The finely chiselled body of ballroom dance maestro Paul Mercurio gives no indication of his passion for beer drinking and brewing.
The 29-year-old Sydneysider, who popularised ballroom dancing with his movie Strictly Ballroom, is better known for his classy steps than his thirst for a beer.
After hearing of Mercurio's infamous Vegemite stout home brew, The Courier-Mail thought it appropriate that Australia's finest exporter of ballroom dance test-taste a few of the fine imported beers pouring into the country.
Mercurio says he prefers Australian beers to imported brews but it doesn't take too much arm-twisting to organise an afternoon drinking session at The Prince Albert at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast.
The English-style drinking hole prides itself of its selection of more than 50 beers, from syrupy Scottish milk stouts to tasty Mexican corn beer.
We order a Siam Ale (Kloster), a Thailand lager, as Mercurio tells of his fascination with beers.
He says he started brewing with a Coopers brewing kit about three-and-a-half years ago.
Mercurio lists a Vegemite beer and a cherry beer as among his specialities.
The Siam Ale ($4.50) is a light colored, slightly aromatic pilsner. The brew seems to have a peculiar after-taste that even Mercurio's well-tuned palate struggles to describe.
We move onto a Kirin Ichiban ($4.50), a Japanese pilsner with a slightly higher than usual alcohol content of 5.5 per cent.
"It's a commercial larger with a light body and it's fairly gassy," Mercurio says. "It's not really that different from Fosters."
Two mouthfuls of Kirin is enough for Mercurio who is eyeing off a bottle of Stella Artois, a Belgium pilsner beer ($4.50).
"That's better," Mercurio says. "You can always tell a good beer by a good head." As Mercurio sums up the characteristics of this lager, a group of middle-aged men drinking nearby notice Australia's latest screen idol.
One by one they venture over, slapping Mercurio on the back and asking him to sign the back of a beer coaster. One of them says: "Top film mate. You're doing Australia proud. My son's been in a few eisteddfods and you're a real inspiration."
We go halves in a Dos Equis, a Mexican larger. "That tastes like baby food," Mercurio says, reaching for a bottle of Samuel Smith Pale Ale, an English brew.
Mercurio, who admits to liking ale more than lager, rates the Samuel Smith as the best beer he's tried during the session.
"That's full-bodied, crisp and clean--beautiful."
Mercurio, married to Andrea and father to Elise, 3, and Emily, 1, says he aims to own a brewing pub when he finishes his career as an actor, dancer and choreographer.
"Australian pubs are terrible. The atmosphere is all wrong. You should be able to take your children. They should be places to relax."
Mercurio says Coopers and a beer brewed at the Lord Nelson Brewing Hotel called Three Sheets are his favorite brews.
As we finish our session with an almost sickly sweet Tennents Milk Stout, a thick Scottish brew, Mercurio comtemplates his body, his love of beer and the importance of drinking in moderation.
"I'm lucky that my work helps me burn it off but I suppose I'll have to adjust my beer intake if I start doing less exercise. I don't want to end up with a pot belly."
The 29-year-old Sydneysider, who popularised ballroom dancing with his movie Strictly Ballroom, is better known for his classy steps than his thirst for a beer.
After hearing of Mercurio's infamous Vegemite stout home brew, The Courier-Mail thought it appropriate that Australia's finest exporter of ballroom dance test-taste a few of the fine imported beers pouring into the country.
Mercurio says he prefers Australian beers to imported brews but it doesn't take too much arm-twisting to organise an afternoon drinking session at The Prince Albert at Conrad Jupiters on the Gold Coast.
The English-style drinking hole prides itself of its selection of more than 50 beers, from syrupy Scottish milk stouts to tasty Mexican corn beer.
We order a Siam Ale (Kloster), a Thailand lager, as Mercurio tells of his fascination with beers.
He says he started brewing with a Coopers brewing kit about three-and-a-half years ago.
Mercurio lists a Vegemite beer and a cherry beer as among his specialities.
The Siam Ale ($4.50) is a light colored, slightly aromatic pilsner. The brew seems to have a peculiar after-taste that even Mercurio's well-tuned palate struggles to describe.
We move onto a Kirin Ichiban ($4.50), a Japanese pilsner with a slightly higher than usual alcohol content of 5.5 per cent.
"It's a commercial larger with a light body and it's fairly gassy," Mercurio says. "It's not really that different from Fosters."
Two mouthfuls of Kirin is enough for Mercurio who is eyeing off a bottle of Stella Artois, a Belgium pilsner beer ($4.50).
"That's better," Mercurio says. "You can always tell a good beer by a good head." As Mercurio sums up the characteristics of this lager, a group of middle-aged men drinking nearby notice Australia's latest screen idol.
One by one they venture over, slapping Mercurio on the back and asking him to sign the back of a beer coaster. One of them says: "Top film mate. You're doing Australia proud. My son's been in a few eisteddfods and you're a real inspiration."
We go halves in a Dos Equis, a Mexican larger. "That tastes like baby food," Mercurio says, reaching for a bottle of Samuel Smith Pale Ale, an English brew.
Mercurio, who admits to liking ale more than lager, rates the Samuel Smith as the best beer he's tried during the session.
"That's full-bodied, crisp and clean--beautiful."
Mercurio, married to Andrea and father to Elise, 3, and Emily, 1, says he aims to own a brewing pub when he finishes his career as an actor, dancer and choreographer.
"Australian pubs are terrible. The atmosphere is all wrong. You should be able to take your children. They should be places to relax."
Mercurio says Coopers and a beer brewed at the Lord Nelson Brewing Hotel called Three Sheets are his favorite brews.
As we finish our session with an almost sickly sweet Tennents Milk Stout, a thick Scottish brew, Mercurio comtemplates his body, his love of beer and the importance of drinking in moderation.
"I'm lucky that my work helps me burn it off but I suppose I'll have to adjust my beer intake if I start doing less exercise. I don't want to end up with a pot belly."
By: K. Collins & J. Lehmann
Courier-Mail
2 December 1992
