On Monday I took wee Ronnie out for a walk. We followed the creek North for a bit until I couldn’t cross one part without potentially falling in, so we turned back. We both got soaked anyway as it pissed it down on multiple occasions. Ronnie loved it though. Got home, traded in wet clothes for dry then prepared some brioche dough (it takes at least 6 hours in the fridge so Michel Roux tells me). Couldn’t be arsed cooking so took advantage of the local pizza place’s offer of $6 pizza’s, and bought two. Large pizza’s here are like medium size back home, still I was suitably stuffed.
Tuesday I did some IT work but not before baking the brioche. It turned out well but didn’t quite taste how I expected it too, less sweet.
Looks good eh?
Not content with yesterdays baking I turned the brioche into bread and butter pudding. This was pretty bloody nom and didn’t last long between me and the girls (having it for next days breakfast and lunch also helped).
Thursday I had a nice long walk to Fitzroy with the intention of using a voucher (buy one tasting paddle get another FREE) in a bar called Two Row, new and aimed towards good beer. It was shut. I don’t understand, most pubs/bars in Melbourne don’t open until 4pm on a weekday. I thought these Aussie drank a lot? What about the people that want beer all the time? Defeated I headed further down to Richmond where I also planned to spend another voucher in a bottle shop, but then decided I couldn’t be assed carrying it about (I was heading to work after all). Jumped on a train to Clayton, did IT jobbies and finished with a true hobo experience with Sam, sitting next to the train station slurping on a beer in a brown paper bag. It felt gooooood. 😉 (I must admit here that it was a bottle of Hoegaarden underneath that brown paper bag, got to have SOME class).
Found where they make VB
Friday morning I cycled down to Yarraville to pick-up some hops & grains for my next brew. Later I also sampled one of my Dark Island clone’s which is tasting bloody delicious considering it’s not at it’s peak yet! This will stem my cravings for the real stuff for a bit and I’m keen to find out what the homebrew boys think. Beer savoured I sauntered down to Nat’s folks house to see her new car (a very clean Subaru Outback) and have food with the family as it was Robyn’s birthday. I would have baked a cake if I’d known. We stuffed our faces at a local (swish) Japanese restaurant. I opted for the seafood bento as my main, complete with grilled eel, very nom. Unexpectedly this night turned into a bit of a bender… Me and Nat went to the Reverence pub in Footscray where some of her old mates were hanging out. We stayed here for a reggae gig then a bunch of us headed into town for ANOTHER reggae gig. Long story short there was lots of beer and reggae music and we all got fairly smeshed.
Dark Island Clone = MMM MMM
Classic Dan
The next day was slow. On days like this baking, I find, to be a good remedy. After cleaning myself up I went to the shops for ingredients. Chatted to a woman in a deli shop who noticed I was drinking Irn Bru (also a good remedy) and told me a butcher in Dandenong sells loads of imported UK produce. Noted. Got home and made coconut macaroons, these are so good warm from the oven. The day got even sweeter when the Bombers won their match against the Crows.
Squidgy coconut awesomeness
Today is my good mate Chris’s birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY Afro you old sod. Today was also my 4th brew day here in Australia. I cloned a beer that I love to drink here, Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale. The beer turned out well (will still need to wait a few weeks to see if that’s actually true) but it’s just a pity it took ALL FECKING DAY to get it done. Me and my urn are not getting on well… Anyway it’s done and I’m slurping on my dark ale away to watch the Trailer Park Boys film. Ahhh… 🙂
ADVENTURE DAN! 