Take one down
As I had last night all to myself, I decided to check out the Victorian Microbreweries Showcase at Federation Square. At $20 for 20 samples of the beer on offer, it really was fantastic value. Even moreso because the stall owners kept forgetting to ask for a ticket after filling my glass.
Even though it’s the middle of winter, and I should be drinking heavier (and hoppier) brews such as lagers, I still can’t go past a good ale.
Highlights were the Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company’s Hefeweizen, the Mildura Brewery’s Storm (a cloudy ale) and Red Hill Brewery’s Scotch Ale. Also top marks to the Bridge Road Brewery’s Australian Ale and the purple-haired German bar girl who correctly guessed the location of my grade six camp: The Old Priory.
I have to mention my favourite brewhouse of the moment, Mountain Goat. I’ve tried all their beers before, the Hightail, the Pale and the IPA, but I’ve been very reluctant to try the Surefoot Stout. In the spirit of the evening I handed over a ticket and gave it a go. The deep oaky colouring of it wasn’t very appealing, but I was surprised by just how good it was. In fact I was impressed with just about every beer I tried there. Barring a few bevvies like the 3 Ravens Brewing Company’s Black. But like I said earlier I was there for the ales and I enjoyed those immensely. And that’s not just the booze talking.
Interesting postscript time: When I left I grabbed a cup of water off a table just outside the door, guarded by an incredibly bored looking blonde girl. It was only after seeing the look on the girl’s face, and the bags stacked behind her, that I figured out the table was a refreshment stand for some sort of marathon. Why they thought putting a table full of water outside a beer expo was a good idea I’ll never understand.
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