Cider consumption is rising at a rapid rate in Australia. That probably explains why the Spotted Cow decided to do something about it, and hold The Spotted Cow's inaugural Ciderfest. Featuring over 10 ciders on tap and cask as well as many more from the bottle , specifically matched to some meals that were destined to be eaten with Cider, it promises to be a day not to be missed!

Much like the famous Milking the Cow Beer Lovers Festival, there are people converging from all around Queensland to be in Toowoomba this Saturday. The Cow have even decided to launch the very first keg of Moscato that Toowoomba will see on Saturday as well. Hailing from the Yarra Valley, Innocent Bystander Moscato has only been on tap at a few venues in Queensland, but with Toowoomba's own Steve Flamsteed making the much loved drop, it was only a matter of time until it found its way to the Cow.

Ciders will be available from the following breweries...Matilda Bay , Bullmers, Little Creatures, Kelly Brothers and there will also be 10 limited edition cask ciders all the way from Wales as well!!

If like most of the country lately you have been thinking about converting to cider, then Saturday might be your chance to make that move.

Ciderfest begins at midday at the Spotted Cow till late.

Well the time has come and we are ready to go, there will be over 50 beers to go through, an exciting festival only menu, brewers from all over Australia and some great live music to make this three days Toowoomba will remember for a long time!

As you might have seen on the Cow website, there are packages available for the festival, however let me stress that these are packages only and were put up as they offer great value and were put up to help us gauge interest for the festival.

You are under no obligation what so ever to buy these , you can turn up to the festival at any stage throughout the three days and just have a few beers. The live music is free entry as well.

If you do buy a package for the launch, $5 from each ticket will be going towards Japanese Tsunami relief as we have a Japanese punk rock band playing that night, there will be some Japanese style savouries available as well as part of the package price.

It really promises to be a great weekend and we hope to see you down there!

If you have any questions, then do not hesitate to contact me on phil@spottedcow.com.au

 

Thanks

Phil Coorey

 

The Spotted Cow’s inaugural beer festival this June long weekend will feature a limited release VALE/COW brewed just for the Spotted Cow Hotel in Toowoomba, by McLaren Vale Beer Company head brewer Jeff Wright.

Spotted Cow owner Phil Coorey said “this is what craft brewing is all about”.

“I love telling customers that we have a beer being made for us only,” Phil said. “Craft beer is all about uniqueness and this takes that to a whole new level.

“Craft beer is hard to define for some. It’s growing at a rapid rate in Australia and is still a new idea to many.”

Phil said the project came about with the help of Ross Kenrick (creator of the fabulous Double Ninja beer that will also be at the festival) at Baccus Brewing in Brisbane. Jeff Wright was able to drop by on his May tour of Queensland with East Coast Marketing Manager Josh Stuart and make a supercharged India Pale Ale especially for the Spotted Cow.

To be known as VALE/COW it will only available in an extremely limited supply over the weekend.

“A chance like this doesn’t come along very often so we grabbed it,” Phil said.

So what does it taste like?

“We got excited and crammed plenty of hops in there and wanted to make a beer that would satisfy what the Cow was looking for, for their festival’s patrons,” Jeff Wright said.

“Phil assured me that they live on the edge, so we took our beer out there and think it will be a real highlight set amongst the 50 beers they are launching on tap the June long weekend.”

Forget Buckingham Palace, The Spotted Cow at Toowoomba is the place to be this Queens Birthday Long Weekend, with the inaugural Milking the Cow beer lover’s festival attracting almost as many visitors as the royal wedding of Wills and Kate.

 

Publican Phil Coorey is over the moon with the level of interest.

 

 “I really did not expect the reaction to the festival that we are getting. People are buying tickets from all over Country Qld, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and northern NSW. I’ve decided to order extra beers and we look like having 60 different beers on tap beginning from around 8pm Friday night.  This is not the first beer festival in Australia, but we hope to make it one you will remember.“

 

He has specifically tried to cover the burgeoning craft and home brew market, while making sure people don’t go hungry with a special menu designed to match some featured beers on “advice from the breweries in question”.

 

 “With an equal mix of professional and home brewer involvement we think we can reach out to all fans of beer. Ultimately our goal is to educate home brewers with the knowledge from the world-class brewers and they will be teaching master home brew and specialty beer classes throughout the long weekend.”

 

"So to sum up this extravaganza, if we can, there will be too many beers on tap to count, a special weekend menu that has been matched to specific beers, countless live acts highlighted by Japans “Jet Boys” and a special Sunday afternoon appearance from ex “Dallas Crane” legend Dave Larkin. A home brew competition where the winning beer will be brewed in Brisbane and then sold at the Spotted Cow one day, a chance to mix with some of the most respected brewers in Australia as you ‘milk’ them for all the information you can.

Any final words from Phil? “If we could jam anything else into this weekend, we would have for sure!”

Festival kicks off Friday June 10 at 8 pm and runs until late Sunday night (June12) , there are no tickets available but the various packages available represent great value. Visit www.spottedcow.com.au or call Phil on 0409 349 889 for more details

They say there's no rest for the wicked and this couldn't be truer for iniquitous rock 'n' roll throwbacks The Delta Riggs. Days after winding up the Four to the Floor tour with fellow blues-rockers, Black Devil Yard Boss, The 'Riggs headed into Sydney's 301 studios to lay down their new EP, Talupo House Sessions Vol. 1, joined by US producer dp13.

Talupo House Sessions Vol. 1 is the first of two EP's to be released in 2011, taking both title and inspiration from the rural NSW farmhouse The Delta Riggs used as a writing haven in 2010. "Vol. 1" is a frantic, dark and immediate collection, that draws on the isolation felt by some members during this period, whilst celebrating vestiges of rock's whiskey-fuelled glory days.

As a band with a burgeoning live reputation, The Delta Riggs have captured their frenetic energy with the majority of the EP being recorded in a single "live" session. Opener 'Penny Drops', typifies the brash vigour that The Delta Riggs are becoming known for, with guitarist Aaron Jackson's howling riffage and references to the appeal of habitual abuse and a search for deeper fulfilment. On the foot stomping 'All The Little People', front man Elliott Hammond mixes fable with social commentary of small-town prejudice, with a harrowing tale of a mountain community terrorised by a blood-thirsty beast.

Elsewhere, quiet moment 'Don't Cry' explores their soulful penchant for southern gospel harmonies, whilst the psych-prog epic 'Heavy Water' promises to become a crowd favourite, with a massive half-time chorus drop and furious intro / outro jams. Talupo House Sessions Vol. 1… 6 blistering new tracks by The Delta Riggs. Get set to rock your cotton-pickin' socks off!

Come and check them out at the Cow this Friday Night!!! Free Gig

Murray's Dark Knight is made in the traditional Porter style from six specialty malts. It is full bodied, rich and complex. The beer is a deep ruby colour, with a creamy, off-white head. Murray's Dark Knight has an aroma of caramel and bittersweet chocolate and finishes with a balanced bitterness.

It's ideal with rich red meat casseroles, or for the more adventurous, try with Chocolate Mud Cake.

Dark Knight (4.5% abv)

We are so excited about this beer that we ordered extra - it's a real hit in the stubbies and will go off as a typical winter Porter come June. It has also been matched to the special food/beer menu for the weekend with the Braised Beef Cheek Pie with Beer Battered Fries.

Don't Miss out!!

You honestly thought we would have a craft beer and not invite the guys from Stone and Wood? What Am I? Stupid???

Inspired by our home on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and brewed using all Australian barley, wheat and Galaxy hops, Pacific Ale is cloudy and golden with a big fruity aroma and a refreshing finish.

 

After being dry hopped at the end of fermentation, our Pacific Ale is then drawn straight from the storage tank at the brewery into kegs and bottles.

 

Drawing it from the tank and straight into a keg or bottle without filtering or pastuerising it means that the beer can be enjoyed at the pub or at home in the same condition as it is when we try it from the tank at the brewery … simply fresh.

 

 

Why don’t we filter or pasteurise our Pacific Ale?

 

Filtering beer removes the remaining yeast which causes the beer to look cloudy; unfortunately a lot of the flavour is also removed by the filter.

 

Pasteurising beer usually involves a heating process which gives it some stability for shipping long distances or storing for a long time. Unfortunately this process can also knock some of the crisp freshness out of the beer.

 

What about the yeast in the bottom of the bottle?

 

We leave the yeast in Pacific Ale because we believe it adds something special to the flavour of the beer. The yeast drops to the bottom of the bottle over time so we recommend you give the bottle a gentle roll or tip it upside down before opening it to rouse the yeast and mix it up.

This wonderful beer will be on tap all three days as it has been specially matched to the beer festival weekend menu as well.

See you tomorrow for another tasting note and have a good Saturday!

Phil Coorey

McLaren Vale is home to an abundance of epicurean delights. It’s also home to one of Australia’s most remarkable new beers.
Vale Ale is a vivacious, fruity ale with a burnished gold aura and a fine haze. It opens with the glistening aroma of hops harmonised with a hint of passionfruit.These notes strike a chord with an air of nutty maltiness followed by a soft bitterness. Culminating in a surprising dry finish, Vale Ale is perfect for slaking a summer’s thirst.

Appearance: Cloudy from bottle conditioning with live yeast cells. Golden/copper colour.
Aroma: Boiled lollies.
Flavour: floral, fruity. Medium body and bitterness.

Malt:
Pale - sweet malty flavour
Wheat - Mouth feel and ‘palate fullness’
Crystal - Caramalised flavour and imparts golden colour.

Hops:
Super Alpha - soft bitterness
Amarillo - passionfruit grapefruit
Cascade - spicy, citrusy.


What can one say about this beer, that has not been said already. jeff Wright is meticulous in his preparation of this beer and it shows. Voted as the top drop in Australia by the drinkers at the mighty Local Taphouse establishments , it deserves every accolade it gets. We are excited to showcase this beer next month , but also we can't wait for you to meet the guys from MV Beer as well.

Next up - Stone and Wood Pacific Ale - the critics choice!!!


Take care,


Phil Coorey 

This is the first in a series of posts detailing some of the super rare and sought after beers we are showcasing at the festival

MONA Saison

 

Located on site at the Museum of Old and New Art…The Mona brewery is set to develop a range of entertaining and challenging beers.  Seasonals and limited production runs will characterize how we present, and if a beer is received well enough (or more importantly, we like it) we’ll do it again.  In keeping with making it hard to get, and making you pay more, the beers will only be available at Mona for the time being.

 

Historically, saison (French for season) was not a type or style of beer.   It was a family of special beers that were brewed throughout the Wallonia region of southern Belgium, with a concentration in the Hinaut province bordering France. It is not known when the first modern saison was brewed and thus, the origin of the style is tied to local agriculture than a headline event.  In the days before refrigeration, farmers around the region would gather at the village brewery or a communal brewery several times during the winter to brew saison in order to have a reserve for the following summer.  Fermenting during the colder winter months improved the beer’s chances of making it through spring without becoming infected.  During the summer harvest, farms hired casual labor known as “les saisonniers”, or seasonal workers.  These workers were served saison to quench their thirst.  Beer, because it was boiled during its production, was considered by some as possibly safer than the local water supply.  Saison was brewed with nourishing botanicals, spices and hops to rejuvenate workers during the long, hot days of summer.

 

Following WWI, casual farm labor was slowly being replaced by progressive mechanized technologies and the need for small farmhouse breweries began fading away.  Imported beer from England and Germany also began to influence the saison style.  Consumer’s craved a “softer” saison and hop bitterness replaced the sourness found in the original saisons.  The color went from the classic orange to amber and further onto the common pale colored beers of today.  Improvements in brewery equipment and production techniques helped to reduce the risk of infection, allowing production all year round.  The modern interpretation of the Saison beer style had emerged. 

 

Saison can be described as earthy, rustic, fruity as well as spicy.  These characteristics are generally driven by the yeast strain, but can also be accentuated by the addition of botanicals and spices.  Saison yeast strains do not develop the typical clove like characteristics that other Belgian yeast strains are capable of, but develop spicy, peppery phenolics.  Saisons are highly attenuated, providing a dry finish with little or no residual sweetness.  They tend to be more highly hopped than other Belgian styles with an emphasis on hop flavor and aroma.  The color tends to be pale (modern saison) or having an orange hue (classic saison). They are often said to have ‘vinous’ qualities as well, originating from the blending of yeast strains that was a common practice among the early farmhouse breweries (as well as the proximity to the wine country of northern France).

 

Brewed by the Moo Brew team in the Mona brewery, this Saison is a unique Tasmanian interpretation of the style.  The intention is not to imitate or indulge in iconoclasm, but to pay homage and interpret the style with inspiration.   Traditional floor malted Bohemian Pilsner malt from Germany, representing the oldest form of malted barley, provides the base malt of this beer.  The use of raw spelt seeks to follow the farmhouse tradition of including raw grains in the grist.  The origin of the yeast strain is reputed to be a small garage brewery in Blaugies, Belgium, focused on the revival of the saisons brewed previously in the region.  Bushy Park north of Hobart provides us with a tangible link to the local seasonal agricultural roots of the classic Saison. 

 

This 2011 interpretation of an iconic style is medium bodied and pale orange in appearance. With a complex flavor profile developed by the yeast creating esters balanced with spicy earthiness.  It finishes slightly tart with a peppery dryness.

           

 This is the only keg that has been sent to Queensland and the Spotted Cow are proud to have it - it will be showcased on Day 2 of the festival from midday.

Please email Phil at phil@spottedcow.com.au - if you require any more information

 

 

 

 

 

For the second time in three years the Spotted Cow bottle shop (on the corner of Bridge and Mary Sts) was announced as the best in Queensland by the QHA (Queensland Hotels Association)

The first time was very humbling - this is borderline insane now!

I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who are great supporters of all things The Spotted Cow and would like to re-iterate that we would not win this award if it was not for our customers.

I can't just go and stock 400 beers and leave them sit on the shelf while I watch Red Sox games and episodes of Mad Men. I need people to buy them and support us to keep the place fresh and alive.

The support for the boutique wineries and spirit selection as well is the another key reason why we won this award.  

If you would have told me a week ago that we would this award and that Greg Inglis would be playing for Souths - I would have told you , that you were nuts!

Anyway - thanks once again for your support and watch this space for some huge specials soon - leading into Christmas.


Take care

Phil Coorey