Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
During my travels last week I was recommended to try some Lobethal Bierhaus brews and that’s exactly what I did.
I purchased a mixed six-pack of Lobethal Bierhaus beers from my local craft bottle shop for $25, a reasonable price for beers I have not yet seen elsewhere. After contemplating my selection for a few minutes I went with two of their Pale Ales, two IPAs, a Hefeweizen and a Pilsner. Out of the four different styles of beer this was my favourite and reviews of the others will follow. The Lobethal Bierhaus is located in . . . you guessed it Lobethal, which is 45 minutes from the city centre of South Australia. The micro-brewery first opened its doors on the 26th May 2007 and currently produces seven different types of beer which surprises me further that I haven’t seen anything from them until now.
This American Style Pale Ale or otherwise known as an APA pours a hazy ruby-amber with plenty of sticky lacing and you’ll notice some settling sediment towards the bottom of your glass. It has a quick erupting beige head that lasts well and ends up as a neat ring of beading. It’s immensely tasty and has a real creaminess to it which I loved. This beer is packed full of sweet caramel malts which are noticeable on both the palate and nose. The hops used in this beer leaves your mouth with a slight lingering bitterness, making it ever so morish. Other than the caramel malts the aroma has some pleasant fruit notes like mango. You can buy this beer directly from the brewer’s website here but unfortunately a carton doesn’t come cheap – $82 plus postage depending on state. There is also a list of stockists here if online ordering isn’t your thing – though be warned their website is not the easiest to navigate!
Lobethal Bierhaus APA is a very tasty and competently brewed beer. As mentioned this was my favourite out of the four different styles I picked and would love more of it, shame it’s not easier or cheaper to come by, though with that said you do get what you pay for.
Quick Facts: 5.6% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
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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
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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
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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
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Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Pale ales seem to be my brew of choice lately and this has led me to try William’s Pale Ale.
William’s Pale Ale is a certified organic Pale Ale that is brewed by the William Bull Brewery in NSW, Australia. This craft brewery was opened by the De Bortoli family, who have been winemakers since 1928. They decided about a decade ago to use their wine crafting skills to create a keg brew for the winery workers and since then have dibbled and dabbled in the art of brewing. They now have two successful brews, including this one. The other beer they make is called Red Angus Pilsner and we will review that at a later date.
A six-pack of William’s Pale Ale will cost you a very reasonable $15 and can be purchased from your local 1st Choice store, stock willing. This Pale Ale is an exceptionally smooth and easy to drink brew. It will leave your mouth and tastebuds asking for more. It has more than enough carbonation giving it a crisp, sharp mouth feel. There’s a subtle citrus note that is followed by a gentle lingering bitterness. Minimal head appears when poured and there’s no noticeable lacing. The aroma is pleasant, sweet-smelling and fruit-like. Its appearance is pale yellow as the name suggests and has a clear sparkling look to it.
This would have to be one of my favourite Pale Ale’s to date and I look forward to drinking it again soon. Definitely make sure you give this one a try, you owe it to yourself and if not yourself then your tastebuds.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.5% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Twist top
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Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Gage Roads Brewing Company currently has six official brews available to the public, three of which I have sampled and one of which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately though, this is not that one.
Atomic Pale Ale is Gage Roads take on an American style Pale Ale and comes labelled under its Brewer’s Selection title – which if anything is simply a marketing ploy. It is an all-natural brew that contains no artificial additives or preservatives and is brewed & bottled in Palmyra, Western Australia. This brew was released late last year and is currently available at Dan Murphy’s for $15.90 a six-pack, which is quite reasonable. Gage Roads Brewing Company is one of Australia’s largest independent craft breweries and has a brewing capacity of up to 10 million litres, which is impressive to say the least. Unfortunately though, something that is not so impressive is the fact they have allied with Woolworths Limited to produce brews such as Dry Dock Premium Lager, which was one of the lowest scoring beers to date – not to mention the overwhelming negative feedback my review received, have a look for yourself.
My first tasting of this beer reveals that it is fairly bitter and citrusy, similar to that of a grape fruit. This probably has a lot to do with that fact that this brew is dry hopped during the fermenting process. Its noticeable citrus tang can be a little refreshing. The appearance of this brew is a clear gold, with a loose white head and this can be seen pictured above. There’s not much in the way of carbonation to this brew and it leaves very little lacing on the glass. Atomic Pale Ale is definitely aromatic and shines through with sweet, fruity tones and floral hops.
Generally speaking if I read the word Atomic I associate it with notions like massive, huge, epic and not mention bomb. But unfortunately this brew does not deliver on any of these. If it were to come close to anything it would be the bomb part.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.7% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Twist top
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Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
South Seas Pale Ale is brewed under license for South Pacific Liquor, which is a family owned business based on the Gold Coast, Australia. The actual brewing location of this beer is said to be ‘secret’ but resides somewhere in Victoria. South Seas Brewing Company now has a range of brews other than the Pale Ale. They include a mid-strength Gold Ale, and another 2 aptly named brews called Beach & Island which we have yet to find and review. This company has a unique dream and that is to find the perfect Gold Coast location to open a themed outdoor brewery bar, where you can enjoy a cold brew along with a woodfired pizza or meat grill. As far as dreams go this one sounds like a great idea to us and we look forward to checking it out when it takes fruition.
This pale ale contains no preservatives or additives. Availability is the main downside of this brew as it’s certainly not the easiest beer to find. I stumbled upon it completely by accident at a local independent bottle shop called Purple Palate. They come neatly packaged in an old school box with twelve amber bottles. Going from memory, a box won’t break the bank and is well worth the investment. This beer is smooth from start to finish. I could happily drink it all day long and enjoy each bottle as if it were the first. It has a straw like appearance with an exceedingly quick disappearing head that leaves absolutely no lacing. The aroma is sweet, malty and pleasant. South Seas Pale Ale is light on the palette with some subtle citrus notes that flow along with caramel like malts.
Here’s a prime example of a really mellow brew that just leaves you wanting more and more. One 12-pack simply won’t do. So if you actually manage to find this brew near you then be sure to buy a few boxes, you won’t regret it!
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.6% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle – Pop top
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