Beer has been the catalyst for many a lively debate since the first drop was brewed and consumed several millennia ago. It was during one of these discussions back in 1969 that Adelaide Cub Thirty was born.

 

Four diners at the Highway Inn in Plympton were discussing the merits of a new bottled brew and claimed it was no different to many other beers.

 

Hotel manager Bill Boeyen mocked their claims and was subsequently challenged to a blind tasting of five local beers. After failing to get one correct he was granted a second tasting, only to fail again.

 

The group realised there was an opportunity to learn more about different beers and came up with a plan.

 

They each agreed to invite four friends and business associates to lunch for a special tasting on 17 April 1969. A 19-strong group of beer enthusiasts turned up at the Highway Inn’s Tsarina Room which marked the first ever meeting of Adelaide Club Thirty (menu reproduced below).

 

At the club’s first general meeting three months later a committee was elected which included the foundation members: President Bill Boeyen, Secretary Maurice Bell, Treasurer Aub Matthews and Vice Presidents Vic Grimmett and Rod Northridge.

 

The name Adelaide Club Thirty was also formally adopted.

 

For the first seven years the club met every six weeks on a Thursday at the Highway Inn, before moving to the Italian Club in l976 and the German Club in l990. Two years later it was decided to hold the lunch meetings at different venues and this has continued ever since.

 

Initially members paid for each lunch they attended but this has changed to an annual subscription.

 

The popularity of the lunch-time beer tastings has also resulted in their frequency increasing.

 

These days we meet on the first Thursday of every month, except for January and June. A President’s Lunch is held every January for members and their partners, and the club’s AGM dinner takes place in June. In July we take a bus tour to local crafter breweries.