What we have here is a brand new section in which I offer up six different items for your entertainment every Friday. Hence the name ‘‘six-pack’’ (Man, I am soooo clever). Besides, a six-pack is a good way to start the weekend, right? The six items could be blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets, photos or podcasts. The only certainty is that the sixth item will be an old post from the archives of Beer is Your Friend. Is that a shameless attempt to boost my stats? If you say so.

This all might bear some resemblance to Drunken Speculation’s excellent Monday Reading posts. That’d be because it’s where I got the idea. When I met Liam and Ammo in Melbourne I mentioned I might be doing something like this and neither of them punched me in the face, so I assume it’s all okay.

Incidentally, Pia over at Girl +Beer is doing her Weekend Reading posts on Fridays too. When I met her in Melbourne, I didn’t mention that I was doing this. So fingers crossed she doesn’t punch me in the face next time our paths cross.

Wait, you know what I just realised? This first instalment of the Six-Pack is published on June 6. The sixth of the sixth. It’s an omen, dude.

So, with no further ado, lets crack open this six-pack.

Number 1: A tweet from @aleofatime

This is here because of that glass from Garage Project. Now, I’m not a guy who goes apeshit over glassware – I waited untill all the cool kids had that Speiglau IPA glass before I bought one. But this Garage Project glass is a thing of beauty. Pity it’s probably not available anywhere in Australia. Luke, if you wake up one morning and this glass is missing from your kitchen, it’s because I flew down on the red eye, broke into your house and stole it. Apologies in advance.

Number 2: Dogs and Beer
You know when you love good beer but get upset because you can’t have your dog with you when you drink some? No, me neither. But it seems there is a beer geek niche that involves a yearning to bring your pooch along when you have a beer. Weird.

Number 3: May 2014 Beertography from This is Why I’m Drunk
I like  looking at Bryan’s beer photos because they’re so good. I also hate looking at them for the same reason. Makes me quite envious that he pulls off images like that with just the phone on his camera. I take photos of beer with my camera phone and they don’t look this good.

Number 4: Brew Hui Brews – Best Bitter V1.0
I know when I’m reading a great blog post when it presents a bang-on perfect observation that I kick myself for not coming up with first. An observation that I so strongly identify with that I can’t believe I’d never distilled it into words. This post from Jason’s Brew Hui blog post detailing his angst about choosing to brew over spending time with his family is an example of this. I so feel him – it’s why I only ever brew on a day off or when my wife and daughter are out. To do it while they’re around makes me feel selfish.

Number 5: Crafty Pint – Sounding La Sirene
I was at GABS again this year but didn’t get around to trying La Sirene’s Praline beer that won the People’s Choice award. That was an egregious oversight on my part as I really, really like what they’re doing. And I really, really, really wish they would send some to a bottle shop in Wollongong so I drink more of their tasty Saisons.

Number 6: Beer Olympics – Day Seven from Beer Is Your Friend
So, during the 2012 Olympics I drank a beer from a different country for each day of competition. Some were good, some were bad. And some – ie the beer I had on Day Seven – were atrocious. Worst beer I’ve ever had.

….And, this isn’t beer, but you’ll like it.