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James Squire Malt Runner

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Malt Runner is the latest beer in a long line of limited releases by the acclaimed Malt Shovel Brewery which produces the well-known James Squire range.

This seasonal brew was released nationally last month, and is said to be ‘the perfect companion on a winter’s night’.  Well here I am on such ‘a winter’s night’, its 15°C outside and this brew is going down exceptionally well.  Malt Runner has similar stylings to a German Bock, which traditionally is a strong dark lager with light hop bitterness and an alcohol content somewhere between 6.3% to 7.2% by volume.  This brew however, has a lighter alcohol content of 5.2%, making it a dark lager rather than a German Bock.   The important ingredient used in this brew is cherry juice, which has been added to balance the malt flavours.

Malt Runner pours a lovely thick creamy head with tightly packed bubbles.  Although this isn’t evident in the above picture, I assure you it does.  The beer itself has a smokey chocolate taste along with a caramel-like malt finish, which makes it quite warming on a cold night.  I personally can also taste the cherry juice within and it reminds me of one of my all-time favourites, Belle-Vue Kriek.  The aroma is sweet, fruity and pleasant and its appearance is copper-like in colour.

James Squire ambassador chef Matt Kemp has created the perfect accompaniment to this limited brew, Bitter Chocolate and Roasted Macadamia Brownies.   Once I saw the recipe posted here I couldn’t resist but make them myself.  These brownies are indeed the perfect pairing for this brew but they are also sinfully good regardless of what they are served with.  They are so good in fact that I woke up this morning to the sound of my girlfriend eating one next to me in bed!

Malt Runner can be found at any of these locations.  I picked my 6-pack up from my local 1^st Choice for $15 where the whole James Squire range is currently on special.

Other limited release brews by James Squire that we have reviewed are Mad Brewers Orchard Ale and Sundown Lager, feel free to check them out also.  Sundown Lager was so popular that it was permanently made part of the James Squire range.

To conclude, this beer was a unique taste experience for me and I would happily try it again.  I would highly recommend you try it for yourself before stocks run out.  After all, it is limited to 9,000 cartons nationally.

Rating (out of five):

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Dry Dock Premium Lager

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Dry Dock Premium Lager has recently sailed its way onto the shelves of BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores nationally, having been officially released in October last year.  It was introduced by Woolworths who now owns 25% of the Cage Road Brewery in Fremantle.

It’s a premium lager that has been produced to compete directly with Tooheys Extra Dry.  First of all let’s get one thing straight, if I had to pick between Dry Dock and Extra Dry, Extra Dry would win hands down and I don’t hold Extra Dry with high regard so go figure.  At first glance I mistook Dry Dock for Carlton Dry.  The next thing I noticed was the price, $15 a six-pack which sounded reasonable for a new beer on the market, so I bought a pack.  I love to try new brews but unfortunately this one was a mistake.

It pours a pale yellow colour with a short little head and moderate carbonation.  There’s a faint sweet aroma but nothing that really stands out.  The taste is bland and watery which leaves me thinking “is that all?”  It’s not overly pleasant and to be honest I don’t believe it’s worth $15 a six-pack.  The strange thing is this is actually the second lager introduced by Woolworths, with the first being Platinum Blonde which I didn’t mind drinking.  You would think they’d improve things the second time round.

I love to recommend beers to others but you won’t see me recommending this one.  If you must try it for yourself wait till it’s on special, preferably $10 a six-pack or better yet wait for a party to happen and steal one off your mate if they’ve bought some.

Rating (out of five):

| Posted in Beer Reviews, Lager | 3 Comments »

Coopers Clear

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

You may have noticed like I did, a new addition to your local bottle shop, Coopers Clear.  It comes in an aptly chosen 355ml clear glass bottle, with gold and blue labelling.  It was officially launched on the 21^st January, so if you haven’t seen it already expect to shortly.

Coopers have joined the current ‘low carb’ craze which appears to be saturating the market of late.   I was hesitant at first of trying this new brew probably due to the fact some of the recent low carb beers can be tasteless and watery but since drinking Coopers Clear I haven’t looked back.  The family owned Coopers Company have been creating quality beer products since 1862 and this brew is said to be the beginning of their next generation of products.

Coopers Clear is a full strength low carbohydrate, dry beer aka lager.  It has a light golden colour, with a quickly disappearing creamy white head that leaves a ring around the inside of your glass.  There is a decent amount of carbonation in it, which adds to the taste.  The taste is dry, crisp and especially refreshing – it seems like the perfect summer beer on a hot hot day.  The aroma is mild with some sweet fruity undertones.

Currently there appears to be alot of dislike appearing around the place regarding this brew but I beg to differ and think it’s a refreshing summer beer that hits the spot nicely, so much so that I bought a carton of it last week for $37 from First Choice, which seemed to be a decent price.  Like anything you should try this brew for yourself and at $15 a six-pack it won’t break the bank, then you can make your own mind up and leave your thoughts for others to read, cheers!

Rating (out of five):

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