14. ZIERHOLZ Premium Brewery - Wed 15 Feb 2012

Our 14^th ABC gathering, who would have thought!!!!  We were fortunate enough to land Zierholz Premium Brewery out at Fyshwick as the venue for our 14^th gathering, thanks to some good work from ABC member Mick Ashley and of course our President Shaun O’Connor.
While the structure of the evening was a little different to way our past gatherings have run, i.e. 4 beers matched with 4 tapas style food dishes, it was another very enjoyable evening.  As Zierholz is a working brewery, we were given a tasting paddle straight up which contained a sample of each the of the 7 brews that Zierholz brew on premises and has on tap.
Cristoph, the proprietor and owner of Zierholz (who was our beer guru at our 1^st ever ABC gathering back in September 09) was on hand to put his beer guru hat on again and explain the complexities of each of his 7 brews. As we sat down and sampled the beers off our paddles and listened to Christoph’s incredible knowledge of Beer, we had our taste buds kicked into gear with some hand cut wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce along with some very fresh and tasty garlic bread.

                  Zierholz Amber Ale  –  4.9%

o    Dusseldorf Style Ale, Nutty malt and bitter hops with hints of roastiness and caramel

       Zierholz German Ale – 4.3%

o    Cologne Style Ale, Crisp, delicate, easy drinking and very moreish, the original Zierholz beer

       Zierholz Hopmeister  - 5%

o    English Style Pale Ale, Fruity hops and juicy malt, appetizing dry finish

       Zierholz Pilsner – 5%

o    Traditional North German Pilsen style larger, sweet malt and zesty hops with a dry finish

       Zierholz Porter – 5.8%

o    An assertive beer with a lot of bitter chocolate and roasty flavours, potent yet very smooth

       Zierholz Schankbier – 2.7%

o    German draught.  Fully flavoured lager with plenty of body and flavour for a low alcohol beer (not a winner)

       Zierholz Weizen

o    Traditional German Wheat Beer, banana fruitiness and clovey spice, tart, refreshing

After our little sit down, Cristoph took us on a quick tour of the brewery.  Again we were treated to Cristoph’s amazing knowledge of beer as the explained the workings of the brewery in great detail.
As we returned from our little tour the Zieholz staff brought out some more food, which encapsulated what breweries in Germany must be like. A number of platters were served up to each table and they contained:-  Salad, Creamy mash, Sauerkraut, Braised red cabbage, Spatzle w/ bacon & mushroom, Chicken schnitzel, Selections of sausages, Whole roast suckling pig. 

A big thank you to Cristoph and all the staff from the Zierholz Premium Brewery for their hospitality and fantastic service.

We used this gathering to bring in a new “ABC rating system”, each member / guest was given a voting slip and the results were tallied based on Beer, Food, Service, Ambiance & Beer Knowledge.

Zierholz Premium Brewery scored a massive 4.8 out of 5 :

If you haven’t been to one yet, you’re missing out and you’re soft.  Remember it’s a never ending world of beers out there, so it means there will be many more ABC gatherings. Please remember to show your support to all the pubs/businesses that have supported us:- Pork Barrel Café & Bar, Siren’s, All Bar Nun, Zierholz Premium Brewery, Debacle, The Wig & Pen, The Wood Duck Inn , Jim Murphy’s Airport Cellars, King O’Malley’s Irish Pub & The George Harcourt Inn. 

13. The Pork Barrel Cafe & Bar - Wed 30 November 2011

The number 13 is often called an unlucky number, well I think that all the ABC members will beg to differ as we certainly got lucky with “The Pork Barrel Café & Bar” as the venue for our 13^th ABC Gathering.

While we weren’t supplied with a beer guru for the night, all the staff at the Pork Barrel were most helpful and did their best to answer any questions from ABC members and guests.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was “1842” (4.9%).  1842 is a little bit different to the traditional pilsner. It is fermented 50% longer than normal pilsners - allowing the barley malts to blend together for a smoother finish and a finer natural carbonation. As well as the noble Saaz hops, they also use some hop varieties that are normally found only in IPAs. When first trying 1842, the first thing you we noticed was the perfect golden colour and clearness of the beer. The beer was clear and cloudless and the head was thick, fluffy and pure white.  We were served up some very tasty Tempura Tiger prawns with aioli and lemon, which were a perfect match for the 1842.

The 2nd beer was a “WARSTEIRN PREMIUM GERMAN BEER”  (4.8%). Premium Verum, a pilsener style beer, is Warsteiner's most popular beer, and is exported to over 60 countries. The ingredients are forest spring water, two-row malted summer barley and all German hops.  Transparent light gold in colour when poured. Aroma of pilsner malts and light hops. Taste is clean, crisp, and slightly bitter.  Provolone Arancini (risotto balls) were served with this beer and they were absolutely beautiful.  They were followed by Mini Peking Duck Pancakes, which were fantastic.

The 3^rd beer was a “SCHARERS LAGER”  (4.9%). From Scharers Little Brewery in Picton.  A traditional all malt beer, fermented in the traditional German method with a long cold storage.  Quite full-bodied with a big malt start, balanced with quite a high bitterness and hop flavour and a dry finish.  The Lager has a hoppy, aromatic, and sometimes honeyish nose.   We sat down and ate our main course of Pork Barrel Pizzas;                  each table was served a selection of 3 different Pizzas: Pesto – Sliced Tomato, Bocconcini and Pesto

Continental – Pepperoni, Eggplant, Artichokes, Olives and Feta & Provincial – Olives, Anchovies, Roast Capsicum, Basil, Chili and Garlic.  As a big Pizza lover, these Pizzas got a big tick from me.

The 4^th beer of the evening was a “WHITE RABBIT – DARK ALE” (4.9%).  Rich dark and flavoursome but at the same time ever refreshing....malt driven but with the aromatic lift of generous doses of hops. Raisin like ester characters derived through its open fermentation bind a balancing act of flavour with a malt bill that rewards the parched palette with a rich, dark colour without losing any sessionabilty qualities.  A perfect desert beer and again the Pork Barrel didn’t disappoint, serving up a delightful Bitter sweet chocolate tart with praline mascarpone and cherry compote.

As usual a raffle was held on the night, we raised a $150 and this was donated to Paddy Gallagher’s Movember cause. 

The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket.

A big thank you to all the staff from the “The Pork Barrel Café & Bar” for their hospitality and fantastic service.

12. Siren Bar l Restaurant - Wed 28 September 2011





Can you believe it, we’re up to our 12th ABC gathering and they just keep getting better.  Dan Gaul and all the Staff from the new “Siren Bar + Restaurant” Gungahlin’s first Bar & Restaurant put on a fantastic night of beer and food..

Kate from the Lord Nelson Brewery in Sydney was our beer guru/host for the evening and she did a great job and she certainly knew her beers.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was a “Lord Nelson Brewery Three Sheets” (4.9%).  The term Three Sheets originates from the 1800’s when Sailors at the time had a sliding scale of drunkenness “three sheets was the falling over stage: tipsy was just ‘one sheet in the wind’ or ‘a sheet in the wind’s eye’.”    Three Sheets is an Australian Pale Ale brewed for aroma, flavour and drinkability using Australian pale malted barley and the freshest hops available.   The chef whipped up a beautiful serve of Salt & Pepper Calamari which was a perfect match for the Three Sheets.

The 2nd beer was a “Lord Nelson Brewery Old Admiral” (6.1%).  Old Admiral gets its name from the Commander and Chief of the Fleet, strong and assertive.   Old Admiral is brewed in an old ale style, full bodied, malt driven with hints of mocha and caramel, balanced with generous hop bitterness.   We were served up a nicely cooked chicken and herb dish which balanced beautifully with the long dry finish of the Old Admiral.

The 3^rd beer was a “Paulaner Hefe-Weizen” (5.6%). An authentic Bararian-style wheat beer, naturally cloudy with tones of deep gold.  High in effervescence, low in calories with a uniquely crisp, refreshing fruity or clovey flavour.   This beer was used to wash down some chicken wings done in a very tasty crispy batter with an orange dipping sauce. “Beautiful”.

The 4^th beer of the evening was a “Paulaner Original Munich Lager” (4.9%).  100% natural, brewed from pure spring water using Paulaner’s centuries old exclusive yeast strain, Hallertau hops and malted Barley.  Rich and true in taste, with its all natural flavours with the traditional German light hoppy finish.  The guys at Sirens served up some beautifully cooked Pork Ribs in a rich hickory sauce which were a perfect match for this lager.

As a very special treat for last beer we were served a “Paulaner Oktoberfest” (5.8%).  This is The Munich Oktoberfest celebration’s favourite beer. 100% natural, brewed from pure spring water using Paulaner’s centuries old exclusive yeast strain, Hallertau hops and malted Barley.  A classic Bavarian “Marzen” style, clear with a rich amber colour with a rich, full taste and a creamy full finish.  There wasn’t much room left for food after all of the previous dishes, so the sweet potato chips were a very nice way to finish off the evenings menu.

The new ABC shirts proved to be very popular, with a good number being sold.  Dan from Sirens put up what would have to be the best raffle prize we’ve had to date, a BOAGS DRAUGHT KEG SPEAKER.  Patty G did a great job selling a very healthy number of raffle tickets and the lucky winner “Barra” was very happy to walk away with such a great prize.  The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket.

A big thank you to Dan Gaul and all the staff from Siren’s for their hospitality and fantastic service and a very big thank you to Kate from the Lord Nelson Brewery for being our Beer Guru for the evening.  Kate ran a very good show, she was very patient with our unruly crew and did a great job explaining each beer and food combination.

11. All Bar Nun - Wed 22 June 2011

Our 11th gathering was meant to be held at a new establishment in Gungahlin called Sirens, but due to some land lord issues it was not ready to host the ABC, so the boys from All Bar Nun stepped up again, and with very short notice put on a cracker of an evening.

The two Dan’s and all staff at All Bar put on another fantastic evening of beer and food.  The beers for the night were all by Coopers  To start the evening off we were treated to a nice little glass of “PIPSQUEAK best cider” (5.2%). It was a little confusing at first as this was served in grape fruit glasses and a lot of ABC members thought they were being setup to drink the evil grape juice.  Light & bright in colour, with a front up apple flavour and great lingering texture, a very nice little starter.

Our 1st beer for the evening was the “Pilsner” (4.6%).  A refreshing and elegant lager styled on the classic European pilsners that uses the finest ingredients and enjoys an extended fermentation period. Tasmanian Hallertau, New Zealand Pacifica and Czech Saaz hops are added throughout the brewing process giving a light flavour and crisp Bitterness.  This was perfectly matched with a serving of Oysters Kilpatrick.

The 2nd beer was the “Pale Ale” (5.2%). Bag loads of Cascade and Galaxy whole hop flowers that have been sourced direct from hop growers in Victoria, Tassie and the US are thrown at this beer, creating an intense citrus and grapefruit aroma and flavour that has been balanced with a careful selection of specialty malts and a local pale malt made to Little Creatures own specifications. Preservative and additive free our Pale Ale is live-yeast conditioned in bottles and kegs for unmatched freshness and character.  We were treated to some beautifully cooked Scallops, lightly crumbed in coconut and breadcrumbs with a mango chutney dipping sauce

The 3rd beer was the “Bright Ale” (4.5%). Bright Ale is a beer that glows with sparkling golden Vienna and Cara malts and Little Creatures own local pale malt. To these, heady summer fruit aromas of luscious pineapple, passionfruit and melon are extracted with a generous addition of whole Cascade and Motueka hop flowers.  Absolutely delicious in combination with the little Teriyaki Chicken legs served up with this ale.

The 4th beer was the “Rogers Beer” (3.8%). This mid strength beauty weaves together the best whole hop flowers and toasted malts into a silky session ale like no other. Light, citrus hop notes roll gently into roasted hazelnut, toffee and caramel malt flavours, creating easy-drinking ale of flavour and finesse.  The All Bar chef hit the nail on head, serving Pork Belly marinated in the “Rogers”, it was so juice and tender, a perfect combination.

As a special treat the All Bar boys then put on a 5th beer “White Rabbit – White Ale” (4.5%) and a 6th beer “White Rabbit – Dark Ale” (4.9%) in conjunction with several mixed Cheese platters and crackers.  Both these beers each went very well with the different cheeses. 

The most important part of the evening was most definitely the “Fitting of the FEZ”, each member was called forward and was crowned with his very own FEZ.  I don’t know how we came up with Fez’s but my goodness they look funny.  From now on each member will be required to wear his FEZ when attending any future ABC gatherings.   Also on the evening a logo was decided upon (see above), be sure to turn it upside down to fully appreciate it.

A big thank you to all the staff at “ALL BAR NUN” for their hospitality, service and very tasty menu.   Once again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the FEZ-ivites.

10. All Bar Nun - Wed 13 April 2011

We’ve reached our 1st mile stone, 10 beer club gatherings, how time flies when you’re having fun.  Our 10th gathering was a very import for each member as it was the “Fitting of the FEZ” night.   For such a special occasion it was only fitting that we returned to where it all began, to what is now called the spiritual home of the ABC, All Bar Nun.

The two Dan’s and all staff at All Bar put on another fantastic evening of beer and food.  The beers for the night were all by Little Creatures.  To start the evening off we were treated to a nice little glass of “PIPSQUEAK best cider” (5.2%). It was a little confusing at first as this was served in grape fruit glasses and a lot of ABC members thought they were being setup to drink the evil grape juice.  Light & bright in colour, with a front up apple flavour and great lingering texture, a very nice little starter.

Our 1st beer for the evening was the “Pilsner” (4.6%).  A refreshing and elegant lager styled on the classic European pilsners that uses the finest ingredients and enjoys an extended fermentation period. Tasmanian Hallertau, New Zealand Pacifica and Czech Saaz hops are added throughout the brewing process giving a light flavour and crisp Bitterness.  This was perfectly matched with a serving of Oysters Kilpatrick.

The 2nd beer was the “Pale Ale” (5.2%). Bag loads of Cascade and Galaxy whole hop flowers that have been sourced direct from hop growers in Victoria, Tassie and the US are thrown at this beer, creating an intense citrus and grapefruit aroma and flavour that has been balanced with a careful selection of specialty malts and a local pale malt made to Little Creatures own specifications. Preservative and additive free our Pale Ale is live-yeast conditioned in bottles and kegs for unmatched freshness and character.  We were treated to some beautifully cooked Scallops, lightly crumbed in coconut and breadcrumbs with a mango chutney dipping sauce

The 3rd beer was the “Bright Ale” (4.5%). Bright Ale is a beer that glows with sparkling golden Vienna and Cara malts and Little Creatures own local pale malt. To these, heady summer fruit aromas of luscious pineapple, passionfruit and melon are extracted with a generous addition of whole Cascade and Motueka hop flowers.  Absolutely delicious in combination with the little Teriyaki Chicken legs served up with this ale.

The 4th beer was the “Rogers Beer” (3.8%). This mid strength beauty weaves together the best whole hop flowers and toasted malts into a silky session ale like no other. Light, citrus hop notes roll gently into roasted hazelnut, toffee and caramel malt flavours, creating easy-drinking ale of flavour and finesse.  The All Bar chef hit the nail on head, serving Pork Belly marinated in the “Rogers”, it was so juice and tender, a perfect combination.

As a special treat the All Bar boys then put on a 5th beer “White Rabbit – White Ale” (4.5%) and a 6th beer “White Rabbit – Dark Ale” (4.9%) in conjunction with several mixed Cheese platters and crackers.  Both these beers each went very well with the different cheeses. 

The most important part of the evening was most definitely the “Fitting of the FEZ”, each member was called forward and was crowned with his very own FEZ.  I don’t know how we came up with Fez’s but my goodness they look funny.  From now on each member will be required to wear his FEZ when attending any future ABC gatherings.   Also on the evening a logo was decided upon (see above), be sure to turn it upside down to fully appreciate it.

A big thank you to all the staff at “ALL BAR NUN” for their hospitality, service and very tasty menu.   Once again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the FEZ-ivites.

If you haven’t been to one yet, then you’ve missed out.  The only way you’ll get to one is to be invited by a member.

9. The Belgian Beer Cafe - Wed 23 Feb 2011

We’re running a bit behind for 2011 with our 1^st beer club for the year only taking place on the 23^rd of February, and by the good turnout our members have been hanging out for it.  For our 9^th outing The Belgian Beer Cafe in Kingston was selected as the venue.

The Belgian Beer Cafe, Little Brussels is a welcome addition to The ABC’s list of venues, offering a unique exploration of Belgian traditional fare. We were treated to some traditional Belgian beer and food.  One small criticism of the evening is that the The Belgian Beer Cafe failed to supply a beer guru to introduce each of the beers and explain the different food combinations, that said they did come up with a very creative menu that really combined well with all the beers sampled.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was meant to be a “Belgian Real Pils” but due to a technical mishap this beer was unavailable and we were served a “Stella Artois” (5%) instead.  Belgians have been making beer since the 14^th century and Stella Artois reflects this tradition of finely crafted brewing. The world 'Stella' is Latin for 'star' and Stella was originally a limited release Christmas beer. The word Artois comes from the surname of the master brewer, Sebastian Artois.  This golden Belgian brew is a signature blend of premium malt and Saaz hops. Quite malty on the mid-palate, Stella Artois is a full flavoured, superior quality beer with a rich, estery, creamy aroma a fine clean bitterness and a hint of citric fruitiness.

We were served up a small but very tasty “Truffled Chicken & Nori Roulade” which was served cold and even though we were meant to be drinking the Belgian Real Pils, the Stella really went very well with this dish.

The 2nd beer was the “Hoegaarden” (5%). Hoegaarden (pronounced whogarden) is a white beer which is brewed in the Belgian town of Hoegaarden by the De Kluis Brewery which is now owned by Interbrew, the brewery that also owns Stella Artois. The white beer is brewed to a traditional recipe which dates as far back as 1445, although the beer Hoegaarden has only existed since 1966. Hoegaarden gets its great taste partly due to there being special ingredients added during the brewing process, such as - wheat, coriander and curacao orange peels. Also the pale, cloudy appearance of this mysterious looking drink is all thanks to an additional second fermentation in the keg.  This beer was accompanied with some “Hoegaarden & Dukkah Battered King Prawns” which were absolutely beautiful and a perfect match to this beer.

The 3^rd beer was a “Leffe Brune” (6.6%). Leffe Brune (brown) is an authentic abbey beer, brewed according to the traditional recipe of the Abbey of Leffe.  Leffe Brown has a delicate taste of vanilla and clove the full aroma of toffee and caramel with a dark-brown appearance due to the use of darkly roasted malt; it has a medium body with a good foamy head and a very well balanced bitterness.  A very pleasant beer to wash down a serve of “Grilled Lambs Tongue, Haloumi, Oven dried Tomato and olive salad, the toffee and caramel flavours of the Leffe Brune combined very nicely with this dish.       

The final beer of the evening was the “Belle-vue Kriek Cherry Beer” (5.1%). This beer is actually classed as a fruit beer; it is created with the addition of two important and unique ingredients, ripened Morello cherries and elderberry juice. It is then left to mature in oak casks, where the ageing process can last for 2-3 years before the beer is ready for drinking. The result of all this is a truly beautiful tasting fruit beer with a distinct tartness.  Belle-Vue Kriek is a Lambic style beer which traditionally are only brewed in Belgium.  Lambic beers are fermented differently to conventional beers using a process called spontaneous fermentation.  This unique process gives the beer a distinctive flavor which in this case is very true.  Not only is the taste of this beer unique but so is its appearance. It is a cherry color when poured along with a creamy full head and a pleasant fruity smell.  What a perfect way to finish off the evening with a serve of Belgian Chocolate Mousse Tartlette with liquored Cherry Griottes, the beer & mousse were made for each other.

Our little club underwent a small name change from “The Australian Brew Club” to “The Australian Beer Club”, which seems to fit a little better given the fact that we don’t brew much beer ourselves, we certainly do enjoy drinking it though.  The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket (just ask Oners). The raffles were again very popular with some nice little prizes won by some lucky attendees.

A big thank you to all the staff at “The Belgian Beer Café” for their hospitality and service and very creative menu.

8. The George Harcourt Inn - Wed 17 November 2010

It’s true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s definitely what we had at our 8^th ABC gathering held at the George Harcourt Inn for the first time.

Ray Ballantyne from Lion Nathan was our beer guru/host for the evening and for someone that said he was no expert on beer, he certainly had all of us fooled.  We were accommodated outside in the George’s new very nicely done out-door area, it was a little chilly but we soon warmed up after a couple of beers.

Our 1^st beer for the evening was a “Heikeken” (5%), this is a beer that most of us would have come across once or twice over the years, but it doubt many of us would have ever taken notice of the tasting notes, That’s the beauty of having a beer guru to give us a run down.  Heineken is a refined, easy drinking pilsner. A slightly yeasty first impression underlies a unique fruity character with refreshingly mild bitterness; rounded off by a smooth honey palate and a clean, crisp finish.  Ray did make special note that the Harcourt would be endeavouring to match the beers with food that complemented each beer.  They did a fantastic job first up serving us up mini beef mingions - seared eye fillet of beef on toasted croute with basil pesto brushed with clarified butter & coconut prawn with coriander, lime and ginger dipping sauce - lightly coated with shredded coconut, fried until golden brown, served with Lime, ginger and coriander dipping sauce

The 2nd beer was the “Summer Bright Larger” (4.2%) by XXXX. An ultra refreshing, low carb, full strength beer – free from artificial additives and preservatives. This beer has been specifically designed as an easy drinking beer - perfect for a hot Australian summer’s day. Its fruity aroma and smooth hop character balance its light malt flavour to make this a seriously refreshing beer.  This beer was accompanied with sticky orange glazed chicken tenderloin - lightly coated in tempura batter finished with a sticky orange anglaize which really suited the fruity characteristics of the Summer Bright Larger.

The 3^rd beer was a “Boag’s Draught” (4.7%). Beer guru made us try and guess what this beer was.  No one picked it as Boag’s, even though many of us have downed 10,000 of these at the Brumbies over the years.  Brewed to a century old recipe, Boag’s Draught is a full- bodied lager with smooth hop bitterness and a crisp, refreshing aftertaste. Golden syrup in colour with a balanced aroma of fruit esters and late hop notes.  We used the Boag’s to wash down a lightly spiced crumbed lamb cutlet with cracked pepper sauce - shallow fried until golden brown, finished off in oven until cooked to medium to medium well.  “Beautiful”.

The final beer of the evening was the “James Squire Golden Ale” (4.5%) Golden Ale has been brewed as a real quaffing (to drink heartily) beer. Fresh toasted grains of barley and wheat give it a rich orange-amber colour, whilst new season Amarillo hops provide a tropical/stone fruit aroma and restrained, bitter finish.   Our final serving of food for the evening was mini 3 cheese and garlic Pizza, containing a mixture of fetta cheese, mozzarella cheese and boccincini cheese with a tomato pesto and on a fresh Pizza Base.

The gathering was a buzz with excitement with talk of a trip to Hobart to attend the beer festival next year.  It’ll be a work in progress for the next couple of gatherings.  Given the warmer weather we’d been having a few members turned up in thongs and they of course needed to make a donation to the fine bucket.  The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket. The raffles were again very popular with some nice little prizes own by some lucky attendees.

A big thank you to all the staff at The George Harcourt Inn for their hospitality and service and a very big thank you to Ray Ballantyne from Lion Nathan for being our Beer Guru for the evening.  Ray ran a very good show, he was very patient with our unruly crew and did a great job explaining each beer and food combination in a very relaxed and informative manner.

7. King O'Malley's Irish Pub - Wed Sep 2010

Oners couldn't get a leave pass for this one, so no else could be bothered doing a report.

6. All Bar Nun - Wed 28 July 2010

We’ve come full circle for our 6^th ABC gathering, we were back where it all started at All Bar Nun and what a joy it was to be back.

Dan Kenny from All Bar Nun and Michael Vanzetti from Lion Nathan were our hosts for the evening and we were accommodated in the very comfortable lounge bar that was perfect for such a gathering.  They even put together a flash menu for the evening.

On arrival we were treated to a beer to get us started, it was a “Hahn Super Dry” served up in a nice little Malt Shovel Brewery - James Squire middy glass which was our to keep. Brewed using the finest ingredients with no preservatives or additives. An enhanced brewing process breaks down more of the natural sugars to deliver a Super Dry taste with only a third of the carbs of standard full strength beer.  A very nice little starter.

The 1^st official beer of the evening was the “Malt Shovel Brewery James Squire Sundown Lager” (4.4%). A thirst-quenching lager for all occasions, brewed using pale and carapils malts and a unique blend of hops. Clean, fresh grassy aroma and a distinctive hoppiness, yet a mild bitterness on the late palate.  The beer was served up in jugs and Mick our beer guru for the night showed us how to get the most flavour out of a pour by using a very simple pouring method (if you weren’t there, you’ll have to come to the next beer club to find out what it is).  We were served up a very nice little dish of Italian Pork sausages with onion rings and Tuscan salsa which matched this beer very nicely.

The 2nd beer was the “Kosciuzko Pale Ale” (4.5%). On pouring into a glass you’re treated to a light amber colour liquid.  The aroma of this brew is fairly inviting with hints of tropical fruit and citrus zest and sweet malt. On the palate there were honey and melon notes initially, with a medium body and malt character, it finishes with a nice balance between fruit and bitter notes.   This beer is perfect to drink with seafood and we serve a beautifully cooked plate of rock salt & pepper calamari with a lemon aioli.

The 3^rd beer was the “James Squire Amber Ale” (5%). This brew has a full, amber-red colour with its hand crafted unique brew of three malts and three different Tasmanian hops along with a 125 year old top fermenting ale yeast this beer delivers a rich creamy and slightly nutty finish. A fruity full-flavoured ales goes best with red meat and the All Bar boys had done their home work and served us up a bowl of rich Irish stew with sticky rice pilaf.

The final beer of the evening was the “James Squire Porter” (5%) This beer is almost black, with ruby highlights. It has dense, beige, head and an appetising aroma of fresh cream and coffee. A very creamy beer in texture, too, but by no means full-bodied. The palate is initially coffeeish, also with smooth black chocolate and caramel flavours. Then a development of malty, grainy, notes: cookies or biscotti.  Then well-done toast, finishing crisply.  Beer Guru said this is perfect with chocolate mud cake but there were no complaints with the mini white and dark chocolate banana muffins the chef from All Bar whipped up.

A special new award was presented on the night for the worse dressed and Tom Waters was the very deserving recipient wearing a very hideous pair of sky blue pants.  As usual the fine bucket received some nice little donations.

Our very special thanks go out to all the guys at All Bar Nun especially Dan Kenny, the chef and to the Very Nice Waitress for the fantastic food and service and to Mick Vanzetti for Lion Nathan for providing the great beers and raffle prizes.