Beers and plenty of them, in my backyard

So I've talked the talk for long enough, time to walk the walk. Or in this case, get down and dirty in brewing my very first home brew. Before anything though, we're going to need a plan...

While perusing a craft beer Facebook group recently I stumbled over an article headline stating that two beers was just as if not even more effective for pain releif than a typical painkiller.
My knee hurts - let's give this a whirl then..

I'm not one of those airline passengers who turns up with mere seconds to spare, bolts down the massive walkway in Terminal 4 at Tullermarine and throws themselves into a plane a split second before takeoff. No I turn up early. Sometimes way to early. But I figure it's a great opportunity to have a slightly expensive but relaxing brew or two at one of the bars and watch the planes come in. This time around I think though I'm also on that list of things intestering enough to keep tabs on..

Maybe I skipped my calling as a police negotiator because on Friday I managed to diffuse an angry situation with some beer chat. Okay so the situation wasn't that dramatic (the brother in law was getting grumpy at the service in the restaurant) but I quickly took his mind off things with a couple of quick fire questions about the Great Northern he was drinking. 
'I like the taste' was the best I got out of that conversation with no further detail about what in the taste of the GN he liked so much. There was more talk about how if you look at the back end of the fish on the label and squint hard enough, you can sort of see a bird...
'What do you like about that one then?' he asked pointing at my Fat Yak.
I launched into a few things I was enjoying about the brew that got met with blank looks. Especially when I raved on about nice beers with a decent hit of hops. That got even more of a blank look so I quit the beer chat early and focussed instead on the impending steak…

One of the first thing I promised myself to help celebrate the first few hours of my two week holiday was a good feed and a cold beer while I waited at the airport. The fine dining came from Scales Seafood on the Tweed (amazing flake and chips) while the cold brew came from the airport bar where I paid a premium for a premium. Well actually a Pilsner but you get what I mean.

Did you know that if you spray paint an empty bottle of Lucky Budda beer with a nice flat colour (a light grey or stone colour works well) you end up with a great mantle piece ornament and conversation starter? You won't be talking about the beer inside of it though, because that's terrible..

While the wife and kids are away for the week...I finally get to cook things with a bit of a kick to them. Tonight, it's my first foray into using Chili Shrimp paste and figuring I'd need something to wash it down with (or possibly tame the flames) I bought myself a Tiger..

...and on this Contiki bus trip around New Zealand a certain 27 year old with no plan whatsoever took each day as it came...and needed a week to recover once it was all over.
Midway through though he discovered radler and fast forward roughly ten years to now, it's time to try it again and reminisce.
But would it bring back memories of hungi dinners, bays full of islands and fond memories of a cute librarian? Let's find out!

Once again Uncle Dan comes up with a another couple of reasons to swing by and say hi...