The best beer in the world is the next one I'm gonna have.

OK. So this may sound a bit long winded but bear with me. Also, despite what the seppos reckon, just because I like a beer, doesn't mean I'm an alcoholic. OK!

When I was young I drank Melbourne Bitter. ............Righto, so nowadays it tastes like sweet lolly water but you gotta start somewhere right? However I reckon your favourite beer depends on a lot of things. Environment. State of Mind. Current girlfriend/circle of friends. That sort of thing.

Anyway, right now I am into Gage Roads I.P.A. and Little Creatures Pale Ale. At the moment I reckon on a hot day there is nothing better. If you are ever in Fremantle go to the brewery and have a fresh one. I think you will agree. In Kalgoorlie they are 60 bucks a slab but it's worth it as it gets to around 45 degrees here for weeks on end in summer. Bliss.

I was working in L.A. a few years ago and I really got into Pacifico. Now that's a laid back beer on a hot afternoon but remember what I said about environment? Sitting on the beach at Trancas with a six pack icy cold from the market is pretty near heaven. Just watch out for the cops. Getting back to environment, you would probably hate it in London, unless you were one of those lemon in the neck wankers. There is also a ripper little brew in CA called Sierra Nevada Pale Ale www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html.
Its a fucking ball tearer and about the only proper beer I encountered in the US. The rest is like making love in a conoe.

Having said that, I fell on hard times when a contract fell through and drank a hell of a lot of Tecate. Very cheap for a hell of a lot of cans but if you want to get pissed on the cheap you can't beat those big bottles of Busch! You furkin beauty! State of Mind remember?

In the colder parts of the world (The Wales) you could not do much better than a pint of Caffrey's. Its smooth and silky and good for a few yarns. If you find a pub with someone who knows how to build one properly then I heartily recommend you try one.

Oh well, all this waffling on is making me thirsty,

Cheers and Beers
Oz

haha Love your posts Brickie.

I've always wanted to sample some real Ozzie beer, not that Foster's garbage they import here. Actually, its not even imported...I think Molson's brews it.

I couldn't imagine how refreshing beers must be in 45 C heat and especially after working in a smelter.

When I have some time I'll write up my thoughts on some beers

Wow, awesome post, and what a great title!

I don't know any of those beers you mentioned. I live in Europe and we can't really find any of those you were talking about, unless you find that cuckoo place that imports thousands of different beers from all over the world, outrageously priced.

It was really fun reading your thoughts and opinions about them. I like the sitting on the beach with a 6-pack or ice cold ones on a hot summer day. Sounds blissfully relaxing

You said to watch out for the cops, is that because you're not allowed to drink alcohol outside in the US? Is that really so? I might have heard of that but never really believed it... like, "this can't be right, these guys must be joking with me". I remember one night in Paris, one new year's eve, we were walking towards the Eiffel tower at night (or very early morning...) with some friends, totally drunk. I had a bottle of Glenffidich in my coat pocket, and I was taking it out, throwing it up in the air so it would turn around a few times and then catching it back and so on. Once we got closer to the Eiffel tower, there were 4 or 5 police cars, and I'm not sure if there were talking or arresting someone or what, but I still kept swinging that bottle out of my pocket and throwing it up in the air... I was too drunk to think maybe it's a bad idea, but not enough to completely lose motor coordination. So at least, thank god, I didn't drop the bottle. Some friends told me after we passed the cars I was totally out of my mind and I better stop playing with the bottle like that. Some meant I might drop it and lose the precious whiskey, some meant I should better not look totally drunk in front of the cops throwing bottles into the air... either way, nothing bad happened, and we kept on drinking and singing under the Eiffel tower. It was a good night.

It's a long story but here goes.

Summer 2002. I was laying blocks for a bloke in Topanga Canyon and had the weekend off. It was superbikes at Laguna Seca so I took the Monday also and rode on up. Hey, I was pretty broke but petrol was only a buck thirty a gallon! and Tecate was cheap also so fuck it.

Somewhere around San Louis Obispo is a little place called Pismo Beach. Now if your an old fart like me and watch Looney Tunes then you will know that Bugs always holidays there so I just had to go there and have a beer.

It was a beautiful day and here's me in my leathers kicking back sipping a Tecate or two. What do I see but a jack cruising up to me. "What are you doing son?" he says.

Well I say in my best strine " Having a bloody beer mate, what does it look like?"

He thought a second or two coz I speak funny.

"It's an offence to drink alcohol on the beach in California, son" ..........stunned silence........ "What the fuck" I say, "can't drink on the beach? This is the modern world, is it not?"

He loved that one and asked for my license and rego, thinking he could screw me on that one also. But wait, guess where I had my papers? In my inside top pocket so when I went to get it out I looked like I was Dirty Harry or something. Quick as a flash he is down on his knee with his loaded pistol pointed at my face.

Now did I mention that we don't have hand guns in Aus, let alone point them at people? I promptly shit myself.

Anyway, after he had got his man stimulus for the day and made me pour every one of my cans down on the ground one by one, he explained that you must not have an open container of alcohol on the street in California, and that includes, get this, a single bottle or can (open or not) if it has come from a larger package in your posession, ie. a six pack or a slab.

It's a fucked up world

Cheers and Beers
Oz

That's a fucking crazy story.... Completely insane! You're sipping a beer on the beach, looking at the sea and the chicks walking by and all of a sudden you've got someone supposed to protect you shoving a gun up your nose... land of the free? Give me a break...

Thats it bro

Go Figure

Thats why you must look out for jacks in Cali

BTW Kitlope. Fosters is absolute crap. Why do you reckon we export it? Because no one down here drinks the shit so we gotta get rid of it somehow.

Yeah, I once drank Fosters in an Aussie bar in Vienna. The waitresses were very cute and wearing shorts. I was very disappointed by the beer but still had a great time. I was there with some friends, killing time through the night on our way to Amsterdam, waiting for a train. So what's a good Australian beer?

Ass mate, it all tastes the same in the end.

It's all about the view