Beer and Brewer Magazine

There has been a good response to the issue of changing the excise payable by small breweries that featured in the current edition of the magazine, though this disappointingly hasn't translated into overwhelming support for the online petition . Maybe this is because of ongoing scepticism about online petitions and whether they are effective. I can't answer that one, but strong shows of public feeling do have the ability to sway government policy...just look at the current outcry over the possibility that benefits for pensioners and carers may be cut. You don't have to become a militant but if you want to continue to enjoy what is currently a flourishing microbrewing industry make some noise about the issue.

You can start by emailing Treasurer Wayne Swan.

That rant over, here is what I wanted to share, a report on the issue by RMIT student Thomas Keen. Not bad for a student journalist, although I'm not sure what he was drinking in his piece to camera, but it looked like he may have shot a few takes before that one.

Western Australia's Gage Roads brewery has announced the next two stops on their world tour as part of their seasonal limited edition release range.

To date they have visited the UK, with their London Best English ale, and more recently the States with their New World Wheat.

Later this year they will move on to Germany when they release a Red Ace Kolsch and then back to Ireland with an Irish Red Ale.

Gage Roads is one of our very solid, medium-sized breweries that have embraced the growing trend towards limited release and seasonal offerings for which they shold be congratulated. Their London Best was a thoroughly enjoyable interpretation of a bitter ale (great with a steak!), though I found the New World Wheat a little less exciting. Still, that may be because I like my wheat beers in the Bavarian style and can't claim much experience of the American style, so didn't have much basis for comparison.

I look forward to their Kolsch, which is a terrific style not often done by larger breweries - if at all.

In other seasonal news, look out for the new limited release offering from Malt Shovel . They are about to release their first beer under the Mad Brewers label in seven years. This time it's a raspberry wheat beer. Costing around $50 for a carton of 9 x 640ml bottles, it will be interesting to see how this one comes up. There aren't too many fruit beers brewed commercially in Australia, but Sydney's Redoak do a Frambiose Froment (raspberry) as well as a blackberry wheat - both of which can be a surprise for those conditioned to see a "refreshing" beer as a pale amber lager served tongue-numbingly cold.

See the Malt Shovel website for ordering information, but be quick as there are only 3,800 cases available.

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Well, we launched edition 4 of the magazine last night in Adelaide and had a terrific night at the Earl of Aberdeen Hotel - also known as the Coopers Alehouse (see the review on page 60 of the Autumn edition, out now).

Although a little blurry this morning, the night was a great opportunity to catch up with Adelaide's brewing community. It always amazes me how supportive the brewing community is of each other's efforts - and great to see brewers drinking and enjoying each other's beer!

There was a lot of great feedback about the mag as well, which is always appreciated (subscribers - look out for your copy in the mail if you haven't received it yet; casual buyers - hound your newsagent, or better still, subscribe!). The cover story has been very well received - we have received a lot of feedback about beer and brewing history, so expect more in coming editions.

As always if you like it - tell your friends about it; if you don't - tell us!

I hope you enjoy the read.

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Brewer Brad Rogers, the man credited with reinvigorating Australia's oldest microbrewery, is set to leave Matilda Bay at the end of February.

While not much is known about his plans, it seems that he is leaving to embark on his own projects.

A qualified winemaker who studied Oenology at Adelaide's prestigious Roseworthy College, Rogers was the man behind Rooftop Red, the brewery's popular Vienna lager and Alpha Pale Ale, as well as Matilda Bay's specialty beers, the coffee-infused Crema and Barking Duck.

Matilda Bay is Australia's oldest 'independent' brewery, created in 1984. Taken over by Carlton & United Breweries in 1990 the brewery has, at least under Rogers' guidance, shown that it is possible for an independent spirit to sit inside a major brewery creating interesting and complex beers while enjoying the distribution and marketing benefits that come with being part of one of Australia's big two brewing companies.

I can't wait to hear more about his plans.  

The new Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Guidelines have been released. These are an indispensable guide for professional and amateur brewers alike, but they are also valuable reading for beer lovers learning to identify taste and aroma characteristics in beer.

The Beer Judge Certification Program is a US-based beer judge sanctioning program founded in 1985 aiming to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. The BJCP certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process.

Most of the major Australian and international beer and home brewing competitions are conducted using the BJCP guidelines.

Grab a copy and next time you're having a quiet beer or sharing a beer with some like-minded beer lovers, have a look and see what you can identify in your favourite drop...

Five minutes ago I posted an entry that said a discussion of the merit of all beers was coming. There is now now need...Author and award-winning beer journalist Pete Brown was posting this at about the same time. 

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