Beer

Australian beer carries a number of traps for the visitor, not all of them related to excess consumption

The international profile of Australian beers is still stuck resolutely in the world of Paul Hogan-style adverts, in which rugged men put away Olympic-sized swimming pools of rugged beer.  To their credit, discerning Aussie drinkers have increasingly realised that the cheap beers they've sold to the world deliver commensurate levels of rugged bad taste, and hangovers to match.  One of the features of watching Australia for the past twenty years has been seeing the expansion of craft breweries selling higher quality beers and allowing people to educate their palates with a wider range of tastes.

Once, the only thing that mattered about beer was that it should be cold.  And to be truthful, that still matters to Australians.  A lot.  But they've increasingly come to recognise that icy coldness can mask a load of nasty flavours, and smaller scale operations like Little Creatures, Fat Yak and James Squire and others have been able to exploit this with a range of new beers which they can sell for premium prices.

So, if the unwary foreigner finds himself in a bar or bottleshop, what are the basic rules?  Well, first of all, ask the staff.  That way you're more likely to find something interesting.  Second, and most importantly, don't buy any Australian beer that you've heard of before.  Since most overseas visitors are aware of Fosters, XXXX and VB, following this rule gives a decent chance of avoiding any additive-induced nasties later on.  Finally, if in doubt, buy Tasmanian.  The two leading breweries from that state are Boags and Cascade, and though both are substantial operations they are renowned throughout the country for producing good, clean-tasting beers.

If you're in a pub, having selected your beer, you're going to have to decide how much of it you want, which is not as straightforward as it sounds.  In order to confuse outsiders, and delight students of linguistics, the locals have adopted a variety of terms for different-sized glasses, which vary depending on which state you happen to be in.  Depending on where you are, a 285 ml glass will generally be referred to as a middy or a pot, and a 425 ml one as a schooner.  However, you will certainly find local variants and, to complicate things further, in South Australia the smaller glass may also be referred to as a schooner.

Sick of being sneered at by the British for the smallness of their measures, and intrigued by large measures of alcohol, Australians have increasingly taken to drinking their beer in imperial pints.  Finally, in most establishments you can buy it in two pint jugs.  Whilst this is generally associated with a convivial, sharing atmosphere, I am advised that in less salubrious places the patrons are known to sit around a table, with each drinking directly from their own jug.  If this is so, then the Aussies have found a way of taking the challenge back to the Brits. 

Taking on the Brits (photo www.australiablog.com)

Fortunately, in a bottle shop, things are likely to be easier.  The bottles and cans are all clearly labelled with their sizes, and for the beer lover the main decision to make on quantity is when to complete your Australian experience by walking out with a slab (a case of 24).

For the English beer lover there will be the usual regret that Aussies haven't chosen to taste all these new beers they've got at any temperature higher than icy cold, the better to appreciate their flavour.  However, on a hot summer's day this will please most - as will the fact that in decent establishments the glass will also be chilled.




Follow this link to read about the adventures of some Queenslanders who're now fully exploring the wonderful world of beer, after years of drinking rotgut XXXX and similar fighting brews