# Craft/micro Beer 'explosion' In Oz



## waggastew (24/2/11)

OK, not an explosion but maybe a Craft/Micro beer 'inflation/expansion'

Just looked at the current taps on at the Local Taphouse in Sydney. Of the 20 beers on tap, only three were from OS! Of the 17 Oz beers I have only tasted 2, Coopers and Alpha Pales. I can't see how anyone can think that our micro/craft scene is crap? Sure, they may not all be amazing beers but for a country with 20 million people, spread to the four corners of a huge continent, and mostly megaswill drinker I think we're doing alright!

PS. I think this is only going to do good things for HB too with more people wanting to start making good beer. Everyone needs to be patient with the inevitable airlock bubbling/bottle bombs/brewing at 35degC questions though!


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## peas_and_corn (24/2/11)

A lot of 'micros' are owned by LN, CUB or Coke.


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## Paul H (24/2/11)

waggastew said:


> OK, not an explosion but maybe a Craft/Micro beer 'inflation/expansion'
> 
> Just looked at the current taps on at the Local Taphouse in Sydney. Of the 20 beers on tap, only three were from OS! Of the 17 Oz beers I have only tasted 2, Coopers and Alpha Pales. I can't see how anyone can think that our micro/craft scene is crap? Sure, they may not all be amazing beers but for a country with 20 million people, spread to the four corners of a huge continent, and mostly megaswill drinker I think we're doing alright!
> 
> PS. I think this is only going to do good things for HB too with more people wanting to start making good beer. Everyone needs to be patient with the inevitable airlock bubbling/bottle bombs/brewing at 35degC questions though!



Come up to Qld Stew & see what is available. Agree with your sentiments but the availability up here is very ordinary indeed..

:icon_cheers: 

Paul


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

And with the castration of the Platform Bar, getting even more ordinary. There's also the thing in Queensland that beer is not for quaffing - it's for guzzling after a hot day - most Tradies etc in Queensland drink xxxx Gold - imagine big muscley hairy men standing around doing their boofy-boy banter and waving 3.5% ABV beers in their Neanderthal fists and imagine that they are true beer drinkers. About sums it up. 
They would be better off drinking Midori Coolers.


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## bum (24/2/11)

BribieG said:


> beer is not for quaffing - it's for guzzling


Bit pedantic up that way, are we?


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## beerbrewer76543 (24/2/11)

There is a pretty good beer culture here in WA and it is growing too. We have quite a few micros around the place and some pubs getting behind the beer culture such as the Sail and Anchor, the Norfolk, The Malt Bar down south and Clancys fish pubs

Up here in Karratha the tap beer selection is a bit average but most pubs have a pretty good choice of bottled beers. One pub even has Weihenstephan Hefeweizen available at the bar! :icon_drool2:


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## DanRayner (24/2/11)

peas_and_corn said:


> A lot of 'micros' are owned by LN, CUB or Coke.



Waggastew wasn't really talking about Malt Shovel, Matilda Bay, Cascade, Boag's or Blue Tongue. Of the Aussie beers on tap at the Local Taphouse other than Alpha none are really anything to do with LN, CUB or Coke.

Stone & Wood may be partly owned by LC and LC in turn is partly owned by LN but LN doesn't have any kind of controlling share in these breweries.


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

bum said:


> Bit pedantic up that way, are we?


quaff: to drink heartily with gusto
guzzle: to drink greedily or habitually

You'd have to drink greedily to get pissed as they do on 3.5%. Quaffing just wouldn't get you there. Off to quaff some 6% right now :icon_drunk:


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## bum (24/2/11)

So that's a 'yes' then?


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

A qualified yes, depending on your definitions of quaffing and guzzling of course.


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## Northside Novice (24/2/11)

BribieG said:


> And with the castration of the Platform Bar, getting even more ordinary. There's also the thing in Queensland that beer is not for quaffing - it's for guzzling after a hot day - most Tradies etc in Queensland drink xxxx Gold - imagine big muscley hairy men standing around doing their boofy-boy banter and waving 3.5% ABV beers in their Neanderthal fists and imagine that they are true beer drinkers. About sums it up.
> They would be better off drinking Midori Coolers.




thats a bit rude bribie .


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## peas_and_corn (24/2/11)

DanRayner said:


> Waggastew wasn't really talking about Malt Shovel, Matilda Bay, Cascade, Boag's or Blue Tongue. Of the Aussie beers on tap at the Local Taphouse other than Alpha none are really anything to do with LN, CUB or Coke.
> 
> Stone & Wood may be partly owned by LC and LC in turn is partly owned by LN but LN doesn't have any kind of controlling share in these breweries.



Well, it's hard to tell what beers he was referencing, as he named none.


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

northside novice said:


> thats a bit rude bribie .



Have lived next door to a few of them, I used to scatter XXXX *heavy* empties on their lawn (where they used to have their mass beer-ups twice a week after work) and they would look accusingly at each other to see who was the traitor :blink:


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## waggastew (24/2/11)

Sorry, here is the list to clarify. Would love to work my way down the list!


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## peas_and_corn (24/2/11)

Ahh, that clarifies things. Nice list, though I still prefer the Wheatie


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## WSC (24/2/11)

Also I think you need more than one bar to qualify as an explosion.

Agree about Qld 100%.

Every now and then the rumour kicks off in Brissy about a taphouse opening up.


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## waggastew (24/2/11)

I did qualify the 'explosion' as being more like an 'expansion'. I guess i just see more and more good beer options around and alot more interest. Even some of my megaswill mates are starting to see that $10 a pint for the good stuff is better than $5 for schmiddy of Tooheys. Here are some more examples:

1. One of our local pubs in Port Macquarie having Coopers Vintage on tap, not a craft beer but not megaswill either. We also have two craft breweries (Wicked Elf and Black Duck) in a town of only 60,000.

2. The Markets Hotel in Flemington, Sydney (not a yuppie area) have a hop festival with the following brands on tap - Black Duck Brewery, Ekim Brewing Co., Bad Lands, 4 Pines, Happy Goblin, Hunter Beer Co., Lord Nelson, Mountain Ridge, Mudgee Brewing Co., Murray's Craft Brewing Co.,
St Peters & Paddy's Brewery.

3. The Good Living section in Tuesday's Sydney Morning Herald has a section dedicated to interesting Oz beer

Also need to remember that 13 years ago I worked in a big bottle shop in Sydney and the most adventurous beer we sold was imported Heineken and Dogbolter!


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## azrebb (24/2/11)

Paul H said:


> Come up to Qld Stew & see what is available. Agree with your sentiments but the availability up here is very ordinary indeed..
> 
> :icon_cheers:
> 
> Paul



Working on fixing that on the Sunshine Coast at least...


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

"Black Duck Brewery, Ekim Brewing Co., Bad Lands, 4 Pines, Happy Goblin, Hunter Beer Co., Lord Nelson, Mountain Ridge, Mudgee Brewing Co., Murray's Craft Brewing Co.,
St Peters & Paddy's Brewery."

Local to your area, wish they were available in Brisbane to try. Apart from Murray's, Lord Nelson and St Peters I've never heard of any of them, and only know about LN and St P because a hobby is photographing terrace houses so I've been around the Rocks and Newtown where they are very much a local hidden secret. Maybe "Reporting a local Craft/micro Beer explosion in Central Sydney" could be a more accurate thread title.


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## waggastew (24/2/11)

What a bummer about Brisvegas and QLD! Any thoughts as to why its not doing the crafty beer thing? Too many Victorian retirees drinking Toohey's Gold Can 30 packs? Too much nice weather where the thought of slaving over a hot mash tun is unpalatable? Too busy training up future all-conquering State of Origin teams?


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## beerbrewer76543 (24/2/11)

waggastew said:


> What a bummer about Brisvegas and QLD! Any thoughts as to why its not doing the crafty beer thing? Too many Victorian retirees drinking Toohey's Gold Can 30 packs? Too much nice weather where the thought of slaving over a hot mash tun is unpalatable? Too busy training up future all-conquering State of Origin teams?




Too busy bending bananas?


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## Guysmiley54 (24/2/11)

BribieG said:


> And with the castration of the Platform Bar, getting even more ordinary. There's also the thing in Queensland that beer is not for quaffing - it's for guzzling after a hot day - most Tradies etc in Queensland drink xxxx Gold - imagine big muscley hairy men standing around doing their boofy-boy banter and waving 3.5% ABV beers in their Neanderthal fists and imagine that they are true beer drinkers. About sums it up.
> They would be better off drinking Midori Coolers.



On the Gold Coast I reckon the tradies drink sugary bourbon cans and listen to loud techno music. I've never seen such a group of guys trying so hard to look tough and macho come off like a group of teeange girls! Puh-lease


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## Bribie G (24/2/11)

:icon_offtopic: 

Pom rant

A bit puzzled, where I come from if you are a plumber or a bricklayer or a tiler then that's great, you do your job and go home quietly (and usually live in a nice bungalow style detached house because you are making a lot of money). If you drive a truck then you aren't a truckie - you are a LORRY DRIVER and don't have cows horns on the front of your lorry or smart signs like "Far Qs ALL" or "GUNNAGETHERE", or listen to Tammy Wynette etc. 
What is it about Australian "Tradies" and "Truckies" that there is some sort of romance and do-derring stuff attached? It's a mundane although necessary and probably quite boring job, especially the driving. Do sewage workers have blond trophy wives and hang around in special clothes at BBQs bragging about the biggest turd they've spotted that week?

end rant.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (24/2/11)

BribieG said:


> :icon_offtopic:
> 
> Pom rant
> 
> ...



I just think it's Americanisation. Hell, why do all the Aussie country singers, sing with a Southern American Drawl. Next they'll be singing "dixie".

I don't quite get a number of things Aussies do and I was born here (albeit the very first of my family to be born here) and consider myself very Aussie, despite feeling strong kinship to the three cultures that my folks landed with on these shores 40 years ago.

Goomba


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## Hargie (24/2/11)

BribieG said:


> :icon_offtopic:
> 
> Pom rant
> 
> ...





...at the end of the day they are celebrating not being English...


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## mika (25/2/11)

Hargie said:


> ...at the end of the day they are celebrating not being English...



:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## mika (25/2/11)

L_Bomb said:


> There is a pretty good beer culture here in WA and it is growing too. We have quite a few micros around the place and some pubs getting behind the beer culture such as the Sail and Anchor, the Norfolk, The Malt Bar down south and Clancys fish pubs



All in freo. Most eateries I can get to within 5mins of my house, still consider Crown Lager as a 'premium' beer. Premium price perhaps <_<
WA is getting there and there are now more places around where you can get some decent beer, but we're still MILES behind the east coast.
Go to melbourne (CBD), walk into an IGA and find a larger selection of microbrew than in most Liquorland's over here.
Perhaps we're seeing an 'explosion', simply because we're aware of the possibilities and are looking for it.


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## matthendry (25/2/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I just think it's Americanisation. Hell, why do all the Aussie country singers, sing with a Southern American Drawl. Next they'll be singing "dixie".
> 
> I don't quite get a number of things Aussies do and I was born here (albeit the very first of my family to be born here) and consider myself very Aussie, despite feeling strong kinship to the three cultures that my folks landed with on these shores 40 years ago.
> 
> Goomba



Im a Aussie that currently lives in the US and I would love it if the Australian Beer scence was Amanericanised even my local supermarket in a rural town has 15 or more microbrews on the shelf and all from local independant breweries including Nanobrewereis but over here brewers dont pay the huge amount of Excise Aussie brewers do and people dont mind spending about US$14 a 12 pack for a microbrewed beer and becuse the kijes of Budwuiser /Miller/Coors are so cheap they are considered to be inferior now ,


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## Golani51 (25/2/11)

Hi Matt:

Where are you?

I did a big micro brew- hop in NY, Mass., New Hampshire (love tax free!), Vermont (There is a God- just off route 9 I think), and just over the Canadian border near Lake Magog. I could not believe the prices of bottles especially- I'd get pint bottles of super-dooper hoppy strong quality micros for a couple bucks each, growlers of Imperious- type beers for $10, and trappist beers for half of what we pay here. 
No wonder it is so big there. Crappt beers there aren't any cheaper.

R


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## matthendry (25/2/11)

Golani51 said:


> Hi Matt:
> 
> Where are you?
> 
> ...



I live in Vermont and we have 22 breweries for a state that has a only has a population of 200,000 people .Im doing my little bit and established a small organic hop yard on the farm I live on last year ,down is Mass, theres a micro maltster called Valley Malt and Nanobreweries are poping up all over the place ....


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## Golani51 (25/2/11)

You are like a spoiled little rich kid Matt 
So many breweries, so much choice. You can drink GREAT beers there for less than the cheap garbage here.

I had a great couple sessions at Harpoon (Imperial red/Imperial IPA Leviathon Series), and LongTrail (seen the buffalo mount?). LongTrail's got a great brewery, including a self- guided tour, and fantastic beer obviously, whilst Harpoon (you had to be there at some point I am sure) has a great beer line up. What I loved about Harpoon, was that in Boston you get free tours with as many of the beers and ciders etc to try from good size tasters in a reasonable amount of time (30 mins or so) which meant sampling some interesting one- off brews and stumbling home (by stumbling I mean crawling). In Vermont, you get a tasting paddle of 5 or 6 glasses, nice sized samples, and all free....just rock up to the counter and ask for one. 

Even in a smallish supermarket in Manhattan I found 40 or 50 different microbrews at very reasonable prices (everything else in the supermarket was ridiculously priced. The beers were great 32 floors up on the rooftop.

The excise dropping would lead to an American- type 'renaissance' in terms of micros opening up. Even with the current overtaxing, people are still giving it a good do.

R


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## matthendry (25/2/11)

We are totally spoilt for choice I was drinking Delirium Tremmens just before Christmas from the local Craft beer store @ $8 for a 750ml bottle, that beer is very deceptive 

http://www.starnoldsvt.com/

And Sam Caliglone from Dogfish Head has his own show on the Discovery Channel ,

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/brew-masters/

I wonder if Chuck Hahn will ever get a TV show !\

No wonder so many Aussies homebrew !


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## bradsbrew (25/2/11)

Hargie said:


> ...at the end of the day they are celebrating not being English...



:lol: . That is so much better than the reply I was thinking of. Gold. 
Speaking of truck drivers, should have seen the crack hanging out of the towie loading his tray on the way to work this morning, not a good site for the on coming traffic. Put me off my breakfast. Bet he drinks xxxx gold too.


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## mje1980 (25/2/11)

waggastew said:


> What a bummer about Brisvegas and QLD! Any thoughts as to why its not doing the crafty beer thing? Too many Victorian retirees drinking Toohey's Gold Can 30 packs? Too much nice weather where the thought of slaving over a hot mash tun is unpalatable? *Too busy training up future all-conquering State of Origin teams?*




That is a low low blow!!


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