Day 123 - Sunday April 30 - Brewery Tour

Day 123

Sunday

30 April 2017  - Finished “Tears of the Moon” by Di Morrissey. I really enjoyed this tale of 2 women and the journey their lives take. I also liked the fact it was set in a number of WA locations.

Mount Pleasant  - Stepney – Thebarton – Croyden Park - Semaphore

Sunday here again! I think back over all the Sundays and marvel at the places we were, so much has been seen and I know so much more awaits. We were up and getting our selves sorted just after 8.30am. We loaded the washing machine and walked laps of the oval as we waited for it to finish before loading it all into the drier.

It was 11am when we finally got on the road, heading into Adelaide to check out a number of breweries. Our first stop was Little Bang Brewing Co in Stepney. This has only been open for two years and is in a quiet semi industrial area of town. The guy behind the bar was very personable and made us feel welcome, walking Paul through the beers as the place began to fill up. I even tried a couple of their beers and enjoyed them. Maybe I will become a beer convert on this trip, however the last beer I tasted had me pulling faces, so maybe not.

We moved on to the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton and wondered what we had come to as we walked the corner to the door. It certainly was a dive on the outside, but it was a little gem on the inside. We were told about this place when we were here last time, but never managed to get here. They have a great selection of craft beers on tap and in bottles and have been brewing their own for four years. Jade, the brewer and owner was so passionate about her pub and what they were doing. They do a wide variety of styles and all are a little weird, which is right up Paul’s street. The tastings were completed in regular size glasses with often more than a standard pour given. Paul was in heaven. 

I happily took the photos and listened to the banter, I am beginning to pick up the lingo and terms used for brewing, it’s a bit scary really.

We were shown through the pub and the brew house along with their sea container bar out in the beer garden. It was wonderful to come across someone who obviously loved what they were doing.

We then ventured on to Brew Boys in Croydon Park, this was a small brewpub on a busy main street. We entered, moving into the dark bar area where the blues band was just setting up for their set. Paul Managed to talk his way through his spiel and had the barmaid pouring him small samples of their range for him to try.  By now I was starving and was wanting to find something to eat. 

We left the brewery, heading to Semaphore, a beachside spot near the port and a place we checked out when we were here in Feb, if only we had know there was a brewery then. We found our way to Sweet Amber Brew Café and were delighted to see they did wood fired pizza. I ordered as Paul was poured their one and only beer. He talked to the bar staff and brewer before we sat down and enjoyed our lunch, I only wish I had ordered another, it was so good.  

By 4pm we were all done and ready to head home. The GPS was saying we would be on the road for a further hour and a quarter.  I followed its instructions, as Paul went from conscious to asleep in the chair, to awake when the GPS spat out instructions.

On the drive we encountered roads and small towns we had not ventured through before. We wound our way into the hills, enjoying the bright sunlight that had come out to greet us. The drive was relatively easy and we made it home with little fuss.

Paul readied the car and put it on the trailer, so that our departure could be swift in the morning. I began loading the photos and then organised our dinner which we ate heartily, still hungry after delaying our lunch. We spent the evening listening to the Ipod and finishing up things on the net, before retiring once again, ready for the start of the next adventure. 

Day 122 - Saturday April 29 - The Adelaide Hills Revisited

Day 122

Saturday

29 April 2017

Mount Pleasant – Palmer – Birdwood – Hahndorf – Mt Pleasant - Woodside

It was damp and drizzly when we woke. We read for a while and then knowing there was the possibility of a cooked breakfast, I got out had a shower, dressed and was ready to head across to the farmers market.

The caretaker of the park had given Paul a flier last night, letting him know the breakfast was worth getting up for and oh by was it! We did a walk around the market first, checking out the fresh produce, baked goods and other delights, sampling where we felt like it, all the while the strong smell of bacon was calling.

We joined the other eager locals and campers in the cue ordered our feed then sat at a table waiting for our call. It was so worth the wait. We finished off every morsel, bursting at the seams by the time we had completed our meals.

We returned to the van, sorted our plan of attack and then jumped in the little car heading to Palmer, a small town we had passed through yesterday. We returned as it was home to Bear Rock. We found the pull in bay before the rock and took in the views over the Torrens Valley. The land is not only lumpy, but covered in large and small boulders

Once I had taken all the photos, we made our way to Birdwood, this town is home to the National Motor Museum of Australia. We did a walk up the street first and popped our head in to a small bike mechanics store that had a number of old bikes on show. We then crossed the street and entered the museum. 

The place is huge and has a wide variety of old cars, trucks and motorbikes in immaculate condition on show. A lot of the vehicles have strong Australian ties. 

We wandered the showroom floors admiring the vehicles and reading the small boards explaining their significance. Paul went around pointing out the cars and bikes that he or his dad had owned at different times. 

It took us a good couple of hours to make our way through the displays, there was even a wedding taking place amongst it all. When we had completed the circuit, we returned to the car and moved on.

We returned to the very tourist spot, Hahndorf, so that Paul could drop into Gulf Brewery, one that was closed when we were here last time.  As is typical, the town was full of tourists, but unlike last time, it was more Adelaideans getting here for the afternoon, not busloads of Chinese tourists. 

The name of this beer amused me

We entered the brewery, took the 10 glass paddle and proceeded to complete the review, all while talking to the brewer and laughing at the groups coming through on beer crawls.  When Paul was done we were on our way.

On request of the Facebook “We Love Craft Beer Australia” owner, we returned to Prancing Pony to pick up a mixed pack of brews to send his way. We didn’t hang around, just grabbed the brews and made a speedy exit. We then continued on to Mount Barker to check out the small town. Ike many around this area, it is quaint and picturesque through it is one of the bigger centres. We parked and then did a walk around, noting a long queue at the 50sixone store. We couldn’t believe so many people would line up outside a café. I was intrigued and looked it up on the net. Turns out it was opening day today and they were giving away free shakes and not just any shakes. If you want to see what I mean check out www.50sixone.com

The old flour mill built in 1844

We continued our loop of the streets, admiring the old buildings and then we jumped back in the car, set the gps to home and were on our way. We made a couple of quick photo stops when interesting scenes jumped out at me. 

We did stop at Melba’s Chocolate factory, doing a quick taste, a wander of the shop front and then leaving armed with plenty of the good stuff. We were finally home by 4.50pm ready to unwind.

We packaged up Nigel’s beer as best we could and then we sat down to do our homework for the day. We opted for soup again, as the breakfast had kept us going fairly well all day.

I did some checking on tomorrow’s destinations only to be disappointed that the two breweries we wanted to check out most (Pirate Life and Big Shed) were closed on Sunday. I did some call outs on Facebook and received a few suggestions, so we decided we would still head into Adelaide tomorrow and begin our journey to the centre on Monday. 

Day 121 - Friday 28 April - Adelaide Hills Breweries

Day 121

Friday

28 April 2017

Murray Bridge – Mount Pleasant Camps 8 SA#192 – Lobethal – Totness

We gained an extra half hour sleep in, having crossed back into South Australia. Yippee. So when my watch said I was waking at 8.30am, it was only 8am and I could go on staying in bed reading.

I had spent most of the night fighting gravity, as the van was on a bit of a lean and spent a far bit crowded on Paul’s side of the bed.  Oh well. He went off to the loo, but returned to read also seeing I was quite content curled up under the blankets.

We did however emerge by 9am, had breakfast, organised ourselves, cursed the water pump that was now not working and then set off. We did a stop in Murray Bridge to pick up groceries and then we made our way to Mount Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills, having found a suitable camp in the Camps 8 book.

An hour later we had pulled up at the showground, met the caretaker and found a spot to park for the next couple of days. It was quite cool and looked as though it might rain. With the set up done and the car off the trailer, Paul set about looking at the water pump. The fuses and general electrical connections looked good, so the next step was to pull the mattress off the bed and check the pump itself. It wasn’t the easiest of jobs for Paul trying to get tools into small gaps, but he did have success, concluding there must have been an air bubble. We were glad it was a relatively easy fix.

Paul went for a shower while I got myself cleaned up, car packed and then we drove on to Lobethal to return to the great Bierhaus in the town. Paul made himself known, thankfully Alistair the owner was in and had a vague recollection of our first visit. We ordered lunch, the same as last time, pork pancake and a mushroom burger. Paul enjoyed the tasting paddles while I enjoyed the hot chocolate.

This time I also indulged in their chocolate, peanut butter spring rolls. OMG. They were the best dessert. Alistair checked in with us every now and then, always with a funny remark, he is quite an interesting character. Paul then made a list of take away beers, bought his lot and we were off.

Our next destination was another brewery we had tried during our visit in February, Prancing Pony in Totness. The GPS tried to take us down some goat track roads and in the end we turned around, ignoring its advice and eventually made it the brewery. Paul again gave his spiel, ordered a paddle, was put out when asked to pay for it and then we sat while he went through the practised task of smelling, tasting, drinking and writing his report.

I wandered for a bit taking photos, kicking myself that I had left my canon camera at home and was left with the little point and shoot to do the job. Paul took a second paddle of beers and then he got busy deciding on what to take with him, in the process he met the female owner and had a good chat with her about their GABS (Great Australian Beer Spectapular) entry for next month, he only wished he was able to try it out. We then made our way back to the van for 5pm. It turned out to be quite a full day.

We met the caretaker and paid our fees for the next two nights and then we made ourselves comfortable in the van with the heater on to take the edge off the cooling night air.