Before Thirsty Crow, I was part of the Hunter Beer Co team working with Head Brewer Keith. After leaving HBC I was fortunate to win the trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards for BEST Specialty Beer for TC’s Vanilla Milk Stout!! Even after winning one of the biggest awards a beer can achieve, Keith would still tell me that it should be a Vanilla Milk Porter. Well, after years of not listening, Keith finally came out with “Slaked Magpie”.

 So yeah.. “Spiteful Craig” would definitely think of stuffing the brew up - if it was under my control - each and every time.. then I would remind myself that I could never have created Vanilla Milk Stout in the first place without Keith showing me the way. Collective learning is a necessity! So ultimately the main reason I wish I could brew Slaked Magpie is to spend more time with good people and in particular Keith! His brewing knowledge is great but his sage advice, his values, his personality and his friendship is one of a kind. 

#3. Great Northern, Carlton United
For every litre of beer we sell, Great Northern sells 20,000 litres. Think about it - if everyone in Wagga who drank Great Northern purchased our mid-strength: Piranha Lager for a week or two - it would come close to paying our bills for the year!!I

The old butterfly effect….

I personally have never tasted Great Northern mid-strength, but I know what it tastes like... To basically brew an insipid beer, whack some generic marketing bullshit around it and sell a shit tonne of beer - it’s basically the exact opposite of what I’ve been doing for the last 12 years. Maybe I should look into their methodology… because enjoying a beer on a picturesque riverbank with those actors in the far north of Australia rather than treading water in the ocean of business survival for the last 5,000 days - does have some appeal to it!!!!

#2. Umami Shiitake Ale, Bridge Road Brewers

 A mushroom beer right. Sounds awful, right? Yeah you are right, if you think otherwise…. keep that to yourself… or be at risk to find yourself on some sort of Government watch list! 

 I can’t remember what year I had this beer but I do still remember having a  “are you serious, how the f*ck did they do this” kind of moment. I even went to the next step of ordering some shiitake concentrate with the plans to brew the “next great mushroom beer” - until I looked myself in the mirror and came to terms it was next-level-brewing-wizardry that this guy could not do. I would love to be able to brew this beer because if you can brew a delicious mushroom beer, the world is your oyster….

Notable Mentions -
Freakcake, Crux Fermentations. Unlike Umami Shiitake Ale that made something great from the unexpected, Freakcake is made with great things and turned out to be one of the best beers I’ve ever had…

 Your next beer: Oooftt - this could actually happen, it’s your choice! I guess it’s on me to increase the number of people reading this blog from more than 3 people (Carmie are you still reading this?)…

#1. Pliny The Younger, Russian River 

 For the same reason as Great Northern - for sheer volume - but this example is QUALITY & QUANTITY… This 10% Triple IPA is released for 14 days during March & April and attracts 12,000 guests to wait in line to visit their brewpubs just to drink this beer!!