Ale Stars – A new year

Tuesday night saw Ale Stars at the Local Taphouse in St Kilda reach something of a turning point. We saw the first instalment of the new Ale Star year. We saw the launch of the very first Ale Stars memberships. We saw the presentation of the first Ale Stars member shirts. And we saw Trappist Ales.

Many saw very little by the end of the night.

I’d like to spend a little time to detail the tasting notes of the four Trappist Ales we tried. I’d like to, but I can’t. I remember we started with Orval that kicked off at 6.2% ABV, moved through Chimay Rouge at 7%, onto Westmalle Tripel at 9.5% and finished with a Gulden Drak dark tripel at 10.5%. It all gets a bit hazy after that.

I do remember that, before the night kicked off our Ale Stars shirts were received. The presentation of the ‘gurnseys’ revived memories of junior footy days when the coach – usually the team captain’s Dad – called each kid up, shook his hand and reminded us all that the jumper carried the club’s history and proud traditions and that, if you were going to go out and get pissed and embarrass yourself, don’t be wearing the jumper. Guy and Justin just threw our shirts at us from the bar. But the sentiment was the same. At least it was FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET THEIR SHIRT Apparently a couple of us with unique sizing requirements will need to wait a bit longer.
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Ale Stars has kicked up another gear yet again. It was as if everyone in the room suddenly ‘knew’ each other. We were all ‘known’ before, but now we ‘knew’ each other. Proudly walking the room wearing a stylish Local Taphouse- badged shirt, individually monogrammed and numbered, the Ale Stars seemed ‘closer’ and it just seemed to make the place a strangely happier one. For those who got their shirt.

I don’t know if it was entirely due to the fact that the long awaited memberships were delivered or the fact that those cheeky Monks hidden within our brews were giving us a little more ‘buzz’, but the night seemed to fly. No sooner had we settled in than we were standing around in groups, holding up the bar, holding up The High Table or holding up Simon-Rob and admiring each others shirts. Those who had them.

I should point out at this point that I was humbled and thrilled, in equal parts, to have been able to celebrate my birthday on the same night. Thanks Shandy in particular, for the special gift of a homeopathic, organic and bio-dynamic hangover cure. To Ben, thanks for the Camra magazine – I have already filled out the form for my Beard-and-Anorak Special Offer.

Thanks also to everyone who wished me well. I should especially thank my mate Col who offered to drive because I must also thank the twelve other Ale Stars who bought me a birthday drink which left me incapable of driving a greasy stick up a dead dog’s arse – so to speak. Kelv, the Rochefort was a particularly memorable drop if for no other reason that I got to share it with you and that it eclipsed the night’s previous holder of most potent brew. 11.2%??? I could have sworn it was no more that 11%!

Maybe because I had my birthday buzz on, but this Ale Stars just stood out as especially memorable. Did the heady Trappist brews have anything to do with the following;

We recorded our FIRST glass-drop-and-smash. Don’t worry Robert, I won’t print who did it.
We almost recorded our first light-smash when Shandy got a bit too enthusiastic with the tech-foul bell.
We definitely recorded our first Prof-Smashed. Luckily, no-one knew it was me because I DIDN’T HAVE MY ALE STARS SHIRT.

And to finish, I have to give a huge shout-out to Jo, Gemma, Bron (Bran) and the rest of their team who aced the trivia Quiz for the first time. And they did it on one of the few nights that ‘Lucky’ Simon was away – coincidence? Or just Lady Luck?!

Cheers
Prof. Pilsner