BEER CLUB No.1

Between friends we've been brewing up the idea of having a Beer Club every once in a while - getting together to try new and unusual beers.

The Inaugural Beer Club took place out of the blue last week. As a precursor to larger Beer Club gatherings in future, it was a nice modest start, with a few ladies around on my balcony to test out the two ridiculous novelty ales i had come across.

The first was.............

NT DRAUGHT
Northern Territory, Australia

Dubbed "Australia's Biggest Beer", this m'fucker was seriously HUGE!
A present my Dad had brought back from Darwin for my 24th B'day, I'd forgotten it was sitting in the back of my pantry, waiting for the right occasion to come up to drink it. There was some debate as to whether the date printed on the box (03 April 2007) was the use by date or not, but we tried our luck anyhow.
It wasn't the most fantastic beer any of us had tried, and there was a comment made that "...it tastes kinda like what they'd serve as $1 pots at the Northern Territory's equivalent of The Tote!". No offense intended toward the beloved Tote, but more so to Geelong Bitter, the horrible beer we all used to neck as Dollar Pots on Tuesdays, back in the day. Frighteningly, I'm sure they fetch closer to two bucks nowadays.
Strangely enough, not unlike Geelong Bitter, Northern Territory Draught tasted MUCH better toward the end of the night (funny how that happens, aye?!). Clearly this beer was more about quantity than quality. Bulging out at 2 LITRES, let me give you an idea of how big the bastard was, with Brittany and I as a basis for comparison...



Second up was.............

BIÈRE DU BOUCANIER (Golden Ale)
East Flanders, Belgium


This beer was much preferred to the previous one. I picked it up at King & Godfree and the shop assistant claimed it was the strongest beer they stocked. At 11% Alcohol and 2.9 Standard Drinks, it was estimated that, although just a regular sized bottle, just two of these little puppies nearly equaled the strength of the whole gargantuan NT beer.
It was sweet, and fruity. A really nice beer, which came as a surprise, considering i thought i'd bought a tacky, novelty "Pirate Beer" that would taste revolting, like something you'd sooner scrub the decks with. But it's Belgian, after all, and i don't think I've ever had a BAD Belgian beer. Bière du Boucanier wont be sent to walk the plank - it gets the Beer Club tick of approval! Certainly not the beer to drink if you're thirsty, though... being so strong, it was only fit for minute little sips at a time. Be careful, Buccaneers... this bitch packs a punch!

SEASONS EATINGS

I racked up some material during the most indulgent time of year. So here are some Christmas time meals that i'm gonna bang out all at once.

THAI FOOD TO GO
125 Chapel Street, Windsor

Pre-xmas dinner with Marika & Alex at Thai Food To Go in Windsor. I had a vegetarian Lard Nar - a veggie and rice noodle dish which was fairly bland. Wished I'd gone for a spicier Pad Thai instead.

CHRISTMAS DAY
We had our immediate family Christmas breakfast at home in Carlton. A tradition that consists of......

Fresh Summer Fruits


Bircher Muesli



And Salmon Gravalax on Mini Bagels with Dill Sauce (more about Gravalax here)

After exchanging xmas presents, it was off to my Aunt's house in Alphington for Christmas Lunch with the (ever-expanding) extended family. It's always a very relaxing, casual affair, held mostly outside, weather permitting.



There are always cold meats on offer, but the salads are so incredible, that it's often a better option to go vegetarian for the day.


Big plate of mixed salads, including.... my mum's acclaimed Pumpkin-Chickpea-Coriander Salad... Potato Salad... Caramelised Onions... two varieties of Marinated Mushrooms... Pasta Salad... Coleslaw, and my favourite of recent years - my auntie's Wild Rice Salad.


For dessert, i jumped on the Chocolate Ripple Cake, an old Aussie favourite, and also a hunk of colonial style Christmas Pudding with Custard. I'm not sure if there was a sixpence slipped in, but unless i swallowed it unknowingly, i guess i missed out.


Before and after lunch, guests were "treated" to a ride on an imaginary train, conducted by Aston, the eldest of the new generation.


Luckily booze was allowed on this train, but my mother got a scolding, and was firmly asked to disembark when she tried to take a cup of coffee on board...


After several hours of said activity, there was a "train crash" which resulted in my playing technician, and suggesting the train might have to retire to the train yard for the day... phew!

SPAG BOL IN NORTH CARLTON
After Christmas, Marika and I caught up with my cousin, Ella, whom we'd last hung out with in New York in September. We had dinner and drinks outside at my brother & sister-in-law's place, before hitting the town.

Heidi-homemaker offering us a choice of pasta...



Spaghetti Bolognese




LUNCH AT HOME
When mama's on school holidays, there's always plenty of nice walks and lovely lunches.

Banana Shakes by Lia. Baguette Sandwiches. And Portuguese Tarts from King & Godfree (293-297 Lygon Street, Carlton).

LA VINE'S COURTYARD CAFE & RESTAURANT
384 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

On a warm night between xmas and new year, i caught up with some of my girls for dinner at a new Chinese-Vietnamese place on Brunswick Street. In the company of Vegan's, i was happy for them to order a yummy range of tofu & veggie dishes: Lemongrass & Ginger, Satay, Clay Pot, Mongolian somethingorother, i can't remember exactly what...
It had a gorgeous little courtyard. The staff were new, and were forgiven for a few mistakes and delays because they were so sweet. Give this place a burl!

BISTRO THIERRY

511 Malvern Road, Hawksburn
http://www.bistrothierry.com

Bistro Thierry, in the Hawksburn Village, has a great set price lunch for those who fancy a bit of français at a reasonable price.

The “Prix Fixe Lunch” is $29 for two courses and glass of wine. And you can throw in an extra $7.50 for a third course if you're that way inclined.








Salad au fromage de Chévre
Salad of grilled goats cheese, assorted tomatoes, pine nuts & rocket.


Le “Hot Dog” Marseillais
Merguez sausage “hot dog” with roasted pepper, tomato and harissa compote.


Tarte Tatin
Warm apple and caramel tart served with calvados scented ice cream.