Queensland Beer Hunting

Cricket Australia XI 249-9
v England
close on Day 1

Four Day Tour Match

Played at Townsville, Queensland

Wednesday 15 November 2017

371 Australian Beer Ticks

Forgive me Readers. It has been eleven days since my last Blog. We're right at the start of my Cricket Trip. Lots of Beer Hunting to catch up on. Plus England in Townsville Day One Report. Dive in.

Pukka Queensland Craft Breweries

Hemingway's, Port Douglas.

Superb setting right on the Marina. The kit is right there. Behind glass. Behind the bar. The guys behind the bar were knowledgeable & helpful. The guys patrolling the tables, less so. Six of their own on keg. Plus some Australian & international guests on keg & in bottles. Natch. I went through the Hemingway's card. All on keg;

Hemingway's The Prospector Pilsner 4.5%
Hemingway's 4 Mile White Lager 4.7%
Hemingway's Mrs Watson's Small Ale 3.5%
Hemingway's Hard Yards Dark Lager 4.7%
Hemingway's Pitchfork Betty's Pale Ale 5.1%
Hemingway's Doug's Courage IPA 5.6%

All winners. Difficult to find a bad word to say. The 3.5% Small Ale was superb. Right on my taste. Presumably Dry Hopped. The 5.6% IPA was glorious as well. Grew & grew. The bitterness coming off some caramel sweetness. A rich mix.

I also chucked myself into the AUS guests. Two from Nomad Brewing Co in Brookvale, NSW.

Nomad Brewing Co, Long Trip Saison from a bottle at 6.6%.
Nomads Brewing Freshie Salt & Pepper Gose from a tin at 5.4%.

That Saison was superb. Spice, citrus, coriander. It just kept coming. But, I have to tell it like it is. On my Hemingway's trip. The Best was The Guest.

Modus Operandi, Sonic Prayer IPA on keg at 6%. Thick. Chewy. Bitter oranges. And still the bitter kept coming. I know it'll sound odd. But, I didn't really get a taste of hops. It was just. Well. Rich bitter.

Coral Sea Brewing Co, Cairns, Queensland

I tracked these beers down in The Bavarian Beerhouse in Cairns. Both on keg.

Tropic Rye IPA at a nice 6.5%. That was OK. If a little understated. Understated being the watchword on this leg. Some red fruit. Some toffee. Gently bitter.
Tropic Lager at 4.2%. Nice surprise that one. Lots coming through off the yeast. Bursts with flavour.

Barrier Reef Brewing Co, Cairns, Queensland

Two Turtles, Pale Ale from a bottle at 5%. Nice. No nonsense. Straight ahead. Rocking n refreshing pale.

Burleigh Brewing Co, Gold Coast, Queensland

If you can get hold of it, have a belt on their 28, California Pale Ale. Ticked aeons ago. This time around, first up was their Twisted Palm, Tropical Pale Ale. (From a bottle at 4.2%). Damn. A bit disappointing. All understated. A bit bland.

But, then. A winner. Burleigh Brewing Co Fig Jam IPA from a bottle at a delightful 7%. It was not oversweet. But, I'll admit, a nice abv burn. Warming. Glowing. And a great bitter hit.

Ironbar Pale Ale on keg at 4.9%. Look. Someone is making that for the Ironbar Saloon in Port Douglas. There were two others on that imprint as well.

Beer Odds n Sods

I'll admit to some disappointment out there. Major Australian industrial brewer Craft Knock Offs are deffo on the way down. Who'd have thunk it? Many are now approaching no redeeming feature sugar water blandness. Recipes bollocksed. Ingredients bollocksed. Process bollocksed. Bollocksed all round. I'm not afraid to keep saying it. Matilda Bay Fat Yak was one of my breakthrough beers. Opened my eyes. Yummy. Oh, that is what a beer should taste like is it? Many moons ago that, mind. I now see there are two more Yaks in the Stable.

Matilda Bay, Wild Yak, Pacific Ale on keg at 4.2%.
Matilda Bay, Lazy Yak, Australian Pale Ale from a bottle at 4.2%.
Nowt…..

James Squire, The Swindler, Tropical Pale on keg at 4.2%. (That one was in the very welcoming Cairns RSL Club). That was the fourteenth James Squire brew I've chugged. I'm no mug. They just keep changing the names. You do that. I'll tick it. Simples.

Great Northern Brewing Co, Original on keg at 4.2%. (That one was in the very welcoming Port Douglas & District Combined Club. Known to everyone as The Tin Shed).

4 Pines, Indian Summer Ale on keg at 4.2%. (That one was in The Court House Hotel, Port Douglas). Google has 4 Pines being sold in September 2017 to AB InBev. Spits. Fuckers haven't spoilt that one yet. Get it while it lasts. It was a lovely hoppy little number off a fruity sweet backbone.

The Cricket

There's gonna be plenty of time to Blog Cricket Bollocks. This Blog is all about the Beer Catch Up. If we're going to win The Ashes, we'll have to apply some application. Stick with it. Don't give your wicket away. Don't give runs away. And. When you can. Bust through it. We have a small number of bust through players. Think Broad. Think Bairstow. But, they & the others have to stay patient. Apply.

Woakes had a great day. He'll have a great Winter. He took the New Ball bang on 80. He cleaned up Simon Milenko with the first whang. That was his SIXTH.

I thought Overton looked trundling. But, his figures don't bear that out. Just 32 runs from 18 overs. Two scalps an’ all. Mason Crane got some Tap. 87 off 22. It looked to me like he made some balls sit up & beg. They got the humpty.

559/1184