Much as we’d like to, it’s simply not possible for The Crafty Pint to be everywhere all of the time. What’s more, we’ve always been keen to get as many beer lovers involved in what we do, as well as bringing you brewers, their beers and the places that sell them. So, having been impressed by his desire to get amorous with Holgate’s Empress, we decided to ask home brewer and craft beer enthusiast Justin McPhail to undertake a Crafty trial and send us a field report from last weekend’s Snag, Beer and Bubble Fest in Heathcote and Bendigo. He accepted. And here it is. Enjoy!
What was it?
Snag Beer and Bubble Fest
Where was it?
Day 1: Heathcote Showgrounds (Central Victoria)
Day 2: Bendigo (Chancery Lane – Dispensary Enoteca)
Day 1 Summary
Setup in the showgrounds, with stalls in a row extending into an old barn, the festival was a laid back affair of gourmet meats, craft beers and select wines. The breweries represented were Holgate, Red Duck, Bridge Road and Tooborac Hotel & Brewery.
Who was there?
A fantastic mix of old and young, there was no distinct group, though there did seem to be a
disproportionate amount of small round hats (fedoras). Mildly concerning. Talking with the brewers and stallholders, there seemed to be a mix of people (read: half) who had tried their beer before and those that had not tried any craft beer before.
The success story of the day was one punter who convinced two young females that VB has no place, and slung them onto the Bridge Rd Aussie Ale – with a great response (they went through more than a few over the day).
Throughout the day it seemed the big talk was the âchocolate beer’, which people seemed to latch onto like it was their own product and spruiked to everyone with a set of ears. That beer was obviously the Chocolate Porter from Holgate (the Temptress). The other big beer hit of the day was the White Garden from Red Duck. Fruity, easy to drink beer made using Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam. A winner.
There was a good beer masterclass being run by Tim Baxter of the Dispensary, taking 20 people at a time through six beers of the day. Great to educate people – let’s hope they take the lesson on board.
Day 2 summary
Gourmet snags at the Dispensary with cheap Boatrocker Hoppbier and other beers from around the world. A very relaxed day, low key and perfect for Sunday recovery drinks. Perfect way to spend a Sunday after a beer food and wine festival!
Summarise the event in three words
Relaxed, happy, informative.
If you enjoy good beer, are heading to a beer event and would like to let us know all about it, feel free to drop us a line at crafty@craftypint.com. We’ll love you for it and, who knows, might even buy you a beer one day!
You can also follow Justin on Twitter