July 6, 2017

Smashed 'em Bro

As reported right here, seven days ago, we have committed whatever deeds were necessary and have secured a selection of the very best of this year’s GABS festival. Which means that tomorrow we host the second Smash ‘n’ GABS.

Here’s the lowdown on what will be on tap:

Craft Beer Association of Hong Kong Brewers Guild
WEI(ZEN) OF THE DRAGON
We’ve had Singaporean and Japanese beer plenty of times before, but this is almost certainly our first Hong Kong beer. This refreshing citrus spiced Weizen starts with subtle sweetness from dried dates, and finishes with a warm and tingly feeling, provided by Sichuan peppercorns.

Colonial Brewing Co Margaret River
RYE 'N GOSE SLING
Allow us to submit Western Australia’s entry in this year’s Gose pun contest. “A lightly soured Gose with rye malt, Margaret River seawater and a dosing of West Winds Broadside gin. Finished with a few US hops, if Gin Sling was a beer, it'd be this.”

Feral Brewing Company
DARK MATTER
Choc, vanilla, coffee, lactose.

Hawkers Beer / @Wheaty Brewing Corps
BAKLAVA BROWN
Hawkers Beer is a Melbourne brewery founded by Lebanese combat brewer Mazen Hajjar, who also happens to be one of Australia’s fiercest critics of the anticompetitive practices of the industrial brewers. For that reason alone, we’re fans.

Wheaty Brewing Corps is the brewing offshoot of Adelaide’s trailblazing Wheatsheaf Hotel.

The idea of these two outfits collaborating on a beer is utterly compelling from the start. But the beer is pretty attractive in its own right. It’s a “Big Brown Ale with Honey, Pistachio, Rosewater, Orange Blossom Water and Spices.”

Nail Brewing Australia
SUPER VPA
Perth’s Nail Brewing are masters of dark and black beer but this is an over-the-top IPA. “Born of the planet Hoptom, this is a Super VPA sent to planet earth to make the world a better place. The powers of hops will give strength to all those who imbibe.”

Willie Smith's Organic Cider
CERASUS SOUR
Our spies at GABS insist that this cider is in fact uncannily like Rodenbach Ale. “A barrel aged sour cherry wine, paying homage to farmhouse fruit beers of Belgium. Wild fermentation of black Lapin cherry, barrel conditioning in ex-Lark Distillery casks and a heady mix of bacteria and yeast.”

Smash ‘n’ GABS starts tomorrow at midday and continues while stocks last. We’ll be offering a six-beer (well, five beer and one cider) ticket.

Gose The Extra Mile

The style known as Gose has made a storming comeback over the last few years, not unlike the way the Belgian Witbier style came back from oblivion a couple of decades earlier.

Some part of this can be explained by brewers’ desire to come up with beers with puns for names. But at least a little can be credited to the merits of this salty, tart and slightly funky take on a wheat beer.

For many of us though, all we’ve got to try are versions of the style made by brewers in countries such as our own. This is simply because there are so few examples of the style that can honestly show some kind of lineage back to the traditional goses from Liepzig. The style was all but lost, after all.

But now a limited supply of beer from Liepzig’s Rittergutsbrauerei , the oldest brewer of Gose there is,has made it to New Zealand. Some of us were allowed a sample and can vouch for its merits. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn that those “new world” interpretations we’ve been trying over the last few years are pretty close to the mark.

But don’t take our word for it. Come on in and grab a bottle of Ritterguts Gose. Or hold out for the day (in the near future) when we sneak it on tap.

On Tap Now

• Townshend BlitzGreig IPA (Handpump)
• Fitzpatrick's Citra IPA
• Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
• Gigantic Hearts & Stars Saison
• Adroit Theory Love of the Damned
• Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils
• Modern Times Mega Fortunate Islands
• Graphic Origin Story Citrus APA
• Garage Project Snug (Nitro)
• Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout
• Townshend American Amber Ale

Highlights

Our General Manager Rory went to extreme lengths to get our temporary nitro taps pouring Garage Project Snug in time for the Lions game last weekend, so we encourage customers to take advantage of the fruits of that experiment.

And speaking of amazing stouts, don't miss out on a rare keg of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.

New Release Gose

In keeping with the unintended theme of this broadcast, we can announce that next Tuesday's New Release will be a gose! Brewery of the moment, Deep Creek, have been putting out a series of fruited goses lately, under the Steam Funk name, and they've been goooood.

Coming up next is Black Tamarillo Gose - on tap from 5pm on Tuesday.

Music!

This Saturday we welcome Black Spider Stomp back to the lounge, so they can transport us once again to Paris in the mid-20^th century and unchain the memory of Django Reinhardt.

If in doubt, have a little listen at bandcamp.

All with no cover charge, naturellement.

Then on the 22nd it will be the turn of the Vincent Vega Trio.