Anyhoo, someone has certainly cut the brake cords from 2018’s wheels because we now find ourselves at Melbourne Good Beer Week’s doorstep once more.
Local readers: Doubtless you have already browsed through this year’s program (in paper, PDF or app form), circling with intent, fervour and excitement your preferred events. Many of you perhaps don’t need any further unsolicited advice from the likes of me. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to highlight five must-do #GBW18 experiences - in case the red pen (real or imaginary) is hovering over the page with the sort of indecision one encounters when ordering at the bar when the choice is delightfully overwhelming. Said indecision can of course be resolved with… a paddle.
International readers meanwhile may be curious as to what Good Beer Week has to offer. Let me tell you the organisers weren’t fibbing with their 2016 tagline: “Bigger than Xmas!”* With over 300 events and an anticipated 75,000 attendees Good Beer Week 2018 is set to be nothing short of a colossus. Indeed, there are many paddles one could sample during the course of the festival’s 10 day calendar.
So without any further messing about, here is the Blind Taste Test’s Ultimate Paddle of Good Beer Week Experiences for 2018 - in chronological order.
* Good Beer Week 2018’s theme is The Ultimate Mix. To that end I’ll even suggest some accompanying music to amp you up for the highlighted events.
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| The Good Beer Week Festival Hub @ Beer DeLuxe |
1. Pint of Origin
Weeklong
Various venues.
Daft Punk: “One More Time.”
Pint of Origin… Now that’s definitely a paddlin’! Get yourself sorted with membership to The Crafty Cabal and have Untappd as well as Uber at the ready, because you’ll be needing all three to make the most of this weeklong showcase of Australian and international craft beer.
As the name suggests, the breweries from one single region are set to descend upon the hallowed lines of one designated venue. Visitors to Melbourne would do well to head to The Terminus Hotel Fitzroy North for a chance to sample everything Melbourne metro’s breweries hve to offer. Meanwhile over at the Royston Hotel, Richmond, the pub that ignited Melbourne’s craft beer obsession hosts the state that is said to be the birthplace of Australian craft beer: Western Australia. Every state and some regions within Australia are represented across the city and beyond.
International breweries also get a look in. At Melbourne’s late night Forester’s Pub & Dining (open until 4am Fridays and Saturdays) the taps will be dedicated to New Zealand’s finest ales. Just up the road (or a few tram stops) Beermash will be showcasing brews from Scandinavia (did someone say Omnipollo?) And quite a few more tram stops away is Carwyn Cellars, who for the second year running is hosting Pint of Origin USA.
There will be ample chances to meet the faces behind the fermentation tanks at Crafty Pint brewers shouts throughout the week, as well as the opportunity to check out pubs you might not ordinarily visit week to week. In fact, this year event organisers have even made a point of highlighting venues south of the Yarra river. If you really want to sample BrewDog and other British rarities - and lord knows you do - you need no other excuse than to hop on the 96 tram and head for Freddie Wimpoles in St. Kilda.
So gather up your friends, devise a game plan and get those beery Spotify playlists ready to sing along to while annoying your Uber driver. Insert joke about not being stuck up PoO creek without a paddle here...
More info here.
Join the Crafty Cabal here (psst! - it soon pays for itself!)
2. Woods of the North
3 Ravens Brewery
Sunday 13 May 2018
1 Theobold St, Thornbury
Public transport: Train to Thornbury or route 86 tram to stop 40 and walk to station entrance
where there will be a shuttle service to the brewery.
John Lee Hooker: “One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer.”
What happens when six of Australia’s most creative breweries go head to head with six Australian pioneering artisanal distilleries, with a cider producer or two thrown in for good measure? Woods of the North, that’s what happens.
The lineup reads like a boutique metal or techno festival. 3 Ravens and Boatrocker have already garnered repute for their respective barrel-aged ales, while Sailors Grave and Hop Nation are up and coming new bloods in the field. Wildflower has meanwhile taken the scene by storm with its masterful creations using yeast sourced from NSW native plants. The list of breweries is headed up by the mighty Goose Island, the brewery that it could be said started it all (in modern craft beer aged on second-use wood terms) with its Bourbon County bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. For those who missed the bottle release late in 2017 this may be incentive enough to buy tickets alone, but let it not be forgotten our local breweries have built upon this legacy in a very big way. In so doing they have created marvellous concoctions including The Druid (3 Ravens), Roger Ramjet (Boatrocker) and St. Florence (Wildflower) to name but a few.
Each of these breweries will be pouring a beer each from their own cellar, and another fermented in, poured from an ex-Starward whiskey cask. And as if that’s not enough, Melbourne Moonshine, Starward, Hippocampus, Charles Oates, Cedar Fox and Co-op Pear Cider Brandy will also be in the house to showcase their wares for the perfect boilermaker.
Boilermakers have in recent years taken off in a big way in Melbourne. When the right whiskey is paired with the right beer hidden elements within each are revealed or certain elements are harmonised. For example, a saison matched to a rye whiskey is a spice-on-spice delight, with rye’s natural spicy character playing off the peppery phenols of saison in blissful harmony. Indeed, dark beers and dark spirits aren’t the only partners one could explore. At Woods of the North you are likely to encounter sour beers featured in any number of equations.
With a chance to meet and greet the craftsmen behind these wonderfully woody beverages, wood-fired barbecued delights and take home goodies, what more could you want?
Tickets.
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| Boatrocker's Ramjet Srarward BA imperial stout is perhaps Australia's most famous barrel-aged beer. Will it be among 3 Ravens' and Woods of the North's featured beers? |
3. Garage Project & Friends Masterclass “Afterparty”
Carwyn Cellars
Saturday 19 May 2018
877 High St, Thornbury
Public transport: Route 86 tram: Stop 41, or take the train to Thornbury station.
Nina Simone: “Lilac Wine.”
Okay, the masterclass is sold out but the Carwyn Cellars’ Backroom Bar will reopen for 3:30pm for the remainder of the day.
“Afterparty” is my word, not theirs. And you might have missed the opportunity to sample five Garage Project beers matched to five mystery beers from the USA (Carywn Cellars being the official USA Pint of Origin venue) with amazing cheese and charcuterie; plus the Garage Project brewers themselves taking you through the session… But the shenanigans that ensue following the masterclass are every bit as worthwhile as the event itself.
The Backroom Bar’s 18 taps will of course be pouring some of the best beers to be had all week (which is saying something) and on no other day is the atmosphere more electric, both inside and out (which is also saying something). The welcoming atmosphere and super knowledgeable staff are as much reasons for loving this place as the beers on offer themselves.
In the past Melbourne’s Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers has hosted similar events. This year Wellington NZ’s kings of all things experimental brewing Garage Project steps up to the crease to showcase five of its finest beers alongside five more inspirational beers from US brewers. I was fortunate enough to be a guest at both the 2016 and 2017 masterclasses (as linked). If you are lucky enough to have your ticket for this year’s, have a gander at my reviews to get a feel for what to expect. If you haven’t, read both and you will see why you need to get your ticket for next year’s!
It is worth noting that throughout the year Carwyn Cellars hosts a number of intimate masterclasses, with opportunities to meet the brewer or esteemed representatives thereof; featuring rare, sometimes exclusive beers. Keep your eyes peeled to the Carwyn Cellars Facebook page for more info.
More info here.
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| Boatrocker's Jabber jaw Double IPA alongside Russian River's Pliny the Elder. There probably won't be much of that hanging around the GP & Friends afterparty, but that's not to say there won't be other special beers on show throughout the afternoon! |
4. Volunteering for The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS)
Various roles and shifts are available - click here to find out more.
Royal Exhibition Building
9 Nicholson St, Carlton
Public transport: Tram routes 86, 96: Stop 12)
The Beatles: “With A Little Help From My Friends” .
A Good Beer Week experience that doesn’t involve the drinking of beer? Whaaaaa…?
In actual fact, that isn’t quite true. You get to drink beer that no one else (who isn’t volunteering) gets to drink. More on that later.
I have volunteered for GABS twice now - in 2015 and 2017. It has to be said that even without the perks the experience is its own reward. In 2015 following what had been an epic Good Beer Week spent with friends visiting from Perth I volunteered to assist with the Sunday "Silly Hat" session. Pouring beer from growlers into small sample sized cups was the order of the first part of the day, while the second half I found myseelf on general duties - helping set up for a cooking with beer demonstration and a meet the brewer talk with Colonial in one of the exhibition rooms. The buzz around me was nothing short of electric and it felt great to be a moving part (so to speak) of an event that had risen to become a landmark occasion in Australian craft beer culture.
Last year meanwhile I helped with venue set up, which involved unpacking and sorting a large number of paddles, followed by the setting up of tables throughout the venue. My vision impairment didn’t really prove much a factor while volunteering in 2015, however as tables needed to be configured properly in the open downstairs area, things were a little tricky. Thankfully help was at hand from team-mates. Admittedly I felt more comfortable lifting and shifting upstairs as the balcony provided a guide in terms of where tables were to be placed. Once again I felt a great sense of fulfilment upon being a part of something great - while also overcoming the sense of doubt (relative to vision impairment). I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again - I heartedly recommend volunteering for GABS to one and all.
In no way is this thankless work. For taking time out from the Good Beer Week festivities you will receive two tickets to your preferred GABS session(s), a GABS glass and of course a GABS Crew T-shirt. But the best bit? The volunteer’s afterparty (their words, not mine), held at neighbouring The Catfish bar, following the traditional Sunday “Silly Hat” Session - the last GABS session for the year in Melbourne. Head upstairs and mingle with friends and fellow volunteers while enjoying complimentary beer. Don’t forget to keep your T-shirt on or pack it if you’re not volunteering on the Sunday!
Sign up to volunteer here.
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| Setting up for GABS is its own reward! |
5. The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS)
Five sessions: Friday 18-Sunday 20 May 2018
Royal Exhibition Building
9 Nicholson St, Carlton
Public transport: Tram routes 86 and 96 (stop 12).
Cream: “I Feel Free.”
A fair and a convention, a feast and a celebration; GABS Melbourne is perhaps the single greatest day of the year (or days - if you have multiple passes) for anyone who loves beer, cider and food.
It is not too dissimilar to the Great American Beer Festival and it has its parallels in its format to the Great British Ale Festival. But instead of cask conditioned British ales, here you’ll find weird and wonderful beers, including a laksa beer from Brothers Brewing (NZ), a lager inspired by margaritas (hola Grand Ridge’s tequila, lime zest and citrus infused creation), a 4.2% ABV durian infused saison fromForeigner Brewing, plus a heap of ramped up sweet stouts.
Indeed, darker beers appear to be somewhat thematic for GABS 2018. But there is no shortage of NEIPAs, funky sours and bourbon barrel-aged ales as well. Paddles and Untappd at the ready!
When you’re done at the shipping containers, there is plenty more to explore, with festival breweries setting up their own stalls both upstairs and down. You could also check out the Brick Lane Co Craft Beer College or Little Creatures Live performance space. There are even games for kids and adults alike throughout the venue. And it has to be said the atmosphere at GABS is a spectacle in itself too!
Pro tips: Don’t forget to load up on food! It helps, trust me. There are plenty of vendors slinging beer friendly nosh including fried chicken, American BBQ, pizza and more. Always take the time to chat to the brewers present on the day. The insight you get is awesome and it makes what they do totally worthwhile. And above all else don’t forget to drink plenty of water - your body will thank you the next day.
Tickets.
Festival info.
The Good Beer Week 2018 homepage.
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| All the fun of the fair at GABS 2017 |
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