I Dispair

[redunderthebed]

I went to my local liquorland against my better judgement (it was f*cking cold) to resist temptation to crack open my batch of stout in the cupboard (that is far far too young to drink) to buy some longnecks of coopers and for some reason i wanted to buy coopers dark ale quality drop just don't drink it that often. I walked up to the fridge there and f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck they had stopped stocking them and now i want it really bad.

Bought the stout which i'll enjoy but i'll get back to my point i could count on a farken frostbitten hand how many beers that weren't cheap swill (Tasman bitter (oh how boags have fallen my first taste of really good beer) hammer and tongs et al) ,bogan's idea of sophisticated beer (corona's heineken anything imported or sounds imported) and of course every 'Aussie' beer that lion Nathan and fosters sell in Australia on a mass basis.

How can a country that claims to be a beer drinking one that loves it beer consume en masse such shit beers. Yes good beer is out there but its largely restricted to bottlo's that cater to those who want high-end stuff coopers is a honorable exception.The best proof of this is go to an average suburban bottle shop and see what they have and its what the punters are drinking otherwise it disappears and i would imagine the only reason they stock coopers at my local bottlo is because i live in SA.

Ah well it has inspired me to make a batch of dark ale and avoid that dreary place as much as possible.

/rant over

 

[Snow]

Yes that is definitely a rant.

 

[redunderthebed]

Yes that is definitely a rant.

Sorry i just had to get it off my chest.

I need to take my mind off things with beer tbh. :icon_drunk:

 

[Snow]

:lol: Enjoy the stout. One of my faves.

Cheers - Snow.

 

[Murcluf]

<argument> Coles+Woolworths=Market Dictatorship </argument>

 

[redunderthebed]

<argument> Coles+Woolworths=Market Dictatorship </argument>

All Mainstream bottlo's are the same although independents have more leeway like ones in the CBD of our town stock beer that you would never see in a million years or at least not for many years.

 

[amiddler]

Gero is in that boat too red, with most of the bottle shops being franchised. The latest to open about a year ago had a great range for about 6 months but since then has gone back to mostly megaswill. Interesting thoe the mentioned bottle shop is having a Beer tasting session this Friday evening. Interesting to see what they put out for the tasting.

 

[gwozniak]

If you're in any of the capital cities you're bound to find a specialist beer shop that will knock your socks off. But you still have to put up with the beer being in transport for a while and having lost some of it's charm if it's imported (as most good beer is). Support the local craft brewers. That's the only way to get decent and fresh beer on our soils.

 

[batemanbrewer]

The best proof of this is go to an average suburban bottle shop and see what they have and its what the punters are drinking.

Well that's probably how they make money.

 

[bconnery]

<argument> Coles+Woolworths=Market Dictatorship </argument>

Murcluf is right. Basically unless you shop at somewhere small and independent, or large and independent, you are buying from Coles and Woolies.
Even places with a slightly better range, First Choice, Dan Murphy's, Vintage Cellars, all owned by the big two...

I try to do most of my buying from a couple of places here in Brisbane but sometimes Dan's and Vintage Cellar's particularly are the only places that have something from certain breweries.

 

[bum]

Support the local craft brewers. That's the only way to get decent and fresh beer on our soils.

Bullshit. The worst offenders of infected or mishandled beers have been Aussie micros in my experience - by a long shot.

Not suggesting for a second the first sentence is wrong. It is only in the quote for context.

Even if the quote was true I don't see how that helps anyone when these beers are not readily available to all.

[EDIT: I just realised something - in my recent trip to the states I had what must have been over 50 different bottle conditioned beers and not one single gusher/near gusher. Christ, I can't do that in 10 beers here.]

 

[dabre4]

Next time your there, give cascade stout a go. Surprisingly pretty dam tasty beer.

 

[Pennywise]

[EDIT: I just realised something - in my recent trip to the states I had what must have been over 50 different bottle conditioned beers and not one single gusher/near gusher. Christ, I can't do that in 10 beers here.]

Either you're one unlucky bloke or I'm extremly lucky, I've never had any gushers from the 100's of imported botlles of beer I've bought. Have had a handful that tasted like cardboard or skunking though.

 

[bum]

I've never had any gushers from the 100's of imported botlles of beer I've bought.

That is my (poorly expressed) point. The beers I'm referring to are locals. I've had only a handful of imports do this.

 

[Pennywise]

That is my (poorly expressed) point. The beers I'm referring to are locals. I've had only a handful of imports do this.

Ahh, I mis read your post

 

[HoppingMad]

I just realised something - in my recent trip to the states I had what must have been over 50 different bottle conditioned beers and not one single gusher/near gusher. Christ, I can't do that in 10 beers here.]

Actually got a gushers on several bottles of Little Creatures Rogers the other day a beer which I normally love. I thought that was appalling for such a well respected brewery. Must have been old - very little hop presence at all compared to what I'm used to from them. I guess it doesn't just happen to little micros - it can even happen to InBev Lion Nathan majority owned mega brewers pretending to be little ones .

Back to the topic - I've found the Dark and even the Mild Coopers at Dan Murphys. But I despair when I go to any Woolworths Safeway in Vic. You simply can't find the Stout half the time. So consider yourself lucky you got to go home with a bottle of the Black!

Hopper.

 

[Bribie G]

Liquorland are just lowest common denominator for the VB swillers - BWS seems to have a slightly better range hereabouts. But as pointed out to get a good range you either have to go to a small specialist independant or a very large mega such as Ist choice or Dans. I actually live 200 metres away from a larger Liquorland here on the Island and our street even has a little walkway right into the complex, but the only commercial beers I buy (apart from Coopers Sparkling Longnecks for the bottles and the yeast) I go to Ist choice, sixty K round trip from here or Dans eighty k round trip.

 

[petesbrew]

Liquorland are just lowest common denominator for the VB swillers - BWS seems to have a slightly better range hereabouts. But as pointed out to get a good range you either have to go to a small specialist independant or a very large mega such as Ist choice or Dans. I actually live 200 metres away from a larger Liquorland here on the Island and our street even has a little walkway right into the complex, but the only commercial beers I buy (apart from Coopers Sparkling Longnecks for the bottles and the yeast) I go to Ist choice, sixty K round trip from here or Dans eighty k round trip.

I found a few months back that the "Little Bottler" outlet near me has an impressive range of imports.
I grabbed a sixpack of Hoffbrau Oktoberfest. (Damn it's nice)
Just a matter of trying out different bottlo's untill you find a good one.

Also definitely worth checking on those $40 Eruo-slabs if it's Brewed here (BUL) or imported.

 

[Snow]

If you're in any of the capital cities you're bound to find a specialist beer shop that will knock your socks off. But you still have to put up with the beer being in transport for a while and having lost some of it's charm if it's imported (as most good beer is). Support the local craft brewers. That's the only way to get decent and fresh beer on our soils.

That's fine if you have a local craftbrewer that bottles their product. Brisbane has nothing (although the Brewhouse is on the cusp). Duke from Burleigh is the closest and there are constant consistency issues with quality.

 

[fnqbrew]

How can a country that claims to be a beer drinking one that loves it beer consume en masse such shit beers. Yes good beer is out there but its largely restricted to bottlo's that cater to those who want high-end stuff coopers is a honorable exception.The best proof of this is go to an average suburban bottle shop and see what they have and its what the punters are drinking otherwise it disappears and i would imagine the only reason they stock coopers at my local bottlo is because i live in SA.

I have a confession to make - I was a swill drinker until 1) I decided to brew my own, and 2) I found AHB. In reading AHB to find out how to make a decent brew, I've learned about different styles, and some of what happens to make beers taste the way they do. It inspired me to really -taste- the beer I was drinking, not just drink it. APAs and IPAs are my favourite styles, so I've been doing some research. I've tried nearly a dozen different brands over the last couple of weeks (and a couple of Porters too) and taking a few notes along the way. Tonight, I cracked a tallie of Coopers Pale Ale, my favourite beer for years. Wow, I can't believe how uninteresting it actually is. I never really understood before. :blink:

The only thing I can put the masses drinking mega swill down to is sheer ignorance. The wool has been pulled from my eyes, and I doubt I'll ever be able to go back. I think the onus falls on all of us to help save the others. :icon_cheers:


I've organised for my work's social club outing to be at Blue Sky Brewery tomorrow night. They've just won some awards for some of their brews, so I want to try them while the same batches are available. Biggest list of RSVPs we've had all year. :icon_drunk: