Beer and bikes for Frocktober

A beautiful day in Melbourne calls for an evening out. Tonight we're on our bikes and off to The Local Taphouse for Alestars; a night of beer tasting, delish food and good company. What more could a gal ask for?

So what I wore today: vintage floral frock, yellow belt, bronze wedges and black jacket. Today's style was a little inspired by one of my favourite characters from The Slap, Anouk.

Since I'm at Alestars, I raise my glass to toast my lovely friends Jocelyn, Louise and Carol for their donations. Cheers ladies xx.

Alestars live cross to chat beer with Garrett Oliver

If you want to donate just head to the site below and follow the prompts: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/girlbug ... and in case you didn't know all proceeds go to Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

Stay tuned for more frocks!

♥

Girlbug xx

*Amended*
I didn't get a chance last night to say how great the Alestars speak was. Garrett Oliver was fascinating, and despite the technical hiccups that made the session extend way past 10pm, he was enthralling to listen to. Yay!! Now I just want to catch zzZZzzzZz under my desk :P

Day #8 Frocktober and Octoberfest

Octoberfest!! Spring struck with full force on Saturday and after a busy week of work, Mr Bug and I were keen to check out the Octoberfest at The Local Taphouse.

It was an uninspired choice of dresses today - red and cream wrap dress. I need to wear a slip under this dress because the slightest breeze causes me unwanted attention when it flies open *sigh* and of course I forgot to do that *double sigh*

Back to the beer. The Local Taphouse has a great selection of beer and Octobefest celebrations were in full swing when we arrived. There were 20 beers on tap so I opted for a paddle. My choices were:

1. Weltenburger Kloster Hefeweiss Hell
2. Schofferhoffer Hereweizen
3. Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel
4. 4 Pines Kolsch
5. Moo Brew Hereweizen

Mr Bug sampled the 3 Ravens Octoberfest. I really enjoyed all the beers I tasted. I think my 2 favourites were the Dunkel and Kolsch and the least impressive was the Schofferhoffer Hereweizen - not that it was bad. I just preferred the other more pronounced flavours more.

While I enjoyed the beers, I was STARVING! The bratwurst and chili frites were the perfect treat to accompany my collection of beers :)

Another beer on tap was the Red Hill Weizenbock. We didn't stick around to sample the beer at the pub, however we did break open a bottle at home. Deeee-licious!

While Saturday was all about sunshine, beer and blokes... Sunday was another story. Check out next post - a more dignified affair :)

Cheers
Maryann

Longshot ... more like a sure bet

@Melburnian, @Marcusmoments & moi. 

Last week I wrangled an invite to the launch of Matilda Bay's new dark ale beer Longshot at Toby's Estate in Brunswick. Thanks to @liquidideas and @hierohero for pulling some strings. Although I was terribly late to proceedings, I had a wonderful time and tasted some delicious treats and Matilda Bay beers.

Matilda Bay head brewer Scott Vincent was leading the tasting and gave us an insight into the beer brewing process. I'm disappointed I missed the start of the evening as Mr. Vincent was a fascinating speaker; it's not everyday you get a chance to hear how a product is created from start to finish. You can sneak a peak into a brewer's daily life by following this gent on Twitter. Check him out ... @matildabaybeer

So this was the menu on offer. Careful not to drool...

I

Image by @Melburniam

You have no idea how devastated I was to find out I had missed out on the lamb cutlet paired with Matilda Bay's Bohemian Pilsner!! Especially when everyone thought it was necessary to tell me how PERFECT it was!! What is wrong with people?? Don't they know teasing ethnic girls about food is dangerous ... for them ;)*stomp* *stomp*

Anyway my hissy fit is over as I remind myself that I was indeed late and only have myself to blame (kinda grrr).

I'm certain they left the best till last despite what my previous hissy fit may imply. Of course it was the best! This was the reason why we were all there - the belle of the ball, the centre of attention; Matilda Bay's Longshot coffee beer matched with a dark chocolate and Longshot tiramisu. For this particular beer, Vincent collaborated with gourmet coffee roaster Toby Smith creating a full flavoured dark ale with hints of coffee and malt, finished with subtle hop bitterness. Hmmm nom nom nom

Image by Melburnian

Given my current dietary restrictions where I've discovered diary and chocoloate ain't so good for my body, I ignored the warning signs and dove right in.

One sip ... "Wow" ... speechless.

I've never had a beer so perfectly match a chocolate dessert before. The pairing was divine and as the beer warmed a little, it had an even smoother taste. I cannot wait to pair this with a beef dish. Still um-ing and ah-ing about which to choose. Suggestions are more than welcome.

What a fantastic evening - great food, wonderful company and a delicious selection of beers. What more could a gal ask for? Thanks to Matilda Bay, Liquid Ideas, Toby's Estate, and especially Scott Vincent and Toby Smith - such a pleasure to meet two gentlemen passionate about their respective crafts.

If you're interested in treating your taste buds, Longshot is available from Dan Murphy's in a limited release of 5000 cases.  Go forth and spend $$.

Oh .. a huge thank you to the star photographer of the evening Mr @Melburnian and for letting me use your pics on my blog *hugs*

Going to bed now ... night xx
GB