EVENT MATTERS
CHEERS TO CRAFT BEER,
WINE &
food
What’s not to love about a craft beer, wine and food festival? I couldn’t think of a better way to soak up the Queensland sunshine and taste the best of what the locals have on offer. Festivals are a fantastic way to pick your way around a variety of food stalls, whilst sampling trendy boutique beers from craft brewers and the latest fine wines from local wineries. They are a great place to meet a bunch of mates, spending the day basking in groovy entertainment, and immersing yourself in yummy food samples and trendy drinks. Most festivals offer indoor and outdoor seating, with some festivals even featuring chill-out zones inside to relax and enjoy a boutique vino or two. Outside, amongst the live entertainment, you will find a variety of stalls and stands from local merchants, which makes for a fun, festival atmosphere. Personally, I’m a beer girl through and through! You will find me sipping my way through the craft beers in search of my favourite ale of the day. To me, beer is much more than yellow fizzy stuff; it’s an Australian delicacy, which I’m proud to be involved with. Craft beers are made by craft brewers who possess three key traits: • Small: their annual production is less than six million barrels. • Independent: less than 25% of the brewery is owned by a noncraft brewer. • Traditional: greater than 50% of their volume comes from all-malt beer, instead of using mostly adjuncts (rice, corn) like megabreweries do. This basically means they use higher quality ingredients.
“Whatever your preferred flavours or tastes, beer, wine and food festivals are assured to delight your taste buds and take you on a locals’ journey. With fresh local produce often used to create the food on offer, it can only be described as YUM!” As summer quickly approaches, I’m on the hunt for my next local festival experience. You will find me standing close to a ‘wheat beer’ stand. m
Michelle Preston,
Nexgen Hospitality Training Solutions Michelle Preston is the Training Manager for Nexgen Hospitality Training Solutions, based at the Caloundra RSL club, and is considered an expert in the hospitality industry. With over 23 years’ experience managing large hotels, and food and beverage outlets, she now takes pride in delivering quality training to our future hospitality leaders, the ‘Nexgens’. Michelle is full of energy and passionate about exceptional customer service. All of the Nexgen training programs are aimed at raising the standard of service across the hospitality industry.
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