*Pic: Another great personality was Paddy Hartnett: tough as nails, a good yarn-spinner and a loveable failure, Paddy was a hunter in the highlands in the winter, and a regular at the pub in Mole Creek (which is still worth a visit). Paddy’s abode in the mountains – a pine hut named “Windsor Castle” …
Having returned to his home in Tasmania after touring the outer reaches of Northern Europe, whence he experienced beer in the Scottish Isles, Iceland and Copenhagen, wandering storyteller Bert Spinks has been out bushwalking. Here, he ponders the whys and wherefores of doing it with beer …
Part of the joy of being in the bush is the manner in which you can strip back to simplicity. Your whole life fits in your backpack. There are few furnishings: your entertainment might be a pack of cards or a squash ball; your food supplies are limited; your electronic connections are zero. But that doesn’t mean you have to go without a beer.
I work as a bushwalking guide in the mountains of Tasmania, and although I would never drink from my own private stash of booze whilst in a professional capacity, I suppose I have enough experience to offer some advice (and anecdotes) on the theme of bushwalking and beer.
Some may suggest that with the weight of a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, stove, clothing and victuals on your back, it’s a little foolish to lug bottles of beer along with it. I heartily disagree. The experience of uncapping a good craft brew at the end of a day’s strolling is worth whatever exhaustion you’ve put yourself through carrying it. It’s important to have something to look forward to at the end of the day, either to cap off a great day’s sauntering or (if it’s been a tough hike) to maintain your morale for the next day.
Certainly there is no reason why you can’t complement your assortment of beers with something stronger, like port or whisky, but don’t dismiss the beers altogether.
Some local bushwalkers have been known to carry several litres of beer into the mountains. I will leave it up to the reader’s discretion how much extra weight they think they can carry, and how much booze they reckon they need.
Cans can be good, being lighter than glass bottles, although they come with a risk. A mate of mine ended up with a sleeping bag drenched in scotch ale after two cans of Devil’s Canyon Full Boar inexplicably imploded. The aroma of caramel malts stuck to the down for weeks (not such a bad result, mind you).
I have also had it recommended to me that I consider filling a bladder with a nice mild ale, but am yet to try it myself. Certainly I do not advise replacing your water supply with beer, for health reasons.
