A few days ago my wife asked me what I was planning to do while I was in Melbourne. So I ran her through my rather detailed plans. At the end she said “don’t forget to allow yourself some spontaneity”.

Spontaneity? That’s the enemy of my Good Beer Week/ GABS time in Melbourne. This isn’t a holiday where I’ll just be swanning around letting the mood and the moment dictate my plans. No, this isn’t a holiday – it’s a mission. I’m a husband and father with a leave pass from both for a few days – anyone in my shoes knows how rare that is. I can’t leave things to chance.

More importantly, I’m a beer geek spending a few days surrounded by hundreds of great beers, beers I’ve never had before, beers I will likely get to try just ONCE IN MY LIFE (yes, the capitals may seem overly dramatic to the general public but the beer geeks feel my concern. So if I go off somewhere on a whim, it means I’ll be missing beers somewhere else.

Which is why my plan is very much tailored around beer and pubs. For instance, I’m meeting up with both a friend and a relative on the first day – both meeting places are pubs (Beer Deluxe and The Alehouse Project respectively). Every meal except breakfast will be had in a location that also serves beer (for instance, I’m aiming to have dinner at Mrs Parma’s during the break between GABS sessions – because they’ve got IPAs on tap all week).

The only beer-free thing on my itinerary will be a Saturday morning visit to The Book Grocer. But, if I find a book on beer there, I’m buying it.

Really, I’ll have no time to waste while I’m in Melbourne. I’ve got places to be. Which is part of the appeal of GABS – I can park my butt there pretty much all day.