Aussie Bush Telly

December 30 was a grill / brew bash at Mark the Harold’s abode. He did not do much singing as the popular Christian Christmas hymn named after him states. Guess he has already lost the Christmas spirit by letting Alexa fill in for him – sadness and disappointment.

However, Mark did have the spirit to get up at the crack of dawn (or maybe slightly earlier? It was hard to get some hard evidence as to what the actual time was.) to get his grill fired up for a pork shoulder to be used later in the day for pulled pork sandwiches complete with Mark-B-Q or Bar-B-Q sauce. The time and effort he put in were well worth it. Served on pretzel buns along with coleslaw and a tap to two from the beer fridge, this was a fantastic day of food, friends, fellowship and Sheephead – for the most part.

On tap in Mark’s beloved beer fridge were the recently brewed Hoppy Amber which was more than amber in color. Perhaps it was because of the company that it was keeping. Last Christmas break and on MLK Day two oaked bourbon brews were made: Bourbon Barrel Porter and Bourbon Barrel Russian (Ukrainian) Stout. These guys waited patiently next to the outside of the fridge for a year waiting for their turn to get inside. The time had finally come! In addition, I brought a growler of Father, Bread, Evil for the crew to enjoy.

As Mark was putting in his time at the grill, he presented a Bloody Mary / Maria bar for those who took the occasion seriously and came early. (For the record: it was Mark and myself who were dedicated to the entire day’s cause.) Oh well, the others missed out on some goodness as Mark had quite the spread of choices for designing / constructing your own personal drink. Well done Mark! The BM/M Bar closed at 1:30 PM promptly.

Mark has been busy honing his skill as the master of the Webber by reading a lot of material concerning his craft. During those study sessions is when he thought it would be good to enjoy something that goes well with early day grilling – Bloody Mary / Marias. And so, this activity has now become a part of the grill / brew day. No sadness and disappointment here!

To pass the time until others thought it worth while to stop by, Mark and I played two handed Sheephead (which he always cleans up on me because I don’t pay as much attention as he does to what was played and I lack strategy), watched college football (bowl games), and listened to Christian Christmas on Alexa (who would take unannounced breaks and would need to kindly be asked to resume). Alexa can be a slacker – much like Mark.

I would like to say that the real fun started when the first guest arrived: Pastor Z. Again, I would have liked to say that. PZ is the bicycle guy who rides year round. His goal was to reach 3,000 miles by the end of today (December 31). His report this morning was that his ride to and from the festivities got him to 3,001 miles for 2022. Way to go! I came up a bit short of my 2,500 mile goal at 2,321. My bike riding is on hold between Thanksgiving and somewhere around Easter when I will start again. I’m not up to having 1.25 inch wide tires meeting ice. PZ has a fat tire bike. PZ’s redeeming quality is that he knows how to play Sheephead (or he fakes it pretty good).

Next to arrive was Dave. Even though he doesn’t play Sheephead, Dave often brings Danny’s meat sticks. Therefore, Dave is more fun to have around. He is an outdoor enthusiast and likes to go on adventures. He shared his recent excursion to the UP of MI and had just recently returned. It was great of him to show up and give his support to the grill / brew adventure of the day. That’s the spirit!

The real life of the party arrived after Dave – Pastor L. Now PL doesn’t play Sheephead either (supposedly) but he brought a special rendition from his brewery – Captain Jack’s Rumball Special – which was not poured down the drain. PL’s brewery is called C.F.W. Malther Brewing Company. (Don’t bother asking him for stickers.) This is the best he could do on the visual as he thinks we have the eyesight of the high school kids he teachers.

What PL was claiming and his card playing were not matching up. How so? It soon became apparent that he isn’t such the newbie at Sheephead after all. Nice try pastor. Hope you enjoyed your short lived success.

At some point, Mark had his gilled sensation ready for the crew. All attendees took a time out from the card playing (I think Alexa did as well – again) and enjoyed Mark’s efforts. (Well, not Alexa. Didn’t earn it for being a slacker.) This time out was appreciated. He is doing quite well with his craft. Good stuff!

All was well until Mike showed up. A beer, a water and a call to Doreen kind of derailed the show. Mike is not even remotely close to being anything resembling a card player. He is, however, great at taking up space. Attempting to get Mike involved in the game was like trying to get an 8th grader to do his math.

Don’t think I mentioned the beer yet and since this is suppose to be a beer blog, it is time to get at it.

Aussie Bush Telly is slang for an Australian Campfire. It is an Australian Sparkling Ale and was a recent feature in an AHA email. It read as something that might be interesting after all the big beers lately. Australian sparkling ales usually have a higher carbonation level. Rather than force carbonating this brew, table sugar is going to be added to the keg so it can condition / carbonate naturally. Here is the makings of Aussie Bush Telly:

Grains

• 6.5 lb 2-Row Malt
• 1.5 lb White Wheat Malt
• 0.5 lb Carahell

Hops

• 1.0 oz Centennial (10%) – 60 minutes
• 0.5 oz Galaxy (13%) – Flameout
• 0.5 oz Enigma (15%) – Flameout
• 0.5 oz Galaxy (13%) – Fermenter
• 0.5 oz Enigma (15%) – Fermenter

Yeast

• Ferments Safale S-04

Adjunct

• 0.5 lb Table Sugar – 15 minutes

Notes

• 1/3 cup table sugar added to the keg for natural carbonation

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!