# Vic Mirco Breweroes Showcase - Fed Square Tonight!



## Fents (18/10/07)

I cant belive this has just popped up again...and its on tonight.........wtf?


Victorian Microbreweries Showcase 

Explore and taste the amazing variety of fresh, full flavoured beers made locally by Victoria's leading boutique and microbreweries - right in the heart of the city at Fed Square. 
Featuring microbreweries from all over Melbourne and Victoria, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet the brewers and discover the secrets of the state's great beers. 

Where: The Atrium @ Fed Square 

When: 17th & 18th October 2007 

Time: 4.30pm - 8.00pm 

Cost: Tasting tickets $25 (plus $2 deposit) -includes 20 tastings (60ml) and $5 food voucher 

Microbreweries participating in the October showcase include: 

Matilda Bay 
Mountain Goat Brewery 
Temple Brewing Company 
The 3 Ravens Brewing Co. 
Bridge Road Brewery 
Buckley's Beers 
Grand Ridge Brewery 
Hargreave's Hill Brewing Company 
Holgate Brewhouse 
Jamieson Brewery 
Mildura Brewery 
Red Duck 
What's Brewing Co.


I went to the last one and im sure it was only in June or July this year? hmmm

So who's game ? i really enjoyed it last time byt its a bit last minute to organise my shit now.


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## RobW (18/10/07)

I went yesterday and it was pretty quiet but I expect they'll get a few more along tonight.
Give yourself plenty of time - they turned the taps off shortly after 8 last night and we still had a handfull of tickets <_<


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## SpillsMostOfIt (18/10/07)

So, if (hypothetically), one swiped a glass and still had tasting tickets from the last showcase...

Don't forget there will be a showcase of some of Victoria's smallest breweries on November 24 in Collingwood!


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## RobW (18/10/07)

Yep - $2 deposit for a glass & tell them you've got tix leftover from last night - they were happy for people to come back.


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## Cummins (18/10/07)

Yep, I think i'll wait til the 24th. This ones a bit pricey!

...and how did you not drink 1.2 litres of beer in 3.5 hours?


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## DarkFaerytale (19/10/07)

sorry guys i should have posted about it earlier to let everyone know, i get an e-mail from fed square a couple weeks befor the microbrew showcase comes up. 

didn't bother going this time around, they jacked the price up 5 bucks and there's never anything new there. someone start a new micro please, so we can get rid of that god awfull grand ridge stuff


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## SpillsMostOfIt (19/10/07)

Doesn't the extra five dollars cover the 'five dollar food voucher'?

They weren't asking for a glass deposit at the one I went to - perhaps too many people were walking away with the glasses...


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## RobW (19/10/07)

Cummins said:


> Yep, I think i'll wait til the 24th. This ones a bit pricey!
> 
> ...and how did you not drink 1.2 litres of beer in 3.5 hours?



Cos it was only 1 1/2 hrs <_< and we were yacking away and suddenly it's 5 to 8
Still it was enough to get through the ones I wanted to try.


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## DarkFaerytale (19/10/07)

SpillsMostOfIt said:


> Doesn't the extra five dollars cover the 'five dollar food voucher'?
> 
> They weren't asking for a glass deposit at the one I went to - perhaps too many people were walking away with the glasses...



yeah it does but last time i ate at that place 5 bucks wouldn't even get you a sausage and a peice of bread

dam those glass stealers! *closes the doors on his bar so no one can see all the small glasses*

-Phill


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## Hutch (19/10/07)

DarkFaerytale said:


> someone start a new micro please, so we can get rid of that god awfull grand ridge stuff


 :lol: I second that. 
I gave them the benefit of the doubt and bought some more beers last week to see if they'd got their sh1t together.
They haven't.
How the feck can they claim to have won all that silverware with the crap they put in a bottle?
Well, unfortunately someone's obviously buying the stuff, keeping them in business.
Rant over.


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## SpillsMostOfIt (19/10/07)

DarkFaerytale said:


> yeah it does but last time i ate at that place 5 bucks wouldn't even get you a sausage and a peice of bread



Hmmmm... *thinks* ... What if a Saturday Bunnings Sausage in Bread cost you five dollars and you got a tumbler of home brew as a gift? I think it is the *one* thing that is missing from the Bunnings experience. B)


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## Adzmax (19/10/07)

I agree also, my old man was given some Grand Ridge and I thought hey, it's got to be ok with all those medals. Nope, it's bloody awful! 

With regards to the glass's, I thought we were given them, oops! :huh:


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## andreic (19/10/07)

geez, how often do they do this? This must be the 3rd time this year... too late notice for me this time.

I'll go to the next one in Feb or March...

Andrei


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## jonbob (19/10/07)

DarkFaerytale said:


> sorry guys i should have posted about it earlier to let everyone know, i get an e-mail from fed square a couple weeks befor the microbrew showcase comes up.
> 
> didn't bother going this time around, they jacked the price up 5 bucks and there's never anything new there. someone start a new micro please, so we can get rid of that god awfull grand ridge stuff



http://www.otwayestate.com.au/beer.htm

If you see some of these give them a go, I've had the Otway Ale and their white beer, I liked them both mind you, I'm not very fussy, I'll even drink Carlton Draught if someone else is paying


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## etbandit (23/10/07)

SpillsMostOfIt said:


> Don't forget there will be a showcase of some of Victoria's smallest breweries on November 24 in Collingwood!



Spills,

Any details of the smallest breweries in collingwood on Nov 24th? 

Who are the breweries, and what's the event? 

Is there a website?

Cheers.


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## apd (23/10/07)

He's talking about the Vic Christmas Swap with tongue in cheek.

Andrew


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## SpillsMostOfIt (23/10/07)

apd said:


> He's talking about the Vic Christmas Swap with tongue in cheek.
> 
> Andrew




Yes. It was a joke. Sorry, I'm not very good at them...


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (26/2/08)

I see this is on again tomorrow and Thursday night.
Is it worth attending? I might be able to make it for the Thursday session for a couple of hours.

C&B
TDA


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## Thirsty Boy (26/2/08)

I go every second or third time they have it on, just because its a chance to meet some beer lovers and , maybe try one or two new beers.....

If you haven't been on a quest for the last couple of years like me, and haven't pretty much tasted all the beers from all the Vic micros.. then its much better. You'll get to try a fair few new beers. There will be some great ones, and you will also learn that just having the balls and the money to set-up up or buy a microbrewery..... doesn't mean you can make good beer. Its a learning experience either way.

I recommend the Wednesday instead of the Thursday, and get there at right on 4:30 or even a little earlier. When its not so busy you get a chance to have a chat to the brewers, and you don't have to shoulder your way through throngs of the great unwashed.

I'll be there on Wednesday right at start time, along with Mrs Thirsty, Spillsmostofit and maybe a couple of others. Come along for a beer or 15

Cheers

Thirsty


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## Quintrex (26/2/08)

I haven't been yet, but hoping to make it Thursday night!

We need AHB badges 

Q


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## Fourstar (26/2/08)

Thirsty Boy said:


> I'll be there on Wednesday right at start time, along with Mrs Thirsty, Spillsmostofit and maybe a couple of others. Come along for a beer or 15
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Thirsty



see you there thirsty!


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (26/2/08)

Thirsty Boy said:


> I recommend the Wednesday instead of the Thursday, and get there at right on 4:30 or even a little earlier. When its not so busy you get a chance to have a chat to the brewers, and you don't have to shoulder your way through throngs of the great unwashed.
> 
> I'll be there on Wednesday right at start time, along with Mrs Thirsty, Spillsmostofit and maybe a couple of others. Come along for a beer or 15
> 
> ...



I wont be in Melbourne until Thursday so if I do go that is obviously the day. 
Thanks for the rundown TB :beer: 

C&B
TDA


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## chris.taylor.98 (26/2/08)

I'll be going Thursday with one or two others ... 

I'm not sure that missing Melbourne brewers homebrew club on Wednesday for the showcase would win me too many friends


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## Justin T (27/2/08)

I will be there tonight, and possibly tomorow night!


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (3/3/08)

Well what can I say  !

You Melbourne folk are extremely lucky to have this event a few times a year.

I went last Thursday and really enjoyed tasting so many beers I hadn't tried before. I went early and managed to talk to several brewers before crowd got too full on. I managed to try 23 different beers and left with a warm glow (and a stubbie of 3 Ravens Imperial Stout):lol: !

Highlights were 3 Ravens Dark and Uber Imperial Stout, Jamesions The Beast, Temple Saison and Bridge Road Pale.

I ran into Brennas Brews (may have the name a little wrong)who posts on AHB as well.

I can thoroughly recommend this event to anyone.

C&B
TDA


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## SpillsMostOfIt (3/3/08)

In my view, the two new 3Ravens beers were the BOS offerings.

I also think enough time has now passed for Thirsty Boy to regale the assembled audience with the story of our World of Chips experience...


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## Quintrex (3/3/08)

3 ravens 55 was the winner for my money.
Nice use of rye in a very sessionable APA

I missed out on their Imperial stout. any words on it spills?


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## SpillsMostOfIt (3/3/08)

Quintrex said:


> 3 ravens 55 was the winner for my money.
> Nice use of rye in a very sessionable APA
> 
> I missed out on their Imperial stout. any words on it spills?



The reason you missed out was because I drank it all. I had worked my way through about half my tasting tickets and used the rest of them all up on the UberBlack. They got the message and were *possibly* giving me a little more than was *strictly* required.


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## Fents (3/3/08)

SpillsMostOfIt said:


> I also think enough time has now passed for Thirsty Boy to regale the assembled audience with the story of our World of Chips experience...



Spill it spillsy.


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## Fourstar (3/3/08)

Fents said:


> Spill it spillsy.




Well, whilst i was mingling with ThirstyBoy. Spills decided to 'smashmostofit' and lose his $2 deposit on his tasting glass as it and what i think was 1/2 a uberstout went sailing to the floor into a million pieces!

After 20 tasting tickets im suprised my glass didnt follow the same fate!


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## Little_Squares (3/3/08)

I'm so jealous..... I used to go to Beertopia every year, until it changed to the Fed Square event. Looks like I'm really missing out now - so do spill all details. I may try to make it with Linz next year, after all I am SWMBO!


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## chris.taylor.98 (3/3/08)

I'd have to say that this was the best one I have been to so far.

Really impressed with 3 Ravins Ubber Stout and also enjoyed What's Brewings Hefewiezen, Temple Saison was another highlight.

Also glad to see that some of the really dodgy brewers did not make it back this time.


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## SpillsMostOfIt (3/3/08)

Fourstar said:


> Well, whilst i was mingling with ThirstyBoy. Spills decided to 'smashmostofit' and lose his $2 deposit on his tasting glass as it and what i think was 1/2 a uberstout went sailing to the floor into a million pieces!
> 
> After 20 tasting tickets im suprised my glass didnt follow the same fate!



I am very pleased to report that the glass that died did so completely empty.

I've only broken three glasses in my entire life. The first was in front of Here's Humphrey in the late 1960's when I learned that one should not bite such things. The second was when I was (basically) inebriated and I did not learn until the next day that I had done so and that it was some preposterously expensive Reidl or something. Last Wednesday was the third. I blame MrsMostOfIt.


But that's not the story!


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## Thirsty Boy (4/3/08)

The "story" has very little to do with beer and more to do with my poor choice of restaurants.

The Showcase was a good time, it was great to meet a couple of new beer geeks and catch up with Fourstar and his MrsStar again ( I first met them at a Food and Wine festival beer geek event last year)

Little Squares - The Vic Micro Showcase isn't a replacement for Beertopia (the demise of which I too lament) there are only Victorian Micro's represented and there isn't really any competition attached to the event apart from a fairly lame "Peoples Choice" form to fill in. On the bright side though it is held quite a bit more often than once a year, at least three or four times actually. Check out the Federation Square website Upcoming Events, roughly every quarter I think.

Back to the story... please feel free to ignore it as it's quite boring

1 - Micro showcase over, somewhat drunk, require food
2 - Drag 6 people to a Food and Wine Festival venue for "World of Chips" the humble potato chip as interpreted by 8 different nationalities at the World Restaurant and Bar in Southbank
3 - Have trouble finding said bar, drunk
4 - Arrive at bar
5 - Discover that the "world" part of the places name means they try to maintain an "International" theme, which seems to largely manifest itself in the form of employing as wait staff, a disorganised mob of backpackers with a limited ability to speak English.
6 - Informed eventually, that you need to pre-book for world of chips... despite the fact that there was a tray of "world of chips" menus sitting beside the front of house counter and how in buggery can they need you to pre-book for a menu that consists of 8 different items? what do they do? Pre-cook all eight and chuck away the seven you don't order? And its CHIPS for christ's sake!!!
7 - OK, so we order something else, and some drinks. After confirming several times that we didn't want Trumer Pils (which incidentally wasn't actually on the beer list) and pointing repeatedly at the Schwellmer pils (that _was_ on the list) we were presented with two icy cold glasses of Trumer Pils... it took a good 10minutes of conferencing between 3 waiters to have them taken back and eventually replaced with the correct beer
8 - Spills ordered the "special" which was sausages with eggs and some other interesting stuff... after the beer debacle he was especially vigilant to ensure that the waiter understood that he did not mean the normal menu item of Bangers and Mash. The waiter got it... or at least he seemed to, right up until a plate of Bangers and mash was delivered to the table. Upon complaint... we were informed by a (seemingly) more senior waiter, that the sausages with Eggs etc... was in fact exactly the same as the Bangers and Mash anyway....... their separateness on the menu & the complete lack of eggs in the one and mash in the other apparently being a misunderstanding on our part.
9- Horrendous soggy Spag Bol that was so obviously re-heated that the spaghetti wouldn't even twirl around the fork, Bangers and Mash weren't even good, Pizzas were OK

In conclusion... my ability to pick a restaurant for a group of people has been forever placed into a state of "suspicious" and I am less than pleased and slightly embarrased.

World Restaurant and Bar - ****1/2. The ideal place for a quick snack and a couple of beers while you work up the rage to finally kill them all. If however you aren't in the mood for a killing spree, avoid this place like the cesspit of poor food and abysmal service that it is. It's Melbourne people, there are a lot of GOOD places, this one deserves to wither on the vine.

Thirsty


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## SpillsMostOfIt (4/3/08)

... and to wind the whole thing up, upon leaving (which took a while because nobody wanted to come and take our money), they wanted to charge us (I think) $13.50 each for the Schwelmer Pils that were advertised as $8 each on the menu. It wasn't until the menu was presented to them and another internal consultation that we paid what was owing...

I wholeheartedly recommend World as a place to avoid like the plague. We had a good night though!

Edit to change tense to correctness...


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