January 24, 2013

Thanks

Thanks are due (and apologies in case we don't say this often enough) to our customers, for making our Wellington-only beer weekend a runaway success. We'll never really know if our call to parochialism influenced you or not, but we definitely served quite a lot more beer over Anniversary weekend 2013 than twelve months earlier.

Now as a result of all our ordering for last weekend our tap lineup still has a pretty yellow and black look about it. A more typical blend will be back very soon.

Gumbowl

On Monday week (Feb 4) one of our own little highlights of the year rolls around. There's something perverse when an event that is the embodiment of sport's worst excesses (hype, money, unnecessary ritual) serves as light relief after another sporting event that should be about pure athleticism and entertainment. But in our corner of the world Seven-a-side Rugby is possibly our most dreaded weekend of the year, while Superbowl Sunday (or Superbowl Monday as we know it) is an excuse to match some colourful food and beer with one of the US's favourite occasions.

The good news is that this year's match is being played in New Orleans, giving us an excuse to serve gumbo for the first time since the 2010 Superbowl (won, of course, by the New Orleans Saints). The even better news is that the San Francisco 49ers are one of the teams competing. This gives us an excuse to offer a few specials on beers from Moylan's. Or even, if we stretch the point, Bear Republic. (Moylan's are in Novato which is on the outskirts of San Francisco, while Bear Republic is an hour or two further north.)

As for the aforementioned Wellington Sevens, we're making our usual plea to customers to treat it as any other weekend. And that is, largely, the case - most of the blokes in drag pass us by while we endeavour to provide a refuge for those who aren't in on the joke.

Darren Returns

Darren Watson and his Underground Blues Band return to our lounge this Saturday night at 10pm. Hopes are high that his set will include a cover of Gary Glitter's It's Good To Be Back. Regardless though, the cover charge will remain $0.

New Release Tuesday

Next week we showcase two more beers from pioneering Singapore brewery Jungle. They're Lah Belgique - a Belgian blonde ale with a slightly outrageous list of adjuncts - and their Porter.

They're on tap from 5pm on Tuesday.