NSW
Collaroy Beach Club, Collaroy
Local Tap House, Darlinghurst
Northern Star, Hamilton
South’s Leagues Club, Merewether
Burwood Hotel, Merewether
Marlborough Hotel, Newtown
30 Knots, Grand Hotel, Sydney
Yardhouse, Sydney
Penrith Panthers, Penrith
Hotel Delany, Newcastle
Manning Bar, Sydney
Arc@UNSW, Sydney
Hero of Waterloo,The Rocks
Fortune of War, The Rocks
Pyrmont Bridge Hotel, Sydney
Docks Hotel, Sydney
Tipple, Surry Hills
Greengate Hotel, Kilara
Parkview, Erskineville

ACT
All Bar Nun, O’Connor
Edgars Inn, Ainslie
Phoenix, Canberra
ANU, Canberra
George Harcourt Nichols, ACT

QLD
Norman Hotel, Buranda
Boundary Hotel, West End
The Fox, Sth Brisbane
Platform Bar, Grand Central Hotel, Brisbane
Zi-Bar, Brisbane
Board Walk Tavern, Hope Island, Gold Coast
The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba

SA
The Elephant, Adelaide
Highway Inn Hotel, Plympton
Colonist Tavern, Norwood
Cumberland Arms, Adelaide CBD
Wellington Hotel, North Adelaide
Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton
Holdfast Hotel, South Glenelg
The Dublin, Glenelg

TAS
The Squires Bounty, Hobart
New Sydney Hotel, Hobart
Cock n Bull, Launceston

VIC
The Portland Hotel, Melbourne
Transport, Melbourne
Leftbank, Melbourne
The Plough, Merniong
Lily Blacks, Melbourne
Young and Jacksons, Melbourne
The Royal Mail, Melbourne
The Steampacket Hotel, Williamstown
The Great Northern Hotel, Carlton
Public Inn, Castlemaine
Newmarket Hotel, Kyneton
Bayden Powell Hotel, Collingwood
The Fox, Collingwood
Lincoln Hotel, Carlton
Montague Hotel, Sth Melbourne
Maori Chief, Sth Melbourne
The Local Taphouse, St Kilda
Barkers, Hawthorn
Collins Queater, Melbourne
Beer De Luxe, Melbourne

WA
The Norfolk, Fremantle
5 Bar, Mount Lawley
The Garden, Leederville
The Grosvenor, East Perth
Settler’s Tavern, Margaret River
The Pour House, Dunsborough
The Sail & Anchor, Fremantle

www.sirenbar.com.au 

Featuring unique modern Australian cuisine and a diverse cocktail and wine menus, Siren offers the perfect night out with family and friends, close to home.
Siren Bar has a diverse selection of boutique beers on tap, including, James Squire Golden, Ale, Pilsner, Pale Ale and Australian Lagar as well as over 30 different premium bottled beers.
Monday night features a pizza + two James Squire beers for only $20

Siren Bar features a stunning interior including custom designed wine tower and restaurant area with raised wooden stage and open booth seating surrounded by large bi-fold windows. The open fireplace is situated in the main bar area and is perfect to sit beside whilst enjoying tapas and a glass of wine.

The large North facing deck has comfy lounge areas, heaters and even a private bigscreen TV and portable bar which provides a relaxed and ambient atmosphere suitable for any type of occasion or private function.

Open 7 days for breakfast, lunch & dinner, Siren Bar caters for private events, corporate or casual lunches, birthdays, engagement parties, wakes, girls night in, boys night out or any function that deserves a celebration.

With great beer, excellent food and service, live music every weekend and a comfortable place to chill out…the Siren is calling!

While the more seasoned home brewers will be into full blown mash brewing including grinding their own malts etc the Beer Machine is a great little starter kit which is a step up from using the traditional 20 or 30 litre plastic fermenters common in home brewing.

Essentially the machine is a 10 litre keg made from hard foodgrade plastic which splits in half horizontally for easy cleaning. When assembling for a brew a soft plastic rectangular seal mates the two halves & slide on clamp hold the unit together. This is one weak point as getting a secure seal is essential given the vessel will be under pressure. I found the seal quite a fiddle to get right & the instructions recommend you test the unit under pressure before adding your brew to avoid a disaster. The Beer Machine is fitted with its own temperature & pressure gauges and a simple sanitary relief valve to vent CO2 in a controlled fashion during high ferment. The biggest advantage is that it allows you to pour your own draught beer direct from the keg after carbonating with via a fitting which takes soda bulbs (sparklets). These retail for about $15 for a pack of 10 & you will use about 4 per brew depending on how quickly you consume the fruits of your brewing labour.

As every budding home brewer knows the laborious bottle washing & crowning is one of the major frustrations of modern day home brewing, but setting yourself up for draft dispense generally requires quite a bit of cost and a bit more technical know how than the casual home brewer will possess.

This unit makes it simple & will fit neatly into the shelf of a fairly standard bar fridge (400mm Deep x 230mm Wide x 330mm High (including tap), if your partner allows it!

The manufacturer supplies a Beer Mix powder in a limited range of beer styles. The powder is a dehydrated wort, containing both the malt extract & hop ingredients and the packet includes a separate sachet of brewing yeast. You could substitute a standard can of your favourite home brew malt extract, but you need to get your sums right or you’ll end up with a pretty powerful brew due to the reduced 10 litre batch size. Another use is to gently fill the unit with your favourite bottled beer & re-carbonate to enjoy it on tap.

The Beer Machine is now available through Target stores around the country.

All in all this is a cleverly designed unit and worth consideration if you are about to embark into the world of brewing your own.

Cheers to you all,
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer

Our January newsletter as usual is our first opportunity to share some inside information about our planned Mad Brewers summer release which will hit the market in mid February. This years offering will wet the appetite of those dedicated hop-heads amongst you. Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe is a crazy hybrid of the strong U.S. Wheat beer style and the more hop subdued traditional cloudy (hefe) German wheat style. Birthed in our famous Malt Shovel mini brew kit under the guidance of Rob Freshwater & Dayton Coffey this brew has liberal lashings of American & New Zealand hops, added late into the boil, and then been super- charged with a further dry hopping into the fermenter. Those wheat beer lovers familiar with bananas and clove spiciness in a wheat beer can expect to be confronted instead with a wheaty brew Inspired by the extremes of those American hop-head craft brewers. Under the Mad Brewers reign the classic German hefeweizen style that the Americans transformed into their American Wheat Ale has now been reborn with an added belt of happiness… or I mean Hoppiness. Brewed with 45% wheat malt and finished with glorious amounts of Citrus and Moteuka hops, this 7% ABV challenging, yet refreshing wheat ale should be sipped and savoured . . .with a friend.

Our February newsletter will give you the full detail on venues which will be stocking this year’s release and treat you to a Brewers Byte Youtube tasting with Freshie & Dayton.
As usual this beer will be available, both in the standard 640ml Mad Brewers bottle, and on tap in our James Squire Brewbars and around the country at selected Malt Shovel friendly outlets.

February LaunchThis is your chance to visit the Malt Shovel Brewery at Camperdown & meet the Brewers.

We will be assembling our whole James Squire team to introduce you to our Hoppy Hefe and a further surprise or two. 8th February from 6pm-8pm. This is a one in a lifetime opportunity and tickets are strictly limited.

This event will be by confirmed booking only and limited to MSB members only, with a maximum of 3 guests per member. The tours will include a free sampling of a selection the James Squire family matched to a delicious finger food. Cost of the tour & food is $30 per person. All proceeds will be donated to charity. Please Note: Adults only to attend and please wear covered footwear as we will be touring the brewery plant.

For booking ring Coco at Malt Shovel Brewery on 02 8594 0200.

If you are from interstate and lucky enough to be in Sydney on this date please mention this when booking with Coco & we will do our best to accommodate you, but be swift as these tours are very popular & will book out fast.

New Office puts Malt Shovel on the Front Foot

Our regular followers will be well aware of the renovations taking place at the Camperdown site over the last 18 months, and these culminated in the official opening of our new Administration Office on 16th December. The completion of the new building has seen the re-location of our administration staff into the 1st floor level of the 188 Parramatta Road frontage to the site, while the ground floor now becomes the entry point for all visitors to the brewery. This area will subsequently be developed into a consumer connection point. At the moment we are still considering the best way to achieve this whether it might be via a visitor centre, a James Squire Shop, or some form of interactive craft beer experience. In the interim it has certainly delivered an increased awareness of the presence of the Malt Shovel Brewery as the home of James Squire beers. Despite our presence on Pyrmont Bridge Road since 2002, I am always surprised by how few of the residents in Sydney’s inner west are aware of our location. Courtesy of our new illuminated Squires signage and the prominent positioning of a sparkling copper kettle in front window thousands of motorists on their daily journey will now be well aware of the home of James Squire beers.

Photo of exterior & launch click here

Cheers for now
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer

A few things have conspired against me of late which have threatened my usual enjoyment of January. Firstly, one which affects all of us, La Nina, bringing rain and more rain. Secondly I have no summer holiday planned this year as this is a very busy time of year for any Malt Shovel Brewer, made busier by the loss of a couple of brewers who have chosen to take some leave. Thirdly I had an unfortunate car accident a few weeks ago which has left me carless but fortunately, physically fine. As they say, when life throws you a lemon, make lemonade, so I’m strangely enjoying riding my bike around town, and enjoying both crafting and sampling our great beers. To be able to put my sweat and effort into crafting beers that I’m proud of is a luxury that I’m very much appreciating at the moment.

Speaking of looking around town, a look through a craft beer fridge in a bottle shop these days can be quite overwhelming as I noticed recently at Camperdown Cellars, the nearest bottle shop to the brewery. Not only local craft beers pack the display fridges, but also imports. There are countless brands and products with creative labels all looking to appeal to me! Exploring new products is a treat but it’s funny how you always return to a classic, if you did particularly like it. I have found that over the years with James Squire Pilsener. This authentic Pilsener is a previous World Beer Cup winner in the Pilsener category, and in my opinion nothing has changed. The full bodied malty flavour and generous Saaz hop content continue to make this beer an absolute classic. In summer, I love nothing more than a womp in the ocean in the late afternoon, followed by a cold James Squire Pilsener, which is a great appetiser, and accompaniment to a seafood meal, even a spicy one at that. James Squire Pilsener oozes authenticity and character, with perfect balance, and will always be a beer I return to sample even whilst exploring the wider world of beers.

So for the month of January, a beach holiday beckons but is not to be, although there’s plenty to look forward to. It’s festival time in Sydney, a chance to enjoy extended daylight hours and absorb the entertainment of the world’s artistic talents. The touring Indian cricket team will make life hard for the Australian cricket team, the work experience “kid” is having a ball at the brewery, and we continue to experiment and innovate producing mini brews on our pilot brew kit. A Mad Brewers summer release is looming and there will be more limited releases on the horizon.

So expect some big flavour and a hop hits!The Portland Hotel will be launching brew #227 (yet to be named) on the Tuesday the 10th January @ 7pm. If you’d like to come along to the launch for a free tasting, get on the James Squire Brewhouse/Portland Hotel Facebook page and RSVP to the event. Spots are limited.

Chuck in front of the Kosciuszko Brewery at Banjo Patterson Inn, Jindabyne.

Chuck and Mick O’Rance celebrating the big award from the Royal Queensland Show.

Enjoy on Christmas Day, with an accompanying glass of our Porter!

Porter Pudding!
• 1 kg mixed fruit
• ½ pint James Squires Jack of Spades Porter
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 cups suet
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped glazed cherries
• ½ cup mixed peel
• ¼ cup ground almonds
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch salt

METHOD:
Soak the mixed fruit in James Squires Jack of Spades Porter for at least 24 hours, occasionally stirring. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined. Pour the mixture in to a well-greased ceramic pudding bowl leaving at least 3 cm from the top of the bowl, to allow for rising. Cut baking paper allowing for a 2cm fold in the centre of the paper, and 2 cm to overlap the edge of the bowl. Cover the bowl with greased baking paper, and then cover with foil, also with a 2cm fold in the centre, and secure with kitchen string. Place a tray/small plate in the bottom of a large saucepan to raise base of the bowl so it is not resting on the bottom of the saucepan to prevent it burning, or use a steamer if available. Place the pudding bowl into the steamer and fill with water until the water level reaches ¾ of the side of the bowl. Bring water to the boil, then gently steam for 2 hours. You will need to regularly top up the water. Turn off and let the pudding rest for approximately 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pudding and turn out onto plate. Serve with custard or ice-cream, and of course a glass of Porter!

The Holdfast Hotel is a leading Venue in the Glenelg area, specializing in Live Entertainment, Fine Dining, Gaming and Bottle Shop facilities.

Situated on Brighton Road opposite the Glenelg Football Club, the “Holdy” is steeped in tradition and has something to offer to all ages and tastes. Our “Brewpub” offers live entertainment 5 nights a week as well as an award winning micro-brewery (ask our friendly staff for a taste!), or with summer upon us, relax in the Brew Garden which can be accessed from all areas of the hotel. Or why not stop by and sample our fantastic a’la carte menu prepared by 5 star executive chef Peter Roennfeldt. Or perhaps relax in our gaming room with 33 of the latest machines and a great loyalty program. OUR THIRSTY CAMEL BOTTLESHOP is open 7 days a week offering regular specials and a wide range of beers, wines and spirits.

Ales & Tales
Ramsgate Hotel
14th December
328 Seaview Rd, Henley Beach
Contact hotel for bookings & details 8356 5411

WA

NYE @ THE GENEROUS SQUIRE
The generous cocktail party
See out 2011 in style at the GENEROUS SQUIRE rooftop terrace bar. There will be a premium selection of cocktails for one night only.
Entry is only $40 which includes 2 cocktails of your choice and complimentary nibbles being run around by our friendly staff. Our resident dj will be pumping out eclectic tunes all night long.
Clint lockwood who has won multiple awards and has extensive experience in the mixology scene will be in charge throughout the evening.
Rsvp is required so please call 63117071 to secure your place or alternatively visit info@thegeneroussquire.com.au

Dayton Coffey - Brewer

Bruce Draper - Brewer

Regan Pallandi - Brewer

Damian Trounce - Brewer

Richard Hollingworth - Operations Manager

Andrew Morgan-Jones - Brewer

On the back of our biggest two sales months ever in October & November and despite the challenge of a very busy brewing month ahead there are satisfied smiles on the faces of the Camperdown team, and with good cause too. 2011 has been a year of great progress and achievement at Malt Shovel. Here is just a short list of the accomplishments this year.

-James Squire becomes Australia’s leading craft brand (AC Nielsen Survey)
-Brewery Capacity Upgrade
• 4 new fermenter vessels installed and operating
• De-aerated Water plant installed & commissioned
• new increased capacity refrigeration plant installed
• New power board installed reducing power usage
-New administration office completed & occupied on Parramatta Road frontage
-One Fifty Lashes Pale ale launched and has become our number 2 selling beer in just 4 months.
-Squires enters the craft cider market with a cloudy, tap offering Orchard Crush.

Hoppy Delights in the New Year
As promised those Mad Brewers will be shooting another crazy offering your way in early February. Get ready for the Hoppy Hefe, a 7% abv hybrid wheat beer powered by liberal lashings of hops. Definitely one to share with a friend from the usual Mad Brewers 640mL bottle. Stay tuned for more detail in January.

Join Malt Shovel Brewer Hamish McArthur as he profiles James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale on Brewer’s Bytes click here

Best Wishes to all for a Merry & safe Christmas
Cheers for now
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer

Get a Taste with Brewer’s Bytes
Not everyone can get a chance to come visit us at Camperdown to enjoy a personal tasting with our brewers. So we thought we’d bring our brewers to you. Each month one of the team will be recording a half-minute profiling of one of the James Squire family of fine beers and posting it on YouTube with a link via our website. Limited Releases from Mad Brewers & James Squire will also be covered. So if you’d like to meet our brewers & get the inside goss on your favourite Squire brew click on the link & join us. This week I am kicking off with quick profile of 150 Lashes Pale Ale. Check it out!

Squire’s Cider tap launch
Following on from our recent Mad Brewers Fallen Apple Cyder Limited Release, we have been working hard to further develop our cider expertise. We are pleased to announce that a seasonal release cider will be available over the summer months. James Squire Orchard Crush is a 4.8% alcohol traditional cloudy apple cider and is now available on tap in only a limited number of venues in NSW, Victoria & WA markets. Orchard Crush is a medium dry cider produced from a seasonal blend of freshly juiced apples and should prove a treat for cider lovers this summer. While similar in flavour balance to our Mad Brewers offering, with Orchard Crush we have sought to retain the natural cloudiness of the juice and the appearance has taken its inspiration from the traditional Cornish ciders. This will certainly set it apart from the plethora of filtered ciders now flooding the market.
If you are out and about keep your eye out for our Orchard Crush on tap in James Squire friendly hotels.

Cheers for now,
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer

While hosting a tour last month I was asked the question how did I become a brewer?

I have always enjoyed the odd beer (and the even ones too…) and it was after going on a brewery tour I knew this was the job for me! Although if you are like me and never went to university, then you will need plenty of persistence, truck loads of passion, and oodles of enthusiasm!

It wasn’t an easy road and I couldn’t rely solely on my exceptionally amazing good looks. I was fortunate to have a number of transferable skills coming from the dairy industry that helped open a few doors, but it wasn’t until I put myself in front of the right people that I then began to see some real action. Over a period of four years and 29 unsuccessful job applications, it was finally lucky application number 30 when I landed my dream job!

If I could do it all again I think I would prefer to spend those four years at university obtaining a degree in food science, chemistry, or engineering, then another year doing a specialised brewing course through the likes of the University of Ballarat (www.ballarat.edu.au) or the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (www.ibd.org.uk). But even then, there is no real guarantee you will land your dream job.

Did I mention that the love and support of a good woman also helps a lot??? You know who you are…. But just in case you don’t, that’s you Jenny xxx

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful” - Albert Schweitzer. Them there are some wise words…….

The James Squire Bounty in Salamanca Square Hobart is turning 2 years old!

On Wednesday 16th of November, we will be throwing open the doors to celebrate this milestone…and everyone is invited.

Chuck Hahn, creator of the James Squire beers, will be in attendance and there will be live music, food matching, giveaways, and a lucky door prize.

$5 schooners all night and a special brew on tap to try, come along and join in the fun!

http://thesquiresbounty.com.au

Tasmanian Beerfest 2011

Australia’s largest beer festival transforms the Hobart waterfront into a universe of boutique and craft beer this November.

Head to Hobart’s Princes Wharf this November and quench your thirst with hundreds of boutique beers and plenty of food, combined with live music, brewing information sessions, food-matching and more!

Chuck Hahn and the James Squire Craft Beer team will be in attendance this year, conducting beer and cheese matching sessions and talking all things beer with the festival goers. Chuck has also been working with the Malt Shovel team on a special brew that will be exclusive to the Festival, so drop by and taste this little beauty.

http://www.tasmanianbeerfest.com.au/

WA

Beaufort Street Festival

Beaufort Street (centre of Highgate and Mt Lawley)
Saturday 12th November from 12 noon to 10pm.
Free!
http://www.beaufortstreetfestival.com.au/

Beaufort Street Festival is back again and this time it’s bigger and better than ever, drawing upon WA’s local talent and highlighting the great sense of community in the area. This year sees a MUSIC program reflecting Perth’s independent music scene; ART showcasing local and innovative talent; FOOD representing the best of Beaufort Street’s café, bar and restaurant scene; and FASHION from Beaufort Street’s quirky and off-beat boutiques. Beaufort Street Festival celebrates everything unique about the area – one of Perth’s most cutting edge retail and cafe strips.

The Western Australian Craft Beer Showcase

The Urban Orchard, Perth Cultural Centre
Friday 25th 4-10pm, Saturday 26th 11am-4pm & 5-10pm
$30+ booking fee (includes 5 tastings & tasting glass)
Tickets through: CraftBeer.com.au
info@craftbeer.com.au

The WA Craft Beer showcase provides an opportunity for the Perth public to sample world class hand crafted beer from the state’s finest breweries. Featuring 19 breweries from Broome to the South West presenting their beers as well as food stalls, this event stands alone for quality and range.

To ensure the event allows as many lucky people as possible to enjoy our amazing product, the showcase has been split into 3 sessions, one on Friday and two sessions on Saturday. We recommend everyone start planning with friends now to make sure you don’t miss out on your session!

The Generous Squire

Join us for the final Beer Club meeting for 2011 with WA Craft Beer SANTA and the team from The Generous Squire celebrating the end of the year and showcasing the NEW James Squire ORCHARD CRUSH CIDER.

Prizes Galore, Christmas Canapés and a special Christmas gift for each and every attendee we are planning to finish the year with a BANG!!!

Please RSVP ASAP to ensure your spot as this event WILL REACH CAPACITY Upstairs from 5:30pm on Tuesday the 6th of December.

Transport Hotel is situated in Federation Square opposite Flinders Street station.
As one of Melbourne’s most iconic venues we have transformed the way that people meet offering an alternative to the steps of Flinders St Station.

Transport offers a large range of liquid refreshment, from Australia and around the world.
As well as this The Transport Kitchen offers Classic Pub food 7days a week from 12 until late.

Transport offers an imaginative concoction of glass and polished concrete, cool grooves and great views over the Yarra towards the Botanical Gardens and then down to the MCG.

We pride ourselves on being Melbourne’s best meeting place, being in such close proximity, to sport, art and some of the city’s best eateries. Leave the car at home , jump on a tram or a train and get dropped off at the front door.

Transport appeals to most with 100 bottled beers from Australia and around the world, and 14 different beers and ciders on tap.

Yet another New Brewer on deck!
Last month we welcomed Kiwi brewer Bruce Draper to our Camperdown team & this month we do likewise to Daniel Dainton, our new resident brewer at the Portland Brewhouse down in Melbourne. Daniel is a passionate home brewer who is completing a Graduate Certificate of Brewing at the University of Ballarat and will be undergoing some intensive training under the watchful eye of Senior Brewer Rob Freshwater over the next month or so. Say hello to Daniel if you are visiting the Portland & spy him at work in the microbrewery.

There are numerous different types of sour beer made by all kinds of different processes some of the most common types you may see around your favourite craft beer shop are the Lambic beers. The most famous of the sour beers originating in Belgium are known for their strong complicated and sour flavours. Brewed with a combination of barley and un-malted wheat and left to spontaneously ferment before being transferred into wooden casks where the beer may be left for a period of years. There are many variations to Lambics, the Gueuze is a blend of young and old Lambic beers which is generally a more refreshing beer than a straight Lambic but still very sour. Fruit Lambics are also popular where whole fruit (traditionally) or fruit extract is added at the end of fermentation to bring about another style of sour beer. Many other types of “sour” and “wild” beers exist including, Sasions, Flanders/Bruin ales and all kinds of strange farmhouse ciders and ales.

Will you ever see Malt Shovel do a Lambic? I don’t know. The equipment set up is costly and bringing uncontrolled microorganisms into the brewery risky so it’s not an easy task. We have been influenced by these styles in the past however with the Mad Brewers Orchard Ale being based on a Sasion and using a sour mash process and more recently a soured dark lager was produced in our trial kit with limited success so it a style we are keeping an eye on at the Malt Shovel.

Monthly Generous Squire Beer Club Bottle of the States - Malt Shovel Vs Western Australia
Upstairs at The Generous Squire
5:30pm-7:30pm
Free to Beer Club Members
Tuesday October 18th
Join WA Craft Beer Specialist and the team at The Generous Squire for the final of our Battle of the States Blind Tastings with the very best of the Beers from the Malt Shovel Brewery take on the best craft beers WA has to offer in a head to head blind taste off!! As always complimentary canapés will be provided and funds raised from the raffle go towards supporting RUAH community services

Generous Squire
Book now for the Melbourne cup
3 hr seafood and drinks package for $110pp
11.30am -2.30pm
Watch it live on our big screens
DJ Anaru from 2pm
Bookings through our website www.thegeneroussquire.com.au hurry-limited tickets available.
Join the beer club for invites to exclusive events and to receive member only specials.
http://www.thegeneroussquire.com.au

QLD

James Squire Tales & Ales Luncheon
Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club
Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Friday 14th October
12pm start
$ 50 - includes Food & Beverages
RSVP Andrew Hewett - Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club 07 5449 8602 or manager@nyrc.com.au

Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club is the perfect spot for an afternoon of great food & beers to match.
Overlooking the Noosa River, this venue has a solid reputation for fantastic food at great affordable prices.
This, coupled with a big selection of icy cold beers on tap, guarantees a relaxed & enjoyable time for locals & visitors alike.

VIC

Federation Square Micro-Breweries Showcase
19 - 20 October 2011, 4.30pm - 8pm
$25 + booking fee and $2 refundable glass deposit
pre-purchasing tickets from Ticketmaster - tickets available closer to the date.

Meet the brewers. Enjoy their beer. The idea is simple but there’s nothing ‘simple’ about the boutique beers featured in the Fed Square Microbreweries Showcase. Learn more about the brewing process and enjoy up to 20 samples from Victoria’s finest microbreweries including Melbourne CBD’s only micro-brewery The Portland Hotel - James Squire Brewhouse.

NSW

Brew Mountains Beer Festival
The inaugural Brew Mountains Craft beer Festival is being held at The Fairmont Resort Leura on Saturday October 15th 2011.

BMCBF is an initiative of Schwartz Brewery, founders of the ‘National Capital Craft Beer Festival’ which has been held successfully at the Schwartz Family owned ‘Olims Hotel’ for the last 4 years. Schwartz Brewery is committed to heritage, whilst paving the way for innovation in the Brewing industry. This is achieved by inviting the best Breweries to exhibit their wares in accommodating and picturesque surroundings.

Now that the Schwartz Family owns the iconic Fairmont Resort, which has undergone major renovations of late, it was deemed an ideal location to further promote the craft beer industry, along with an array of fresh and local produce form surrounding areas.

BMCBF provides a great platform for beer enthusiasts and the whole family can enjoy the day, as there is indeed something for everyone and as the festival slogan promises ‘MOUNTAINS OF FUN’.

For more information go to www.bluemountainsbeerfest.com or for bookings go to http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=48606&ref=moshtix&skin=

While you are there, we will be heading to the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba from 5-6pm for a beer and food matching session and another chance to meet Chuck Hahn!

ACT

Calwell Club Tales and Ales Dinner Hosted by Chuck Hahn
Tuesday October 18th
6.30 for 7pm
$50
1 Were St, Calwell ACT
(02) 6291 5666

3 Wise Monkeys Meal Deal
555 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02)9283 5855

It’s clear this more approachable style of Australian pale ale is popular with the local drinkers and provides a perfect to stepping stone for those embarking on a quest toward the appreciation of more flavourful beers.
Modern drinkers are also looking for beer brands which have a story to tell. Earlier this year, each James Squire beer received a new brand name and illustrative icon, in a label refresh aimed at bringing to life the rich tapestry of stories of James Squire’s life as Australia’s first brewer.

So where does One Fifty Lashes fit into Squire’s flavourful life story?
The Lashes name is based on the true story of James Squire being discovered stealing ingredients from the hospital stores soon after his arrival with the first fleet, in order to make one of colony’s first batches of beer. The magistrate ordered 300 lashes… and he received 150 with the remainder to be served “when he could bear it”. James never received the balance of his sentence most likely because his attempts at brewing had proven so promising. It was known that he was already brewing at the time for the personal consumption of General Grose & Colonel Paterson and perhaps this explained why he was shown leniency.
This & other excerpts from our original Amber Ale labels

But what about the beer?
Well Lashes is a refreshing cloudy pale ale with restrained bitterness and a clean, smooth finish. We’ve used malted wheat as well as pale barley malt to add balance to the finish, while the late addition of Nelson Sauvin & Amarillo and also some Australian grown Willamette hops deliver a subdued fruity nose with hints of passionfruit, grapefruit and citrus. While modelled along the guidelines of the Australian Pale ale style in both appearance & degree of hoppiness, in true James Squire fashion we could not resist adding our own little twist. Lashes Pale is aimed at 4.2% alcohol, technically aligning it more toward the English Bitter Ale style. The result is a well balanced pale with a foot in both the English & Australian camps - A bit like James Squire the man!
Try our new ale and let us know what you think.

Some more good news for the locals!
The traditional October Malt Shovel Brewery Tours are back. Yes, despite all the fevered activity taking place on site at Camperdown we will be throwing our doors open for 2 brewery tours to be held on Sat 8th October & Sat 22th October. These tours will be by confirmed booking only and limited to MSB members and their guests only, with a maximum of 3 guests per member. The tours will include a free sampling of 4 members of the James Squire family matched to a delicious finger food. Cost of the tour & food is $30 per person. Please Note: Adults only to attend and please wear covered footwear as we will be touring the brewery plant.
For booking ring Coco at Malt Shovel Brewery on 02 8594 0200 or via GOODBREWS

If you are from interstate and lucky enough to be in Sydney on either of these weekends please mention this when booking with Coco & we will do our best to accommodate you, but be swift as these tours are very popular & will book out fast.

New Brewer on deck!
With Damian Trounce now entrenched at the Knappstein Brewery in South Australia’s Clare Valley (see last months Brewers Blog), we have had to move quickly to fill his brewer role back at MSB. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Bruce Draper a former Brewery Technician from the Lion Brewery in Christchurch, who has just made the big trip across the ditch to set up a new brewing life in Australia. We were indeed fortunate to snap Bruce up so quickly, and we welcome him to our team and will be profiling him in next month’s newsletter.

Cheers for now,
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer

My only direct experience in cask brewing began in 1993 at Joshua Tetley’s in Leeds. My job in the lab, included taking micro and chemical lab samples from the open top Yorkshire square fermenters, from the racking tanks (the cask equivalent of a bright beer tank) and from the casks off the line.

To start this project I sourced a couple of 9 gallon (just under 41 litre), ‘firkin’ casks, and recently returning from the UK, I brought back the extra parts required - soft and hard pegs, shives, keystones and cask tap. A ‘firkin’ is an old English unit of volume, meaning fourth, it’s a quarter of barrel. In the UK casks are produced in varying sizes, each size has a particular name, as shown below.

Metric Gallons Table
pin                  20.46 litre         4.5 gallons      4.5 gallons = 1 pin
firkin              40.91 litre         9 gallons          2 pins = 1 firkin
kilderkin       81.83 litre         18 gallons        2 firkins = 1 kilderkin
barrel             163.29 litre       36 gallons       2 kilderkins = 1 barrel
puncheon     327.32 litre      72 gallons       2 barrels = 1 puncheon
tun                  981.96 litre       216 gallons      3 puncheons = 1 tun
hogshead       245.49 litre      54 gallons       6 firkins = 1 hogshead

For our first cask beer experiment at the Malt Shovel we took IPA out of our maturation tank, and then dry hopped the cask with several hop varieties including, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, Strissel spalt, Citra, Centennial and whole Cascade flowers
Then added priming sugar and a small amount of fermenting yeast, hammered in the shive to seal the cask and allowed the secondary fermentation to take place for a week.
We then hammered in the soft peg (called a spile) into the shive (a plastic bung on the top of the cask) and allowed the beer to vent for 24 hours, before hammering the tap into the keystone (the plastic bung on the base of the cask) and putting the cask on to stillage, (a system of wedging the cask whilst its laying on its side and slowly raising the far end so that all the hop/yeast sediment accumulates just under the tap).

2 days later the beer was ready to connect to the hand pump for dispense!

The beer, nicknamed ‘Pommy Brew’ was 6.5% ABV, a bitterness of around 70 ibu and, as expected it had a very distinct hoppy aroma. As with all cask beers it had very little carbonation and by Aussie standards served warm, at room temp.

The temperature of dispense is one of the challenges of serving cask beer in Australia, ideally a temperature of 11 -13 degrees, is best, which is the UK’s cellar temperature. This is far too warm for our cold store, but well below ambient. In the future I will source a cooling jacket so that we can serve it more at cellar temperature.

I have challenged the MSB brewing team to experiment with the cask; a 92 ibu hop monster is currently on dispense at the moment! In the future, I hope to brew a more traditional English brew using classic English Fuggles and Golding hops.

1. For instance if you are trying to make a lovely rich gravy, a spicy highly hopped pilsener is not the beer to use. For something like this a rich stout or for that matter the James Squire Porter is something which would be far more suitable. This is because the hops in beer will impart a bitter flavour to your food and therefore beer choice is critical.

2. Never use a beer you wouldn’t drink! There is a good chance that if you don’t enjoy a beer you a cooking with then you probably won’t like the taste of your cooked product.

3. You should always stock a multitude of different beers at your house and not necessarily in the fridge. This will allow you at add a tipple to a dish and experiment a bit.
Beer makes a great marinade. If you’re off to grill your favourite steak marinade it in James Squire Amber ale for a few hours beforehand this will impart a rich flavour and a terrific glaze. The acidic qualities of beer will help break down the proteins within the steak and make for a more tender cut of meat.

However, the best part of cooking with beer is the experimentation. There is nothing better than buying a 6 pack of your favourite Squires beer and drinking a couple whilst tipping some into a flavoursome concoction. Everybody knows that James Squires beer range goes very well with dishes cooked but trying to cook with them is another step in the flavour journey. With this in mind I have attached 2 of my favouite cooking with beer recipes. One is a lovely gravy which poured over your favourite roast or meat dish will take it to a new level. The other is a favourite stew of mine, though taking a fair bit of time, a 6 pack to share with friends whilst you wait for this delicious dish is a great way to spend a night.
Cheers and enjoy the recipes.

Onion Beer Gravy
This simple little gravy can be used to cover all things meaty….and things not so meaty, basically anything. Use a James Squire Sundown lager, remembering that you don’t want to use an overly bitter beer or your dish will come out quite bitter also
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 large brown onion
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 bottle of James Squire Sundown lager at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon of flour
Slice onions and saute in a pan on medium heat with butter and oil until nearly all the moisture is gone and onions are golden. Add sugar and 45ml of the beer and continue cooking until the onions are a rich caramelized brown. In a separate glass combine the remaining beer, tomato sauce and flour. Add to the panmix in some salt and pepper and stir constantly until thickened and smooth.
Enjoy with a James Squire pilsener or which ever beer you feel matches your meaty goodness!
Cheers!

Rabbit in Beer!
This recipe is one of my favourites. The recipe may take a while but whilst you wait you can have a couple of refreshing beers in an afternoon. You will also need 1 Golden ale for cooking.
• 1 rabbit jointed (ask your butcher to joint the rabbit)
• 120g of bacon
• 2 brown onions
• 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
• 1.5 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon of vinigar
• 300ml of James Squire golden ale at room temperature
First you must soak the rabbit in salted water for an hour then pat dry with a paper towel. Put a thin coat of flour on the rabbit and season with salt and pepper. Slice onions and bacon and brown in oil, once done remove from pan. Brown rabbit in the pan used for onions and bacon with the butter. Put onions, bacon and rabbit into a caserole dish and mix in the vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper then pour over the beer. Put foil over the casserole and bake in an oven set at 170⁰ for 2 hours.
Make the most of the time the rabbit is in the oven by enjoying a couple of James Squire Amber ales to pass the time away. This little dish is great with roasted vegies and the gamey taste of rabbit goes very well with James Squire Amber ale.

Seating for the luncheon is strictly limited to 80 guests only so to avoid disappointment make sure you book early! Bookings can be made via email at marketing@clubrivers.com.au.

VIC
Rob Freshwater with a little help from James Smith - founder of The Crafty Pint, has brewed a new beer “Spear Tackle” celebrating the World Cup. Speartackle has Australian, New Zealand and American hops, is an American Pale Ale and at 6% ABV.
On tap from the 7th September 2011.
Come down to the Portland Hotel to try the Speartackle!

WA

State of Origin
Malt Shovel Vs South Australia
Join Craft Beer Specialist George Stupart for a head to head blind tasting with some of the best Craft Beers form the Malt Shovel stable taking on the best Craft Beers South Australia has to offer
Tuesday 20th of September 5:30pm monthly Generous Squire Beer Club meeting upstairs at the Generous Squire Cnr Shafto Lane & Murray Street.