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shanghaiceltic
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Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7588
Location: Perth WA
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 Posted:
Jan 11, 2007 - 07:50 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Boags and Cascades..the Tassie beers |
Found this interesting article in The Age on these two rather nice brews...
Tassie beer wars
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January 4, 2007 - 12:00PM
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In Tasmania, you're either for James Boag's or Cascade.
Draw a horizontal line through the centre of Tasmania and there is a Mason-Dixon divide of beer lovers.
In the North, drinkers swear their allegiance to Launceston's James Boag's and Son.
Its brewery is surrounded by classic Georgian architecture in the heart of Australia's third oldest city.
Meanwhile, the southerners are staunch advocates of Cascade.
Its headquarters is nestled in the shadow of Mount Wellington on the fringe of Hobart city, the nation's second oldest centre behind Sydney.
The pubs in the north have Boag's on tap, while their southern counterparts go for Cascade.
Each warring side has been fiercely loyal to its brand of amber beverage since their births in the 19th century.
With its imposing stone facade, Cascade is not only Australia's oldest surviving brewery but also the nation's oldest manufacturing enterprise.
Its enduring story began with Englishman Peter Degraves, who came to Van Dieman's Land to engage in numerous ventures before starting up the brewery in 1824.
But only two years later he was thrown into prison for apparently not paying his debts back home - not unlike another Englishman, Alan Bond, who came to Australia a century and a half later and made a significant impact on the brewing industry before also falling foul of the law.
When Degraves later emerged from his jail cell, it didn't take long for him to become one of the colony's wealthiest and most prominent citizens, on the back of the success of the brewery and other businesses.
By the 1850s, Cascade was the colony's most popular beer amid fierce competition from Tassie's 47 other breweries.
Degraves died in 1852 and while his four sons continued to propel the brewery forward, the family name's association with Cascade eventually ceased when they passed away without heirs.
It is now in the hands of the Fosters Group.
Meanwhile, Cascade's main rival also has a long history of supplying beer drinkers from Tasmania and the mainland.
People from the state's north still ask for a "Jimmy" when ordering a beer at the bar.
So, who is James Boag?
He arrived in Tasmania from Scotland with his wife in 1853 and worked several breweries in the north of the island.
When in 1881 he joined forces with his son, also called James, to take control of the Esk Brewery situated on the banks of the Esk River, forming James Boag and Son.
And just like their long histories, these beers also have much-loved logos that, like other famous foods and beverages derived from the state's cold, pristine environment, pay homage to Tassie icons.
When our coach pulled up at Cataract Gorge on the outskirts of Launceston - the first stop of our four-day journey down Tassie's scenic east coast to Hobart with Australian Pacific Touring (APT) - our driver Chris pointed out why it looks so familiar.
The crystal clear Esk River coursing between the vertical granite cliffs of Cataract Gorge is faithfully reproduced on a bottle of James Boag's award-winning Premium Lager.
Meanwhile, Cascade's logo immortalises the Tassie Tiger.
A stuffed imitation of the extinct animal is perched behind the bar of the brewery's restaurant, which is surrounded by scalloped English grounds next to Degraves' former home in the foothills of Mount Wellington.
The last few hours of the APT tour involved choosing between a walking tour of historic Hobart, touring Cadbury's chocolate factory or taking a pilgrimage to Peter Degraves' beer-making cathedral.
We opted for a beer lover's obvious choice.
After donning protective goggles and fluorescent yellow safety vests, we immersed ourselves in Cascade's beer-making process, enjoying the heady fumes seeping from the luminous vats of fermenting beer.
The brewery tour follows the entire process: from the initial fermentation of the barley to the bottling and packaging of the finished product.
There is even a robotic arm that can hoist an empty keg into position to be refilled before returning it to the truck in less than a minute.
But it's the free farewell beers, enabling you to sample an array of Cascade products at their freshest, that leave a patron feeling rather affectionate towards Cascade.
Except, of course, for the staunchest Boag's follower.
"There is very much a north-south divide," our coach driver Chris said.
"I live in Launceston so I drink Boag's - but let's face it, they are both top beers."
And that's the irony of Tassie's great beer debate because on the mainland, beer drinkers can't split the difference between the two. |
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mat
Board Royalty
Joined: Apr 26, 2004
Posts: 6929
Location: Loooooooooooose!
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| Posted:
Jan 11, 2007 - 09:18 AM |
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yeah read this the other day. They are two great beers. I would usually drink the Boags Premium and the Cascade light. The water is just so fresh down in Tassie. |
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thewalrus
Board Royalty
Joined: Apr 28, 2004
Posts: 7337
Location: i'm halfway up to the bottom of another bottle of my next best favourite friend...
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Jan 11, 2007 - 09:20 AM |
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Boag's indeed. Was talking to Mat the other night at the pub and was getting all fired up over these drops. I love Boag's, and was HEAVILY giving Boag's Strongarms a good shunt recently back in Australia. I'm sure the Beer Police will be here soon to put their 2 fen in, but Boag's all the way. Cascade's too light. PLUS - when I was buying 6 packs of Boag's Strongarms they were giving me a very cool 6 Pack Cooler as well. I think a 6 pack was around $12/$13 dollars in Brisbane. Boag's is now owned by San Miguel out of the Phillipines. |
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mat
Board Royalty
Joined: Apr 26, 2004
Posts: 6929
Location: Loooooooooooose!
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| Posted:
Jan 11, 2007 - 09:30 AM |
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Boag's is now owned by San Miguel out of the Phillipines.
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true, and cascade is owned by Fosters. San Mig and Fosters are the two reasons they are not available here. They won't compete against their own brands.
I was planning to bring a pallet or two into Shanghai. Might still do that in time for summer actually. |
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Adam7
Rocker
Joined: May 11, 2004
Posts: 759
Status: Offline
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Jan 11, 2007 - 09:38 AM |
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2 amazing beers! Any bar stocking them in Shanghai is going to get our business.
Mat - do you own Senses? If so, you ran out of Coopers last time I was there - admittedly after we drank around 20. You were also out of meat pies and you can think your young, chinese manager (and his farquing excellent service) that we didn't go elsewhere.
Great bar, well done! |
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Why? Just tell me why? |
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Reg_Reagan
StreetBeater
Joined: July 18, 2006
Posts: 2400
Location: Friggin' Cessnock...
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Jan 11, 2007 - 09:39 AM |
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Unless these poor excuses for beers offer me a free box of frangers, a free scissorless haircut or a $20 voucher at the TAB, they can get stuffed. I'd rather drink piss [I did the other night actually and Dicko the prick is going to pay for that!]. Stick to the KB fellas.
It's dole day
Reg |
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Go and get stuffed the lot of youse... now get me a KB woman... |
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