Australian_Mens_Fitness_April_2017

■G one is the wife

beater-wearing Ozzie

bloke clutching a

tinnyofFosters.

These days we’re

more likely to

reachforacraft

or “boutique” beer

to quench that

insatiable man

thirst.Thecraftbeer

industry in Australia

is flourishing.

Althoughstill

only making up

around 5% of the

overall market,

microbreweries are

cropping up all over

thejointandbarsand

bottle shops are

clamouring to offer

the latest trendy

brewstoparched

punters.

Sure,VBfansmay

saythathipstersare

to blame, but the rise

of craft beers in Oz

A crafty bunch

The brews

we choose

might also say

something about

our growing

sophistication as

consumers, as we

move away from

mass-produced

beverages and seek

out new flavours

and more traditional

styles and brewing

methods. It’s much

like the Australian

wine industry a

couple of decades

ago — we’ve moved

beyond the

goon-bag and now

seek out grape

varieties from

our favourite

regions.

But make sure

your craft beer

really is “craft”.

Big brewers have

jumped on the

bandwagon and are

offering trendy-

looking alternatives

using clever

marketing. Little

Creatures, for

instance, is owned

by Lion, who brews

Fosters and XXXX.

Fat Yak and Redback

were bought by

Carlton and United

Breweries, who in

turn were bought

by South African

multinational

SABMiller in 2011.

Even mega

supermarkets are

in on it — Coles and

Woolies both have

their own ales.

If you want the

real deal, ask your

local bottl’o bloke

to recommend the

best beers from

your area and

help keep this

promising industry

growing.

100 MEN’S FITNESS APRIL 2017

MODUS OPERANDI PALE ALE

This rich-coloured pale

ale has pine and citrus

aromas topped with

a crisp finish.

mobrewing.com.au

LORD NELSON THREE SHEETS

Medium gold in colour,

Three Sheets is a pale ale

with a nicely balanced

malt and fruity scent.

lordnelsonbrewery.com

HOLSTEN 0.0%

A beer without alcohol

— WTF! Trust us, this

is the bomb. A tasty

Pilsner that packs only

40 calories per bottle.

holstenzero.com

COOPERS ORIGINAL

PALE ALE

With fruity, floral

characters, balanced

with a crisp bitterness,

this is your go-to Pale.

coopers.com.au

4 PINES KOLSCH

This is a German-

style golden ale with

rejuvenating hints

of spice and citrus.

4pinesbeer.com.au

Great moments in beer

1944

A WWII American paratrooper

brings beer to wounded

soldiers by fi lling his helmet

from a tap in a nearby tavern.

2009

The world’s largest glass of

beer, containing 1499 litres of

Guinness, is prepared at a pub

in California, US.

2010

The “world s number one head

balancer” John Evans balances

237 pints of beer on his head.

As you do.

1955

Future Aussie PM Bob Hawke

skulls 2.5 pints (1.4L) of beer in

11 seconds at University

College, Oxford, UK.

1989

Cricketer and larrikin David

Boon allegedly sinks 52 cans of

beer on the plane trip from

Oz to England.

Cans are back, guys. Good

ol’ aluminium is better for the

beer and the drinker, our top

mates at Sydney craft brewer

Modus Operandi (mobrewing.

com.au) tell us.

Why? For starters, UV light and

oxygen kills beer quality, which

is a big problem with glass. A can

keeps the beer as fresh as it was

when it left the tank — exposure to

light leads to oxidation, which

leaves a “cardboard” taste.

Cans also cool much quicker than

glass which is vital in Australia’s hot

and thirsty climate. Who wants to

drink warm beer from a bottle when

you can slurp it cold from a can?

Can the bottle

We think you’ll

agree: beauty is

in the eye of the

beer holder.