Osaka International Beer Festival, Umeda Sky Building

Umeda Sky Building

1-1 Chome, Oyodanaka, Kitaku, Osaka, Japan

http://www.skybldg.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

During our Japan trip in October 2007, we wanted to see both the old and the new, the traditional and the modern in Japanese architecture and culture. So, rather than check out just temples and traditional festivals, we also visited interesting skyscrapers and experienced contemporary festivals. The Umeda Sky Building, in Osaka, offered both. The ultra-modern and futuristic design of the building, resembling a big computer chip, has divided both locals and visitors. We loved it though! In real life, it was a very striking design, and a ride up the glass escalators to the Floating Garden Observatory at the top of the building offered great views of Osaka.

We were fortunate that, on the day when we visited the Sky Building, the Osaka International Beer Festival was also happening in the building's forecourt. Tents and stalls were set up, offering tastings of beers and food from all over the world. You can even purchase tasting glasses, which allow you to sample a number of beers. A few stalls offered games of chance - Mellie even managed to score herself a free beer!

This stall was selling yakitori - skewered pieces of chicken and other meats grilled over charcoal. The waft of the grill from this stall was mouthwatering, although I am unsure what "sausages and Popeye" could be - see one of the signs. Spinach maybe??

As you can see from the flag, this stall had Italian fare, mostly pasta. The beers were also of an Italian flavour, featuring the very tasty Nastro Azzurro.

We sampled a few brews, including this Osakan label called Minoh Beer. I recalled that the pale ale was my favourite because it had floral tasting hops very reminscent of one of my fave beers, Little Creatures. Mellie preferred the weizen (wheat) beer.

We decided to try non-Japanese food at the festival and went with the above Pad Thai from one of the more popular stalls. It was nicely smokey, though I found it to be a bit too sweet. We also made the mistake of putting too much chilli in the Pad Thai, which literally singed our tastebuds and had us clamouring for a beer to put out the fire!

There was also an Indian stall there, selling naan, curries and meats from the Tandoor oven. The smells coming from the stall were irresistable, as were the Indian guys spruiking in accented Japanese but also switching from Hindi to English, depending on the customer - quite a scene to behold! The above dish of tandoori chicken was very tasty, with white fluffy naan that totally satisfied our cravings after a few breadless days.

A band playing easy listening music added to the laid back vibe of the festival, as people relaxed and eased into the afternoon - merry laughter indicating the enjoyment of many beers and good street food. It was a fantastic, cruisey afternoon, and a respite from an otherwise modern and fast-paced city.

For a hard earned thirst, you need a big cold beer, and the best cold beer is...jelly?!?

That's right. Jelly. Beer jelly. WTF?

You can find this little travesty at Breadtop in QV for $2.20. And yes, I did buy one.

Errr...umm...it is...definitely beer jelly. In fact, it tastes pretty much like a VB or Carlton Draught with just a little added sweetness to temper the bitterness. The frothy head was a little weird - a hop tasting solidified foam that was kind of like munching on beer flavoured marshmallows. I don't know if I like it or not - two spoonfuls was more than enough for me, which must be saying something.

Initially this product really tickled my fancy but the more I ponder, the more I'm a little worried. As the display says, this product contains alcohol, and a fair bit of it if my beer-o-meter is correct. Do they sell this stuff to kids? Are they checking ID? Some cigarette novelties are banned in this state, but what about little beer flavoured ones?

Hofbrauhaus

18-24 Market Lane, Melbourne
Telephone 03 9663 3361

A recent post by Thanh over at I Eat Therefore I Am reminded me of an entry that has been sitting in my drafts since March (...such is the state of my drafts!). So I thought I would add my two cents.

Established in 1968, Hofbrauhaus is where you want to go if you have a hankering for slap dancing, yodeling and stodgy Bavarian fare. There is also beer, which you may very well need once the knee-slapping and live band starts up (is this what hell is like?). Despite that, it is an "experience" if one has a penchant for such things.

There is a lot of meat on this menu - schnitzels, hocks, meatloafs, bratwursts, frankfurters, krainers, debreciners, goulash, kassler, and stews. Then there are potatoes and sauerkraut. You get the drift. We spied the house special pork hock (which Thanh mentioned/ate in his post), and we were seriously scared. It quivered gelatiniously on the plate, the size of a football. That was one chunk of meat!

EG went the bratwurst, or beef sausage, which was served as a pair over a pile of buttery (!)mash and sauerkraut ($23.90). It wasn't quite what he expected - the sausages were a little on the bland side, which was quite surprising considering the Bavarians are known for their wurst (well hey, they do boast over 1500 types of the buggers). The sausages and mash also sat in a pool of salty water, which unfortunately wasn't sauce-like or flavoursome at all.

I couldn't go past the crumbed new age pork schnitzel served with salad and mash ($26.50). Funnily enough, this behemouth is the small version (it also comes in a giant version for $29.50). The schnitzel wasn't too bad - it was tender and nicely crumbed, although there was just a little too much of it. The sprinkle of chopped parsley on both dishes was also an interesting retro touch ;-).

Mildura Brewery

20 Langton Avenue, Mildura (Victoria)
+613 5022 2988

A trip to Mildura is not complete without a visit to the Mildura Brewery. Established in 2004 by Don Carrazza (of Mildura Grand Hotel fame), the microbrewery is housed in the old Astor Theatre, right next door to the Grand. The refurbed Brewery is a rather fine looking establishment. Whilst retaining many of the original art deco features, it has been updated in a very smart/slick way. Lots of polished steel, shiny black finishes, dark wood and natural stone work in good combination. What I love best are the three huge stainless steel brewing vats and bottling line you are privy to at the back of the space. It is nice to kick back with a bevy and appreciate how it actually came to be.

EG and I decided on the Tasting Tray (pictured above and half gone by the time I got the camera out). Ordinarily the brewery produces four standard beers; Mallee Bull, Murray Honey Wheat, Desert Premium Lager and Sun Light. But the Brewery also likes to experiment, and the Beer of the Month keeps things interesting. So on our tray we also got to sample the standard four plus Storm Cloudy Ale and the Oktoberfest.

As far as tasting goes - well I think there is a beer there that would cater for most palates. Most of them are fairly light in the hops department though. But they do get a lil' heavy in some brews - just nothing too dark or stouty.

My vote went to the Murray Honey Wheat beer, which I figure is a cross between a Hoegaarden and a Beez Neez. It had an amazingly clean/crisp quality with a heady honey aroma. It was light on in the malt - and apparently appeals to "the younger crowd, women of all ages and those with a sweet tooth". Got it in three :-)

EG loved the Storm Cloudy Ale, which was surprisingly citrusy and hoppy. On tap it really was a cloudy storm - quite opaque. But it loses this in the transfer to the bottle. This one is certainly a masculine type beer, being both full bodied and full-on.

The Brewery also does lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sundays. All your usual pub fare is available, although it is probably one step better than regular pub grub. But think chicken parma, beef burger, salt and pepper calamari using qual ingredients etc. We did dine late on a Sunday (didn't take a photo though), and I can attest that the calamari was lip smackingly good. EG went the burger, which looked non too shabby either.