Monday, June 27th, 2011
“Our New Zealand Pale Ale is a welcome assault on the senses” – this is true but it assaulted some of my senses more so than others.
Croucher Pale Ale comes from that little part of the world known as New Zealand and to be more accurate the town of Ngongotaha, Rotorua. It is brewed and bottled by the Croucher Brewing Company which began its brewing journey in 2004 and was the dream of Paul Croucher who has since made this dream quite the reality. The company has three mainstream craft beers, this Pale Ale, a Bohemian Pilsner and The Hef a German Hefeweizen styled beer. Along with these they also have a plethora of seasonal brews including the popular Patriot, which is an American Black Ale and one I would like to try some day if I can get my hands on it.
This Pale Ale poured with a dense head of fluffy off-white bubbles that was nearly three fingers thick and receded gradually to leave specks of lacing on my glass. It came out a lovely reddish amber and had a big fruity aroma which had noticeable tropical notes to it, most likely passionfruit. It was extremely fragrant and pleasant on the nose but, unfortunately I didn’t think that this big aroma was transferred to the taste buds very well. It was clean, crisp and refreshing with a lingering clean bitterness but only had slight hints of those tropical tones that were so evident on the nose.
All in all this was a pleasant brew that was exceptionally easy to drink and would make for an excellent session beer. It also would make a great brew for a newcomer to the style of a Pale Ale. I honestly do think though that it just needed that extra little kick on the palate side of things, other than that nice work Croucher Brewing Company.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 5.0% alcohol – 500ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Pale Ale | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Don’t let the red lettering of Feral on this bottle put you off, cause this brew is anything but!
Hop Hog is an American-style IPA (India Pale Ale) and although it sounds contradicting it’s actually not. It is brewed & bottled by the Feral Brewing Company in the scenic Swan Valley countryside of Western Australia. The company was opened in 2002 and has since won multiple awards for their unique hand crafted brews. They currently offer more than a dozen beers, ranging from Belgian-styled Ales to smoked Porters. Some are only available on tap and are also seasonal offerings.
At first glance this beer pours an appealing fluffy white head with moderate carbonation and leaves a patchwork of lace down your glass. It comes out a clear honey like colour with a lovely sweet, citrusy aroma. The taste is clean & crisp, with an earthy hops flavour that is extremely well balanced with some light citrus tones. It has a brisk bitterness that makes it nothing less than refreshing. Hop Hog weighs in at 1.5 standard drinks and 5.8% alcohol per 330ml bottle. I paid $9 for my bottle and relished every bit of it.
This brew was an absolute pleasure from start to finish and one that I honestly will recommend to others. I now need to find the cheapest place to buy a case….no rhyme intended.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 5.8% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, India Pale Ale | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
Ze Germans have done it again! It’s not every day I come across a brew that scores 5 out of 5 but this one definitely does.
Unser Aventinus comes from the beautiful town of Kelheim in Bavaria, Germany (somewhere I would love to visit one day). There it is brewed and bottled by the Weisses Brauhaus, which is owned by G Schneider & Sohn and is said to be Bavaria’s oldest wheat beer brewery. George Schneider started brewing beers back in 1872 in Munich, Germany which was the birthplace of the Weisses Brauhaus. They now regularly brew nine different styles of wheat beer, including this one.
This is a wheat Doppelbock. What is that you ask? Well a Bock style beer is basically a strong German Lager and a Doppelbock as the name might suggest is a double Bock making it significantly stronger and considered by many as a meal on its own. This beer is certainly a meal and one bottle was enough to tie me over for the night. It poured a cloudy amber hue that had decent carbonation with a ferocious two finger, thick, off white head that sadly for me faded quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was enticing; full of sweet fruity tones especially that of bananas, which I really enjoyed. Unser Aventinus is so full of flavour that I found it to be reminiscent to that of a Belgian Ale, which is no doubt another reason I enjoyed it so much. The alcohol content of 8.2% is seamlessly balanced in this brew and is not off putting in anyway. Now the taste, ohhh the taste! It’s packed full of different flavours but again bananas take the main stage and make it quite sweet on the taste buds. There is also roasted malt tones that help make it exceptionally smooth and it comes with nil bitterness. A 500ml bottle of this wonderful brew will cost you $8 and it’s well worth the money.
This is an amazing, complex beer that manages to balance everything in perfect symmetry. The only problem I have now is that there’s none left.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 8.2% alcohol – 500ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Doppelbock | 2 Comments »
Sunday, June 5th, 2011
If you are looking to expand your brew horizons and have been thinking about trying a Porter styled beer, then this is the beer for you.
Julesnadder is a not so traditional Norwegian Christmas Beer and not so traditional in the fact it’s quite light in alcohol for a Porter, 4.5% alcohol per 500ml bottle to be exact and there’s a very good reason for this. Norwegian legislation stipulates that any beer above 4.75% alcohol must be sold through the Vinmonopolet which is basically a chain of government owned beverage retailers. Now Nøgne Ø being the crafty craft brewers they are decided to purposefully create this beer at 4.5% so that it could be sold outside of the Vinmonopolet so that it could be enjoyed by the masses. They have also taken into consideration the fact that most people in Norway do not shop at these government owned chain stores. Nøgne Ø means naked island and the brewery based in Grimstad, Norway has been creating high quality brews since 2002 with their motto being “The Uncompromising Brewery”. They currently export over 70% of their total product with the intent of becoming bigger and better!
Julesnadder pours a picture perfect two finger thick tan head that lasts well and leaves consistent rings of lacing down your glass. It comes out as a cloudy mahogany colour with just the right amount of carbonation. The aroma is similar to the taste, slightly sweet with caramel tones and full of roasted malty goodness. Its taste, apart from being full of roasted malts, is smooth & light and would make for a great beginners porter. A few mouthfuls will leave a dry bitterness on your taste buds and you wanting more. This brew is best served at around 8 degrees and is said to go well with rich, greasy Norwegian dishes.
This is an exceptionally light tasting and easy to drink Porter and I have no doubt it would make for a great intro into that beer style. If you prefer a strong, fuller tasting Porter then I would personally take a pass on this brew as you may be disappointed, but bear in mind it was made that way intentionally.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.5% alcohol – 500ml brown bottle – Pop top
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Zeitgeist was created with the intention of non-conformance, but being a Schwarzbier (dark lager) does it conform to its own beer style?
Believe it or not this brew is actually made by record breaking Scottish BrewDog team, though it makes no mention of this anywhere on the bottles label. BrewDog started creating extraordinary and unique beers around the same time I created this website in April 2007. They currently hold the record of the world’s strongest beer The End Of History which packs a punch at 55% per 330ml bottle and to stir the pot even further it comes delivered in the stuffed body of a squirrel or stoat as seen below.
Zeitgeist is Schwarzbier which actually falls under the style of a dark lager. Schwarzbier generally speaking is light in body, not overly bitter, very refreshing and make a great brew for winter drinking. This brew pours a solid dark brown with red highlights and has no head or lacing. It has very little carbonation and almost looks & tastes as if it were flat. It wafts a pleasant aroma of roasted malts and sweet toffee. The taste is light but full of roasted chocolate flavours and a refreshing bitterness that doesn’t linger.
This brew does confirm to a Schwarzbier style but only in certain aspects, so I guess the marketing ploy of it being a non-conformer still stands but I think the real question now is will it conform to being appreciated by your tastebuds? Mine enjoyed it but only somewhat.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.9% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Dark Lager | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Ever wanted to know what the critics think is Australia’s number one brew? This is it!
Stone & Wood have being brewing in beautiful Byron Bay, New South Wales since 2008 and who knew that in April this year their baby Pacific Ale was announced king of The Critics’ Choice: Australia’s Best Beers publication. This particular brew was inspired by Stone & Woods home Byron Bay, which is situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean hence its name. The brew was created with a particular type of hops known as Galaxy Hops, which is grown down in Tasmania. It is unfiltered, unpasteurised and contains no additives or preservatives, in short it’s pretty bloody good for you. It contains 4.4% alcohol per 330ml bottle which equates to 1.1 standard drinks which is pretty easy going. Pacific Ale can be purchased from most large bottle shops and will cost around $20 a six-pack.
With this beer it’s important to gently roll the bottle before opening or alternatively tip it upside down to disturb any yeast that may have settled over time to add to its flavour. This brew pours with a decent fluffy white head that quickly fades to leave a white bubbly top. It doesn’t leave much lacing and comes out a cloudy pale straw colour with noticeable amounts of carbonation. In the aroma there are wafts of different fruits in particular passionfruit and it comes across very fruity and tropical like. The taste is crisp and refreshing and definitely worth drinking chilled. It doesn’t make a huge impact on the tastebuds but one that is certainly pleasant and I imagine on a hot summers days would leave you craving more. The passionfruit is still very noticeable on the palette but it dies off quickly along with the other fruity notes.
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale is in my opinion the Kirks Pasito equivalent of beer. It would make for a great session beer and has an abundant tropical/passionfruit flavour & aroma that will leave you unwittingly wanting more. This is undoubtedly an enjoyable brew, but I personally don’t believe it warrants Australia’s number one title.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.4% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Pale Ale | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
One day I plan to get lost in Belgium but until then I will have to suffice with the wonderful brews they continually produce.
Westmalle Tripel comes from the Trappist Brewery located within the walls Westmalle Abbey and has done since 1934 when the new brewing hall came into effect. For twenty years the monks of Westmalle Abbey only brewed beer for themselves, but thankfully things changed when demand of their wonderful beverage grew. While the brewery itself may have changed over the years the current formula of this beer has remained unchanged since 1956.
Served in both 330ml bottles and 750ml corked bottles (which I have yet to see in Australia), this beer will cost you around $8 per 330ml bottle and you will need to work hard to find one. Like most Tripels this one packs a punch with 9.5% alcohol per 330ml bottle and this equates to 2.4 standard drinks. I firmly believe that you need to be in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy this brew and like many other higher alcohol beers I’ve tried, this one tasted better during my second sitting.
There’s a sweet fruity aroma to this brew. It pours a cloudy golden colour and has a thick lasting white head that didn’t appear to leave any lacing. The taste at first was a little overwhelming to me due to the high alcohol content which I felt come through onto my tastebuds. Second time round was a different story though and I really started to enjoy it a little more. This brew is well carbonated and leaves a lasting tingle in your mouth. It starts off with a smooth & sweet maltiness and leaves you with a tart bitter finish.
In essence this beer has all of the right makings of a wonderful brew but unfortunately I found it to be overwhelmed by its alcohol content. They say the Westmalle Tripel is the “mother of all Tripels” and as such should be enjoyed slowly – I finished my first glass after watching an episode of Dexter which was about 50 minutes long. Bear this in mind if you decide to give this mother of a brew a try.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 9.5% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Tripel | 2 Comments »
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
I love my coffee and I love my beer but do the two really go well together?
Black Giraffe is the unique creation from the collaboration of the Burleigh Brewing Company and Zarraffa’s Coffee. It is the current limited release brew from B.B.C. Bit On the Side Department and we have also reviewed their last release My Wife’s Bitter here. This brew is a black coffee infused lager with 5.0% alcohol per 650ml bottle and will cost you $9. Zarraffa’s Coffee supplied 100 kilos of dark-roasted Mexican Arabica coffee beans to help this brewer create the beverage. The beans were roasted for four days prior to brewing and were ground on site at the brewery in Burleigh Heads, NSW. Chocolate and toffee malts were added to the brew along with a unique blend of American hops. There are no preservatives or additives added and the bottle states that no instant coffee was used, which is reassuring to say the least.
Now considering this is a ‘black coffee lager’ there is very little coffee taste to it, though my non-coffee drinking girlfriend would disagree. On average I drink about three if not more coffees a day and love doing so. To my tastebuds this beer has very little coffee flavour, which is a little disappointing considering the effort that the brewers have gone to in creating it. What I do taste is a whole lot of roasted chocolate malts backed up by a strong bitterness. It pours a very dark brown that almost appears black and has a one finger thick tan head that quickly disappears leaving little to no lacing. There’s also no noticeable coffee aroma but again there are wafts of chocolate along with a sweet almost red wine like aroma.
This is a limited release brew that probably won’t be around for too much longer, so I would suggest trying it for yourself and making your own mind up regarding its so called coffeeness.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 5.0% alcohol – 650ml amber bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Dark Lager | No Comments »
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
So it’s Easter time again and what better beer to review then a Chocolate Porter.
The Holgate brewery aka Holgate Brewhouse is located in Woodend, Victoria, which is just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD. There you will find a restaurant, bar, hotel and the brewery which is the pride of business owner, Paul Holgate. The 100 year old hotel Paul acquired is somewhat of a local icon and is known to many as the Keatings Hotel. Holgate produce five different types of beer all year round including this one, along with a further nine brews that are seasonal and limited release. If you’d like to visit the Holgate Brewhouse further details can be found here.
The creamy chocolate flavour in this beer is huge and it dominates all other flavours – it would be ideal for a chocolate lover. This brew is very warming when consumed which would make it perfectly suited to a cold winter’s night. This beer wafts a beautiful aroma of chocolate combined with hints of coffee and vanilla, a very pleasant smell indeed. It pours pitch black with little head, my first bottle had no head whatsoever which was a little disappointing. The head is tan in colour and disappears rapidly with no lacing. In my opinion there’s a little too much carbonation to this beer. The trick to this Porter like any other is to actually let the bottle warm a little before drinking, generally anywhere between 8-12°C is appropriate and this gives the beer more flavour.
This is an amazing porter that should be savoured rather than quaffed and at $6 a 330ml bottle you wouldn’t want to be rushing it anyhow. This beer really grows on you, I recommend purchasing at least two bottles to get the full experience from it and there’s no need to drink them both in the one sitting.
I’d like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter!
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 6.0% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Porter | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Cool name, ultra-cool bottle and a fantastic brew… need I say more? Well yes I probably should.
Moo Brew Pale Ale is brewed in Tasmania by Morilla and has been since 2005. Morilla have been at the forefront of the Tasmanian wine industry since 1958 and it was in 2005 that David Walsh & partners, who are the current owners, decided to evolve the wine estate into something more. This evolution involved the creation of the Moo Brew brand. The current Moo Brew range comprises five styles of beer including a Pilsner, Hefeweizen, Dark Ale, Imperial Stout and of course this American Style Pale Ale. As you can see from the above photo, they pride themselves on being ascetically pleasing and this they have successfully done. I have yet to see a similar bottle used for the purpose of housing beer but I love the look of it. As for the main image on its label ‘Dark Rainbow’ well that was created by the Australian artist John Kelly and he is mentioned on the back of it.
This brew is a perfect example of an American style Pale Ale. It pours a cloudy straw colour with a thick two fingered white head that lasts for most of the glass as does its lacing. The aroma is pleasant with a floral citrus note. As for the taste, it really grows on you. There’s a seamless balance between the malts and hops used in this brew. It has a lovely refreshing citrus tang and I also noticed an aftertaste of musk when I first tried it which is something I love.
As you may have already noticed below, I did not give this brew 5 out of 5 and that is purely because of its price. The asking price of $26 for a four pack ($6.50 per bottle) of locally brewed 330ml bottles does not sit right with me and hence the 4.5 rating. With that said if you can justify the asking price or simply would like to try something a little out of the ordinary please do give this brew a try, you won’t regret it – your wallet might though.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.9% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
| Posted in Beer Reviews, Pale Ale | No Comments »