Stone & Wood Pacific Ale

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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Westmalle Tripel

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

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Black Giraffe Black Coffee Lager

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

 

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Holgate Temptress Chocolate Porter

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

 

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Moo Brew Pale Ale

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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Scribbly Gum Lager

Friday, April 8th, 2011

This is the latest brew in a series of wacky creations by the James Squire Mad Brewers team and it’s a tasty one at that!

Scribbly Gum Lager is a limited release beer with only 4,200 cases produced and each case contains twelve 640ml bottles.  It went on sale nationally on the 21st February this year.  Last year James Squire created the Orchard Ale as part of their Mad Brewers Label and it was focused on the Belgium Saison (low alcohol pale ale).  This time round they focused this new brew on distinctive Australian summer flavours and aromas.

The labelling on this brew says:  This is a “big” lager with an intriguing smoky character backed up with hints of the Aussie native bush flora and as per usual the labelling on this year’s Mad Brewers beer is fantastic and in keeping with tradition it’s colourful, in your face and stands out from the crowd.  Personally I’m not a fan of smoked products other than smoked salmon and therefore would like to reassure those who are similar that this brew has a very minimal smoked character to it if any.  As far as Australian lagers go, I believe the taste of this one to be sublime.  It’s full of different flavours, starting off sweet & fruity and leaving your mouth with a subtle smoky/roasted taste.   It pours a cloudy straw like colour with an attractive two fingered head.   The aroma of this brew is simply lovely – There’s a beautiful mix of fruits blended alongside a subtle smokiness.  You can pick two 640ml bottles of this amazing lager up for $15 and there’s a list of stockists here.

A few have told me that they would not drink this as a session beer but I respectively disagree.  I could happily drink this brew all night, but I would do so making sure I savoured every mouthful.  I would like to say well done to the Mad Brewers team at James Squire, you have created one of my favourite Australian lagers to date, cheers!

Rating (out of five):

Quick Facts : 6.5% alcohol – 640ml amber bottle – Pop top

 

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William’s Pale Ale

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

| Posted in Beer Reviews, Pale Ale | 3 Comments »

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

BeerAdvice.com.au would like to wish everyone a Happy & Safe St. Patrick’s Day!

So wherever you are enjoying this tradition we hope you are keeping things green and if that’s not possible then at least keep things Irish.

Here’s two Irish brews to read up about:

Kilkenny Irish Ale

Guinness Black Lager

Also if you happen to be at your local Guinness serving watering hole with an iPhone, then make sure to leave some feedback using the Guinness Blacklist App.

Have a great day all!

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Gage Roads Atomic Pale Ale

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

 

| Posted in Beer Reviews, Pale Ale | 3 Comments »

Guinness Black Lager

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

First it was an innovative iPhone app The Blacklist and now it’s Guinness Black Lager, wonder what’s next for the iconic company?

Guinness & Co. aka Diageo (Australian Importers) are currently testing the waters here in Australia with a new brew in the form of a European Styled dark lager.  It is currently only available in Perth and the South Western region of Western Australia, where it is being trialled until April.  So unfortunately if you live in Brisbane like myself, you will be hard pressed to get your hands on a bottle.   I however have been fortunate enough to try it and I would like to express my thanks to Splendid Communications for the case I was sent.  Guinness & Co. have  been trialling this product overseas since March 2010 and will make a decision later this year as to whether or not it will be rolled out across Australia.  Personally I hope it is rolled out here, as it would be great to see more dark lagers in our great country.

Take a look at the above picture and guess which glass is holding Guinness Black Lager and which is holding the traditional Guinness Draught?  If you said the one on the left was holding Guinness Black Lager you’d be wrong.   As you can see once poured this brew is nearly identical to Guinness Draught, bar that wonderful tightly knit head and waiting for the surge to settle (which already has done in the above photo).  Another similarity is that they are both brewed and bottled in Dublin, Ireland.  A notable difference other than the taste which I will get to shortly is the alcohol volume.  Guinness Draught is 4.2% alcohol per volume, whereas Guinness Black Lager is 4.5% Alcohol per volume.  This brew pours a brilliant inch thick light tan head that slowly subsides to leave uniformed lacing over your glass.  You almost cannot not see through this brew it’s that dark, but when held to light it looks ruby in colour.   I don’t think it has all that much in way of an aroma but there are certainly some roasted malt notes to it.  Now here’s the part I will most likely cop some criticism for – the taste, I prefer this brew to Guinness Draught.  I will admit that I have yet to experience Guinness Draught on tap in Ireland but I have tried many of the imported versions we receive here in Australia.  This beer is really refreshing and I could easily spend the day or night drinking and enjoying it.   It starts off in your mouth as a burst of smooth roasted malts, leaves you with a well carbonated bitter aftertaste and then wanting more.

This brew certainly won’t please everyone but I can see it helping to convert many Australians over to the dark side…..assuming it does actually get rolled out here.

Rating (out of five):

Quick Facts : 4.5% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top

| Posted in Beer Reviews, Dark Lager | No Comments »

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