Ice tasting

A breakfast of cheese, fruit juice and tea.

By the time I'm done it's 8:20. Just about time for a minimal breakfast. One slice of toast with cheese, juice and a small cup of tea. Not really enough to sustain me for any length of time.

We're driven to Del Bosque, site of the tasting. Where it's freezing cold. And the whole front of the building is open. Fat chance of it ever warming up.

I'm on a table with Sandy. The tiny heater behind her is powerless against the waves of cold air coming from the open front. Even with my coat zipped up, it's chilly. Why does nowhere in Chile have proper heating? Especially as far south as this.

We have 24 beers to judge. Though, unusually, we can see what they are. This is an open tasting. Not that it makes much difference. I've no idea who most of the brewers are.

There's nothing really awful. But many of the beers are oxidised. We're done in a couple of hours. Without any real arguments. Sandy is very experienced and picks up much more than I, the total amateur, do.

Judging done, it's time for lunch. I order a steak like yesterday. And have a couple of pisco sours to go with it. Because, well, why wouldn’t I?

Temuco downtown

After lunch, we're off to Klein. Where, after a quick look at the still, we start the brewer feedback session. Where we talk to the brewers about their beers that we judged. Luckily, Sandy took reams of notes. She's way more professional than me.

I have a couple of Camilo's gins to keep me going. The brewers could probably do with it more.

They look a bit shellshocked after the feedback from Sandy. She’s brutally honest, but also constructive in her comments. It’s quite odd having judges directly give their opinions to brewers. Hopefully, it helps them improve their beers. And they can sleep tonight.

About 18:30, we go back to the hotel. Me, Paddy, Sue and Chris. To pick up an overnight bag for our expedition to the mountains. Traffic is terrible and it takes us ages to get to the hotel. It's 19:30 by the time we set off for Lonquimay, where Paddy and I will be doing a collaboration brew.

It's a long trip. 2.5 hours. Rain has just stopped. As always seems to be the case here. We slip along the damp roads. Layers of green wrap the gentle hills. Trees clump in rows and squares. Wild and exotic. Massive monkey-puzzle trees stand watch. Clumps of yellow flowers explode from the earth.

Though most of the journey is in the dark. Which is a shame as the scenery as we approach the hotel is supposed to be spectacular.

Curacautín, the only place of any size once past the pull of Temuco’s gravity, has a neat boulevard, only spoilt by the approach being an abrupt 90-degree bend. With another right-angle bend after 500 metres. That’s the strength of a rigid grid plan for you.

The further we get from Temuco, the worse the roads get. I don't know how the driver can see where he's going. Worryingly, I suspect he can’t really. I prefer not to think about it too much and doze instead.

We enter a 4.5 km tunnel that’s only wide enough for one-way traffic. When we emerge, there's snow on the ground.

“Was that a railway tunnel? It looks like one.” I ask. It turns out it was. Built as part of a failed plan to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by rail. The tunnel was later repurposed for road traffic. 

A platter of meat, onion rings and chips

 We're stopping at the hotel attached to the Lonquimay brewery. It looks like a ski lodge, with lots of wood. Chris rang ahead to order us some food: a sharing platter for four. With chips, onion rings and various types of meat. To be honest, I’m a bit past eating.

The only other customers are a couple of blokes watching footy on the TV.  Boca Juniors against Colo Colo, a Chilean team. I think it’s a Copa Libertadores game.

I have an interesting chat with Paddy about M&B, S&N and Courage, where he worked. It turns out Whorton Grange was a well-designed brewery. Closed when the land became too valuable. Not because it was impractical or unprofitable. You learn something new every day.

It's getting on for midnight when we turn in. No need for a nightcap. It’s been a long and tiring day.



Cervecería & Lodge Lonquimay
Lonquimay,
Araucania.
http://www.cervezalonquimay.cl/

 

Disclaimer: The First International Araucania Cervercera Congress paid for my flights and for my hotel in Temuco, along with food and drink.