IF YOU LIKE YOUR CRAFT BEER AND A GOOD SOCIAL LIFE, IT’S EASY TO COMBINE BOTH ON THE SUNSHINE COAST WHERE THERE ARE AN IMPRESSIVE 22 BREWERIES TO EXPLORE.
Just ask GemLife Pacific Paradise Craft Beer Club President George Oliver.
George may not be the actual president, but the 35 members who meet monthly to taste and discuss craft beer have certainly dubbed him that.
George and his wife of 53 years, Sheila, enjoy tasting different craft beers and about a year ago wondered if there would be any other homeowners at GemLife Pacific Paradise who shared their interest. They put the word out, and voila!
“It’s really taken off,” said George. “We meet once a month each bringing a couple of beers to try and discuss. Then, every second month, we plan an outing on the resort bus to one of the breweries for lunch.
“More women join us for the lunches and if they aren’t into having a beer, there is wine and ginger beer to try too.
“With more people arriving in Stage Two, we will have extra people joining the group all the time and coming to our monthly meets or the brewery lunches.
“Visiting the breweries is so interesting as you never know what you’re going to get. They all have their core ranges, but they are always experimenting and doing one-off seasonal variations.”
Another member of the craft beer club is Mike Styles, who loves a pale ale with a fruitier taste.
Though he happily concedes: “It’s the old saying with us craft beer people. All beer is good, it’s just that some tastes better than others!”
Mike says the group’s members have varied palates which means everyone has tried different things. He was a home brewer for about 16 years and has appreciated having so many people at the resort who share the same interest.
“We enjoy bringing a couple of beers each month to our meetings and talking about them,” he said.
“We had a big Christmas party in the Pavilion, with lamb roasted on the barbecue. Everyone enjoyed a Brouhaha IPA from George’s kegerator.
“It is great having the resort bus for our brewery lunches too as it means there only needs to be one designated driver, and you don’t have to worry about taking your own car.”