Melbourne Maze

If there was one television show to describe our second day in Melbourne it would be Lost.

This photo put me a little behind the group

On multiple occasions I was left behind either because I was being slow, taking too many pictures, asking too many questions or waiting on others in the group to catch up. Luckily I was able to catch back up with our mob of people every time, but I did get a bit nervous on a few occasions.

The first time I got separated from the group was during some photo opportunities while we were in route to the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

At the first stop we met with the DPI of the State of Victoria where there were representatives from the livestock industry, including the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). Tony Britt, Director of Animal Biosecurity and Welfare, was our many presenter and he gave an overview of NLIS.

Some of the swag I scored at DPI.

We learned from Tony that identification of all sheep and cattle is federally required to help detect and prevent the spread of disease outbreaks, such as foot and mouth.

Our first group picture.

Next the group rode around on a bus tour making stops at various gardens and architectural wonders of Melbourne. I managed not to get left behind during this part of the day.

To end our day of touring we ventured to the Carlton United Brewery, home of Australian beer mainstay Foster's. We learned about the brewing process and even got to do a little taste testing. However, before I could taste any grog I had to wait with five other K-Staters because we had been locked in the bottling side of the factory.

Some darn good grog.

After waiting five minutes we were rescued by a Canadian import who was nice enough to offer the whole tour group a round of beer. Then I spent a little bit of my Australian currency on a Foster's t-shirt and a cooler full of six different types of beers to taste test throughout the trip.

The final time I was lost in the labyrinth of Melbourne happened on the way to a casino buffet. My fellow wildcats had traveled all over the downtown area of Melbourne in search of a restaurant that could seat us. In the process we had lost our tour guide Graeme Mitchell and Michael Wimer. They were both engaged in a conversation about the American and Australian beef industries. I realized this so I hung back to help direct them to the Crown Casino, but little did I know that the casino would be a maze of confusion.

Blogging ain't easy, but somebody has got to do it.

A half-hour after journeying through the casino we finally were reunited with the group and I was able to dine on various types of cuisine to quince my hunger.

Well, our stay in Melbourne is over. Now it's time to see some wide open space between Melbourne and Sydney. Maybe we'll get a little gravel in our travel too.

Until next time, happy trails!

Brewery Tour Training: Cue the Rocky Montage Music

Drinking a bit of grog is fairly common in Australia. During my first few days in Australia I'll actually get to visit a large brewery, so I'm getting versed in all manners of brew before the trip.  

                         

Look at that line up.

In order to help train me in brewery tour "etiquette," I attended a tour of Tallgrass Brewing Company in Manhattan, Kan., this past Saturday with my cousin, Felicia, and our friend, Patrick. The tour is setup where you pay $5 at the door for a tasting glass shaped like a can and six drink tickets. Then you come and go as you please between the tour and tasting room.

We arrived a little late, so Felicia and Patrick went ahead and sampled the grog in the tasting room, while I went back and forth from the tour.

The famous brewing tanks.

Something cool about the tanks used at the brewery is that each is named after an American Gladiator. Names like Gemini, Nitro and Thunder, show up with prominent stickers on each stainless steel tank.

Next we toured the canning area where pallets of empty cans were stacked all the way to the ceiling. Tallgrass only has one canning line, so if anything goes wrong with the equipment they are in for a big headache. Oh, and did I mention everything that is individually marketed is in cans, making that one line even more vital.

The last stop was the cooler where tons of cans and kegs were waiting for shipment. There were also some firkins, which are used for specialty beers. This upcoming month they will debut a beer that contains a mix of coconut and chocolate at a special tasting located in Auntie Mae's Parlor.

The last of the Kold beers.

Once the tour ended I asked our guide a few questions. He told me interesting facts like the majority of the barley used in their product comes from specialty growers in the upper-Midwest, particularly Wisconsin. They also get some of their wheat from a farm in Wallace County, Kan.

I also asked about one of my favorite beers: Kold. It had been taken off the shelves over a year ago and I was curious why. Apparently, between it not selling well and taking longer to produce because it was a lager, the decision was made to pull the label. I guess I'll just have to hold on to that last can in my fridge a little longer and maybe it will go up astronomically in value.

Tasting some of the grog.

I tasted several beers while on the tour including: Ale, Oasis and 8-Bit. Each one of these beers have been on the market for a little while, so I was fairly familiar with them.

A new beer that was on tap, Farm House Wild Plum, offered a change of pace with a slightly-bitter, yet sweet taste. It was my favorite beer at the tasting. I had tried the other flavors before so that new beer taste could have just gotten the best of my senses.

After I finished up the tour the three of us went to the gaming area of the brewery and played a little Duck Hunt on Nintendo. It conjured up some good memories of playing with my older brother back when Nintendo was on top and no other consoles came close to its platform.

"What does high score mean? New high score, is that bad?"

Upon playing a few rounds of Duck Hunt, I soon got into a groove and was primed to shatter the record at Tallgrass. After 15 rounds of play the dog finally had the last laugh, but I could now say I had reigned supreme with a score of 174,600. My mark shattered the previous score of approximately 41,000 and left me feeling like I could best anyone that day.

However, a few hours later I would join Patrick and a few other friends for a round of golf at Colbert Hills. I ended up finishing last, and it wasn't even close. Maybe I should just stick with Duck Hunt.

I'm sure while I'm Down Under I'll have a few samples of the local brews, but it may be hard to measure up to one of my favorite breweries: Tallgrass Brewing Company.

Well until next time, happy trails!