drinking lots of beer,” Kerrie says, “Whilst there is a bit of that, mostly it’s a lot of hard work. Johnny and I started Experienceit four years ago in Italy spending many sleepless nights on the phone developing relationships with the great people in the beer industry back home. “Through some great relationships with some of the real ‘rocks’ of this industry, including Jade at the Wheaty (best pub in Australia!), Siobhan [Kerin] when she led up Beer DeLuxe and many others, and we really got ourselves well-entrenched in the industry. We still continue to operate and run Experienceit and two years ago we embarked on another great challenge launching Nomad Brewing, a 25 hectolitre brewery in Sydney’s northern beaches. This combined the challenge of logistics with day-to-day production.” However, she says there are plenty of rewards as well as challenges. “To work as a team to create the beer flavours, styles, discuss ingredients, work with artists to

develop the labels and then the marketing strategy, it’s a full 360-degree experience that I really love being involved with.” To helm their brewery they recruited Birra Del Borgo protege Brooks Caretta, who is something of a nomad himself – born in America, grew up in Italy and now living in Sydney’s Northern Beaches working for Nomad. Kerrie is stoked that he has joined the team. “We joke that Brooks is the ‘love child’ of Leonardo but in all seriousness we are incredibly lucky to have Brooks at the helm,” she says. “He has had amazing experiences in his brewing career having worked with the legends of the Italian brewing industry Teo Musso (Baladin) and Leonardo di Vincenzo as well as Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head. Being halfAmerican, half-Italian he fit our Nomad mould well, but by far it’s his skill and his palate that impress me most. “Every beer that we brew at Nomad is a real team effort with myself, the brew team, the sales team everyone becoming involved in the process, but we are certainly fortunate to have the skill of brewer Brooks at the helm! He’s not a one-dimensional brewer, he’s versatile and as capable as brewing a great sour as he is a well-balanced IPA.” Brooks himself is loving his new job. Moving from Italy to NSW was “exciting and adventurous”, he says. “Moving here from Europe where the craft beer industry is well-established and somewhat connected to regional brewing traditions – to Australia, a newworld country with infinite possibilities of

evolution apart from an obvious lineage with some British beer styles. It's very moving and inspiring to be part of the growth of craft beer in Australia and see it happen in first-person.” Hes love the many facets of Sydney and its multiculturalism. “It's a great feeling to get off the ferry at Circular Quay, take a train to the West and breathe in the vibrancy and energy of people and places,” he says. “It is also great to go back the opposite way to a very relaxing and inspiring place like ‘the beaches’.” His favourite style of beer to brew is “anything with wheat involved”. “For some reason through the years they are always the beers I'm the most satisfied with.” Kerrie says that the plan with starting Nomad was never to launch with “just another pale”. “Coming from the background we did we wanted to make sure that we were instrumental in shifting away from just the classic pale that everyone wanted to drink,” she says. “With Brooks' pedigree of US and Europe our aim was to deliver full-flavour complex beers and a range of styles some never seen before in Australia.” “Nomad is about producing beers from a wide range of styles and utilising many interesting ingredients, in particular we utilise a lot of Australian native ingredients. Our Jet lag IPA is brewed with finger limes, our saison with wattleseed and coffee and one of our most popular beers, Freshie Salt and Pepper Gose is brewed with seawater.” Kerrie says that when they released a pale ale, it was quite divisive. Kerrie says the beer, named Sideways Hoppy Pale Ale, was not everyone’s idea of a pale ale, with

Nomad head brewer Brooks Caretta

many complaining on the outset that it was “too hoppy”. However, she says, “it’s a beer that is becoming more popular as people’s palates mature and they look for more complex styles of beers”. Nomad’s beers are finding fans outside of Australia, with distribution nationwide as well as exporting to Europe, the US, Hong Kong, Thailand and recently Brazil. “Our greatest success internationally are beers such as Long Trip Saison and Freshie Salt and Pepper Gose,” says Kerrie.

'Our aim was for people to appreciate that beer is fabulous to match with every cuisine from fish and chips at the beach to the highest level of restaurant.' Nomad is also known for their collaborations with some pretty aweinspiring brewers from around the world, such as Jester King, Sixpoint, Cigar City and Stone. “Between Leonardo and Johnny and myself we are lucky to call some of the greatest brewers in the world friends,” says Kerrie. “The opportunity to brew with them is a personal pleasure but also from a brewer’s perspective, a great privilege. No collaboration is about someone rocking up and throwing in a few hops. It’s about mutual respect, sharing of ideas and then of great experiences that culminate in often amazing beers. For us this is what the craft beer industry is all about and collaborations are a real celebration of this.”

In starting Nomad, their goal was to bring European brewing techniques and knowledge and combine this with great Australian ingredients such as hops, malts and native herbs and spice and, “yes, even seawater”, says Kerrie. “Australia as a craft beer market is still quite in its infancy and our aim was to bring that culture of appreciation of craft beer to not only the beer geeks but to the masses. For people to appreciate that beer is fabulous to match with every cuisine from fish and chips at the beach to the highest level of restaurant. To change drinking habits to appreciate the work, effort and time that it takes to make great craft beer and appreciate this instead of heading for tasteless industrial-style beer.” Accolades are coming in for their brave and unique beers, which their Long Trip Saison bagging the best French and Belgian style beer at the recent CBIA Awards, and their plans this year include canning the Freshie gose, which Kerrie says is "hard to say but easy to approach". Brooks says that his favourite Nomad beer is the Sideways Hoppy Pale Ale, which he describes as “a simple and sessionable beer with character”. “It is also challenging for some and after some reluctance from locals to step outside of their comfort zone it is now one of our most popular beers. For that reason it is probably my favourite because as a craft brewer it is important to gently (sometimes not) push people’s boundaries to discover new intensities and brew beer with the most flavour possible rather than not.” Words by Emily Day

Nomad’s tasting room is open Thursday through to Saturday (Sunday as of October), with food trucks and music every Saturday. 5 Sydenham Road, Brookvale, NSW. Ph: (02) 9907 4113. www.nomadbrewingco.com.au FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG MAG

15 2

NOMAD REVIEWS Words by Dan McEvilly aka @crafty_kev

Beer: Freshie Salt ’n’ Pepper ABV: 4.5% Beer Type: Gose Nomad wanted to capture the essence of the Northern Beaches, and what better way than to chuck a few buckets of local seawater from Freshwater Beach into the mix while brewing a gose (a style of beer originating from the German town of which counts salted water amongst its ingredients). Freshie pours a somewhat murky golden sand with aromas of salted seawater, lemon juice, lime and pepper notes. Classic gose recipes require coriander, which they’ve added, and have added another local touch by including Tasmanian mountain pepper. The beer resembles a beautifully bitter, zesty fresh lemon, seasoned lovingly with salt ‘n’ a lot of pepper. It’s crisp, salty, spicy and refreshing, like an early morning dip in the sea, aaaahh lovely.

Beer: Threesome ABV: 7.7% Beer Type: Grappa Barrel Aged Strong Ale A rather large, 40-year-old former grappa barrel from Italy and a three-way, surely that’s how every good beer story starts? Nomad, Birra Del Borgo and Beavertown decided to hop on the good foot and do the bad thing, and the aptly named Threesome was born. Nomad added the native Australian ingredients: muntries (native Aussie apples) and bush tomatoes. Beavertown wanted UK malts and Birra Del Borgo, well they wanted it big and boisterous so decided to chuck it in the aforementioned grappa barrel for six months. Pouring a provocative caramel orange topped with a busty, fluffy off-white head, this threesome’s rather titillating. A pungent sour grape whiff dominates the nose with notes of white wine, tangerine and a hint of wood. The flavour consists of succulent juicy fresh fruits, apple and sour grape with nutty wood notes. There’s a silky and chewy mouthfeel finishing in a dry and crisp bittersweet aftertaste. Well, if this is what all threesomes are like I might just give the swingers club a call.

Beer: Long Trip ABV: 6.6% Beer Type: Saison Nomad’s Long Trip Saison is a delightfully lively and complex concoction. Pouring a cloudy straworange, topped with a monumental creamy white head, there's an initial saison funk that settles into a blend of aromas. Pepper upfront, then delicious coffee beans start to dominate along with a touch of tangy, lemon citrus notes. Long Trip is even more intricate in the mouth with the locally roasted coffee beans creating a highly caffeinated earthiness to the body. The addition of wattle seed, Tasmanian pepper and the fruity citrus notes perfects the balance of herbal, spicy and fruity. This long trip comes to an end with a sour-tart and spiced peppery finish that’s drier than Ghandi’s flip flop. This right here is that long trip you never wanted to end.

Beer: Cross Pallet Nation / ABV: 8.0% / Beer Type: Spiced, Smoked Amber Ale A beer created by the cross-pollination of the Nomad crew, Pallet magazine and Sam Calagione of US brewery Dogfish Head. With local Aussie hops plus wattle seed and finger limes, yeast from Italy, maple syrup and mesquite malts from the States, this is a beer with flavours from everywhere and the result is stunning. Pouring a delectable burnt umber that resembles maple syrup topped with a thinly laced head, sweet, nutty smoke aromatics fill the nostrils with what can only be described as the best BBQ meat rub ever created. There’s maple candied bacon, honey, smoked wood chippings and more. It’s an outrageously delicious whiff that lingers to the end. The flavour is a perfect balance of earthy smoked wood upfront, sweet syrup and a thick layered body that delivers rich, chewy malts, even more maple sweetness and smoked BBQ sauce notes rounded off with a dry and spicy bitter finish. It’s like they marinated a beer and left it in the Weber to smoke for the afternoon. A truly stupendous beer!

Beer: Choc Wort Orange / ABV: 9.5% / Beer Type: Imperial Stout Nomad’s first imperial stout is a rather gutsy tribute to A Clockwork Orange. Weighing in at a hefty 9.5%, this brew means business. Pouring a jet-black darker than Alex DeLarge's nightmares, this is a formidable-looking brew. Dominant aromas of rich dark chocolate, orange peel, caramel, liquorice and roasted malts slam into the nostrils. Choc Wort Orange is far richer than the nose suggests. A dense, creamy body shows plenty of dark chocolate, roasted caramel and citrus zest. As this ultra-violent brew progresses, the orange peel takes centre stage making for a strident take on this style. It's one that leaves an oily bitterness in the mouth, a warm satisfaction in the gut and something of a pain in the gulliver.

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

SHOW US YOUR TINNIES

MARIE CLAIRE JARRATT CHECKS OUT A SYDNEY BOTTLE-O THAT’S DEVOTED TO BEER CANS.

The humble tinnie is making a comeback. Described by Pirate Life CEO – and craft beer can devotee – Michael Cameron as “the fastest growing trend in craft beer”, an increasing number of craft breweries are choosing to can. It was a mere six years ago when the Australian Brewery became the country’s first craft brewery to embrace the tinnie, with the number now rising to well over 16. Each one of these Australian breweries, as well as popular international brands, currently stock the shelves at Medhurst & Sons – Australia’s only craft beer store dedicated entirely to tinnies. “When opening the store, I didn’t want to compete with places like Beer Cartel and The Oak Barrel,” says store owner Kieran Allen. “I think I’ve found my own niche in the market.”

“A lot of people will come in, asking for a recommendation, but most people know what they’re looking for – they’ve been down to the cellar doors in Tasmania and now they’re chasing a particular brand.”

Kieran Medhurst in his Glebe store.

Marie Claire Jarratt is a Sydney-based writer who writes about beer at newsouthales.com

Kieran, who uses his mother’s maiden name for his store, has plenty of experience following the trends of craft beer. Since 2013, he’s gypsy brewed under the brand Pixel Brewing Co, as well as working part-time for the aforementioned Beer Cartel. A huge fan of the can, Kieran has dedicated an entire wall of his store to a blackboard listing no less than 31 reasons why tinnies are superior to bottles. They range from the practical, “super portable” and “reduce light/oxygen” to the technically yet unproven “can be used to vanquish werewolves.” Given the aesthetic focus of his store, one of Kieran’s most prominent reasons is label artwork. “There’s much more real estate with which to brand, so a there’s often a lot more effort put in to the design,” he says. “My personal favourite is Pirate Life’s Pale Ale. The design is simple and it’s a style I particularly appreciate, which they’ve done very well.” However, tinnies aren’t the only hand Kieran has in the niche market. He’s also the proud owner of over 100 varieties of local and international craft cider, making him Australia’s largest cider store, “a fact no-one has disputed just yet.” “When I worked at Beer Cartel, people would often come in asking for a range of cider,” says Kieran. “At the time, they were more interested in expanding their range of beer. I asked if they cared if I started a cider store and they didn’t, so that’s how I got the idea for this place.” Rarites on his shelves include Two Metre Tall and Napoleone, as well as uncommon styles such as the cloudy, uncarbonated ‘scrumpy’ and ‘bitter cider’, with added hops. “There’s very little sweet cider here – it’s mainly on the medium or dry side.” For colder nights, Medhurst & Sons offers spice packs to make mulled cider at home, while their range of hard lemonade and ginger beer is more suited to warmer weather. “I had a little bit to start off with and was surprised by the number of people who came in after seeing it on the blackboard outside,” says Kieran. “Now I’ve tried to source as much as possible.” In October, Sydney Craft Beer Week will see the lane beside Medhurst & Sons turn into an impromptu pitch for tinnie cricket. Tinnie brewery superstars including Pirate Life (SA), Mornington Peninsula (VIC) and Modus Operandi (NSW) will compete for awards such as ‘most spilled beer’ and ‘shortest innings’. Words by Marie Claire Jarratt Kieran’s range of cider and craft beer tinnies is available online at medhurstandsons.com.au or visit at 166 St Johns Rd, Glebe.

IF YOU LIKED IT THEN YOU SHOULDA PUT A RING PULL ON IT Tinnies are so hot right now. Emily Day talks to some people behind the canning craze. Melbourne canning company Hops to Home came up with the clever of idea of delivering brewery-fresh beer right to your door. Breweries whose delicious beer they sell in their giant CANimals (946ml huge silver cans) include Sydney’s Modus Operandi, ParrotDog from New Zealand, Hop Nation from Footscray and Akasha also from Sydney. Founders Darren Smith and Peter Van Shaik say they were “the first in Melbourne and we believe the second in Australia (after Modus Operandi) to get the CANimal machine”. Business is building as more and more craft beer lovers get on the can-wagon. While they launched their business delivering to Melbourne metro only, they have recently expanded this to most metro cities Australia wide. “We want everyone in Australia to have access to the freshest craft beer that may only be available by keg at a local brewery,” says Darren.

He says: “Australia is really lagging behind the rest of the world in this trend. If you look at how popular cans and Crowlers [giant beer cans] have become in the US we only see this catching on further here locally. The last stat we read there was over 600 Crowler machines in use … that's a Crowler machine in 15% of breweries in the US and doesn't even include commercial canning lines. There are just so many benefits to cans that it's about time they became cool again!” Darren reckons that Australia is “destined to be a can-loving country as well. We love our outdoor activities – our beaches, camping, music festivals and sport. Cans are simply suited better to these outdoor summer activities, they are lighter, keep your beer colder longer, and easy to crush and dispose of (or take home with you).” Words by Emily Day

THE AWESOMEST CANS YOU CAN BUY RIGHT NOW Anything from Sixpoint Brewery: We bloody love this Brooklyn brewery’s cans, they are super pretty and classy and look like you are sipping elegantly from an energy drink. With a range that includes the super dazzling HiRes (Imperial IPA), C.R.E.A.M. (Cream Ale, left), Crisp (Pilsner) and the Global Warmer (Imperial Red), these are high on my list of must-swig tinnies.

Mornington Peninsula are not only nailing the can game they are also playing with it, launching their Dog’s Bollocks ESB and Sacchiferous Stout in cans dosed with nitro. When poured (vigorously and vertically) the beer cascades into the glass like a yummy waterfall and you get the pleasure of watching it slowly settle like a pint of Guinness but without the ghastly taste.

Oskar Blues: This iconic Colorado brewery recently began shipping its cans to Aussie bottleshops, and everyone kind of went mad. Their range includes Dale’s Pale Ale, IPA (left), Coffee Porter, Scotch Ale and Ten Fidy Stout. Get your hands on these today and find out what all the fuss is about.

Blackman’s Brewery in Torquay is producing some sweet cans including their Blackman’s Lager, Arthur Smoked Porter, Reginald IPA, Bob Wit and Ernie Golden Ale. Delicious, local and good-looking products well worth trying.

Golden Road: This LA brewery makes more varieties of IPAs than you can shake a bunch of hops at, as well as some delicious saisons – their Saison Citron is currently out in good bottle shops. For those with a mammoth thirst, try the Wolf Mother Triple IPA (left), which clocks in at 11.2%ABV, 90 IBUs and is the size of a pint, or a man’s head. Sour-lovers are also well-catered for, with UK brewery Magic Rock’s Salty Kiss Gooseberry Gose (left) available in cans, as well as US brewery Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose and Blood Orange Gose. Locally, Nomad Brewing in NSW are set to launch their Freshie Salt & Pepper Gose this month (read more in our Nomad feature in this edition).

Sample Brewing is also a fan of the can, with their 3/4 IPA being served in tinnies. Sample’s Arron Ollington says consumers see cans as representing a more relaxed state of mind as they are often taken to beaches, music festivals and camping, and Sample plans to release more soon. Pirate Life. Seriously I shouldn’t have to tell you to drink Pirate Life cans. These guys are literally the best. They launched with a can-only line-up and are kind of taking over the world but in a good way. Try the IPA (right), or if you like huge cans, the Imperial IPA. Do it now. FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

In a galaxy not that far away, it was July 2015 and I was in the midst of hunting down every beer on the Hottest 100 list of 2014. My partner in crime (Alana) and I embarked on a five-day jaunt in Melbourne, exploring the city and taking a trip down the Great Ocean Road. This was my chance to get my hands on one beer I couldn’t find in my home town of Sydney – Odyssey Tavern’s Calypso Pale Ale. Here are my ramblings explaining what unfolded on that fateful day, and a well overdue thank you to Alana for putting up with my shenanigans and coming along for the ride. We picked up our vessel and headed south to start our journey exploring the Great Ocean Road. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived on the Surfcoast Highway and soon the Odyssey Tavern just south of Geelong was in my sights. We pulled in, parked – I ran to the doors with a feeling of excitement that I can’t actually put into words. Bursting through the doors, I made my way to the bar. I glanced from side to side looking at the taps, I couldn’t see it, I scanned the fridge – at this point panic started to set in and I began to shudder.

THE BARMAID APPROACHED ME: “GOOD AFTERNOON SIR, WHAT CAN I GET FOR YOU?” I BEGGED: “WHERE IS YOUR CALYPSO PALE ALE?” SHE REPLIED, “WE HAVE SOLD OUT, WE HAVEN’T GOT ANY AND WON’T BE GETTING A DELIVERY UNTIL NEXT WEEK.” SILENCE…

How long is too long to wait for a beer? Dan McEvilly investigates.

I dropped to my knees in despair, screaming at the beer gods, Why, Why!!!! I had travelled light years (well, from Sydney) for this one beer. I was devastated. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but after receiving this earth-shattering news I tried to compose myself and find a solution. I contacted the head brewer and Callum Nicholls responded having just joined forces with Odyssey. After apologising for not having any stock in the tavern, he said, “Well Crafty Kev, I have some exciting news for you…” Turns out a few weeks before my visit, the guys had decided it was time to expand, and this marked the beginning of an even bigger adventure (mainly for them). Nearly one year on, after a relaunch of the Odyssey brand, and a bottling disaster which culminated in the loss of 70 slabs, it was time to package this odyssey. As May 2016 came to a close, the first batch of Calypso Pale Ale was sent out to local bottleshops. Callum kept his promise and 336 days from that fateful day, this epic adventure landed on my doorstep. SO NOW IT’S TIME FOR MY REVIEW Beer: Calypso Pale Ale / ABV: 5%/ Type: American Pale Ale Brewed: Mount Duneed, VIC Straight from the Odyssey Mothership to my door, Calypso Pale Ale was hot off the press and incredibly fresh. Finally the moment I had been waiting for had arrived. I was about to start my journey through the taste continuum, my hand quivering as I gripped the bottle opener. T-minus no minutes, we have LIFT OFF! Packed full of pungent hops, the aroma is phenomenal. There are bursts of sweet grapefruit, passionfruit, citrus and roasted toffee, with a hearty helping of mango notes to boost this delightfully divine whiff. Calypso pours a bold and stunning orange-amber that glows gloriously in the glass, topped with a creamy white head. That's enough admiration from a distance, it’s time to boldly go where I had never been before. Calypso is fresh and bursting with flavour, well-balanced and moreish. There are pleasant citrus and tropical fruit bursts, with passionfruit and a grapefruit pithiness along with a biscuity malt backbone to chew on. The mouthfeel is light and creamy, culminating in a decent bitterness that lingers. Calypso is gloriously sessionable and goes down quicker than Han Solo's Kessel run. So there you have it. The story of a man, a beer and his patience that ended in unfathomable satisfaction. Words by Dan McEvilly aka @crafty_kev FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

MUMS BEER REVIEWS Old Wives Ales No, it’s not about me! It could have been called ‘Old Wives Tales’, but I don’t tell tales, although that might depend on which meaning of tales is intended. Believe me, I find it very difficult to lie. Also, I still don’t really feel old. Anyway, let’s get on with the job. Not an easy task this time. How do you review the beers created by someone who’s connected to very old (pun not intended) friends of mine? And when this someone is a very lovely, friendly guy whom you do not really wish to offend. Such is life, Nathan – the truth must prevail! Who knows, I may even like these beers! So, here I am, back in Gertrude Street. I feel like a groovy young hipster as I walk into the Catfish bar to partake of Old Wives Ales. Red Sky at Night RASPBERRY SAISON, 5.5% ABV It’s not red at all – very pale, but not totally clear. Slightly murky. Wow! Quite a strong sour/raspberry taste with a tiny inkling of hoppiness, barely enough to register. Not really beery, so I could possibly drink it as it’s the sort that my other half wouldn’t drink.

Hair of the Dog XPA, 5.8% ABV This one is a pale gold colour & quite clear. It has a yucky beer taste. Pure bitterness during drinking & remaining after. No extra flavours for us non beer lovers. Damn! Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy!

Silvia Day politely tells Nathan Keatch from Old Wives Ales that she dislikes his beer.

The Jackalope Coffee IPA, 7.5% ABV Another pale gold colour that is not quite clear. It tastes creamy and a bit bittery with a hint of some other flavour. What is it? A slight smell of coffee, but tastes a bit spritzy like a citrusy soft drink with a beer finish. Confusing! Blood Moon RED IPA, 7% ABV Browny/gold, not red colour & not quite see through. It is a bit creamy but also a bit bitter! There’s a strong flavour I try to decipher – caramel?? Despite this, it is still a bit too hoppy for me. Which one don’t I like the most – this one or Hair of the Dog? Probably Hair of the Dog, but it doesn’t mean I like this one!!! If I had to decide which was most drinkable for me, it would have to be the first one, as it seems the least beer like. Is this a good reason to like it? Sorry Nathan, Justin, Mattias & Shannon – it’s not you, it’s me, honest!

You’d think that’s enough for now, wouldn’t you. However, a long time ago, at least 2 months if not 3, a gentleman gave a bottle of beer to Emily to pass on to me. Well, he said it was beer, but I’m not quite sure I believe him. After all, he doesn’t even seem sure of his own name. Is he Phil, or is he Art? Also, this bottle of supposed beer looks like a champagne bottle complete with champagne cork. It says 2012 on the front of the bottle & ‘Best before 2018’ on the back!! How long does beer last? Aren’t you supposed to drink it as soon as possible? Or is that just what beer drinkers tell you, because they can’t stop themselves from drinking beer straight away. Well, I put it in a cupboard & forgot about it. Then I saw him a month later & he asked me about it & again another month later, so I thought I better find it & drink it and come to grips with it being beer, not wine. It even tells you to drink it from a flute, not a beer glass, nor straight from the bottle as beer drinkers are wont to do. It is called Framboise Boon, Belgian Lambic Ale, 5% alcohol, flavoured with lots of raspberries & cherries. Supposedly it has hops, but I could not taste them at all. It is dark red with a combo of sweet raspberry & sour cherry taste and does not at all taste like any beer I have ever tasted & I have tasted a few lately, believe me. It’s more a cross between a bland wine & a fruity cordial. You have nailed it Phil/Art! I like it!!!! Words by Silvia Day

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

WHAT’S IN A RIDER: THE BEARDS Timothy Stevens quenches your thirst for knowledge about bands and their drinking habits.

Froth chats with John Beardman Jr, drummer for rock band The Beards. These guys are as passionate about beards as we are about beers, but after spreading their beardy love for just over a decade, they are on their farewell tour as Australia’s hairiest band calls it a night. Now that The Beards are wrapping up, would you consider becoming The Beers? We would love that. The main problem I can see with that idea is that it is in no way about beards. As much as we love beer, beards come first (and second and third). What would be in your perfect rider? Enough alcohol to remind us how much we love beards. This normally consists of a couple of cases of beer (something local and not too heavy) and the ingredients to our pre-show cocktail “The Facey McStubblington”: (1 part Irish whisky: 1 part Red Bull: 1 part ginger ale in an extremely large glass). What is the worst thing you've had in a rider? Vegetables. Have you ever indulged too much in a rider before/during a show? We once played a gig in Cologne and a wine merchant came before the show to give us a tasting of many different wines from Austria and Germany. We didn't realise you were meant to spit the wine into the bucket and ended up becoming quite intoxicated. Facey McStubblington was seen drinking from the bucket during the gig and later on throwing up into it. Have you ever had your rider stolen? We sure have. “Rider spiders” are a common part of the music industry. That's why we employee a beardless man to stand guard of our drinks at all times. He gets paid one bottle of water for every 8 hours of work, but it’s great exposure for him. Do fans often buy you drinks? Yeah they sure do. Even when we tell them we are already drunk and don't need any more alcohol. I think they like seeing us so drunk we can't play.

EDGE BREWING PROJECT - MELBOURNE

Cool Hops, Australian Lager wins back to back Gold for Best lager! 2015 and 2016 International Beer Challenge

Do you have a favourite beer/beer style? I like a lager before a gig, something that's not too heavy. After a gig I'll drink strong spirits on my own outside in the dark. Have you tried the Rogue – Beard Beer? (It's made using wild yeast cultured from the brewer's beard.) We have seen it on the road and have all tasted it. Our one criticism is that it didn't contain enough of other people's beards. The Beards are now touring Europe, but keep an eye on their website as they have been adding more Aussie shows: www.thebeards.com.au 1 FROTH CRAFT CRAFT BEER BEER MAG MAG 25 FROTH

STRUAN ALL OVER AUSTRALIA

HUNTING FOR THE BEST BARS AROUND Comedian Struan Logan embarks on an epic road trip to some of Australia’s lesser known craft gems. stout was out of this world, and whilst I will write an article explaining my love of the Wheaty Brewing Corps in the coming months, the best example I can give quickly is for International Woman's Day, head brewer Jade set the challenge to create a blue beer made with natural products. She was successful and it tasted great but was annoyed because it was only dark blue so she is planning Mark II for next year already.

I've just got back to Melbourne after spending the past two months on the road travelling with friends and doing stand-up gigs. As you can imagine, there was a lot of time was spent staring at endlessly straight roads just wanting a beer at the end of the day – then the bar you get to is horrendous. To save you this hassle, I have made a list of bars that you really must check out either when on the road or visiting these cities. ADELAIDE THE WHEATSHEAF HOTEL Going to “the Wheaty” was very much a lesson in never judging a book by its cover. Looking at the Wheatsheaf Hotel from the outside, it has the vibe of an oldfashioned country pub that would only serve four styles of Coopers or a glass to the face if you asked for anything 'craft', but it has a great range of craft

beers alongside a selection of their own brews. The second lesson was thinking Adelaide's only great brewery was Pirate Life. How wrong I was. What makes the Wheaty so special is they brew their own beer in very small batches with an emphasis on creativity. The rich rye

NOLA'S Nola's is much easier to find with it being in the CBD. It is the opposite of The Wheatsheaf Hotel in décor – dark, sleek and sexy. If you wanted to impress someone on a first date, this is where you'd take them. The beer and spirits range is huge with the taps showcasing a mix of great local brews and one of the best international ranges of beers I've seen in Australia. Getting the Mikkeller, Stone and the fantastic UK brewer Siren on tap will get you massive brownie points with me. PERTH FERAL To appreciate WA's craft beer scene you have to rent a car and visit the

brewpubs, this means someone has to be designated driver and has to be rewarded lavishly for their huge sacrifice. Feral is of course a must-see, along with their great range they are also doing a barrel-ageing program with their classic beers. These don't turn into imperial 12% versions but only add minor percentage points to beers like Karma Citra and Funk n' Fresh. Barrique O'Karma was so good that I had to buy a squealer of it, meaning I had to throw away several pairs of precious pants and t-shirts for space to keep it in my backpack. Although my main disappointment in Perth was finding out that Nail Brewery didn't

actually have a brewpub. Don't make the same mistake I did of driving out there expecting some great Nail beer to turn up to find some very closed offices. MARGARET RIVER, WA BOOTLEG BREWERY Bootleg was the first brewery to appear in Margaret River and whilst breweries are popping up all over the place now, Bootleg described itself back in the 1990s as "an oasis of beer in a desert of wine". To combat rival wineries,

Bootleg and many other breweries in the area have put a lot of effort into their kitchens meaning there is very little reason to leave, and you wouldn't want to with a great range of easy-drinking lagers and pale ales along with some odd experimental beers with the Raging Bull dark ale being a must for anyone who likes strong flavoured beer. DARWIN LOLA'S PERGOLA I imagine you'll have a low expectation of Darwin's craft beer scene and sadly you are right, since the Northern Territory's only craft brewery is One Mile Brewery. There are a few reasons for this, firstly brewers don't want to pay the huge petrol fee to deliver beer that far, and locals aren't that interested in something that you can't smash down your gullet and sweat back out (One Mile's strongest beer is a whopping 5.6% IPA). Although

And the Weird...

Were these in the Northern Territory? Of course they were. PINK PANTHER PUB You know the beer is going to be pretty bad when this is the mascot (left).

there is another reason for the lack of craft which is far more ominous, bigger companies like SAB Miller are making sure they keep their Darwin monopoly by providing financial incentives to exclusively stock their produce. This dedication to good beer is what makes Lola's Pergola so special. How far are you willing to go to get a batch of Pirate Life? Would you be willing to drive down from Darwin to Alice Springs to collect a new batch of cans then drive back to Darwin – a THIRTYGODDAMNED-TWO-HOUR TRIP – just

to stock some Pirate Life cans? It's not just that Lola's has the best beer range that makes it such a phenomenal bar but it is also a gorgeous place that is mostly outdoors at the harbour where you can look out to the sea and watch the phenomenal sunset whilst getting drunk. The décor is a child-friendly vibe with a healthy dose of surrealism added in, including carousel horses mounted on the walls, creepy floating eyes and a urinal that may make you feel a bit selfconscious.

WYCLIFF WELL Calling this one a pub is questionable but their own website advertises itself as the UFO capital of Australia and claims it has the best beer range in Australia. Neither of these are true. P.S. The reason there is no mention of Queensland is because I didn't make it there but Bacchus Brewery is bloody excellent. Struan Logan is a stand-up comedian who will be performing his solo show at Melbourne Fringe, Bye Melbourne, It's Been Fun! on September 15th-23rd, 7.15pm at the Courthouse Hotel. words/pics by Struan Logan illustration by Clint Weaver

BEER LABEL OF GARAGE PROJECT THE MONTH : It’s really quite surprising to think Garage Project haven’t already made it into our Beer Label of the Month spot. To be honest you could write a book on the label designs of Garage Project. For one, there is an ever-growing stream of new beers coming out of their brewery and secondly they’re creating so much more than just beer labels. Almost all of their beers are ridiculously good-looking to the point they cross over from being beer labels to actual works of art. In fact, the hardest thing about putting Garage Project up as a label of the month is actually deciding which of their many labels to pick… But choose I must. So, if you haven’t already noticed the stunning image that accompanies this article, the Beer Label of the Month is Garage Project’s ‘Hops on Pointe’. Hops on Pointe began life as a collaboration beer for The Royal Ballet of New Zealand in 2013 and now lives on as part of the core range – if such a thing exists at Garage Project. It is a stunning label, from the gold embossing on the leaves to the art nouveau influences in the typography. The label literally screams French sophistication to the the point that the mere thought of serving this in anything but the finest glassware would be sacrilegious. Pressing pause on the blatant label crush

I’m having right now, I have to point out that the devil really is in the detail here. Stare at the label long enough and little ballerinas appear in the negative space between the leaves. Yeah, that’s pretty cool, right?

HOPS ON POINTE

CHAMPAGNE PILSNER

"THEY CROSSOVER FROM BEING BEER LABELS TO ACTUAL WORKS OF ART" For Garage Project, label designs encompass so much more than branding as a marketing tool. These brilliant designs give the beers their own personality, with the brewery logo taking a back seat to the main event. It’s the art that hold so much appeal and is what we find so endearing. The Garage Project logo is the seal of guaranteed goodness but I’ll always keep coming back for the amazing visual canvas I’m guaranteed with every new beer release. Words by Matthew Mister @amouseinthefield FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

PILS-SEEKERS HOME BREW

Words/photos by Emily Day

HOW DO YOU BREW A LAGER? Pretty much the same way you brew any other beer, up until the fermentation bit. Mill grain > mash > lauter > boil > chill > ferment. The grain bill is usually simple, mostly pilsner malt (although ale malts can be used) and a little dextrine malt for head retention (or wheat works too). Traditional Czech style pilsners are usually 100% pils malt. Noble hops are usually used to a moderate level of bitterness (20-35 IBU) with some late hopping to give a little spicy hop aroma/ flavour.

Froth asks home brewer Dan Fardon from the Merri Mashers about the trials and tribulations of making a lager.

"I LOVE A GOOD GERMAN LAGER WITH A NICE PILLOWY WHITE HEAD" IS IT MORE COMPLICATED THAN OTHER BEERS SUCH AS A PALE ALE? Yes, slightly. The extra complication is two-fold: • Pitching enough yeast (you need a lot more yeast than an ale) • Keeping the yeast at the right temperature to develop that crisp, clean flavour. In order to build the number of yeast cells up to the level required, I usually do a two-stage starter (or three-stage, depending on batch size). By that I mean that at least a week or 10 days prior to brewing, I'll do a small starter, then a few days later I’ll step that up to a bigger starter. It is important to start the fermentation at a fairly low temperature (10-13 deg C), then allow it to rise slowly over a few days. After the fermentation is complete it’s important to give the beer some time at a very low temp (approx 0C). How long you do this is personal preference, although traditionally can be up to three months. I usually give it three to four weeks at 1 deg and that works fine for me.

Dan Fardon with his awesome home set-up. DO YOU ENJOY BREWING LAGERS? I love brewing a clean, crisp and refreshing lager. It's fun and not something many home brewers do.

Daniel Parsons-Jones from Australian Home Brewing shares his tips on brewing this classic beer style.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE KIND OF LAGER? I love a good German lager with a nice pillowy white head and crisp finish. Although a close second is the Czechstyle traditional pilsner. I'VE HEARD LAGERS ARE HARD TO BREW, ARE THEY SOMETHING A BEGINNER HOME BREWER CAN ATTEMPT? That is somewhat true, there's typically less room to hide with brewing a lager. Precision is key for most lager styles (pilsner, helles, bock, rice lager etc) as they are generally defined by balance and cleanliness rather than an expression of any one flavour characteristic. There's a lot more room to hide mistakes in a stout or an IPA, for example. But if as a beginner you have a cool, temperaturestable spot to put a fermenter it's really quite easy. Basically if you're a beginner without much equipment in winter, it's easy. In summer, not so much, because... HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM BREWING AN ALE? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALE AND LAGER YEAST? The difference is temperature. An ale yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae) ferments and expresses its flavour best at warmer temperatures (usually around 18-22C). A lager yeast (saccharomyces FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

HOME BREW PILS-SEEKERS (CONT) pastorianus) can ferment cooler (even down to 5C but usually around 10-14C). This means the process is slower, with fewer flavour/aroma byproducts (called esters) being produced during the fermentation process. This comparative lack of esters results in a 'cleaner' yeast profile than that of an ale. From a practical sense, it means most homebrewers make lagers in winter and ales the rest of the year round, or they brew in a temperature-controlled fridge. From a taste sense, it means an ale will typically be more fruity/complex and a lager will be cleaner/more refined. But all it really means is that a lager will have a less expressive yeast note. That has no bearing on what you as a brewer want to do with the rest of your ingredients! If you want to make a Double India Black Milk Lager aged on bourbon barrels and kumquats you can do that. It would be very similar to its ale equivalent, just with fewer esters from the yeast. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN BREWING A LAGER? Stability of temperature is most critical, and a low temperature at that. Fluctuations in temperature during

fermentation will 'stress' the yeast leading to greater ester production. Brewing at a lower temperature also means that you have to ensure a higher yeast cell count, so adding more yeast or making a healthy yeast starter is important for a successful brew. Techniques like temperature ramping or a diacetyl rest can also be worth adding to a lager brewer's repertoire. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LAGER AND A PILSNER? A pilsner is a subset of lager. It is a pale lager traditionally made with pilsner malt and Saaz hops, originating from the town of Pilsen (Plzen) in what is now the Czech Republic. It is credited with inventing and popularising pale beer – almost all beer up until the 1840s had been brown at the lightest. Its popularity since invention has seen it become a catch-all term for any pale hop-forward lager, or seen it be updated into new styles such as the 'New World Pils' (using lager yeast, pilsner malt and the kind of hops you'd find in a modern pale ale or IPA).

GET MORE TIPS FROM DANIEL BY POPPING BY AUSTRALIAN HOME BREWING, AT 143 CHURCH ST, RICHMOND. WWW.LIQUORCRAFT.COM.AU

GLOSSARY STARTER Made by adding a yeast culture to a small volume of liquid and fermentable material a few days before brewing. This ensures the yeast is viable and increases its cell count (how much active yeast there is). LAUTER The process after the mash (enzymatic conversion of malt starches to sugars). It is a set of processes whereby the dissolved sugars are separated from the husks and other solids of the grains. IBU International Bittering Units – a quantitative scale of bitterness (high IBU = high bitterness) derived from the concentration of bitter hop compounds in the beer. PITCH A fancy brewing term for "add" used in relation to yeast, i.e. ‘Daniel pitched his saison yeast at 24 degrees Celsius’. DIACETYL A flavour compound produced by lager yeasts with a buttery/butterscotch note. A diacetyl rest (increasing the temperature to approximately 17 degrees towards the end of fermentation) allows the yeast to ‘clean up’ after itself and remove the compound.

HALF AD BENS BREWERY TOURS

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

A CRAFTY PRESENT FOR DAD Words by Emily Day

Hey it’s Father’s Day coming up real soon, so why not get your dad a really nice pair of socks or maybe something from the Shaver Shop – kidding, those are both really terrible ideas, what you really need to get your dad is a cool BOOK ABOUT BEER! (It’s also one of those gifts that when he’s done with it you can totally steal it back, which you really can’t do with socks.) One awesome beer book we’re excited about is by James

Smith aka the Crafty Pint, The Great Australian Beer Guide: Your Guide to Craft Beer and Beyond. This handy tome showcases 150 beers from 150 different breweries from around Australia. “I was either trying to pick their best beer or the beer they are best known for,” James says. “It’s trying to give you a snapshot broadly across as many breweries as possible and also trying to cover as many different styles.” The book is divided into chapters including lagers, pale ales, Belgians, IPAs and stouts, and also includes a beer history of Australia as well as tips on storing and serving beer. James, who launched his Crafty Pint website in 2010, came to Australia from England in 2008, and became interested in the burgeoning local craft beer scene after a chance meeting with Tom Delmont, then of Mountain Goat. “It wasn’t just the beer – something was changing, something was happening,” he says. "And no one was covering it." The number of craft breweries has boomed since then, and there are plenty of newcomers making an impression. James rates Brouhaha in Maleny in the Sunshine Coast hinterland as one to watch. “I was in there about three weeks ago … and the beers were either good, very good or excellent – and it’s the first batch of every single beer that they brewed. “Their blond ale was so well done, I said ‘What have you done?!’ There weren’t any crazy flavours but you can tell when a beer is really well done. He had a dry-hopped saison that was sensational and a really good IPA, and a milk stout that was only 4.2% but tasted like it was 8%. “There’s now five little breweries on the Sunshine Coast and more coming. I think it will become a place that if you are into beers, you will make the trip up there.” The Great Australian Beer Guide is published by Hardie Grant. Find out more at craftypint.com and hardiegrant.com.au.

OH THE GERMANITY!

Froth puts on the lederhosen and checks out Otway Oktoberfest. Here at Froth magazine we love any excuse to dress up in leather and eat pretzels, so we were pretty excited to hear about the Oktoberfest event at Otway Estate Brewery and Winery. The origins of Oktoberfest are pretty interesting (I’d never thought about it before – if someone asks you if you’d like to drink beer out of a one-litre glass, you generally don’t ask too many questions). However it turns out that Bavarian dude Crown Prince Ludwig hooked up with Princess Therese of SaxeHildburghausen on October 12, 1810. They were so stoked that the citizens of Munich were invited to attend a big bash on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate. So much fun was had that the party became an annual event, and now more than 6 million people from around the world head to Munich to get utterly shitfaced celebrate this important cultural event. Closer to home, and slightly more civilised, Otway Estate Brewery and Winery, 10 minutes from Colac and just under two hours from Melbourne, is putting on a fun day of festivities to celebrate all things Bavarian and beery. As well as traditional Oompah music with a live band, there will also be slap dancing, a German strongman/woman tower, tasty Bavarian treats and a good old-fashioned yodelling competition. Prickly Moses head brewer Luke Scott says that “we wanted to put on an event which really showcased all the fantastic things happening in the industry right here in our own backyard. This year’s Otway Oktoberfest will allow the punters to taste

Prost!: Hamish Spalding (left), head cider maker at Otway Estate Winery & Brewery, and Luke Scott, head brewer at Prickly Moses.

a heap of local craft beers without having to travel around to each brewery. It’ll be like a mini craft beer festival right here in the Otways.” Home brewers take note – there will also be a home brew competition with stacks of prizes. “It’s a really good chance to have your home brew critiqued by beer professionals,” Luke says, “plus there are some great prizes on offer, like a $300 voucher to Geelong Home Brewing Supplies and a weekend away at the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse in Apollo Bay.” Early bird price is $15 until September 23, or you can grab a VIP ticket for $80. Melbourne Brewery Tours is also offering transport from Melbourne CBD to Otway Estate for $50 return per person. Bus tickets can be purchased through the Otway Estate website. Words by Emily Day The Otway Oktoberfest takes place on Saturday October 15 at Otway Estate Winery & Brewery. www.otwayestate.com.au

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

THE CULT OF CRAFT

Cult movies are analogous to craft beer in many ways â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they exist alongside mainstream culture and cross over with it, enriching it with their new ideas and creative influence. Subcultures turn into cultures of their own, things existing on the periphery of the mainstream grow in influence and importance and blend in with each other.

OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE BEER

CLERKS AND POPULAR CULTURE EXAMINATION: JUST BECAUSE THEY SERVE YOU DOESN'T MEAN THEY LIKE YOU Our glasses brim with promise of a new hope and new hops. It's a convention filled with pop culture references and yeast culture preferences. We've fallen effortlessly into Kevin Smith-like dialogue as our pop culture geeks and beer geek selves collide in a whirlpool of referential recirculation. Homebrewers who have levelled up from backyard weird science are now the purveyors of labels that produce swoons of cross-pop-cultural recognition. Geeks love to collect things and when a beer displays the same fandom as its drinker, it captures the flag of their hearts. With great drinking sessions come great responsibility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as written in both the comic book law and the legally required government warning on bottles and cans. Serious discussions concerning Death Star contractor hire blaming or big beer tap contract complaining are just as important as obscure movie quotes and obscure beer recollections. It's just us. A seemingly uneventful day. The minutiae

of life. Our beer. Our friends. The door closes. We are the customers and the consumers. Are we Jay or Silent Bob? It doesn't matter. TERRY GILLIAM'S BRAZIL AND RETRO FUTURISTIC VISUALISM: TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY Everything old and new comes together in the Terry Gilliam retro-futuristic visual fantasy, just as it does in the beers we are drinking. New world hops in an old-style Belgian or million-year-old yeast strains added to an IPA, merge in a hybridisation of time and taste connections. Craft is both modern and old-fashioned. Past and future. Futurists say that the key to understanding the present is to look into the past. Brazil's aesthetics appear as a condensed visual history in a similar way that the craft beer we are drinking is a combination of the both industrial revolution and its de-evolution. A counter-cultural reaction to the previous industrialised offerings that required a new foundation and model to build on. A speculative look into the future of craft beer production suggests a further incorporation of functional

aesthetics – an exciting mix of science, art, innovation and technology. Where pneumatic power goes cyberpunk and runs on quantum computing systems and a serviceable steampunk-designed brewery is powered by clean sustainable energy. Technology doesn't need to dehumanise us and we are not simply individual cogs in the Rube Goldberg machine of producers and imbibers. Glasses are raised to a cold crashingly clear vision and there is no need to be in a Gilliamesque bureaucratic nightmare to enjoy it. It's already here.

BLADERUNNER AND DO FAUX CRAFT BEERS DREAM OF ELECTRIC BREW KETTLES: SHE'S A REPLICANT, ISN'T SHE? One of the things Ridley Scott is asking in his noir cyberpunk thriller is what makes us human and how can we tell the difference between real life and artificial engineering. We, however, ask the difference between truly crafted beer and faux-craft: big factory beers dressed in craft clothing. Nothing is clear in the movie and defining craft beer can be as difficult as defining a human. When the global-hyper-megacorporations try to enter the market of warm loving companionship and aren't transparent about who they truly are, what line is being crossed? There is no empathy test like the Voight-Kampff process in the movie to determine

whether a beer is a replicant or not. Should we fight back against this affront to what makes beer special, or accept our new facsimile friends on their own merits? Is it about taste or soul? How can we stand by while beer is pumped out of under the gaze of product marketing specialists whose job is to displace the hard work and output of small kettles lovingly attended to by a devoted

Maybe in those quiet moments we love beer more than we ever had before. artisan? Or do we need to accept that we don't know why we like the beers we do. Maybe in those quiet moments we love beer more than we ever had before. Not just craft beer – any beer; my beer. All it wants is the same answers the rest of us want. What does it taste like? How are you feeling? Will you drink it again? All I could do was sit there and watch my beer die.

PINK FLAMINGOS AND ABJECT BREWING: AN EXERCISE IN BAD TASTE To call Pink Flamingos an exercise in bad taste, which is the movie’s tag line, would detract from how strongly repulsive the

made-to-shock scenes are. It's the movie you only need to see once but may not finish. John Waters uses an abject filmmaking style to debase the predefined expectations of a movie and its narrative. Abject brewing, as a style, flips that debasement on its head and uses nontraditional ingredients and techniques as the unexpected narrative to enhance the taste experience. Brewers are the auteurs who direct their drinkers’ tastebuds. It will not please everybody and it isn't required to. John Waters, the dapper dandy hipster of his time, is the film-making equivalent of the modern brewers’ process of style and experimentation. Swap a sharp debonair suit for a checked lumberjack shirt and explicit avant-garde film exhibitionism with body-procured yeast or outlandish ingredients, and modern beer has found its artistic soulmate. Whether Divine's character receiving a box of excrement in the movie is analogous to bad taste being explored, in both a literal and subjective viewing and tasting experience, probably wasn't intentional. Drinkers can also change their own beer narrative and experiment with these styles and may sometimes say, “This is shit but we are glad for the experience.” Words by Sarah White Illustration by Sarah Canning www.labfervour.com

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

RIDING THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

Celia Drummond ponders why she has so many cardboard beer coasters in her house. We've got one of those couches from Freedom, I don't know, are they called ‘modular’? Anyhow, they're the ones that people can perch on the arm kind of awkwardly pretending they're comfortable; cats can stretch out and survey their apartment manor. My cat does anyway. The other day I was about to put my beer glass (full of Mornington Peninsula's delightful Nitro Dog’s Bollocks) down on said arm, when I saw a gross pattern of beer glass-soaked stains. “Sheesh! Where are my coasters? Why aren't we using coasters on our precious modular couch?!” I opened the cupboard where I keep my collection of coasters. Coasters fell out. Many, many, many coasters. Little Creatures. Corona. Mountain Goat. Blackhearts & Sparrows. Beer DeLuxe. It was like that clown car where all those clowns you know can't possibly fit in that small tiny space somehow fit and spill out when the door opens.

"Why do I have an UltraTune Auto Service Centres: Mordialloc pristine, non-beer-soaked coaster? I don't even drive" My couch will now survive undamaged through to its interest-free purchase period, thanks to the Local Taphouse beer coaster that has perched on the arm since that fateful, stained evening. I had seven Local Taphouse coasters fall out of the cupboard so I was happy to sacrifice one. Seven Local Taphouse coasters. Hmm. How had I acquired such a massive beer coaster collection? Oh yeah, that's right. In every pub/hotel/ dive bar I visit, it seems I have subtly placed one of the "free" beer coasters from the table into my bag/jacket/jeans pocket. It has become a habit. Some of them are just so beautifully designed. Or contain useful information. Like the actual name of the beer I am drinking, or pub I am drinking in, so I can remember in the morning. They're kinda like a brewery business card.

There are some, however, that I have no idea how they made it to my beer coaster shelf. For example, why do I have an "UltraTune Auto Service Centres: Mordialloc" pristine, non-beer-soaked coaster? I don't even drive. Also, how many Carlton Draught-related coasters does one really need to collect? There is quite a large quantity of German beer coasters. Germany does make some scrumptious beers, many of which are available in Melbourne. These all can't all be from Hofbräuhaus though, can they?! Ohhh, yeah. I remember. I once collected a number of beautifully illustrated König Ludwig Dunkel coasters from all the tables at Oktoberfest in Munich on my first post-school overseas adventure. I recall pilfering them as we were being shooed out of the beer hall at the end of the night. I wanted a memento of a great evening with my fellow travellers. This is probably when my collection began. My Australian Heritage Hotel coaster reminds me of a delightful afternoon tourist-watching in the sun at The Rocks in Sydney. We drank some delightful craft beers from their fridge; Holgate

Brewery's Road Trip was a favourite – an homage to our travels to Sydney for that particular long weekend. Only the other night, my Moon Dog coaster – the one with the hilarious barman/termite joke on the reverse – became a sweet reminder of the laughter with friends at The Catfish as we slowly sipped ponies of Moon Dog Rantallion's Restorative. Its cognac barrel-aged 10.6% sweetness is a taste that won’t be forgotten in a hurry. I continue to hoard my cardboard beauties for the memories they keep – of delicious beers and fun times with friends. While it may sometimes seem like I'm an alcoholic hoarder, maybe I am just collecting knowledge of delicious ales. Also, more importantly, maybe I'm collecting cherished memories with loved ones, even if there are times we are drinking a beer that you can find in nearly every bar in Australia. Less importantly, maybe sometimes I just need to know the best place to get my car repaired in Mordialloc. And those König Ludwig Dunkel coasters are currently selling for $2.62 on eBay. This collection could pay off one day! Words by Celia Drummond

Illustration by Rocco Fazzari (Instagram @roccofazzari) FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

FUN PAGES MOSTLY BEER QUIZ

3 In which country is the city of Pilsen?

7 Which NSW brewery has a lager called

4 Which Japanese brewery makes a

Green Coast?

1 Which British rock band in 1997

black lager called Shikkoku Black Lager? 8 Which common type of German lager

declared that "He drinks a whiskey drink,

5 Which metal used in the

also means "goat" in German?

He drinks a vodka drink, He drinks a

manufacturing of beer cans has the

9 Which iconic Australian lager is a

lager drink, He drinks a cider drink"?

chemical symbol 'Al'?

synonym for "cares for"?

2 Which brewery founded in Denmark

6 Which New Zealand brewery makes

10 British comedy show: Two Pints of

in 1847 claimed that it makes "probably

a champagne pilsner called Hops on

Lager and a Packet of _____

the best lager in the world"?

Pointe?

FROTHWORD

CRAFTY COMIC

ARTWORK BY MICHAEL ALESICH

Pick the brewery and beer pictured for the chance to win a prize! Email your answer to frothbeermag@gmail.com The winner will be drawn at the end of the month. 1. Lager derives its name from the German word for this edifice (9) 7. Germany's No.1 draft beer (9) 8. Antiquated word for a pub (3) 11. Mainstay of the Australian BBQ (4) 12. James Boag, Cascade and Two Metre Tall beers can all be described as this (9) 14. Container for brewing homemade gin (4) 15. Fictional Australian beer featured in Terry Pratchett's Discworld, named for our marsupial emblem (3) 17. Action that is present at almost every stage of brewing (9) 18. Name for the workplace of those who make wooden beer barrels and casks (9)

DOWN

2. Popular Chinese lager produced by its largest brewery (8) 3. Beer produced by Oliver Brewing in Baltimore, named for Blur's second album, Modern Life is _ (7) 4. Bacchanalian feast at which many a beverage would be consumed (4) 5. A pale Portuguese lager named for a type of small seafaring port (6) 6. Famous old pub opposite Flinders St Station in Melbourne, _ and Jackson (5) 9. Chinese pale lager named for the capital of Jiangxi province (8) 10. Brewery originally from Fremantle, Matilda _ (3)

11. An ancillary bar to the main one in a pub, also the name of a bar in Sydney (7) 13. Pale ale made by Gage Roads Brewing (6) 14. Small batch Mountain Goat brews, Rare _ (5) 16. Old name for 375 mL bottles of beer with a wider neck (4)

ISSUE 9 FROTHWORD ANSWERS Across 1 Renaissance 7 RSA 9 Forester's 10 Era 12 Grains 13 Master 16 Yeasts 18 Velvet 20 ESB 23 Epicurean 24 Gin 25 Gravimeters Down 2 Nerd 3 Instinct 4 Spelt 5 Nose 6 Errant 8 Akbar 11 Brie 14 Alehouse 15 Eden 16 Young 17 Ageing 19 Heidi 21 Beta 22 Meme

ACROSS

1. Chumbawumba in their song Tubthumping 2. Carlsberg 3. Czech Republic 4. Coedo 5. Aluminium 6. Garage Project 7. Stone & Wood 8. Bock 9. Foster's 10. Crisp

MOSTLY BEER QUIZ ANSWERS FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG

DEVASTATINGLY GOOD VICTORIAN BEER K A IJ U B EER . CO M . AU

FROTH CRAFT BEER MAG