Entry By : Eric and Valerie
Country: Australia
Subject:

Fremantle International Beerfestival

Date: March 6 , 2006

Today we did what many people in Portland do on a sunny summer weekend. We went to a Beer Festival. The Fremantle International Beer Festival to be exact. To be honest, we were a little unsure of what we would find. A bunch of drunk Aussies, a bunch of sober Aussies drinking yellow fizzie beer, or some combination of the two.

We arrived right when the gates opened at 11:00 to be sure we had a chance to taste before the crowds grew too large. As it turned out, this wasn't a problem all day. We were there on the last day of the festival and most of the serious drinkers had already had their fill!

When I first walked in I was very impressed at how they had things organized. A very long and wide tent with dozens of stations set up to serve beer. I walked up to the bar, the first person, and reviewed the list of 80 or so beers. My first choice was a nostalgic one. A 'La Fin Du Monde'. Our friends Mark and Lisa will remember this as the first beer we tasted at our first Great Canadian Brewers Festival in Victoria many years ago. I ordered the taste and watched in shock as the pourer emptied the entire bottle into a cup. So ... um ... how many tokens is that going to cost? He looked up in as much shock as I was in and stammered that I was in the 'retail' tent and that all the tasting took place around the rest of the grounds. Apparently, if you taste something you like, you can go in and buy a bottle of it right there. A great idea, but one I had no clue about.

So, $12 later I walked out with a full glass of Le Fin Du Monde (9% Alcohol) at 11:00 in the morning. Oh yes, the day was getting off to a fast start. I nursed the beer for about half an hour, but the sun was so hot it was hard to drink it any slower. After I finished my first beer, I struck off to taste some of Australia's microbrews, or boutique beers as they call them. My first was a Porter from Swan River. Very true to style and not a bad beer. Served too cold, but on a day like this (95-98 degrees) you needed to keep the beers cold.

Next I wandered over to the Matilda Bay Brewing Company tent and picked up one of their printed flyers describing their beers. To my delight and surprise, they served a Pale Ale that was designed to match the Northwest US Pale Ale, using fresh imported Cascade Hops. This was too much! I had to taste this and see if it was even close. Guess what? It kicked ass! Hoppy to the max, but not overly bitter, and a beautiful clean finish. I struck up a conversation with the pourer, who worked at the brewery and he told me the brewer had spent some time in Oregon and Washington tasting beers and fell in love with the style. Who wouldn't? I later saw the brewer walking around in a Sierra Nevada t-shirt. Frankly, his beer was tastier than their Pale Ale, and getting it 10,000 miles from home was a real treat.

I can't swear to it, but it seems like last time I was in Fremantle, we tried Matilda Bay beers and it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. They don't bottle the Pale Ale yet, so I couldn't get any to take along with us. Oh well!

We tasted beers for the rest of the afternoon, but never found anything close to the Pale Ale. There were lots of Belgian, German and English beers as well as an assortment of Aussie and Kiwi beers. There were also a few Italian, Brazilian, and Portuguese.

All in all, it was a great day to get my fill of hops, barley, yeast and water. I took a few photos, but it cut into my tasting time, so I mostly kept the camera in its case. Tomorrow we head north for sun, sand and diving. Probably won't get any good beer until we get to Darwin, but you never know what you'll find at the local pubs:)

Until next time, hoppy trails,

Eric & Val

 

 

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