Argentina, the craft beer scene is around, but you have to dig for it!

So think food and drinks of Argentina, you think steak and red wine, and to be honest, that is a fair view of the scene here (apart from in patagonia where it would be lamb). 

The beer scene here isn't so good, but before I talk about it I wanted to share this picture- 

The relevance is around the size of the bottle of beer, here in Argentina, beer is generally served from a bottle and in 1 litre size. The point of this is to share with friends, and I really like the concept, I watched many groups, couples, families order a beer, drink from coffee cup sized glasses and sit and talk - so sociable and really cool.

Quilmes is the famous beer and is terrible, the most common is 'cristal' and it's like bad flavoured water. Bock is also quite common. Most places have a wide range of beers on their menu but often don't stock them. "No tengo cervesa x" (I don't have that beer) was the most common phrase I heard - to start with I thought the bar maid was asking me to dance!!!

Because the beer is so bad, brew houses are becoming more popular, in Palermo in Beunos Aires there was a great one on Ave Paraguay and in El Chaltran and El Calafate (both v small towns in the south of the country) they had great German style brew bars (there were a lot of German settlers here after World War One). Below is a few pictures of the beer house in El Calafate-

I was drinking the IPA, it was a bit to bitterly hoppy at the end so I switched to the golden ale and that was great.

But the real star was these two below (bought from a store on the way home) the Otto Mundo Golden Ale and the Antares Kolsch. The golden was so easy drinking it was scary and the Kolsch had a lovely smooth crisp taste to it. As you can see, a beer froma store cost $3 due to the blue market (they offer double the amount for US dollars than the official rate).

If you get the chance, try the Calafate Beer. Calafate in Spanish means blueberry and the town is named after the blueberry bush which is very common there. Calafate beer is blueberry beer! It is a IPA with bluebeeries added to it. It is nice but the sweet finish means you can only have one or two at a time.

Overall, the craft beer scene is very small and tricky to find, maybe do what I have done and buy a few beers from a store to taste and head to brew houses for good beer, otherwise stick to the amazing red wine!

Neil

Hopscotch, Canberra

So we had a night out in Braddon, the newest hipster area of Canberra and we started the night in Hopscotch on Lonsdale Street.

You can tell it is a new joint, and there is a real buzz about this place. As you walk past the courtyard and into the place it is obvious that this is a "hip" crowd which is unusual for a place that promotes its crafty beers on tap!  

Some brave people sitting outside in the Canberra winter...

It is a mix of groups, couples, a bit of everything really which makes this a cool vibe.

The place has been really well designed and the paintings etc give it a cool American, NYC warehouse sort of a look and the mix of people drinking and eating carries on this "is it a bar, is it a bistro?" American sort of a feel.

As you walk up to the bar, the line up of whiskies is impressive and the 3 craft beers on tap is written on the blackboards. Ignore the 2 on the left, Carlton and Peroni, they aren't very crafty.

Whisky or Craft beer, my sort of a bar.

I ended up drinking the Illawarra Pale Ale, man it is a great beer. I would rank this as one of the best Pale Ales available. It is typical of Illawarra Brewing CO - a full flavoured beer. It is quite dark for a Pale Ale, small head, which does disappear very quickly. The nose doesn't do the citrus flavours justice and the taste was a [very good] surprise. Probably the biggest compliment I can pay this beer is that I normally jump around, trying different beers etc, but I stayed on this beer as it was so good. I still haven't visited the brewhouse, but it is on the list.

A pint of Illawarra Pale Ale, happy days!

I picked this bar as I thought it would be cool and also because I wanted to see what craft beers they had on tap, but it was that cool a place, my wife thought I chose it because she would like it. That's the best way to think of this place - its a great venue for guys and a great venue for girls, no compromise... great work! 

The clever captions above the TV "Sport ->" etc, it is just a well designed and executed bar

It is a shame for the Aussies that were watching the TV, they watched their team being smashed by the All Blacks... oh well, the world cup is next year...

"Hopscotch" I think that's what this place is called...

We didn't order any food, as we were booked into eightysix just up the road, but it loked impressive and when I wandered past the kitchen, the BBQ pit looked awesome. So good, all vegetarians should have to watch this and really test their resolve...  

Nice touch - this place has been well designed...

Crafty Beer in Chile!

When you think about South American beer, I am sure you are like me in thinking Light lager, like that from Mexico (yes I know it is Central America opposed to South) or Brazil. Well Chile definitely doesn't fit that mold! With a history of British (costal shipping towns) and German (Southern farming areas) the range of beers, ales and the like are so impressive!

So the way it works is that there are a number of bars but also a number of coffee shops turn into beer bars (I.e. All they sell is beer) like the pictures below- 

But in Valparisio we found a brew bar selling an Irish red, an American pale ale, a porter and a lager. I have a real soft spot for American Pale Ales so I tried that, it was nice, but the aroma from the hops wasn't very strong and it did lack that fruity hit you find from a APA, when chatting to the bar man in a mixture of Scottish, English and Spanish the hops were grew in Chile which may explain the difference. 

Back in the hotel I drank a few of these, yes it is called "Kunstmann" but it is actually Chilean (from the south where a large German settlement occurred after WW1 and it was a mix of a larger and a pale ale, I would say more of a big flavoured lager, but very enjoyable... 

Overall, what a great surprise to find great beers in such a great country - great wine, great beer, great seafood - it sounds just like Aus! I can't wait to come back here...

Wig and Pen, Canberra

So the wife and I had a weekend in Canberra, and we basically eat and drank out way through the place, then on the drive home stopped into a few vineyards to complete the weekend. Between the 'beenhunter' app for cafes and brunches, and 'now tapped' app for beers you will be sorted on where to go (and James Halliday 'wine companion' website for the vineyards on the way back to Sydney). I think they have other things there like a Parliament etc, but I am not too sure. :)

Anyway, our first stop had to be the +Wig&Pen Pub as this brewhouse is a Canberra institution. 

The pub is modelled in an English style pub and it is done quite well - my English wife thought it reminded her of a few of the pubs where she grew up. Personally, I am not to sure of the fascination with themed bars - British styles, German etc, to me the attraction of this place is that it is a brew house, and a damn fine one at that opposed to it looking "a bit British". Well, each to one's own. The front of the bar was full but we managed to grab a seat up the back - there was a surprising amount of seats there, it is bigger than you think when walking in... So if it looks busy, still have a wander in.

This picture could of been taken in many places in the middle of England...

They have the "English style pub" done pretty well. 

Theres a glimpse of the tanks, or tank, I am not a master brewer...

I started with a pint of pale ale; it is an American style Pale Ale, the hops give it a nice citrus taste and light smell, and the body is very light as well. It does have a bit of an after-taste, a bit bitter which was unexpected, but worked well with the sweeter upfront taste. A good beer to get a feel of this place. I would normally really like this sort of beer, but for whatever reason, it was a bit too light for me (I will blame the weather and the rain). So I moved onto a new beer, and I made a mistake, I saw the IPA and went for it, but it is an English style IPA - why didn't I chat to the barman beforehand...? To compound this, the girl who ordered after me was looking for a recommendation on a beer and the staff talked her through the options.... Silly Neil!

Look, if you like an English IPA, in its truest style, with more malty flavours opposed to hoppy tastes (like American / Australian IPA), poured from a handpump and more golden colour, you will enjoy this. I will say one thing - the head stayed the entire time, from my little knowledge of an English IPA, that is a great sign.

A pint of the Pale Ale

This is the IPA "Brewers IPA"

Overall, a great venue, that you can tell is just full of locals who love this place, and what's not to love? 

Ekim Brewery - After Battle Pale Ale

I don't normally post about a particular beer, it's normally a mix of the pub and the beer that I drank... but the After Battle Pale Ale is such a special drink, I really feel the need to post about this beer.

What started with a scooner, quickly...

became a pint of this fine beer at the Quarrymans in Pyrmont

So it was a quick drink after work and I am having a real American Pale Ale phase - I don't know if it because I have a bit of a cold so I am looking for bigger flavoured beers but whatever the reason, drinking the Ekim After Battle Pale Ale was fantastic - it certainly destressed my day!

As you can see from the pictures, it is a golden coloured beer, decent body to it but not too heavy, and a huge citrusy passionfruit smell to it - honestly one of the nicest smelling beers I can think off... On Ekim's website (http://www.ekimbrewing.com.au/Ekim_Brewing/Beers_files/After%20Battle%20Pale%20Ale%20tasting%20notes%202014.pdf) it talks about a bitter finish, but I didn't find that to be honest, it was a more crisp, almost lager, finish with a hint of sourness there but not bitter.

Hmm beer... 

I have only recently come across Ekim, and I will definitely be on the look out for any of their beers in the future! [see my post on the Royal Albert where I tried their IPA] Great work guys...

Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills

So last night was the second time I have organised to come here (+Royal Albert Hotel).  I think that you need to come a few times to get a feel of a place [especially if you going to blog about it]. 

The thing is, I still haven't made up my mind about this place... Half of me loves the place and wishes I lived / worked beside here to wander on in and become a regular here, but the other half thinks "nah, this joint isn't for me". The reason for not liking the place is the service, for me a craft beer place is all about asking the bar staff for advice. I haven't heard of half the beers, brewers etc so I want them to tell me about it. When I asked about the 2 bird Sunset Ale, the reply I got was "its an American style Red Ale", well gee, I can read that too thanks. Then when I came back the second time to ask about the Feral White beer, the reply was "its less hoppy than the Feral Hop Hog" so that's two different visits, with 2 different staff members and the same level of engagement. Actually, only when I went back to my table to google Feral White did I find out about it (read below, it's awesome). What is the point of being a crafty joint (i.e. unusual, often unknown beers), if the staff are as useful as an ice machine to an eskimo? Rant over, now let me tell you why the other half of me loves the place...

I should of taken this photo at the start of the night opposed to at the end..

So their slogan of "a craft little corner joint" could not be more accurate. Both times I have been here the range of beers on tap has been fantastic, and on both occasions there have been a few that I haven't heard of before, never mind drank... 

Its true - it is crafty, what a range, and its always changing; the best way to find new craft beers...drink em!!

A view from outside... 

It is a small corner joint place, with  more seating up the back

Tap takeovers seem to be the rage in Sydney just now...

The food menu has 4 different type of hot dogs, yes 4 I tell you. I had the chilli dog, it was good. It's a small menu, ideal for a small pub, but I like that and it is not the usual "fish and chips"... Great work...
  

Hmmm, burgers and hot dogs... great bar food...

Did I also mention that the range of beers was really diverse, and from a wide range of micro breweries? Yes? well it is worth reiterating the point, their beer list is really interesting. 

The music was a 80s electro vibe thing, and, it works in that it adds to the atmosphere of the place and concept the pub is trying to create - it is not for the usual suits after work jugs of beer or people that are "Hi, I am looking for the next new cool pub to tag on Facebook" and that works for me; this is a pub that knows what it is, what it wants to be and just is it...

So the first time I was here, I tried the sunset ale by 2 birds, well to me, it still is a very English style beer - malty, flat(-ish) with a smooth small head. Not for me. 

This time around, I started with a few Ekim IPAs - I sort of fell in love with the Ekim brand (http://www.ekimbrewing.com.au/Ekim_Brewing/Beers.html) after a few of their After Battle Pale Ale, but while I loved the IPA, I think it maybe left a bit too much bitterness in the after taste for me. It is a more straight up IPA style, with a medium body and a small head. It's a solid drink and I would happily drink it again but only if I couldn't get my hands on their Pale Ale. That is a monster of a beer (actually, I should probably say it is a "Viking" of a beer, actually it should be called "Odin" after the Viking god it is that good a beer).

So next I headed onto 2 birds Taco beer (http://www.twobirdsbrewing.com.au/our-beers/). I don't really know how to describe it, one sniff of it tells you why they called it that - think of a veg taco while drinking a Corona in a field and that's the smell you get and the taste is somewhere between a light summer ale and a lager. Really different and thats really cool. Beer, especially craft beer, shouldn't taste generic, and this sure is a unique beer. I had two of these, and that was about my limit, it was awesome but you wouldn't want to drink it all night. If you read the reviews on ratebeer.com you see what I mean - people love it or hate it. I am a fan.

Then I finished the night with a few of the Feral White. They advertise this as a true  Belgian style beer (http://www.feralbrewing.com.au/our-beer/) and they are so on the mark with this. It reminds you of peaches and stone fruit and the colour of the body is white / blonde. It really is a fantastic beer. I was concerned that it must of been a 6%-er of a beer but after some research (and to my relief) it is 4.6% which means you can stay on this beer for quite a while. 

Feral White - A fantastic Belgian white beer.

The beer is meant to go on top of the beer matt... 

So overall, great beer selection, good food and a good vibe to this place makes you happily meet up with friends here but if you are looking to take people new to craft beer, choose the Dove & Olive  or Bitter Phew up the road as the staff will engage you a bit more.