Doctor's Orders Brewing

I've just finished a story on Doctor's Orders Brewing which will get published on Brew News in the next few days. I'm really excited to publish it and have people read it.

I think the coolest thing about people like the Doc is that his success isn't a whiz bang overnight type of thing. He's been working at it for years and in the process he has given so much to craft beer, so freely. He started Ale Stars, he was one of the first members of Aussie Home Brewer.

It so important that craft beer isn't a fly by night category trend. It's a life long love affair with beer and Darren really illustrates that well. I'll link to the article as soon as it's up.

British Beers

I love a good British ale. Sitting in a pub with a wooden bar for a few hours, sinking pints of mild ales, ESB and brown ales, is a past time I don't intend on giving up any time soon. Noting the difference between a cask poured IPA to it's draught brother is a learning experience that you can't come upon in any other way.

The British invented many of the styles that have been popularised by the American craft beer movement and have been distorted to create the huge, flavoursome beers that dominate the high end of the market.

So understanding British styles, should be a mandate for any enthusiastic craft beer drinker. If you find yourself in this category, I would suggest checking out this guide to British Styles put together by Serious Eats. It's a little beginner, but may be of interest to anyone who doesn't know much about the origin of styles.

Nicest Friends in the World

I don't know of anyone quite this generous.

Coming soon.. please help

I'm struggling with writing all my posts recently, but I'm back and going to try to do one post per week minimum. BUT I NEED YOUR HELP.

I have a bunch of posts planned but I don't know what to do first, so I want you guys to tell me what you are most interested in, then I will write about it.

Here's the options:
- A wrap up of my recent USA trip which includes a visit to Seattle, Portland, The City, San Diego and LA.
- A review of the L2 Beer Industry Digital IQ report
- How to be little; rough digital ideas for tiny breweries (I intend on publishing usable strategies that could easily be implemented and will make profit)
- Micro brewing is not a Trend; an article on why Marketers need to stop calling craft beer a trend and see the bigger picture.
- Beer Tweets; why twitter is more important for craft brewers than any other channel.

That's it. Hopefully I can get each of these articles done in the next couple of weeks, if you really want to see one of them, just leave a comment below.

Vic on the Park & The Projects, Beer & Cider Festival

Small is the new big, or something along these lines. That's what the people are saying. The back of the previously shabby Vic on the Park is a fairly small space and not very inspiring for the likes of a beer festival. So it's a surprised and a joy to see the area nicely filled with a beer sipping community on a fine sunny Saturday in March.

The car park/basketball court translated nicely into this micro festival, with about 7 tents lining the back wall and the beer garden providing the shade.
Each of the brewers (see below) brought around two beers (in some cases a beer and a cider), with the exception of 4 Pines who brought all of their beers and Mountain Goat who snuck in a few seasonal beers to keep the regulars happy.

There wasn't much new or exclusive on offer, but I don't think it was a negative. While bigger beer festivals tend to get a lot of press, little events like this are what make the beer community grow. Of the 300 plus people who were at the event, only a few were familiar faces. The rest were locals who, maybe for the first time, were getting into and having a conversation about craft beer.

Beer highlights for me was the very crisp and roasty Pinchgut BLK PLZ, a beer that nicely handles the trend of making black versions of traditional beer styles. It retained the dryness and crisp smack of the pilsner while just letting on a nice little coffe aftertaste.
Other Beer highlight would be the Mountain Goat Rare Breed Before The Dawn Black IPA, another blackened up style, this time the IPA was a bit more powerful than the pilsner. Floral, citrus aroma, IPA body but then a big hit of roasted malts that combine with the hops gave a dark berry finish.

Hopefully the Vic and The Projects continue to do more events like this, but maybe, with a little less cider. For photos of the event try The Vic & The Projects facebook pages.

One Month of Sobriety

I decided to stay off the beers for the whole of Feb. As a beer lover and sometimes blogger it seems like a pretty strange choice but I had a few of personal reasons and February is a great month, maybe its the clean four weeks  maybe it's the last month of summer. For whatever reason I have stayed completely sober for the whole of Feb and in under three hours I will have done twenty eight days of no drinking.

More interesting than the why, is the what I learned. Here are a few out takes from what I learned from having a full month off drinking:

1. Alcohol isn't good for you. When they say 'what's your poison' they mean it, alcohol can poison you. That doesn't mean you shouldn't drink it or you should stop forever. It just means you should be aware of how much you're taking in, not just in alcohol, but in energy and excessive consumption.
2. Taking a break is healthy! It seems like the logical counter point to the first point. When you stop drinking, your body changes. I've noticed I don't get as fatigued when I exercise and that I've been eating less. It's good, I've even lost a little weight. People say that beer isn't the reason for beer bellies. This is true, but beer and alcohol in general does have effect on your overall health. 
3. You don't need to drink, especially if it sucks. Why do we drink bad beer when it's the only one available? Its senseless, aside from getting drunk, all drinking bad beer does for me is make me angry and make me fat. I'm angry enough about bad beer without drinking it and I don't need to get any fatter, I hate myself enough already.
4. Drinking is not a stress relief. I had a few fairly stressful days in Feb. My first instinct was to drink, but when I resisted I learnt something. It's much easier to deal with a problem if you keep your head clear and deal with it front on. Drinking is a great avoidance technic, but it doesn't solve anything, which sounds like something someone says at a horrible conference on success, but it's true and its easy to forgot when you are feeling a little hot headed.
5. Drinking great beer RULES. By far the hardest moment I had during my month off was when my Beer Masons pack arrived. Looking at all those taste delights made me remember what I loved most about beer. Enjoying one or two super delicious, complex, interesting beers is something I will always love.
6. Its not hard. You just stop. You set a date to start and a date you want to reach. Not doing something is about the easiest thing you can do. It also saves you money, it cleans your liver out and you feel good for it. 

I have no regrets about my little jaunt into sobriety. I don't intend on quitting alcohol full time any time soon, but I have given myself some perspective on the role that it plays in my life. I want to reduce how much beer I drink and focus on quality, drinking unique beers that are new, tasty and enjoyable.

So, with that aside, now on to the hard choice of deciding on my first beer for March. Tell me in the comments which one you think I should tuck into. I'll write a review here as well.

Result

So, after the last post, the results are in.

We will be getting Little Creatures Bright Ale and 4 Pines Kolsch for the next few months, and then swapping up real soon.

Keep comments rolling in if you have suggestions and ask your friends too. I think it's a really interesting discussion point. I might even do a poll at a later date.

What's the best craft beer for easy drinking in Australia?