A GOOD BREAKFAST MAKETH THE MAN ! !

[IBob]

I'll paint the picture:

 

My new employer had booked me in a Sydney Hotel, where I shared a room with the biggest spider I'd ever seen. He was on the ceiling.

 

I'm okay with spiders, in fact I'm okay with most animals, but not knowing whether he was okay with me, I decided to pop him outside before lying down to sleep off the flight. So I got on a chair with a paper, naively imagining I could coax him onto it, and was greatly astonished when he reared up and proceeded to lunge at me. The fight proceeded for some time, moving over most of the ceiling until finally, overcome by weariness, I'm ashamed to say I rolled up the paper and clubbed him.

 

This was the first Australian I engaged with.

 

I slept long and well, woke to a continues roaring noise from downstairs. Showered, dressed, and made my way downstairs to discover the roaring noise was the bar. It was one of those great long island bars, and under full siege all round from a roaring mass of men, perhaps 5 deep, waving empty jugs.

 

I watched in amazement for some time as jugs filled with amber fluid fought their way out from the bar while empty jugs fought back inwards.

 

By crikey, I thought, that must be some good stuff! Accordingly I joined the heaving fray, and arriving eventually at the bar only mildly battered, bought some.

 

Horrible beers, like good beers, are available worldwide, so this is not intended as a slight on Australia. But this stuff was right up there:

 

Watered down, quite obviously, even to my uneducated palate.

 

Loaded with citric acid to try and give it some edge and flavour, and it stuck out like dog's wotsits.

 

Very cold, which mercifully helped mask what the flavour was.

 

But lots of fizz.

 

I looked out the window, where the paving stones were clearly NOT made of gold, and the kangaroos were nowhere to be seen...and I wondered what I had done...........

 

 

[hihosland]

US and Australian mega brewers discovered long ago that if you serve it cold enough the punters won't know how it tastes and thus you can serve them any thing at all and they won't know any better

 

 

[facthunter]

Why would you drink warm beer in a place like Australia? Yes cooling it does reduce the taste but the older beers had plenty of taste. It's so crook I rarely drink the stuff now a days. (not brewed properly) There are some exceptions in the low volume market. Wine is cheap here so there's your answer. Nev

 

 

[IBob]

Why would you drink warm beer in a place like Australia? Yes cooling it does reduce the taste but the older beers had plenty of taste. It's so crook I rarely drink the stuff now a days. (not brewed properly) There are some exceptions in the low volume market. Wine is cheap here so there's your answer. Nev

I don't think they drink warm beer anywhere, Nev.

 

It's just become a thing to poke fun at the poms by calling their beer warm.

 

The reality, as hihosland suggests, is that it's a lot easier making an acceptable drink if it's very chilled. And a lot harder making a beer that tastes okay when not superchilled.

 

The rest is just a matter of taste and what you are used to?

 

 

[Yenn]

I was bringing a yacht up the NSW coast and pulled in to Coffs Harbour. Went to the only pub at the harbour and it was Reschs. One beer and no more. Had to go in to Coffs to find something drinkable. Do they still make the stuff, if so I take my hat off to NSW drinkers for being brave.

 

 

[facthunter]

I've never had a cold beer in London, though that's not too recent. It's not just poking fun. They want it that way. Different in Venice. Lovely cold German beer. Nev

 

 

[nomadpete]

I think Reschs DA stood officially for "dinner ale"?

 

Can't imagine anybody willingly spoiling a meal with the stuff.

 

It turned me off beer so much that I started drinking wine.

 

Even considering the average 'quality' of Aussie wine in those days. And back then any bloke caught drinkin plonk was automatically branded 'poof' and risked a beating for it.

 

Thankfully our 'culture' and tolerance has improve a lot. So has our brewing.

 

 

[Marty_d]

I usually brew my own (and enjoy it!)

 

However recently I bought a carton for the first time in years. I was amazed by the range and countries of origin of the beer in the coldroom - China, India, Japan, Mexico, Holland, USA - I think the Australian beers were in the minority.

 

 

[red750]

There used to be a slogan, "Reschs makes you reach".

 

 

[spacesailor]

In the land of the loong white cloud, the local brew was "Redband".

 

I always wondered if it was watered down as it tasted like 50% tap water, (on Tap).

 

in Dublin I had to chew the local drought beer, couldn't just drink it down.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

From Christchurch to Invercargill I enjoyed drinking Speights.

 

Superior P1ss Enjoyed In Great Hotels Throughout Southland.

 

 

[Litespeed]

There used to be a slogan, "Reschs makes you reach".

Ah the bad old days, I remember the old saying

 

"Reschs makes you Wrekas"

 

Damn aweful tasting yeast infection. A few of those and life took a very negative turn taste wise.

 

And DA was from the glory days of advertising, and the big scale Aussie style brewing- with bugger all taste and lasting regret.

 

Need I mention the old gold dimpled steel can of cold KB..............Ah

 

Aka Kids Beer

 

....

 

Now I am just enjoying a good German Beer- a tasty drop delivered in 500ml cans and great value. And I know by Law it has no crap- just a real beer.

 

But alas my favourite was George IV at Picton- the own brewed beers were legend.

 

You could stand by the fire and watch the flames carress the cooper and brass German beer stil. And strong enough to ensure you stayed in a convict made room for the night. The George is Australias oldest continous pub. And a real blast back to the past and best.

 

Oh and was a real nice ride after uni at Macarthur.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

I can't drink much beer, a glass at a time is enough for me as there's something in it, the yeast or hops or whatever, that doesn't like me at all.

 

But recently a Mate here has been brewing some mead, i.e. honey beer, damn it's nice.

 

Large variety of beers here and I get to taste them for free as the same Mate has a little pizza/beer place and there's 2 absolute standouts, one Tsintao (ching-dow) is the best by far of Chinese beers that is actually German in heritage and even all the late 1800's equipment, and the other is a Portugese beer with a stupid name, Super Bock. The Bock has an awesome strong initial flavour without nasty after taste lingering in your mouth.

 

Super Bock - Wikipedia

 

Interesting history for Tsingdao ...

 

Tsingtao Brewery - Wikipedia

 

It'd be the only way to take some beers. Keep it as far away from my taste buds as possible.

Err, your butt actually has taste receptors, that's why chile burns on the way out

 

 

[old man emu]

Alas, the George IV was inundated in the winter floods that swept through Picton this year. The local council is throwing up all sorts of minutiae to prevent the restoration of this historic landmark.

 

OME

 

 

[Yenn]

I thought the Surveyor general in Berrima was Australias oldest pub. Havn't been there since New Years Eve 1962, when I was thrown out.

 

 

[Bruce Tuncks]

Berrimah in Darwin Yenn?

 

 

[Oksinay]

I can't drink much beer, a glass at a time is enough for me as there's something in it, the yeast or hops or whatever, that doesn't like me at all.But recently a Mate here has been brewing some mead, i.e. honey beer, damn it's nice.

 

Large variety of beers here and I get to taste them for free as the same Mate has a little pizza/beer place and there's 2 absolute standouts, one Tsintao (ching-dow) is the best by far of Chinese beers that is actually German in heritage and even all the late 1800's equipment, and the other is a Portugese beer with a stupid name, Super Bock. The Bock has an awesome strong initial flavour without nasty after taste lingering in your mouth.

 

Super Bock - Wikipedia

 

Interesting history for Tsingdao ...

 

Tsingtao Brewery - Wikipedia

 

Err, your butt actually has taste receptors, that's why chile burns on the way out

So long as its "bing" and served straight up, not after the meal.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Beer. It is a matter of personal taste. In the 70s when I lived in England the trend was to get away from beer with any real flavour & European lagers were trendy, Harp & Carlsberg etc & a button was pressed & exactly half a pint was delivered cold & then the "Campaign for Real Ale" began. This was for a return of true English ales which are "Pulled from the Wood". Beer was naturally carbonated, delivered in wooden barrels, kept at the current ambient temperature & pumped to the glass by hand. Initially I hated this stuff but after spending a Summer working on a farm in Marden, Kent & frequenting one of the local Pubs I grew to like it. After a while I only went to "Real Ale" pubs. That style of beer suits the climate & atmosphere of an English Pub. I still have a Youngs Brewery Real Ale dimpled pint mug.

 

Nowadays I make my own & prefer it to most commercial beers. When I do buy beer it is usually IPA (India Pale Ale) from a craft brewery both local & imported. Highly hopped with superb flavour and lingering after taste & usually quite strong from 5.2 to 7 or 8 percent alcohol. There are also some standard Pale Ales that come close. Little Creatures & Wicked Elf are a couple I like. IPAs came about when traditional English ale did not make the journey to India very well in the 18th century to quench the thirst of the troops & was off by the time they got it. By experimentation the English brewers used pale barley, lots of hops & a higher alcohol content. The hops & alcohol were good preservatives & the pale malt retained flavour better so that is where the name originated.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

So long as its "bing" and served straight up, not after the meal.

Half the time you will get ice put in it if you just say "bing". Problem is every Province has it's slight variation on it, bing-de, bing-le, bing yin .....

 

Then's there's the problem of them thinking you are strange because you want a cold drink in Winter! All fridges get turned off and I can't buy an ice cream anywhere.