Crafty's Picks: May 5 to May 11

May 5, 2014, by Crafty Pint

Crafty's Picks: May 5 to May 11

Time for another perusal of the week ahead in craft beer as Nick O selects a few choice moments from the coming seven days…

Volunbeer

Featuring 250 beers from 150 breweries and pulling in around 10,000 people over three days, the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) is a massive undertaking in every way. As such, the organisers rely on an army of volunteers to help ensure the festival runs smoothly. So if you’re free for a few hours between May 23 and 25, why not earn yourself some beer karma by volunteering? There are still a few spots available and they’re particularly keen to hear from those willing to lend a hand during the Saturday night session.

When you volunteer for one session, you’ll get free entry to another session in return, as well as a festival glass and tokens to be used to fill said glass with beer. If you’re interested, the deadline for registration is this Saturday.

Flat brews

Since opening just over a year ago in Naremburn, the Flat Rock Brew Cafe has become quite the hub for good beer in its community. But they’ve got grand plans to make their little brewpub even better, part of which involves hosting more tastings, dinners, tap takeovers and other beer functions. The first of these, a Home Brew Club, is taking place this week. It’s loosely aimed at those keen on a bit of beer banter, technical talk and brew sharing, but they’re very much keen on community input to decide what direction the club will ultimately take. More details…

While you’re there, look out for the new beer brewed between Flat Rock and their near neighbours at top beer shop, Beer Cartel. The two teamed up for the first (of what we assume will be many) Co Lab Project brew; an Easter-rabbit-inspired Hoppy Imperial Brown Ale. It’s proven popular, but if you’re lucky it’ll still be pouring at both venues this week.

Chase the Enigma

The Galaxy hop, perhaps best known for the passionfruit and citrus characters it gives to beers like Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale, was developed by Hop Products Australia (HPA) and has gone on to become a bit of a superstar of new world hops. But it takes a long time to get a hop like Galaxy to where it is today; trials started in the 1990’s, it was nine years before they were properly tested by brewers and it wasn’t until 2009 that the first commercial crop was released.

So when HPA develop a new hop called Enigma, describe it as ‘jaw dropping” and rush it through the development process, you’d suggest it’s a hot hop prospect. If you’d like to get the first (and perhaps only current) taste of what this possible star-in-waiting has to offer the beer world, track down the Enigma New World Pilsner from Bridge Road Brewers. It’s a single batch, with only 20 kegs brewed and some have already been tapped, so best act swiftly.

Mild, Medium or Hop?

Unless you’re a brewer, it’s unlikely that you spend as much time as you’d like in a brewery. To help redress this imbalance – at least, for a lucky few – Tim Thomas of Nowra’s HopDog BeerWorks is hosting a curry night in his brewery. While your chances of Tim turning off his famed Heavy Metal soundtrack in favour of accompanying Bollywood Disco Hits might be low, it’s a dead certainty that you’ll get to drink beer that’s as fresh as it gets and have it matched expertly to curries provided by the local caters at Jack Rabbit. More info…

Fight Night

Since making the decision to tread a craftier path around late 2012, Surry Hills’ Dove & Olive has been going gangbusters. And a big part of that is due to the popularity of events like the Craft Beer Fight Club. Stepping up to the stage for beer and banter this month are two brewers with different reasons to celebrate. Endeavour are fresh off winning a medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup (for their 2013 Vintage Grower’s Bright Ale) while Two Birds are all a flutter with their new brewery edging ever closer to completion [they’re opening up for a bit of a party during Good Beer Week], as well as the recent and highly-anticipated bottled release of their Taco beer. More info…

If you’ve anything to add to our Events Diary, email events@craftypint.com.

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