Perth International Beer Festival 2010 - Final Verdict

So...

The Perth International Beer Festival happened over the weekend, and I was given 4 complimentary entry tickets (I figured I may as well disclose this now rather than getting asked difficult questions later on about any potential conflicts of interest).

I arrived just before 1pm at the Supreme Court Gardens to what was a fairly quiet festival at this point. There were three rides on my left when I walked in, the standard ones you see at pretty much any private school fete (bouncy castle, the Ranger and the Wave Swinger). There were some market stalls dotted along the southern boundary (along Riverside Drive) and there were two stages - one to the right next to a bucking bull near the entry and one at the far end of the fenced off area, closest to the Convention Centre.

In terms of the beer access, there was one substantial U-shaped bar in the middle with a number of smaller marquees either side of the U-Bar. These were mostly can bars, with the exception of the FM Liquor stand which had a few kegs behind the bar there (including Doom Bar Ale, which had its Australian launch that day).

I settled in for a long day with my mates, and was being charged $8 and $9 for a 400mL plastic cup. Some of the Belgian beers were selling at $16 to $18 for the same size. They also had tasting cups which looked like being about 60mL for $1 to $3, and 200mL cups for between $4 and $5, with exception of the more exotic Belgian beers.

The U-Bar was full of taps. about 60-odd taps which was an impressive effort in itself. They were bunched in groups of 3 or 4 with the idea being that you could only order the beers that you had queued up in front of. While I understand the point of doing that, I would have created a number of smaller bars with, lets say, 10 to 12 taps to purchase from.

The range was substantial, and given that I had a very early start the following morning (a 5:45am flight to the East Coast), I didn't get to try as many beers as I would have liked.

However, the beers were always cold and I think the longest I waited to be served was 20 minutes. The entertainment was a lot better than last year with a band stage and a DJ stage. I found myself near the DJ stage enjoying the tunes being spun there and the people getting turfed off the bucking bull.

What would I improve for next year?
While the range of beers was good, I feel that the organisers could have approached the American and Canadian microbreweries. While many will say that the Americans can't do a decent beer, the microbrewing industries on the West Coast and in the North East are pumping out some fantastic drops which I believe Australians could appreciate. However, I understand that there are no distributors of those beers in Australia at this point... I wonder if there's an opening for a new business then :-)
Similarly, the bar set up could have been done better in my opinion, with a number of smaller bars/marquees with 10 - 12 taps in each.
Additionally, the cost of the beers meant for an expensive day out if you wanted to try a lot of different beers... I walked in with a couple of hundred dollars and woke up with about $30 and a mild hangover. Perhaps the ticket price could be increased and a lower beer price could result.
The bands were not that great but I wasn't really concentrating on that.
There were very few children there so I think it is inevitable that the organisers will decide that this should not be a family friendly event.

Conclusion
Given that I gave last years event an absolute pasting, the organisers have worked hard to improve it... I give this years event a 7 out of 10 - a good result but definite room for improvement.

What did you think?

Perth International Beer Festival in 2010 - Fourth and Final Update

Well, the organisers have come through and given me some free tickets. I'm going to be going on Saturday 20th February.

While typing this up, a few beers have been removed. These are:
Boags Draft
Marston's
Pedigree Ale
Smooth Ale
Satan Gold
Wells and Young's
Bombardier Premium Bitter
Crest Super Lage
Double Chocolate Stout
Kestrel Super Lager
Westmalle Dubbel

On top of that, a number of beers have been added, which are:
Chimay Bluecap
Delerium Tremens Ale
Doom Bar Ale
Grimberbergen
Haagen
Gold
Blonde
Hardy and Hansens
XX Mild Ale
John Smiths Extra Smooth
Kirin
Malheur 10
Malheur 12
Rocheforte 6
Rocheforte 8

I am disappointed that a decision has been made to reduce the number of beers available, and the introduction of Kirin seems like a non issue. I would add that James Squire has increased its range available at the Festival to its full bottled/draught range, and Gage Roads appears to have reduced their selection to Wahoo.

This will be my last update about the festival until after it.

If you want to come along, please let me know and I will hand them out to the most deserving people. I am looking for evidence of knowledge of beer, festivals and are prepared to write off much of their Saturday for the festival. You're paying for your own beers though.

If I can't get you a free one, it's up to you as to whether or not you decide to go on your own right. If you do go on the Saturday, come and see me and we'll have a chat. :)

Perth International Beer Festival in 2010 - Update 3

One of my jobs in the next week and a half is to speak to the organisers to try and organise some free tickets. I'm aiming to get four (4) tickets for the Saturday.

Anyway, some more beers have been added to the list.

Apple Bocq
Badget
Fursty Ferret Ale
Tanglefoot Ale
Cuvee Des Trois
Floreffe (it should be noted that this was already listed, however, there appears to be multiple beer types)
Double
Blonde
Meilleur
Guilden Draak
Karmelite Tripel
La Chouffe (see my note above on Floreffe)
Mc Chouffe
Palm

I've also noted the Entertainment section of the website. There will be bands on the "Main Stage" and dance music at the "DJ Stage". Check the website for details.

Brew Dog and Stone Brewing Company's Bashah Double Black Belgian India Pale Ale

This is the third beer of the six pack my brother kindly purchased me.


Tasting notes, according to the bottle(r): I actually struggled to find notes from the actual brewers on this one, possibly because it was a collaboration of two different brewing companies. The side of the bottle did not say anything useful, but did give an amusing aside as to what happens when that sort of information is put on the side of the bottle.

My opinion: For a start, this beer is 8.6% alcohol and has a hell of a kick to it. I find it similar to Dogbolter Dark Lager (from Matilda Bay Brewing Company). It's got a strong hoppy nose, with a subtle smoked tone to it. It pours very dark, almost black with a beautiful light brown head. It tastes strangely has a mix of sweet, savoury AND bitter flavours to it, and is oddly refreshing.

My rating: As much as I would look to drink this for much of a night, at 8.6%, it's not something you could spend a whole night on. I do recommend it for fans of IPA who want to try something different

Perth International Beer Festival in 2010 - Update 2

I'm keeping a close eye on what is going on with the Perth International Beer Festival, and saw the first TV commercial last night. I was disappointed by the ad, which looks like it's been knocked up by a fourteen year old that has been playing with Flash.

It is still, unfortunately, being billed as a family event, so I'm not sure how that will play out.

Anyway, I'm adding the beers that have been added to the list of beers that will apparently be for sale on the day.

Banks
Bitter
Original Ale
Marston's
Pedigree Ale
Smooth Ale
Murphy's
Murphy's Irish Stout
Newcastle Brown Ale
Wells and Young's
Bombardier Premium Bitter
Crest Super Lage
Double Chocolate Stout
Kestrel Super Lager
Wychwood Brewery
Hobgoblin Ale

Not the most impressive set of additions to the list, but I'm hopeful of further improvements. I would like to see American and Canadian microbreweries turning up before the beginning of the festival.

I plan to contact the organisers in the next couple of weeks to organise some complimentary passes for Saturday 20th February, due to travelling on Sunday 21st.

Dorset Brewing Company Chesil Traditional Pilsner

This is the second beer of the six pack I received for Christmas.

Tasting notes, according to the bottle(r): Brewed from lager and Caragold barley malt, Sovereign and Lubelski hops, Sutton Poyntz spring water and fermented using DBC's own distinctive special strain of yeast. Chesil is a melt in the mouth straw blonde pilsner real ale with a refreshing citrus and floral aroma and taste.

My opinion: For a start, this comes in a 500mL bottle, which is always a good start. The head holds well when poured into a glass and does a good job of holding the floral aromas, although I can't smell any of the citrus aromas. It is a somewhat cloudy beer (although not obvious, it could have been a glass that wasn't properly cleaned). It is a straw blonde colour and there are slight citrus flavours to the beer.

My opinion: Look, it's a nice beer but I can't see myself spending all night on it. My guess is that it would be better as something different, and I would be interested to see what this tastes like off the tap rather than out of a bottle.

Rogue Ale Santa's Private Reserve

Welcome to the new year :) My brother kindly purchased me a 6 pack of beers from breweries all over the world that I have never tasted before, so I'll be reviewing them over the nextfew weeks. This is the first one of the six.

Tasting Notes according to the bottle(r): A double-hopped Red, reddish in colour, with a roasty, malty flavourand a hoppy spruce finish.

(These notes can be found at the extremely informative Rogue Ale website, http://www.rogue.com/)

My own opinion: To be honest, I was a little disappointed when I first tasted it. I was hoping for a richer beer with hints of Christmas pudding, which is what I expect from some of the English Christmas ales. Having said that though, this beer pours well and forms a good head that holds its bouquet well. It is a very red beer but it doesn't really hold much of a flavour. There is a slight spicy flavour on the middle of the palatte, but almost nothing on the back of it.

My rating: A couple of pints tops...I can't see myself firing up for a night on this beer.