Books

Beer, Mines & Rails: A history of the brewing industry in Queensland to the 1920s Dr Brett J. Stubbs Tankard Books $39.00 Beer and brewery history is fascinating. It’s the story of people and society, science and technology. As the James Squire brand shows it can be turned into a compelling back story for...
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The Local Taphouse will launch their own Taphouse TV online channel with a “Q & Ales” session as part of their bi-monthly Ale Stars events. Q & Ales is inspired by the ABC’s Q&A programme and will feature at occasional Ale Star sessions. Craft beer luminaries from around the world will be beamed live...
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So, this is the second time I have mentioned it – but The Beer Lover’s Guide to Australia turned up in my mail today. You’d have to expect me to say nice things given I edited it – so take that for granted and dismiss as necessary – but I had nothing to do with the design and layout, just...
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As craft beer continues to win over Australian hearts and palates, a new book sets out to debunk the myth that the best place for a beer is sitting on your couch watching the football.
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Well it’s been a long run to this point. We have seen Pale Ales, we have seen IPAs and we have seen double IPAs. We have seen beers light and dark. We have seen beers from breweries large and small, owned by massive public companies and by small private ones that define the purists...
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“The King is dead! Long live the King!” After holding the number one spot in the first two Hot 100 lists at The Local Taphouse and in the hearts of many drinkers, Little Creatures has fallen. All the way to number two. To put this into some sort of context, consider that 448 different beers...
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The countdown of the Critics’ Choice top 12 has been generating quite a bit of chatter online with all sorts of debate about the list. But if there has been one beer name that has risen above the general din of discussion as being a beer that punters demand to be in any credible...
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Even as a contributor to the book, as each beer is revealed it is a surprise to me. Though perhaps the bigger surprise would have been if this beer had been omitted from the top 5. It certainly lives up to the brewery’s boast that “it is also one of the highest rated beers...
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It lost its title of ‘Best Australian Lager’ in somewhat controversial circumstances in this year’s Local Taphouse Hottest 100, but Knappstein Reserve Lager has reclaimed the top lager spot – and the title of Australia’s 5th best beer – in the Critics’ Choice list. I’m not sure whether it’s that lagers just don’t get much love from aficionados,...
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Beer styles are a funny thing. We need style definitions so that we can describe a beer and categorise it, and even to have beer competitions, but slavish adherence to style just stifles innovation and fossilises beer. So it is great to see that a beer that confounds style descriptions can still be critically...
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