Literary Elixirs - Bad Shepherd Brewing Co.

Recently I ventured south-side to Cheltenham on a mission to drink beer and talk books.

I spoke with Craig Blackmore, head brewer at Bad Shepherd Brewing Co, and amongst other delicious beers, managed to taste something I never thought possible ... a Unicorn Beer! 

The beers and the books:

Victoria Pale Ale - crisp, easy, historic Melbourne yeast

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood is the first of the Phryne (rhymes with my-knee) Fisher series set in 1920's Melbourne. It is obviously historic, but also a lovely easy read with a sharp-shooting, straight-talking, high-flying lady detective solving murders and taking lovers like it's no one's business!

Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner is a collection of short works, vignettes really, by the well-loved Australian novelist. These reflections are dry, relaxed, elegant and easy to read, even when they are devastating observations of humanity at its worst. 

Unicorn Beer - Peach Brut IPA - fantastical, dry, badass, drinkable

Uprooted by Naomi Novik is a truly fantastical, magical story, but it's not the one you think you're getting. It is high fantasy at its best, told beautifully, as the main character learns and grows and faces the corrupting threat of the 'big bad'. 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir has been described as 'lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space' and honestly, that's all you need to know about this bone-dry, crazy, amazing, unicorn of a book!

Hazelnut Brown - toasty, malty, smooth, nutty, rich, dry, clean

Rivers of London is the first novel in the series of the same name. Part BBC police procedural, part magical academy this story of a young police officer who, after seeing a ghost, becomes the first apprentice wizard in over seventy years, learning magic and solving supernatural crimes. A smooth, toasty, completely nutty story which is addictive!

To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis is comic science fiction featuring time-travelling historians ... a very dry, English style of nuttiness is on show here with smooth, clean writing that will keep you entertained throughout.