Two Favourites Team Up This Easter!

Ok, here is the first story. January, 2009 my brother and I are traveling the N/W of the United States and arrive at Portland, Oregon, having taken the train from Seattle. We get to our hostel, and seeing it is getting dark, visit a few brewpubs near there for our first night. The next day we walk through the city and out to the S/E burbs. My brother being big on coffee has found a patisserie in his travel guide that he wants to try. We arrive, sit down, I open the menu at a random page, and as if by magic, I open it to this page.

Up until this point in life I had only ever tried a Young's Double Chocolate Stout and not been impressed, but upon opening this page, the decision of what to have is made up. The partisserie actually has a keg of this stuff seeing the brewery is in Portland, and so the Rogue's Chocolate Stout is poured and served to me with the warm Queen Sheba Chocolate Truffle cake.

This photo is the last photo of me before I became enthralled in the world of chocolate beers, and I seem pretty excited for it to happen. It may seem a bit sad to say a beer has changed your life, but along with a very select few, this was one of those moments.

Story two. About 6 months after the first story, I am visiting my sister in Adelaide, playing Mario Kart on the Wii and finding 250th Anniversary cans of Guinness (my first life changing beer). Knowing my enthusiasm for beer, both my mate Jaimi and my sister recommend I visit a pub they know about that they say does good beer over there. With a little skepticism (hey, Victoria is the craft beer state of Australia), my sis and I make our way into the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton. My eyes light up when I see the taps they have (including my favourite aussie brewer Moo Brew), and even more when I see the list of bottled beers they have available. This is a photo of me on my first visit to the Wheaty.

Here is where the two stories begin to merge. Look at the final beer on the list. That's right, Rogue's Chocolate Stout. The first time I ever see this beer outside of the US. I am amazed. I drink one there (whilst talking the ears off the barstaff), and bring one back with me to Melbourne to share with my friends. It is now a tradition each time I go to Adelaide to visit the Wheaty, which is helped by my sis living near it.

Now, let's take this story even further and to the present. I recently got onto the Wheaty's newsletter, and through that found out they had new stock of the bottled Rogue's Chocolate Stout. I was starting to contemplate getting my sister to send me across a bottle, as I can't even seem to find a bottlo in Melbourne that has it. Then, in an even more recent newsletter, I hear they are actually getting a keg of the Rogue's Choc Stout in their bar. A Keg! After 2 years, I finally have a chance to try this beer on tap again. I contact my sis immediately to get her to keep an eye out for it, and contact the Wheaty to ask if they can let me know when it will be on, as I am willing to come over to Adelaide for it (Hey, I went to Ireland for Guinness, and Belgium for the Belgium Beer Weekend, this is nothing compared to that. Hmm, does that make me sound even sadder?).

In response, 2 days ago Jade from the Wheaty sends me this email

"Howdy John,

Now that’s the kind of commitment to good beer we love!

So much so, if you let me know when you can make it over here (within the next 3 weeks) I’ll make sure we don’t tap the Keg of Rogue Chocolate until you arrive – and we’ll shout you a pint or two for your troubles. There’ll also be plenty of other brews to play with – and to help justify the ‘cab fare’…"

Of course, I am amazed they are willing to hold off tapping it til I get over there, so contacted my sis to see when a good time is to visit her and booked my flights to be over in Adelaide for Easter. Come the 20th April, the two beer stories at the start of this post will fully merge, and I can have a pint of one of my favourite beers in the world, from the tap in one of my favourite pubs in the world.

Forget your chocolate eggs, I have chocolate beer for this Easter!

Cheers,

Beef