“What did you do during the war?”

As a staunch advocate of Good Beer I often find myself in the company of average folk who love their beer but really don’t know how it’s made, who brews it and where it comes from. The conversation usually comes around to a discussion of the difference between ‘regular beer’ and ‘that boutique stuff’.

I often have to dispel the thinking that the ‘Big House’ and the ‘Little Guys’ make very similar beers but the big brewers can make them cheaper and send them further around the country faster. It just goes to show how the real story can be lost in a blaze of mass-media advertising and brand marketing.

This is one of many themes that arise and are explored in Beer Wars – The Movie. Made a few years ago now but still very relevant, creator Anat Baron set out to follow a few of the players in the US beer scene and see what story emerged. The film ends up shining a light on the system of distributing and selling beer once it leaves the brewery. While the system set out to ensure that evil monopolies would not arise it would appear that it has actually given them a huge free-kick.

Bridge Road Brewers founder, head brewer and chief bottle washer, Ben Kraus, has brought the movie to Australia and will screen it at The Local Taphouse in St Kilda on Tuesday September 6^th and The Local Taphouse Darlinghurst on the 20^th. Ben will be ably assisted in this venture by the voices of Radio Brews News, Matt Kirkegaard and my own good self. As well as introducing the movie we will also be moderating a brewer’s panel discussion after the movie to discuss the Australian beer scene and we will also be attempting to put a podcast together on the run – so be nice and no rude words.

To listen to the interview with Anat Baron, go here. To see the movie, reach down the back of the couch and find five bucks and turn up at The Taphouse at 7 for a 7.30pm sharp start. To get your opinions on Radio Brews News, say hello and buy me a beer and ill see what I can do.

Cheers,

Prof Pilsner

So, what’s doin’?

“What’s been happening, Prof?”

It’s a question I’ve been getting asked a bit of late in various quarters and the answer is invariably the same; “Yeah, busy. But it’s a good busy.”

I know I’ve been neglecting the blog a bit but I haven’t had an idle pen. Or typing finger. I’ve been busy writing is what I’m saying.

For those who don’t know I have been a regular contributor to Australian Brews News, an online initiative of Matt Kirkegaard, formerly known as Beer Matt and still known as a top beer bloke who is not afraid to speak his mind when it comes to a controversial issue. If there are fences at Matt’s house, he ain’t sittin’ on ‘em.

Aus Brews News has given me the opportunity to have my random (and often rubbish thoughts) heard by a wider audience. A very, very wide audience. I don’t know how these things are measured, nor do I know what a search engine looks like nor how Google spiders rank content. To be perfectly Francis I don’t even really know what that last sentence means but I DO know that lots of people are reading my stuff for entertainment and a bit of edumacation during their journey with beer.

If you haven’t read my contributions to Australia’s most popular and fastest growing web-based on-line internet-only magazine about beer and called Australian Brews News – well what’s wrong with you? It really is a cracking good read and the best place to get all the news, views and reviews about brews in this country since about whenever.

As if that was not enough on its own a new initiative has been launched from this new frontier of beer journalism. Radio Brews News is a series of Podcasts (just learned what those things are) in which a couple of very talented, knowledgeable and easy-to-listen-to blokes get together and chat wittily and interestingly with the finest minds in the brewing world. It’s even on iTunes (had an idea what that was already) and you can download it and listen to it on the train. That’s better than wasting time ‘tweeting’ (learned what that was the hard way) that you are, in fact, on the train.

Don’t panic though. I’m not planning on deserting the blog as I can see by the little counter thingy that plenty of people are still reading it. Either that or it’s back to the old days of 2007 when people accidentally stumbled upon it when mis-typing boobies. I intend to keep it as updated as possible and keep the content relevant and informative while also keeping the humour that so often invades my thoughts on beery issues.

What I hope to be doing in future is posting an ‘alert’ when each of my hotly anticipated releases is published over at Australian Brews News and also when each new episode of Radio Brews News is available on iTunes. You should have a listen, really, as it is the (arguably) greatest thing to happen to radio since the adjustable frequency dial.

After a week in which everything from an Ale Stars session, three Beer Dinner hostings and a tasting for Dads at a kinder along with arranging and recording two episodes of Radio Brews News (see above if you have forgotten how good it is) have been completed, I reckon I need a break. The eldest Pilsner is away on school camp for a couple of weeks it seems a good time to head for warmer climes for a bit. In the meantime I might arrange for some of my favourite pieces to get a second airing so those new to the blog can see what it used to be like.

Cheers,

Prof Pilsner