An open letter to Dani Allen and Jayne Lewis of Two Birds Brewing.

You know, I don’t really buy slabs of beer very often. Virtually never in fact. My actual annual tally when it comes to slabs would be just four.

I know that because that’s how many times a year I get a Posse delivery from Bridge Road Brewers. And, let me tell you, I ummed and ahhed for quite a while before finally signing up.

The reason I avoid buying slabs is related to the way I approach beer. Whenever someone asks me what my favourite beer is I always say ‘‘the next one’’. While that’s meant to be a joke, there’s some truth there too. See I like trying all different sorts of beer, while a slab merely gives me 24 of the same beer. If slabs came with two dozen different beers I’d buy a lot more of them (that’s actually part of the appeal of the Bridge Road Posse, which features a bit of a mixed selection).

It’s a tactic that does have its drawbacks. For instance, it does mean that I end up with a range of different beers I haven’t had, some of which will no doubt inspire a feeling of ‘‘meh’’. Perhaps followed by a shrug of the shoulders. Maybe even a drainpour in extreme instances.

But what does this have to do with you. Allow me to get to that. I will confess to not being a fan of your Golden and Sunset ales; a fact which most likely places me in a very small minority (a minority of one, even). However, I have an undeniable and unfailing love of Taco, the wheat beer with corn, coriander and lime you brewed for GABS.

But that beer breaks my heart too. Why? Because I almost never, ever, ever get to drink it. The beer is only available on tap and it’s never been sighted in my home town of Wollongong. I’ve even looked to Google to see if I could find a homebrew clone so I could make my own version – but no dice. Just got a whole lot of hits relating to that other sort of taco that, while good, is far less tasty.

That means, the only time I get to drink it is if I’m in the big smoke and I find it on tap. Being an old man who is married with a kid, leave passes to head to the big smoke don’t get handed out all that often.

Even without looking at Untappd, I know how many times I’ve had a glass of Taco. Three. Just three times – once at GABS and at the Local Taphouse and Harts Pub during Sydney Craft Beer Week. Just three times.

When I walked into the Taphouse that evening, the first beer I had was a Taco. Even though the beer list over the bar included some beers I’d never had before. For the record, when presented with a list featuring beers I’ve never had before, I will always gravitate to them first. Except when Taco is concerned. It causes me to override my usual instincts.

And should you one day come to bottle it – and I rooly, truly, hope you do – it’ll cause me to override my instincts again. Remember that stuff I said at the beginning about my strong aversion to buying slabs of beer? Well, when it comes to Taco, I’d very happily make an exception. In fact, I’ll make a offer to you right now – if you bottle Taco, I’ll buy a case of it. I don’t know where I’d be able to source it, or how I’d find it. Or even how I justify it to my wife. But I’ll buy a slab. And then I’ll write about it in my newspaper column and tell everyone else to buy it too.

Because I love it so very, very much.

Thanks,

GLEN