My cup runneth over with all these wonderful sounding beers. (aside: what a nice idea. It is so long to the weekend.
) So if I have missed you in my want-to-be-drunken excitement I apologise.
Had a lot of Sam Adams and Fat Tire the first time I was in the States, only the basic ales as I was just drinking stuff that was on tap. I like beers on tap and it was all new and exotic and good.
Black Voodoo: no I have not tried it. I didn't come across that when I was in New Orleans. (Back on that first trip to the US.) Shame, it's a great name and I like a malty, dark beer.
Belgian Beers: they are fantastic. It is nice to walk into the Belgian Beer Cafe in the Rocks (Sydney) and just pick stuff at random. But my god they are strong. I work on the assumption that there's not much to do in Belgium hence the many beers that come in at 12-15%.
There's a good Bavarian restaurant just a block or so from the Belgian Cafe as well. German Beer is the dog's danglies as far I'm concerned. (translation: 'dog's danglies:' very very very good. See also 'Duck's Nuts.' ) The Germans make the best beer in the world. The ones I've had are not as crazy strong as those Belgian ones thus allowing me to drink more of them and enjoy the flavour.
Scotch: have indeed tried the Laguvulin and yes: yummmmmmmmmmmm.
Also very fond of the Laphroigh (sp?) another very peaty scotch. Feel I should repeat what I said over on the thread I forked this from: Suntori (Japanese scotch) is bloody good too. Not as peaty as the 2 above but oh so smooth. All time best scotch I ever had was at a scotch tasting night: Ardbeg's 'Lord of the Isles.' It was perfect. Just the right amount of peatiness. Just the right amount of that golden smoothness. Just... oh. My friends and I finished off the one bottle that was there. Have never seen it again. But if I do I might even part with the £500 (that was the price the rep at the Ardbeg stall quoted, and yes thats UK pounds) to buy it.
London Pride. Ah memories. Used to work in a bar in London (hey, I'm Australian, of course I did.) Had to draw off the beer in the lines for the ales every morning. And then taste it to make sure it was good. It's the rules, I had to follow the rules.
Nothing like a couple of halves to start a morning.
Burnside Brewery looks good. And I'm with you on the Hill Billy jugs: tre chic.
Melbourne: Didn't used to like Melbourne. Note the past tense there. Just remember a trip years ago where I spent a week with my mother. bored. But I went there under my own steam a couple of years ago and have made 2 more trips since. Melbourne has some of the best pubs in the world. Love Northcote and is it Carlton? And is it Brunswick street, also heading north out of the city. St Kilda was OK but a bit mainstream for me. Sorry to be vague, but I have a tendency to get, er,
vague when I go to a pub. In fact I am down to Melbourne for a week leading up to Christmas and planning a couple of big nights out. (taking out some friends who are in need of a night off from baby jail. And it is silly season.)
Oh I'm all overcome with a need for a beer. The sad thing is, this weekend I'm off to the Hunter Valley. That's wine country. I shall just have to make do.