Launceston

A quiet day to unwind after a lot of busy days and days full of driving. The girls went and got their nails painted and the boys went shopping for a few bits.

James Boag Brewery

Another afternoon, another brewery tour. Sam and Sutts bravely ventured forth to learn about James Boag’s beer making stuff. In Sam’s words: (best read in the style of a 6 year old asked to tell a story about what he did on the weekend!) We went to the place. Walked up some stairs. Dad and I got snazzy Hi-Viz vests. We got some safety specs. Then the lady said some boring safety things which we pretended to listen to. Then we went back down the steps. We walked outside. Then we sat at a picnic table. There was discussion about the ingredients of beer – mostly the lady talking but others added their two bits worth. Then we walked across the road and up and down the street, the lady talked about the history of Boags and all the buildings. There used to be 100 breweries in Launceston in 1890s, by 1927 there was only one. James Boag was the only one that used the fresh water from higher up in the Esk River. Other breweries used the water that ran through town, which is also where the tanneries and other industries along the river were dumping their waste. We looked at all their shiny new equipment. Then we looked at all the equipment that fills the bottles and packs them, watched a video about this too. And then, walked back across the road. And back up the stairs. Took off our safety vests and goggles. And then we tasted 3 different beers. A goldy coloured one, a different goldy coloured one and a brown one. ***Cross checked this with Sutts – XXX ale, St George lager, Wizard Smith ale. Then we went downstairs and had another beer and then we went home.

A quick drive after tea to look at the sunset from a lookout that was built in the 1970s and now has so many trees that you can’t see much at all!