Pete Mitcham, aka Professor Pilsner, is an advocate of craft beer in Australia. Given the chance, he’ll convert anyone with a negative perception of beer into a believer. In fact, that's exactly what he'll be doing at Fluid Festival.
“The greatest thing about beer is that it is so flexible," says Mitcham, best known to beer lovers as the Editor In Chief of The Critic's Choice — Australia's Best Beers, a Contributing Editor of Australian Brews News and co-host of Radio Brews News, Australia's leading beer podcast series.
"Beer is thirst quenching, relaxing and a reward all rolled into one Australian culture. We tend to go for lighter, brighter crisp cleansing beers that match our sunny disposition and climate. When offering beers and ciders to the guests at Fluid Festival, it's such a personal flavour that everyone has a hook, a flavour that sings to them.”
Fluid Festival is dedicated to the finest aspects of beer and cider. Pete will host The Critics Choice Lunch, where a three-course meal is served and matched with five different Australian craft beers. Pete has taken meticulous care in planning the event, including an introduction to the relationship between craft beers and the food they are served with.
“The only guideline I have for guests is to try the beer first and get a feel for what it's telling you, what the flavours they perceive are. Then they can try the food and the flavours in the beer make even more sense, whether it's seafood, a roast, something grilled or slow cooked.”
Over the last few years the popularity of craft beers and ciders has increased with the ever expanding number of small brewers and specialty beer bars. The catalyst for this change began with a few small brewers and spread as women got onboard with the movement.
“It has really changed in the last few years,” Pete says. “Pioneer craft brewers like Matildas Bay, The Malt Shovel Brewery and Mountain Goat did it hard trying to offer something different. Slowly there was a ground swell of local support. Now the girls, with their sophisticated palettes, are leading and seeking out places that cater to beer tastes from a non-bloke point-of-view; like pouring it in the correct glasswear, offering a pleasant and comfortable environment and most important, the subtle hints of flavour. Now the blokes are following along.”
Fluid Festival will showcase more than 60 craft beers and ciders, but there are a couple that need special attention. “Boutique Brisbane company Bacchus Brewing Co [will have] chocolate-cherry and smoked malt [beers]. The one that everyone must try is the Burleigh Brewery's Hef beer. It's a German wheat beer style that just won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup. The Germans are crying into their steins that a little Australian brewer has taken the title!”
Even for those who prefer a shandy to a beer, there’s still plenty to learn. Pete believes a new breed of drinker is emerging: “Fluid Festival is an opportunity to think about who brews your beer and where it comes from instead of how many you can drink in one session. It's un-Australian to be seen as a beer snob, but I'd rather be a beer snob than a beer yob.”
Fluid Festival, a celebration of beer, cider, food and music, will be held at Brisbane's Pig 'N' Whistle Pub (123 Eagle St) on Australia Day (Saturday January 26). The event is presented by The Beer Lovers Guide To Australia, an annual publication dedicated to introducing more Australians to the world of craft beer.
