Another post in the sporadic niche of Airport Drinking. Hobart is home of Cascade Brewing, Australia’s oldest operating brewery. Cascade is now owned by CUB and Asahi. It has been awhile since I’ve seen a Cascade on the mainland. Cascade Premium Lager rivalled James Boags Premium Lager and Crown Lager as the preferred Boardroom beers in the 1990s. There are Cascade varieties that aren’t available on the mainland like Cascade Draught and Cascade Lager. Most Hobart pubs seem to have at least the Draught on tap. The Airport Bar has 6 taps with 4 Cascade options including their well regarded St ..read more

An all too infrequent visit to Hobart, but at least this visit is on a Friday and I stayed the night. So a great opportunity to venture further a field and discover some new breweries. Gees, Uber makes this easy. First stop was Spotty Dog Brewery & Taproom in Derwent Park. What a simply stunning spot. There are too many breweries and/or taprooms with a better position. What a sensational fitout and they’ve made the most of the setting with a two story floor to ceiling window and a great deck that looks over the yachts and across to the peaks of Wellington Park. The beers are excellent. A ..read more

4 Pines Brew Pub is where it all began for the 4 Pines empire. Even though they are now owned by Asahi, Back of the Ferry still regards the OG venue as its spiritual home. The 4 Pines team haven’t done much wrong over the the last 15 years, but one thing they can’t get right is the venue under the BrewPub, which has undergone its fifth name change in seven years. In November 2016, Back of the Ferry attended the first of 4 Pines Underground. That venue was short lived and 7 months all the livery was updated and the venue was renamed Keller Door. Back of the Ferry was very excited because orig ..read more

The last but not least of our inductees was Leanne – a very enthusiastic participant. She’s heard plenty from her boss, who alas could not join the festivities – but she was in safe hands with two of the four founders on hand to supervise proceedings Favourite beverage: Pina Colada Favourite sport to spectate: AFL Area of trivial expertise: 90s music Favourite pub of all time: Cramers. “First pub I could get into – now a deadbeat pokies venue” Induction ceremony performed on the MV Freshwater by members #1, #4 and #13 ..read more

It is with mixed emotions that daylight savings ends this weekend. With the current real Manly Ferry timetable, the 5.50pm #worldsbestcommute has been throwing some aesthetically pleasing trips home. But the mornings are dark. All changes come Monday. Wednesday The Wednesday and Thursday trips were simply wonderful. Temperate weather, calm seas, great company and the Ansel Adams of Sydney Harbour documenting the voyage home. The almost East Coast Low was discussed at great length on Thursday and on Friday it hit Sydney hard. The rain must have biblical for awhile as cascades were pouring off ..read more

A mass induction ceremony was held recently on the back of the ferry for a few workmates that have heard much about the Back of the Ferry, but never experienced it. That all changed on a gorgeous Sydney evening. First up, Lisa. Lisa and I participated in a hot wings challenge in Melbourne last year. She is fearless and has a Scoville tolerance far greater than anyone I’ve met. Favourite beverage: A Bloody Mary Favourite sport to spectate: Tennis Area of trivial expertise: 90s pop culture Favourite pub of all time and why: The Espy in St Kilda pre renovations Induction ceremony performed on th ..read more

Three wonderful breweries to visit, and a nice little crawl to do if you are heading to Coolangatta Airport afterwards. I started my mini-brewery crawl at the delightful and small Lost Palms Brewery in Miami. What it lacks in size of venue it makes up for in the number and strength of its beers. Some of these absolutely pack a punch. It is probably the most eclectic and diverse range of beers packed into 10 taps that I’ve seen. From a lager and XPA to a Quad Blueberry Pancake Sout and Blue Lemonade Soda Ale. Great takeaway fridge as well. I opted for the coffee cream ale called Random Access ..read more

The Gold Coast craft brewing scene is very solid and threw plenty of surprises on my latest trip. Shocking weather prevented me participating in aquatic activities and I was forced indoors. A quick Google search revealed some names new to me and I Ubered my way to Ashmore, a suburb known for its shopping centre. Now it can also be known as the home of Madocke Bier Brewing Company. The very friendly owners are a Belgian family that arrived on the Gold Coast in 2016 and they are very passionate about their Belgian heritage. The name Madocke comes from a series of poems written in the 13th cent ..read more

The photo is schizenhausen, but I’ve found a sensational place to drink on the Sunshine Coast. I’ve previously sung the praises of the Rainbow Beach SLSC and its magnificent views. Queensland Surf Life Saving Club. The Alex Surf Club outlook is very good, but The Rainbow Beach SLSC still has it covered. Where the Alex Surf Club has Rainbow covered is its beer menu. Sunshine Coast breweries have their taps prominent alongside the usual Macros (Great Northern, Caarrrlton Draught etc). There’s been some hubbub about the proliferation of Japanese rice lagers and coincidentally I happened to get ..read more

Congratulations to all involved in BrookieFest. 3 days of fun and frivolity at seven wonderful Brookvale venues over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Next year, I’ll be making a more concerted effort to clear the diary and get to more of the wackier events and come prepared for things like the Budgy Smuggler’s Bird Bath at Manly Spirits. The Brookvale Arts District has done a marvellous job of fostering a community spirit in recent years. The vibe on Sunday when I attended was just fabulous. Just people being happy at happy places. The BrookieFest passport worked a treat and the deals were good ..read more