You can tell by the increasing number of Mexican wrestling masks around town that the Day of the Dead - the three day Central American holiday and celebration of the dearly departed - is fast approaching.
Now, Australia quite patently isn't Mexico, but the idea of making offerings and celebrating the lives of beloved ones is universal. So, the Schnauzer-loving folks at the Beard and Brau Farmhouse Brewery have put a local take on Day of the Dead: the Day of the Dog.
The beer they've brewed to celebrate the occasion is a one off release, Cerveza Negra-style dark Mexican lager. It's the first lager the brewery has made in a long time and is, they describe, "a trick or treat. You think because it's dark it's going to be heavy but, when you drink it, it's very pleasant and light."
As if by some sign from some other place, the idea for this beer came to brewer Tanya Harlow in a dream. "Literally", she says, "I woke up excited one morning after dreaming about it and wrote it all down, worked out the finer points of the recipe with Chris [Herring - fellow brewer, pictured above] and now it's awesome to see it come to fruition."
The new beer will be launched at SA's Earl of Leicester, with Tanya along from 8pm to share a beer and chat about days, dogs and maybe even the dead.
