It pains me to say it but Brisbane is largely a beer wasteland with most pubs and restaurants offering just the usual suspects in the form of the same dozen lagers, many still listed under “Imported” even though brewed here under licence (and there is nothing wrong with brewed under licence…but that’s fodder for another post.)
Still, as with any desert there is the odd oasis or patch of flowers sprouting amidst the endless dessert sands. (The Grand Central Hotel, Nectar, Era, Wine Emporium all spring to mind). In an effort to sow the seeds of good beer in the wastelands, a number of brewers have been making the trip up here and have been hosting a number of beer related events. We have received a bit of attention from the boys at Stone & Wood as they launch their draught ale at various places around the city. Next week we have a blitzkrieg by Richard from Barons Brewing (check out the events listing).
I was also fortunate to attend a lunch this week hosted by Scott Vincent, recently installed as head brewer at Matilda Bay. It was a trade event where Scott was educating the guys that sell his beer, while treating them to a five-course lunch matched to the Matilda Bay beers.
I am a big fan of the Matilda Bay beers and I recently heard Jamil Zainasheff rate their Alpha Pale Ale as one of the best that he’s tasted, which I regard as very high praise. I was also very interested to see the food matches that they came up with for their own beers as I regularly feature the Alpha Pale Ale and Dogbolter at the Good Beer Lunches (incidentally, the lunch was at the Grand Central Hotel where I host some of these lunches). I wasn’t disappointed. The best part is the matches could easily be recreated at home:
Course one – Tempura prawn and Thai salad m/w Fat Yak Pale Ale
Course two – Crumbed whiting fillets m/w Beez Neez
Course three – Lamb vindaloo with pappadums m/w Alpha Pale Ale
Course four – Five spice marinated duck leg with whole roasted mushrooms and caramelised spiced pumpkin m/w Sebastian Reserve
Course five – Mini chocolate mud cake with vanilla bean ice-cream m/w Dogbolter Dark Lager
The highlights were the first and fourth courses. If you haven’t tried the Fat Yak yet, look out for it in bottles soon. It is an American-style Pale Ale, but not as aggressively hopped as the Alpha. In saying that it still retains a good malt and hop complexity and certainly isn’t a “dumbed down” version…it just doesn’t punch you in the face quite as hard. The Sebastian, is a dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer). It seems to get mixed reviews, maybe because of its lactic qualities which gives it a sharpness that might put some off, but matched with duck (and ironically it is named after a duck) it was a treat. Grab a bottle if you can find one and see what you think.
(There, I can talk about something other than low-carb…)