Local entrepreneurs behind Malt Fiction, Jared Birbeck, Peter Lynn and Antony Tropeano, launched their first beer at the funky Laneway Bar down Hindley Street, treating VIP guests with sliders and sushi to promote the ‘sessionable’ qualities of their low fizz, highly drinkable first foray into the world of craft mesobrews.
A stylised fitout of the venue turned Laneway into a trip down memory lane for fans of Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic from which the company derives its name. Uniformed waitresses served beers from suitcases bearing lock combinations of triple six and a highlights reel of Pulp Fiction ran in the background as people tried their luck at scoring lucky thirteen by rolling a set of dice in order to win a secret prize.
The product itself is divine, an easy-drinking beer with fruity notes and a succinct decisiveness on the palate, thanks largely to the somewhat unusual decision to include wheat in the fermentation of a pale ale. This unique move paid off in the final product however, delivering a punchiness of flavour not normally found in more floral pales, and is also where the name ‘13’ found its inspiration. One of the guys behind Malt Fiction happens to come from a family of bakers, and the name Lucky Thirteen sneakily makes reference to the bakers dozen. This is also how they got the innovative idea to add wheat to a pale ale!
Lucky 13 will now be available in good dispensaries and bars around Adelaide such as Casablabla, The Curious Squire, Chihuahua Bar, Laneway The Third, Mesa Lunga, Gin Long Canteen, Singapore House, Fumo Blu, Esca, Shankers Indian, The Taxpayer, Georges on Waymouth, Chopstix, Vietnam Restaurant, The Highway and The Lion Hotel. You will also be able find ’13’ in bottle shops such as Hilton Hotel in Mile End, The Highway and The Parade Cellars in Norwood. Be sure to check out what is steadily becoming my go to ‘sesh’ beer and find out for yourself whether 13 is what you need to get lucky… 😉
Image credit: Girl About Town