What a difference a year makes. It was in February last year that I wrote, "Beer Revolution Starts". It sure did. Thirsty Dog and Hahn Wit were just the first sip of a taste revolution that continues to thrive. Today as I write this the date is the 23rd Jan. The Weekend Australian Magazine last weekend had a feature on the growth of the premium beer market and on the news this morning was a report that Fosters were facing a decline in beer sales.
The Weekend Australian feature by Evan McHugh details the growth and also describes many of the available brews. Evan rightly devotes a sizeable proportion to Chuck Hahn’s Malt Shovel Brewery. MSB produce an amber ale, a porter, a pilsener and an India Pale Ale. The Pilsener has been and may still be on tap at "The Brewery" here in Townsville. I don’t think it’s just coincidence that both MSB and "The Brewery" have trouble keeping up with demand. The feature also points out that when people drink beer now, much of the time it’s a special occasion and as such deserves a premium beer. It also quotes Chuck Hahn as saying "People are drinking less but tasting more."