News
James Squire Chef’s Match
James Squire Chef's Match
Beer and food matching competition to be held between August 4 – 23, 2008.
Over 90 licensed premises will be going head-to-head to create the perfect flavour-filled pairing of great Australian food and James Squire beers.
Venues will be competing in either the restaurant or gasto pub (I hate that name – it sounds like something you pick up eating street food in Bali. Let’s call them Bistro Pubs or something) categories. Each is to create one entrée and one main meal matched to a James Squire beer.
It’s a great concept and does much to take beer and food matching mainstream – where it belongs. Get along to a competing restaurant near you and see what the fuss is all about.
More details and participating venues here (from July 23).
New Beer
Crown Ambassador Reserve Lager
This Crown lives up to its packaging
Fosters has released a new “ultra premium” beer under its Crown flagship. This isn’t the venue to get into a discussion about the “ultra premium” nomenclature or the merits or otherwise of Crown Lager. Whatever you think about them the Crown Ambassador Reserve is a very interesting beer, well deserving of a place in your wine beer cellar.
All marketing hype aside, this really is a beer to be savoured. You can debate whether it is worth $54.99 (RRP) and all the rest, but this is a very complex – but still accessible beer. Fosters say it will cellar for up to a decade and it should. Give it as a gift or buy a bottle or two for your cellar or pool room – just remember that its beer karma won’t be satisfied until it is drunk. Don’t let it become like that bottle of Grange that you’re too scared to drink and treat like some religious relic. Save it – but ultimately savour it!
There are only 5000 bottles and I drank shared bottle 1848 (the Queen received bottle 1, Kevin 07 received bottle 7, Steve Waugh received bottle 168 for his 168 caps) so there aren’t that many left!
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Tastes
James Squire Pepperberry Winter Ale
345ml 5.4% abv
Available nationally
RRP $54.99 carton – $16.99 per 6-pack
A winter-warmer style ale brewed with the spicy native Australian pepperberry, this is a terrific cold night’s sipper.
A seasonal limited edition, only 10,000 cases have been made.
Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before you plan to drink as this is a beer you don’t want too cold. The brewery say that it has a delicate nose, the panel found nothing delicate about it – rich with chocolate and spices on the nose. Great with food – the brewer recommends beef stroganoff or shepherd’s pie, I recommend ox tail casserole. Scored highly with Jason and Walter.
Meantime Coffee Porter
330ml 6% abv
Available from (Queensland) Era Bistro, Nectar Beer & Wine Specialists, Spotted Cow, Wine Emporium, Anise Bar & Bistro, Gun Shop Cafe. Elsewhere contact distributor.
A coffee beer where the coffee flavours come being made with real coffee this porter has a caffeine hit to match. Mocha and coffee flavours, a bit much for Jason and Walter although they still rated it highly. For me, a cracker of a beer to sit back, sip and enjoy from one of Britain’s most exciting brewers.
