Daniel Love
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allovate's Favourite BeerCoopers Best Extra Stout (9.27) allovate's Least Favourite BeerCarlton LJ (1.62) allovate's Most Recent Reviewed BeerGinja (6.38) |
allovate | Birell (Brewed by: Coopers Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.50 |
| Comments: Had to sample this one after finding it on the site. Knowing I had passed it in the drinks aisle of the local Cole’s supermarket for years and even with the Cooper’s insignia on the label I was still a little apprehensive to buy it. My last brewed soft drink was Bintang Zero (won’t be rushing out to buy that one again) and the thought of a repeat made me squeamish. Despite the ratings below I personally didn’t find this one to be too offensive an effort. Tasted from the can (re- highlandlad) and poured into the a tallboy glass. The most impressive this beer would get was in appearance in the glass. Brilliant gold with fairly fine carbonation raising a ½" of white fluffy foam. Head lasted the distance and laced rings down the glass. Anyone watching would swear you were drinking a full-strength at the pub, and would be none the wiser. Aroma was a let down, dank and yeasty stale, tinny and a little sweaty sock for complexity. Thankfully cleaner in the mouth as the nose was disagreeable. Tasted cool, it had a sweetness to it reminiscent of fresh wort with light malt flavours mid-palate, and a little cantaloupe and lemon in the back, before finishing off with an abrupt crisp swallow. Light bodied (oddly filling in the stomach) and medium in carbonation it was quite subtle and became more and more drinkable as I downed it. Not good, not bad, considering the alcohol level. | ||||
| VB Original Ale (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 5.50 |
| Comments: Saw this in the fridge of the ’Moon & Sixpence’ pub, Woodvale. Told by the barmaid they had stocked them for a while. Interested, I asked how patrons had taken to it, she replied "I don’t know, I’m quite sure you’re our first customer". Didn’t reassure me too well, but anything would be an improvement on the flagship VB. Poured from the impressive bottle, reminiscent of the ’Longnecks’ of the 60’s & 70’s, into a tall stem glass. A pad of off-white foam formed atop a clear copper body. Irregular carbonation seemed to keep the head in it’s place and it webbed rings down the glass (presentation was the highlight). Initial waft of raspingly bitter and oxidised, grassy hops in the nose with a little unclean and almost nutty malt coming through after it settled. In the mouth, a little toasted grain mingled with the characterless metallic hops of its watery thin palate. Carbonation was medium and the swallow was a little short. Served quite cold, it had a grapeskin tang to the back of the mouth, which thankfully waned when it warmed. Malt becomes more pronounced also at closer to room temp. It showed a lot of the VB traits, with only a differing mouth feel and a little more darker malts in the grainbill. Lacks definition and with the money CUB rake in, they could have at least served up something we know would be closer to the beer of 1894. Still, it was a lot better than a stubby of VB. | ||||
| Carlton Black (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.25 |
| Comments: Tasted this one about a year ago in Denmark, in the states South, and hadn’t seen it since, until the Ettamogah pub in Morley put it on Draught. Being an Aussie pub it was either this or another of CUB’s beers, so I knew what I had to do. Pours an opaque black with a tinge of brown in the lights. Frothy off-white cappuccino style head forms, and gives good length. Overly subtle nose with a hint of burnt malt, marmite and grassy hops. Similar in the mouth and equally subtle, gassy (I think their kegs are over pressurised) and thin bodied. A little chocolaty sweetness upfront, roasted grains throughout and into the slightly astringent, bitter swallow. The carbonic acid bite lasted and obscured things, but I did manage to down 4 or 5. Seemed to get better as it warmed, but as far as CUB go, this may well be in the top 5 of their generally awful range. Different from the rest and along par with Toohey’s Old. Seemed quite sessionable. | ||||
| Black Bart Stout (Brewed by: Port Dock Brewery Hotel - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 8.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.25 |
| Comments: What can I say to a True Gem! Tasted on Draught at Moondyne Joe’s Hotel, Fremantle. This Milk stout stood out firstly on the poor, although nitrogen assisted, it just looked right. Opaque black with a tight, slowly forming, dense off white head, that lasted and left rings down the pint. The subtle aroma released after the first mouthful to reveal full roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, malt and a little vanilla. In the mouth the creamy sweetness balanced with the bitterness of roasted barley and bitter black malt, chocolate and aniseed. Full bodied, smooth and quite creamy, it remained good the whole way down and didn’t become cloyingly sweet like most ’Milk’ stouts. The unusually high alcohol was the only thing stopping me from quaffing the beer, no end. Quite nice!!! | ||||
| Coopers Vintage Ale (Brewed by: Coopers Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 8.00 | Taste: 9.00 | Drinkability: 9.00 | Total: 7.75 |
| Comments: Have seven of these sitting in the cellar from various years, but decided to taste the most recent addition (Aug’ 2004) and apparently the best. Cooled it in the fridge for around half an hour, before pouring it into a short tulip glass. A dense off-white head formed with heavy yeast clumps floating about a very hazy (had the appearance of liquefied caramel) copper-brown body. The last of the yeast sat in the foam giving it a cappuccino look, making for an interesting, but quite unappealing glass of Strong Ale. The nose was quite inviting, malty and sweet, with candi sugar, hop spices, fruity esters, yeast and grain husks. An excellent balance of flavours in the mouth, sweet malt upfront, candi cane, treacle and caramel flavours mid-palate blended with oranges, lemons and cinnamon spice. Finishes off with a long, warming swallow (with no noticeable alcohol). Mildly dry, clean and medium bodied, lightly carbonated and sweet, but never cloying, this turned out to be a gem of a beer. Lovely!!! | ||||
| Carlton Empire Lager (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: Geez, why did I even bother? Talk about hard to down, this beer is possibly the biggest joke to hit the shelves of the local Liquor store since Carlton Cold!!! Warning bells were there just from the label and the clear glass bottle, I should have put it back. Poured into a Pilsner glass, medium soapy white head formed quickly atop a crystal clear straw body. Heavy metallic aroma, skunky, and something almost like Ouzo and coke wafted from the glass. Carlton Cold in the mouth, very soapy and Diacetyl slick, chemically derived carbonation and clamminess across the palate, yet oddly flavourless. Almost not beer at all. I don’t know what drugs the Bean counters at CUB are on because this is an insulting Drain poor of a ’drink’. ’Nuff said!!! | ||||
| Fosters Lager (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 1.75 |
| Comments: Another of life’s little tragedies, although on the ’big’ scale. This apparently leads to the gateway of Aussie beer for many foreigners. I personally feel sorry for the many visitors to Oz, perplexed by doubt, and favouring swiftly towards a chilled drop of Foster’s banner Lager..pa..paaa... shite!!! Embarrassing. ’Businessman’ with fuck all brains is CUB. Stale grassy and harsh ’rasp’ hop nose. Brilliant pale straw body, with a soapy white head. Head affects the ’mouth’ with a soapy slick diacetyl palate, Palmolive I think, medium-light carbonation, and a plastic (Plasticine) mid-palate and swallow. Absolutely woeful!!!! | ||||
| Coopers Best Extra Stout (Brewed by: Coopers Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 8.00 | Drinkability: 9.00 | Total: 7.50 |
| Comments: What can you say about a beer that is now recognised as one of the top Foreign Extra Stouts in the world, and it is definitely not due to hard advertising!. Pours a typically opaque black, with dark brown ends. A head forms, then dies, but laces a decent sandy trail down the glass. Aroma is very feint, chocolate and fireplace ash, but this beers dominance is all in the taste. Flavour is, to use a cliché now associated with this beer, like roasted coffee and burnt stick, with dry roasted grains, cinnamon and molasses. Becomes very bitter in the back (without becoming astringent) and through to its long smoky, burnt sugar swallow. Light bodied, yet quite robust and well rounded. Yeast floats around in the glass, reminding us of good traditional stouts, and helps develop the biscuity smooth feel that balances its bitterly dry edge. Quite nice. | ||||
| Cascade Special Stout (Brewed by: Cascade Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 8.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.50 |
| Comments: Every week I passed this in the back of the bottle-shop fridge and never thought to grab it (maybe the bland brown label reminiscent of the fifties). Glad I finally grabbed one, this beer deserves a little more ’air’ time than it’s shorter, nerdier brothers Cascade Premium and Light. Poured an opaque black, with a mousse-style, dense brown head that slowly forms a steadfast solid pad. Aroma is like freshly brewed coffee, with dark chocolate and vanilla mixed in for sweetness. Flavour is sweet and biscuity in the front, heavily roasted in the back and mocha balanced in the mid-palate. Became slightly cloying towards the end of the glass, to be it’s only down point but makes up for it with a smooth and dry, biscuity and bitter malt swallow. This Foreign Extra Stout deserves more advertising and respect, as it is a very good example of the old styles quickly swept under the counter, by the inoffensive bland macro-brewed ’lagers’. | ||||
| Munich Lager (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 6.75 |
| Comments: Tasted on Draught and in the bottle. This one, personally, is the best beer available from this small brewery. Pours a slightly hazy light amber with a lasting fluffy white head that left rings down the glass. Aroma and taste are malt driven and hint at citric fruits. The palate is dominated by sweet and lightly toasted malt, dry chaffey grains and a light grapefruit zest that balances it all out. Finishes of with a short dry malty swallow. This beer is a great summer thirst quencher, making for a pleasant change from the Aussie macro-brewed lagers. | ||||
| Ebony Stout (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught and from the bottle, but reviewed from the bottle. Pours a deep cola brown, almost black, and opaque with a tightly forming short tan head that seemed to last the distance. Very subtle aroma of burnt stick, aniseed and roasted coffee. Quite thin in the mouth, flavours of roasted grain, coffee and noticeable, but light, bittering hop tones in the back, and a roundness of bready malt across the palate. The swallow is short and slightly bitter, but seemed to avoid becoming astringent. Quite a sessionable light bodied Stout with nothing too disagreeable. | ||||
| Orange Zest Ale (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: Got this one from the brewery, and it seems to have been kept hidden in the back away from the bar and public eye. Pity, as it is quite a good thirst quencher. Poured into a tallboy glass, a short dense white head of foam formed atop a hazy gold body. A lot of floaties swirled about, and I couldn’t make out whether it was yeast or orange pulp. Very clean citric aroma, oranges and pale malt. Almost organic flavours in the mouth, hit of oranges across the palate, sweet upfront, light bodied and medium-light carbonation, leafy and a little husky bitterness down the back, and finishes with a citric and lightly acidic swallow. Balanced and very light, and unlike their Cherry Ale, this could go down easily one after the other. | ||||
| Raging Bull (Brewed by: Bootleg Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.75 |
| Comments: Tasted on tap at the brewery and from the bottle. First point, this seems to win a lot of medals in the porter category and I couldn’t find anything typically porter-like in it. Anyway, Poured an opaque black, with a little ruby coming through in the light. Head seemed like one expected from a Barley wine, nothing more than a thin tan ring. Aroma was feint, chocolate hints and burnt grains, with some toffee sweetness and a light hint of alcohol spice. Palate was treacle-like with flavours bouncing off of each other. Slick smoothness, light in carbonation, dark chocolate and biscuity sensations, medium carbonation and (unfortunately, but not detrimental) a slightly bitter astringent swallow. A hybrid by any style, with no hint of alcohol in the mouth, this is a good beer for quiet contemplation or just a social Sunday.... just don’t call it a Porter!!! | ||||
| Rousies Lager (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle (4.4%), and poured into a Pilsner glass. A thin off-white head formed atop a hazy copper body. Unusual aroma of pineapples and biting spice. Similar in the mouth with pineapples and other mixed soft fruity esters across the palate. Light toasted malt flavour upfront and finishes with a bitter-sweet malty swallow. Lightly carbonated and medium light bodied, this one seemed quite clean and reasonably balanced. Wouldn’t go calling it a Mäerzen, but it is otherwise a good sessionable Lager. | ||||
| Duckstein Holstein Amber (Brewed by: Duckstein Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.50 |
| Comments: This wasn’t a bad drop. I thought, as far as ambers, it will be beyond it’s alcohol content (3.5% ABV). Pours a deep gold, very clear, with a short soapy white head that produces a good lace. Bitter, slightly metallic nose, with a light ’munich malt’ aroma coming through in the end. Very clean liquor in the mouth, woody and slightly nutty malt tones, light bodied and sprightly in carbonation. Finishes with a medium length bitter and malty swallow All flavours seemed a little subdued, though, but it worked well for this likable, light weight thirst quencher. | ||||
| James Squire Original Amber Ale (Brewed by: Malt Shovel Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.00 |
| Comments: I dare to say this is the best of the James Squire range, they all seem to be watery interpretations of their designated style yet this stands independant of the rest, with a little character. Pours a clear reddish-gold with a short dense off white head that, on a good day, seems to last the distance. Aroma is feint and malt driven, sweet and toffee-like with a little toasted grain. Light bodied in the mouth, quite flavoursome and sweet. Grains, yeast, cantaloupes and peaches, toffee and burnt sugars make up the flavours and seem to balance out quite well. Short in the swallow but it didn’t seem to matter as it was very sessionable. Quite nice. | ||||
| Gage Roads Lager (Brewed by: Gage Roads Brewing Company - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 8.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: Finally got myself a bottle after waiting months for the brewery to get up and running. Poured into a stem glass, bright clear light amber with very fine carbonation raising a fairly dense ½" soapy white head that lasted and laced foam rings down the glass (5/5 on appearance). Disappointing nose, skunky, egg yolks and stale hop aroma. Thankfully this didn’t follow into the mouth as it was quite off putting (hopefully just my sample). Dry and spicy, malty and grainy, hops are resinous and a little oily and add a degree of bitterness to balance the generous malt flavours. Very clean in the mouth, bitter, light bodied and medium in carbonation. The Hallertau hops come out in full force as the beer begins to warm and become sour and grassy. Finish is a little short, though, but this was definitely a tasty little number and a good start for this micro. Hope the aroma improves with my next bottle. | ||||
| Mountain Goat Pale Ale (Brewed by: Mountain Goat - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle into a stem glass, mine was darker than the ratings below, making me a little worried as I don’t know the age of the sample. Poured a hazy honey-gold with a short creamy white head that dissipated back a little and left legs down the glass. Buttery, toffee and honey nose with a hint of sour leafy hops and light fruity esters. Flavours of tangerines and oranges in the mouth, quite fresh and fruity with a light toasted malt and bready yeast feel coming through. Light in carbonation and body, yet quite filling in the stomach. A little too subtle in flavour, but still quite a balanced sweet and fruity beer with a lightly zesty bitter backdrop right before the swallow. Quite refreshing. | ||||
| James Squire India Pale Ale (Brewed by: Malt Shovel Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: Another Squire beer that doesn’t look anything like the picture!!! Poured into a small stein, thin amount of erratic carbonation failed to form any head at all, atop a bright light amber body. Feint aroma of toasted malt, freshly cut lawn and yeast, intermingled in with bitter hops and a little brine-liquor. Similar in the mouth, with toasted malt all the way, a little sweet toffee in front and bittering hops in the back, giving a raspy, grassy, medium length swallow. Slight hint of fruity esters there, if you look hard. The thinly watered down mouth feel, though, made for an undemanding, yet admittedly quaffable beer, with reasonable flavour balance. A little more gravity and this may be a good ’Aussie’ representation of the style. | ||||
| Brass Monkey Stout (Brewed by: Sail and Anchor Brewery Hotel - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 9.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 7.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at the Brass Monkey hotel, Northbridge. Pours almost black and opaque, with a dense creamy tan head (nitro kegged) that laced rings down the glass. Little aroma bar some burnt grains. Quite malty in the mouth, medium bodied and low in carbonation, reasonably sweet with a good balance of roasted, smoky malt and showed a little length in the dry malty swallow. Became a little astringent only after my second pint and a marmite-type flavour became quite prominent replacing the clean, sweet flavours. Still not a bad stout that goes down with reasonable ease. | ||||
| Matilda Bay Sticklers Bitter (Brewed by: Matilda Bay Brewing - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at the Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge. I ordered half a pint, but was served a pint and a half, so I was hoping it would be a half decent quaffer. Pours a clear amber with a short lived head of white foam. Hops dominate the aroma, resinous, grassy and very lightly spiced. Quite fresh and reasonably floral, with only the slightest hint of toasted malt. Very similar in the mouth, with a degree of bitterness down the sides, low resinous spice, floral hop tones, a little sweetness in front and irregular light carbonation. Recipe seemed right for a good brew if it wasn’t for the overly thin, almost watered down palate. It gave the impression of where British ’pub’ beers have gone wrong in the past 50 years. Had ’Keg’ Bitter written all over it, like it was suffering from the malt tax!!! All in all, not a bad beer, easily sessionable and half way to being a ’Best Bitter’. | ||||
| Swan Stout (Brewed by: Swan Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.25 |
| Comments: A lot of hesitation behind this one. I am sure that this was one of the original Australian stouts, brewed as ’Kalgoorlie’ or ’Hannan’s Stout around 100 years ago and seemingly similar to the Southwark offering (I love corporate Australia!). In the new century, big business obviously wheeled it’s ugly head, and seemed to have left this untouched. To early notes about Australian Stouts, this seemed to not faulter. Marmite, molasses and burnt sugars, and a decent waft of fermenting yeast dominated the nose, and was, honestly, a little off putting!. Inside, it delivered rich dark chocolate up front, a creamy full bodied palate, with dry roasted grain in the long swallow and no sense of the alcohol. Molasses cane flavour seemed complimentary to the toasted and dry bitter malt, roasted grain and mocha flavours of this balanced and simple stout. Overall, I was surprised by this one. A good, honest Foreign Extra Stout. Understated!!! | ||||
| Hightail Ale (Brewed by: Mountain Goat - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.25 |
| Comments: Tasted this one after downing a bottle of their Pale ale. Poured a slightly hazy bronze with little floaties darting about. Head formed, died back and managed to reform after a little settling time, dense, thin and beige in colour. Nutty malt nose with a little burnt wood and floral, leafy hops. Similar nutty malt in the mouth with an odd mix of white wine, cantaloupe and smoky malt that seemed to come from the aroma (initially reminded me of the VB original ale). Light bodied and spritzy in carbonation, it was a little watery but held up to it with a generous amount of flavour and it definitely went down with ease with a short malty swallow to finish. Not bad!!! | ||||
| Tooheys Pils (Brewed by: Tooheys - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: Poured into a tallboy glass, a brilliant gold body settled out, with irregular carbonation holding up an island of white foam in the centre of the glass. Heavy metallic nose, slightly dank, bitter and crisp. Similar in the mouth, with a metallic, plastic and soapy mouth feel, boiled vegie ’DMS’ plaguing all chance for the minimal malt tones to come through. Lacking definition and delicate Pilsner characters, this quickly became just another paint stripper of a beer. Woeful, sorry!!! | ||||
| Southwark Bitter (Brewed by: South Australian Brewing - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 2.50 |
| Comments: Drank this one on the odd occasion Cooper’s wasn’t on draught in my two years in Adelaide. Pours a clear gold with a bubbly white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma was definitely hop driven, but not the delicate floral Kentish hops, Pride of Ringwood came to mind with a mix of grassy, metallic, stale hops of a different variety. Nose follows into the mouth with a heightened oxidised edge and biting carbonation, thin body and bitter in the back with a little sweet malt and corn starch to attempt a compromise. Finishes off quite crisp and forgettable. Come to think of it I don’t know why I drank it, I suppose it was because it was beer and I was at a pub and thats what you do there. Not the best from Southwark. | ||||
| Bluetongue Premium Lager (Brewed by: Bluetongue Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 3.75 |
| Comments: Tasted this after downing their Ginger beer (should have been the opposite way around). Poured into a small stein, a ½" of white foam formed above a very pale, clear straw body. Lacking in aroma, but very clean, with only a hint of grassy hops. Dry palate, medium low carbonation, and light bodied. Pasty yeast across the tongue, mildly sweet, lemony and a forgettably short crisp swallow. I served it with a fiery Devilled chicken dish and it seemed to compliment, as it was very light on in flavours. Their Ginger beer goes down a treat, but this was a little too crowd pleasing for my liking!!! | ||||
| Bluetongue Ginger Beer (Brewed by: Bluetongue Brewery - Reviewed: July 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.75 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle and poured into a tallboy. Hazy pale gold body with a tight short white head, that lasted (surprisingly) until the end. Nice aroma of freshly sliced ginger root, yeast, apples and table sugar, quite dry. Similarly dry in the mouth, grainy and peaty flavours, with a mild hit of ginger root and herbal spices. Yeasty palate, slightly plastic and a little too subdued in the flavours. Good aroma from the glass follows into the mouth, making it balance out, with a light body and medium carbonation. This was very light on, but is an unusually sessionable Ginger Ale, that could pass as a Saturday arvo’ thirst quencher!!! | ||||
| James Squire Australian Strong Ale (Brewed by: Malt Shovel Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.50 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle, it is the first Squire Strong ale I have tried, and I am yet to find a Malt shovel beer that lives up to its product description. Poured a teak-copper colour, clear, with a short lather of off-white foam that lasted and left a little lace. Dry, earthy and gritty malt aroma from the bottle, lightly roasted grain, raisins and a light solvent-like note. Generous nose to begin with, but it seemed to lapse on the pour and lost it’s lustre quickly in the glass. A little too watery on the tongue, toasted malt and burnt sugars come through more in the dry swallow than in the mouth. Light bodied and soft in carbonation, it has a little alcohol warmth, a lightly bitter back and nothing really showing upfront. Became a little plastic as it warmed and was generally unbalanced towards husky malt tones than any floral or fruity balance. This one just didn’t work and to taste this alongside some of the other ’bigger’ Aussie brews, including its macro-counterpart Cooper’s Vintage, this one didn’t even compete. Lack of flavour and body spells bastard pasteurisation, and sadly for this one, it was just another disappointing brew from Malt Shovel. | ||||
| Holgate White Ale (Brewed by: Holgate Brewhouse - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.00 |
| Comments: I’ve enjoyed the other beers from this brewery and was honestly a little suspect of this one. Belgian Wits are a style of beer I never quite got into, to say the least, and foreign interpretations of the style only leave the gimmicky value at hand as a point of sale. That said, this wasn’t that bad, and only because it was distant from its supposed style. Poured into a tulip glass, slightly hazy yellowish gold body with no head bar an oily looking white ring. Slightly oxidised, tart pale fruit and herb nose with a hint of young riesling grapes adding a white wine note. Light on, but cleaner in the mouth and actually quite refreshing. Light bodied and soft ’n’ subtle in carbonation, it seemed almost watery and over attenuated for a beer of its style. Subtle hint of pepper, castor sugar and leafy coriander-like herbs before a white wine finish that was reasonably short lived. Easy drinker, could down it in quick succession before realising you are designated driver, and overall I can’t say there was anything bad about it. (33cL, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville, age unknown) | ||||
| Little Creatures Pale Ale (Brewed by: Little Creatures - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.00 |
| Comments: Drank this one quite often a few years back at our frequent haunt, but never battered an eyelid past it’s thirst quenching qualities, until now!!. Tasted on draught at the brewery, it poured a slightly hazy gold with a thin dense white head. Aroma is very APA, citrus hops, quite zesty and clean, with a breaded yeastiness. A medium light body and mild carbonation gave a pleasant mouth feel. Well balanced flavours of mixed fruit, lemon rind, oranges, mild sweet front, grapefruit sides and more fruity esters throughout and well into the lightly spiced swallow. On the down side, it became mildly soapy and lost a little of it’s ’zing’ towards the end of the pint. Over all, though, a brilliant APA, brewed right here in Fremantle (let’s hope the ’conglomerates’ keep their sweaty palms of it!) and now a well deserved global name. | ||||
| Little Creatures Pilsner (Brewed by: Little Creatures - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught, but reviewed at home from the bottle, later on that evening. Poured into a Pils glass, highly charged bubbles raised a short lived white head of foam, atop a brilliant clear gold body. sharp, biting grassy hop aroma, with a little citrus and burnt sugar. Watery thin body, with a cardboardy palate and medium carbonation threw out any of the characteristics required of a good Pilsner. Lacked any malt depth and balancing hop notes, and resulted in nothing more than a thin, lifeless Aussie lager. Disappointing, especially being from the same brewers of an outstanding APA. | ||||
| Rogers Beer (Brewed by: Little Creatures - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 10.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.75 |
| Comments: This one I tasted from the bottle into a dimple glass. Poured an auburn, dark gold with a fluffy loose off-white head, that slowly formed a dense half inch of foam (10 for 10 on appearance). On the nose, it had an unusual peaty husk, like freshly turned soil, and a tangerine whiff underneath. Mouth feel was light and slightly watered down. Nutty flavours of cashew, pecan, and walnut seemed to balance the fruity esters of lemon and orange. A little too subtle, though, flavour wise (I like my ambers full bodied and strong) but still not a bad brew. | ||||
| Federation Wheat (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.75 |
| Comments: One of Ironbark’s original offerings, and oddly one I haven’t tried (having lived within walking distance for a few years). Tasted from the bottle and poured into a weissbier glass. Clear medium gold body with a lot of carbonation raising up to a big fluffy head that grew a good inch out the rim. The head remained for the length and left legs of bubbles down the glass. Grainy, sour-dough and wheat nose with a hint of tangy lemon. Quite spritzy in the mouth, light bodied and generally doughy in mouth-feel. Strong wheat grain flavours, tangy and sweet, with no real wheat beer esters or phenols, it almost tasted like a wheat biscuit. Finished quite crisp despite it’s unusual flavour and feel in the mouth. Overall, it wasn’t too bad a drop, unique, but easily quaffable. (33cL, 4.2% ABV) | ||||
| Cascade Pale Ale (Brewed by: Cascade Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 3.00 | Total: 3.75 |
| Comments: I did my best and judged this one with the same regard I give to all falsely named and marketed ’Ales’ or ’Top Fermenters’ in Australia (especially lagered beers passed as ales). It makes you shudder!!!. Anyway, tasted this one from the bottle. Poured a clear, pale straw with a slowly forming dense white head that managed to stick around for the length (appearance was alright!). Aroma of acrid cardboard hops (stale ?); mulling, fizzy CO2 and only the slightest hint of sugary pale malt. Inside the mouth it just got worse. Notes of corn upfront, little malt at all with bastard ’Pride of Ringwood’ hops throughout marring the palate. Rasping in the back, it finished with a short dry and bitter, grassy swallow. Made it hard to think of seconds. Not good at all, just another falsely named macro from OZ! | ||||
| Pure Blonde (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 2.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 3.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle into a tall stein, there wasn’t much ’psssft’ when I cracked it so I was oddly hoping it was flat so I could move onto better things. Clear, dull gold body with a malformed head that appeared like small globs of floating cream. Overly subtle grassy hops and salt water nose with the slightest hint of rusting car body. Dry, parching white wine and palest starchy grain flavours in the mouth, hops were singled out towards the back, raspy, grassy and sour. A few mouthfuls into it and a strong plastic-like feel and flavour took hold so I had to hasten things up and down it quickly. Only credit is that it remained crisp for the length and had little aftertaste (in this ones case a bonus). Not the best, and in these modern times a beer like this will hopefully fall short and be scrapped. (355ml, BBE 04/06) | ||||
| Holgate Brewhouse Old Pale Ale (Brewed by: Holgate Brewhouse - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: The first of the Holgate beers I have tried and overall it wasn’t too bad a drop. Seemed like a blend of an APA and an old Burton pale ale. Tasted From the bottle and poured into a stem glass, cool and not cold. Overly active bottle conditioning caused an eruption in the glass that made for a 50/50 mix of fluffy white cauliflower head and hazy, deep copper body. Head persisted so I bit it off and took in a lot of bitter spent hops before getting a waft of the pleasant aroma. Strawberries, pears, apricots and grapefruit with light peppery spices and a resinous ’forest floor’ hop note. Quite doughy and yeasty in the mouth, the fruity esters were still there from the aroma and seemed to compliment the generous toasted grain flavours. Quite zesty in the back, spritzy in carbonation across the tongue (odd as the aforementioned eruption from the glass) and medium-light bodied. Finish is long, citric and fresh. Quite generous in flavour and a bit of a dessert fruit salad in the mouth, it went down with considerable ease and made for a great beer for a long summer Sunday. Well made!!! (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| Feral Pale Ale (Brewed by: Feral Brewing Company - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.75 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at my usual watering hole, the historic Guildford Hotel, Guildford, late on a wintry Sunday. Poured a clear pale amber with a short and loose bubbly white head that left a little lace. Light grassy and citric hop aroma, not much there that I could make out as I was surrounded by Sunday revellers. Quite creamy in the mouth, fruity and lightly yeasty across the palate (a lot different from my first tasting!). Mixture of pale soft fruits, melons, peaches and apricots, lightly bitter and grassy in the back before a reasonably long tangy fruit swallow. Medium light in body and carbonation, it had an odd woody malt note that came in towards the end of the pint. Nice balance, refreshing and thirst quenching, it is still a great light quaffer that seems to have evolved for the better. A decent APA. | ||||
| Old Swan Brewery Pale Ale (Brewed by: Old Swan Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.50 |
| Comments: A decent Aussie pale ale that served to wash their wit from off my taste-buds. In a stem glass, cool and not cold as it took a bit for me to get to it after it had been served. Clear, light amber body with a compact, creamy white head that lasted for the length and left some legs. Soft, floral and citric hop aroma with a little toasted malt. Medium-light bodied and grainy dry in the mouth. Soft in carbonation, the lightly metallic, grassy and citric (orange peel) hops dominated the palate before a lightly bitter swallow that had some length. Not a bad drop, very light on in flavour but a good accompaniment to their fine cuisine. | ||||
| Old Swan Brewery Witbier (Brewed by: Old Swan Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 3.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 3.75 |
| Comments: Had high hopes for this one after tasting their ’deadly’ sessionable pilsner. Witbiers aren’t my thing and this one wasn’t exactly the highlight of the night, to say the least. Poured a hazy yellow straw with a lasting, creamy white head. Very little aroma at all that I could sense, bar a little lemon. Quite pasty, dry and overall watery in the mouth, prickly carbonation moved it across the tongue with ease leaving only hints of lemons, eggs?, and grainy wheat, before a short, clean finish. Nothing really disagreeable, it was just one-dimensional and boring to drink. Moved quickly onto their darker beers. | ||||
| Matilda Bay Sticklers Bitter (Brewed by: Matilda Bay Brewing - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.75 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at the Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge. I ordered half a pint, but was served a pint and a half, so I was hoping it would be a half decent quaffer. Pours a clear amber with a short lived head of white foam. Hops dominate the aroma, resinous, grassy and very lightly spiced. Quite fresh and reasonably floral, with only the slightest hint of toasted malt. Very similar in the mouth, with a degree of bitterness down the sides, low resinous spice, floral hop tones, a little sweetness in front and irregular light carbonation. Recipe seemed right for a good brew if it wasn’t for the overly thin, almost watered down palate. It gave the impression of where British ’pub’ beers have gone wrong in the past 50 years. Had ’Keg’ Bitter written all over it, like it was suffering from the malt tax!!! All in all, not a bad beer, easily sessionable and half way to being a ’Best Bitter’. | ||||
| St Arnou Pilsner (Brewed by: St Arnou - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: I was honestly a little sceptical of this one prior to trying it. Turned out to be quite a pleasant, easy drinking lager. Tasted on draught at the Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge. Brilliant pale straw body with an inch thick fluffy white crown that lasted for the length and left intermittent globules of bubbles down the glass. Spicy, sour lemon and orange peel nose with a hint of haystack chaff. Soft, delicate and very light bodied in the mouth; prickly carbonation gave way to flavours of sour lemon cordial, dry ’haystack’ palest malts and almost wheat like grains, before a lightly peppery, lightly bitter finish that was crisp, clean and left a lingering dry grainy and grassy taste long after the swallow. Reasonably dry whilst cold, it did show signs of sweetness coming through once it began to warm, so it was best enjoyed chilled. Quite a refreshing lager that would be dangerous come the warmer months. | ||||
| Old Swan Brewery Pilsener (Brewed by: Old Swan Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: The first off the rank on my visit to this fine micro-brewery/restaurant. On draught into a stem glass, clear dull gold body with a moderate, lasting soapy white head that left some legs. Clean, spicy and grassy hop nose, quite subtle cold but became more evident as it warmed. Light bodied, soft in carbonation and quite dry in the mouth, there were hints of haystack grain, ’zingy’ peppery hops and a nice bitter, grassy finish that was quite clean, crisp and refreshing. Not a bad effort overall. Nice session lager to go well with their extraordinarily tasty meals. | ||||
| Carlton W.A. Gold (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 3.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 3.75 |
| Comments: Wasn’t expecting much from a beer deemed to recreate the Swan Gold beer once brewed by the Swan brewery. Swan Gold wasn’t much to sing about, and this wasn’t much better. Tasted from the can into a stein glass. Clear lightest amber-gold body with ’soda stream’ carbonation raising up a thin, soapy off-white head. The head became dense after a minute or so, retained for the length and left globs of lace down the glass. Typical, late Friday night bar-mat pong for an aroma, with hints of sweaty sock and metallic bittering hops. Thinly watery in the mouth, soft in carbonation and a lot cleaner than the aroma. Flavours of lightly toasted malt seemed evident amongst the cardboard and soapy bathwater mix before a lightly bitter and metallic finish. An odd hint of parsley came in halfway through drinking, as it seemed to morph as it warmed. Even more odd, it was easy to drink with each character cancelling the next. Not bad, not good!!! (375mL, BBE 10/05) | ||||
| Moonshine Dark Scotch Ale (Brewed by: Grand Ridge Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 8.00 | Aroma: 9.00 | Taste: 9.00 | Drinkability: 9.00 | Total: 8.75 |
| Comments: Quite enjoyed this one. Actually was inspired and liked it so much that it is the first Aussie brew I’ve rated to break into the 4+ category. Tasted it from a bottle I had stored for about 18 months and poured it into a chalice around cellar temperature. Tawny garnet brown body with the clarity of honey. Managed only a thin, creamy beige head that left a little legs. Hugely rich, rum and raisin pudding nose with wafts of tree-bark, biting, spicy phenols and molasses. Thick, velvety and syrupy in the mouth; very soft in carbonation and smooth like nectar. More fruits like raisins and sultanas in the mouth, lightly spicy and savoury, juicy and sweet (without becoming cloying). Moves in and out malt wise, between chocolate, cookie dough and bready yeasty flavours, and the finish had notes of red wine (claret perhaps?) before some more meaty malt that lingers long after the swallow. Alcohol was so meticulously well hidden under its balanced, flavoursome palate. This made most 90/-’s look like preschoolers. A lovely slow sipper!!! (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| Supershine (Brewed by: Grand Ridge Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 8.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.50 |
| Comments: After downing an old bottle of Moonshine, I could have easily drank Pilsners for the rest of the evening, but instead opted for an 18 month old bottle of this. Poured into a chalice at around cellar temperature. Murky looking, tawny brown body with a wafer thin, creamy and tight beige head that left legs down the glass. Strong and generous fruitcake nose, with a light note of vegemite, molasses, peppery spices and tangy fruit peel. Thick, treacly body, very light in carbonation and smooth like a fine port. Strong fruitcake flavours similar to the aroma, raisins, spicy and savoury sultanas and more tangy orange peel mingled with notes of brandy, vegemite and doughy dark malts. Finish is long, warming, malty and slightly alcohol husky. For its strength the alcohol seemed quite controlled, yet one was still enough. This was the Australian equivalent of a Gulden Draak. A very slow sipping, winter warmer. Quite nice. (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| Colonial Big Blow Spring Ale (Brewed by: Colonial Brewing Co - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: Finally made it down to Colonial to sample some of there beers only to find they are now available bottled and home delivered. There seasonals, like this one, are exclusive to the brewery so I had to get a couple of these in me with my meal to welcome in the unusually cold spring. On draught into a tall pint glass, hazy yellowish gold body with an initially big fluffy white head that died back to leave a lather of obscure foam dregs down the glass. Light, citric-tangy lemon nose with a hint of fresh picked herbs and strong clove-like phenols. Light bodied in the mouth and lively across the tongue. Flavours of sour lemon, bubblegum and banana for sweetness and a light amount of spice toward the back before a long, fresh and tangy, wheat and lemon swallow that lingers in the mouth. Quite a nice drop that went down with ease, even with the unseasonably cold weather. Worth the long trip south. | ||||
| Cherry Ale (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 5.25 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle (4.8% abv) and poured into a tulip glass, the initial appearance was reminiscent of a good Kriekbier. Hazy deep copper-red body with a huge pinkish beige head that rose out the glass, and lasted until the end. Sweet and quite tart cherry nose, with little else. Cherries in the mouth, also, were dominant over the minimal malt tones. A little bittering hops seemed distant to the fruity palate. Cherries follow long into the aftertaste making it a refreshing, but not at all sessionable beer. A little roasted barley and wheat malt wouldn’t go astray, to make this go down quicker, especially coming into the winter months. As is, it’s a favourite for my wife and her girlfriends!!! | ||||
| James Squire Colonial Wheat Beer (Brewed by: Malt Shovel Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 3.00 | Total: 4.00 |
| Comments: Tasted 2002 batch and 2003 batch (must be seasonal). Both were disappointing. Each poured a hazy yellow gold, with a thin soapy white head. Fruity, sweet nose and very light clove-like phenols. 1st sample, taste was initially of grainy wheat and table sugar with a peppery bite and banana gumminess. 2nd sample tasted like unfermented sugars, citric acid and bubblegum. Unbalanced, with that cloying banana flavour again. Both were very light bodied and gassy (biting). Overall, I just hope I got two bad samples as they were both overly sweet versions of ’Hefe weiss’ biers. One was enough! | ||||
| Ironbock (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at the brewery. Pours a hazy light brown, with a short creamy off-white head that lasted and left minimal legs. Sweet, nutty malt nose with very low leafy hop tones coming through with a bite. Light bodied in the mouth, quite sweet with a decent mix of toffee and toasted grain, and a lightly bitter, malty finish. Quite a decent lager, malty and sweet but a little undemanding. | ||||
| Iron Bark Amber Stout (Brewed by: Ironbark Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 8.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.50 |
| Comments: Didn’t quite know what to expect from the name. Seems to be the new and improved version of the Ebony Stout, as this was a nice beer and easily the best offering from this tiny brewer. Tasted from the bottle and poured into a stumpy tulip glass, cool and not cold. Black as night body with only a shimmer of brown coming through in the shallow of the glass. Head formed quickly, a half inch thick and loosely frothy tannish crown that dissipated back a little and left some lace. Rich molasses and dark chocolate truffle nose with a hint of burnt stick. Lighter than expected body in the mouth, yet soft in carbonation and reasonably smooth. Burnt grain, biscuity malts, molasses and chocolate flavours dominated the palate, becoming dry towards the back and finishing with a bitter and smoky, espresso coffee bean swallow that lingered long between mouthfuls. Actually is a nice stout and with it’s lighter body it would make a great summer quaffer. (33cL, 4.4% ABV) | ||||
| Holgate Brewhouse Mt Macedon Ale (Brewed by: Holgate Brewhouse - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.75 |
| Comments: Tasted this one immediately after tasting the Old pale ale and, personally, it was a little lacklustre by comparison. Poured into a chalice, hazy yellow gold body with a huge white, cauliflower head that rose a good inch out the glass. Head lasted and left foamy clumps down the sides. Strong pear, grapefruit and apple nose with a light sour and herbal, grassy note. Light bodied and zesty in the mouth, quite smooth and soft in carbonation. Flavour was very subtle, tangy and fruity with pears and citrus fruits, grassy herbal hops and a lot of yeast. Finish is sweet, fruity and a little clammy, with a long lingering tangy fruit aftertaste. A little light on by standard as Australia is starting to produce some fine pale ales, but still a decent quaffer. (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| XXXX Gold (Brewed by: Castlemaine Perkins - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 1.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 1.00 | Total: 1.00 |
| Comments: It has taken me years to finally taste this one and I’m now struggling to erase the nightmare. Is this Australia’s worst beer or did I just land a dud. Label read brewed with XXXX Golden hops, what the hell are they? Poured into a stein glass it looked like the urine of a dehydrated man, clear yellow-gold, with large irregular bubbles raising only the thinnest foam lather. Dank liquor, skunky egg and shrimp broth nose with soggy cardboard and a metallic zing that added to the chaos. The aroma followed straight through into the mouth with each sip making it really hard to palate. Metal shards, dish-washing liquid, artificial sweetener and cardboard made up this stomach churner, harsh biting carbonation upfront that became flat and lifeless in the back before a chemical ’pool-cleaner’ swallow that truly ended it on a good note. I thought Boag’s St. George was bad but this took Aussie macro-swill to a whole new level. Woeful. (375ml bottle, BBE 03/06) | ||||
| Carlton Premium Dry (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 2.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 1.00 | Total: 1.25 |
| Comments: Tasted from the bottle (355ml, 4.5% ABV) and poured into a tallboy. Clear pale gold, with irregular carbonation holding up a decent fluffy white head, that lasted and left foam lacing down the glass. Appearance was alright, but the beer was not. I had just tasted a Boag’s St. George and this suffered from the same adjunct ridden, yeast infected aroma. Corn, DMS boiled vegie’ water and a sour hop note that turned my stomach. Thankfully it was quite clean in the mouth, but the aroma still lingered. Feather weight in body and biting in carbonation, with an acrid ’Tonic water’ and cardboard feel that left little to impress. Anything detected on the tongue was that light on that it borderlined on tasteless, and the crisp dry finish left me wondering if I was drinking beer at all. The only good point to this beer was that the liquor used was extremely clean. Another embarrassing marketing blunder by yet another macro ’bean counter’. | ||||
| Ice Beer (Brewed by: Lion Nathan - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 2.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 1.75 |
| Comments: WHAT HAPPENED, this beer was barely drinkable ten years ago and now it’s, albeit still barely drinkable, weaker in alcohol. Without malt and hops that could only mean watered down. As a younger lad this was our poison, a 5.2% monster that went down with ease as long as it was close to frozen. It has since changed from 5.2, to 4.6, to 4.2, and now weighs in at a miserly 4.0%. What is Lion Nathan doing weakening an already pitiful Dry lager!?! Poured into a tallboy glass, clear medium gold body with big ’frumpy’ bubbles erupting to a short soapy and artificial looking white head. Raspy mineral and sour lemon nose, quite clean yet with an odd hint of castor oil. Sprightly and quite lively in the mouth, it had the overall feel of tonic water with only a little cardboard and lemon pulp to save it from being tasteless. Very light in body, very clean and remained crisp for the length, it had a little note of oxidisation that lingered between mouthfuls, so I guess it needs to be downed in quick succession. I drank it as a kid, to get drunk like the rest, but now it cannot even serve that purpose. Nothing disagreeable, it’s just not beer, really!!! (34.5cL bottle, BBE 01/06) | ||||
| Carlton LJ (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 3.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: The final thread of the ’gimmicky’ macro-lagers available from my friendly local. As far as I knew a joule was a metric measurement of energy, which means this one could help in depressing the mind rather than uplifting it. I am sure it wasn’t an angle the brewer was after. Poured into a tallboy glass, a thin lather of foam floated atop a clear medium gold body. Head became dense and left a lot of dried suds down the glass. Not much aroma to speak of, cordial-like and slightly tinny. Thinly watery in the mouth, lightly carbonated and as oxidised as a 20 year old Datsun. Had the presence of a flat soda and came across as completely artificial, but it was hard to tell as it was completely lifeless. Oddly it went down without too much of a fuss and seemed a little better than some of the more offensive of the CUB offerings. | ||||
| Swan Mid (Brewed by: Lion Nathan - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 2.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 1.75 |
| Comments: Another dreadful ’mass-market’ swill to add to the many beers I will hopefully never encounter again. Tasted from the bottle into a tall stein. Clear medium gold body with a decent looking (albeit artificial), big fluffy white head that remained for the length and left rings down the glass. Raspy and biting, grassy hop nose with hints of honey and egg yolks. In the mouth the hops were in full force, raspy, acrid, sour and bitter, completely unbalancing this light bodied lager. Quite watery, otherwise, with lightly biting carbonation not at all helping things. Slight hint of malt and corn upfront with a general plastic flavour and feel mid-palate, before a reasonably bitter finish that saw the flavour of hop leaves linger in the mouth between swallows. Not one for me! (375mL, BBE 09/05) | ||||
| Tooheys Extra Dry (Brewed by: Lion Nathan - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: Beware beer in clear bottles! Poured a brilliant pale gold. Highly charged carbonation raised a decent, albeit artificial, fluffy white head that rose an inch out the rim of the glass. Head lasted the distance and left a little legs. Quite an attractive beer, if it could only stay in the glass then it may have made the grade. Feint skunky and oddly earthy, grain-husk aroma; if you could call it that as it was barely traceable. Surprisingly flat and lifeless in the mouth (considering the jets of bubbles in the appearance), light bodied and lightly metallic giving it the typical Toohey’s flavour, only watered down. Not overly dry, more pasty and slightly soapy on the palate, and the finish is short, flavourless and equally forgettable. No malt is present but it has a little sweetness that becomes sickly as it warms. Overall, just another brain-dead macro-lager that needs to be chilled in order to be enjoyed. Not offensive, just bland. | ||||
| Duckstein Classic Pils (Brewed by: Duckstein Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.00 |
| Comments: Tasted on Draught at the brewery/restaurant. Pours a crystal clear pale straw with a short dense, soapy white head. Leafy and grassy, bitter hop nose, with only a hint of grain. Hops follow into the mouth with a generous bittering bite. Grassy sides and a little malt and sweet honey upfront, low lemon notes and husky grains mid palate. Quite clean throughout, with reasonable balance, light bodied and crisply refreshing. This was the last beer I tasted for the day and it turned out to be the best. Quite nice!! | ||||
| Duckstein Altfränchiser (Brewed by: Duckstein Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.50 |
| Comments: My second tasting from this small German Brewery in the heart of the ’Valley’. Pours a brilliant deep amber, with a short dense, mostly lasting, off-white head. Malt is dominant in the aroma over the grassy and lightly bitter hops. Sweet Munich nose, woody and a little nutty. Lightly roasted malt in the mouth, vanilla flavours upfront and grassy hops down the side giving a degree of bitterness. Finishes with a short bitter swallow. Light in body and carbonation, and mildly soapy across the palate. Overall it is refreshing but overly subtle in the mouth. Taste is along the same lines as their Holsteiner, as though this is the bigger, maltier brother. A decent thirst quencher. | ||||
| Duckstein Schwarzbier (Brewed by: Duckstein Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.25 |
| Comments: Tasted on Draught at the brewery/restaurant, during my lovely meal of Bratwurst Sausage and sauerkraut. Poured into a tall stein it assumed a ’Coca-cola’ look before I could even sit down. Deep ruby brown, almost black and quite clear, with spritzy carbonation failing to raise a head. Very feint marmite, yeast and lightly roasted grain aroma. In the mouth the flavours are on the money for it’s style, but are heavily subdued. Sweet malt upfront, burnt sugars, chocolate and a little nuttiness (seemed a trait for most of their beers), with a short malty-bitter swallow. Thin bodied with a little carbonic bite on the front of the tongue, but otherwise nicely balanced. If it wasn’t so light on in the mouth this would be a great Schwarzbier, but as is it is still quite a nice drop!!! | ||||
| Duckstein Hefeweizen (Brewed by: Duckstein Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 4.75 |
| Comments: Tasted on draught at the brewery. Pours a hazy gold, with little head retention. Big fluffy white head, when poured, didn’t quite make it back to the table. Very feint orange zest and banana sweet nose, with an equally feint hint of spice. Lactic, yeasty, orange and citric sweet flavours in the mouth. Thin bodied and spritzy in carbonation. Very subdued clove-like phenols add a balance, and it finishes off quite crisp in the back, and mildly sweet. A good sessionable beer, as it is quite refreshing, but it is a little too light on in the flavour and aroma. | ||||
| Last Drop Brewery Dark (Brewed by: Last Drop Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 6.25 |
| Comments: The second beer I tried at their new Canningvale Brewery/restaurant and the better of the two. Served up alongside some Turkish bread, dips and pumpkin soup, and it did compliment the food well. 100% for presentation. Thick as whipped cream tannish head, lasting and left rings down the glass. Deep brownish black with a little ruby in the lights and completely opaque. Sadly there was almost no noticeable aroma apart from some husky dark malt, due to the very low carbonation. Dry and husky in the mouth, and almost still, with flavours of coffee grains, toasted malt and dusty cocoa powder. Had a lot of grassy hops present in the back and blended with the malt to give a nice bitter finish and a husky roasted grain aftertaste. Not a fan off nitrogenated beers but this had a decent amount of flavour and body that stopped it from becoming lifeless. Nice easy sipper, and served up in the surrounds of one of the most impressive brewpubs in Perth made it even better. Quite nice. | ||||
| Last Drop Brewery Pilsener (Brewed by: Last Drop Brewery - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.00 |
| Comments: The first beer I got to try from their new Brewery/restaurant in Canningvale. An impressive set up indeed where the wort is brought from Bedfordale for fermentation and is served fresh from the conical fermenters behind the bar. Hazy orange gold body with a fairly dense white crown that stuck around for the length. Overly subtle lemon and grain aroma, and nothing much else I could detect. Light bodied, crisp and quite fresh in flavour. Dry, pasty yeast and grain across the tongue, lemons and grassy hops in the back and a citric orange flavour to balance, that became more pronounced once it warmed. Finish is short and crisp with only a little bitterness. Overly subtle and served a little too cold, it did get better warm and remained quite refreshing all the way down. A little light on but dangerously easy to drink. | ||||
| Boags St George (Brewed by: J Boag and Son - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 1.00 | Aroma: 1.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 1.00 | Total: 1.00 |
| Comments: Geez, why did I bother, I honestly struggled with this one. Good old St. George didn’t need a sword to slay the dragon, he could have simply used this beer to poison it! Tasted from the slimline clear bottle, and poured into a tallboy glass. Clear ’urine coloured’ pale straw, with an artificially carbonated fluffy white head that rose a good inch out the glass. Dank, skunky and DMS riddled nose (like boiled cabbage) with a light soda-pop and white wine note giving that all too artificial trait seen in most adjunct ridden lagers. Tinny and lightly metallic in the mouth, ultra feather weight and slick as butter, it was obscenely watery and starchy (like unrinsed boiled rice) before a forgettable crisp swallow. Oddly the only hint of citrus I got came long after the swallow, reminiscent of watered down cordial. Halfway through the glass I had a look of desperation on my face as I have never once tipped a beer down the drain, this one came oh-so close. Absolutely woeful!! | ||||
| Fosters Light Ice (Brewed by: Fosters Group - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 2.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 1.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 1.75 |
| Comments: Well, I knew it would come up some time after running low on the available brews in the fridge of my local beer shop. Sometimes tasting swill brings out ones creative side when it comes to rating it, but this one just seemed depressing so I’ll do my best. Tasted from the bottle into a tall stem glass. Bright medium gold body with a dense, mostly diminishing, lather of white bubbles that managed legs down the glass. Oddly, it was quite attractive in the glass without that all too artificial look of most Aussie lagers. Old staling mown grass left in the sun and a hint of baby puke made up the unappealing aroma. Thin, watery and lightweight in the mouth, yet oddly gluggy in the finish and restless once it reached my stomach. There’s hints of bready malt and soggy ’bin day’ cardboard, so atleast it wasn’t void of flavour, and the finish is sour and puckering like a white wine spritzer. As it warmed it became soapy and slick, so its obvious serving temperature must be near frozen. Not the worst of the Aussie macro’s to say the least but it was one I was glad to get out of the way and now forget. (355ml, BBE 03/06) | ||||
| Feral Belgium White (Brewed by: Feral Brewing Company - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 5.50 |
| Comments: Tasted on Draught at the Guildford Hotel, Guildford. This ale is brewed without hops, keeping true to the style. I like it for that, but talk about easy to drink. In the glass, the cloudiness is offset by the very pale body and small tight white head. Soft wheaty and yeasty citric nose with an even lighter note of phenolic spice. Light in body, prickly in carbonation and yeasty, which develops smooth. Subtle tartness from the citrus/coriander mix, and a grainy mouthfeel make this a great beer for the Australian Summer, and it remains crisp, citric and fresh for the length. Not quite a Belgian classic but a good foreign representation of this style | ||||
| Mountain Goat India Pale Ale (Brewed by: Mountain Goat - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.25 |
| Comments: Quite enjoyed this one. I don’t know whether it was it’s simplicity or pleasant drinking quality, but it sure did go down with ease. Tasted form the bottle into a tulip glass, quite cool. Poured an opaque sandy, yellow-gold with mere islands of creamy froth floating in the centre of the glass. No true head to speak of but it did manage a little legs. Dry, grassy and slightly spicy citric nose with an odd-ball hint of sherbet. The aroma was quite soft, but the beer was ample flavoursome enough in the mouth. Generously malty, fresh and clean in taste. Toasted, sweetish grains were dominant with a mix of citric flavours, tangerine and sweet lemon concentrate; bready, doughy yeast smoothing it all out and grassy, bittering hops that ended it all short and quite crisp. Not complex, but definitely well made. Easy quaffer!!!. (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| Holgate Brewhouse Winter Ale (Brewed by: Holgate Brewhouse - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 6.75 |
| Comments: Poured into a large chalice to take the exorbitant flurry of bubbles that rose a 2" dense tan head that formed, lasted and laced rings down the glass. The body of beer a deep cola brown and almost opaque. Overall an impressive looking beer once it settled. Dry chocolate and vinous red-wine aroma with a little herbal and grassy hops. A little biting in carbonation in the mouth at first but this waned quickly and became quite smooth once it warmed to room temperature. Cocoa powder, roasted grain and the doughy, bready yeast found in most Holgate beers, with a light vinous and almost puckering note in the back that borderlined on astringent, Finish is reasonably long and dry with a mix of cocoa and dark malts. Very simple, and yet easily sessionable winter ale. It would be nice if the amps were turned up a little but otherwise it wasn’t that bad a drop. Quite nice. (33cL, age unknown) | ||||
| Boags Honey Porter (Brewed by: J Boag and Son - Reviewed: November 2005) | ||||
| Colour: 8.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 6.50 |
| Comments: Credit where credits due, this wasn’t too bad a drop and as far as James Boag’s pathetic attempts to grab the attention of the weary Aussie beer drinker with poor advertising campaigns, this one failed to even rate a mention. Why?, it is easily the most drinkable of the Boag’s beers and for the ’Strongarm’ to rate higher is a disgrace and an embarrassment to us beer loving Aussies. Now I’ve had my whinge, on with the beer. Tasted from the bottle and poured into a stumpy tulip glass. Clear, deep russet-brown with a short, tight and lasting off-white head that left rings down the glass. Presentation was actually wonderful and yes, London’s original Entire Butt Porters were russet brown in colour, clear to hazy in clarity, and crowned by a short off-white to tan head. Woody, ’tree-bark’ aroma with a light burnt sugar and earthy hop note that seemed tinged only by a metallic edge that seems common amongst Boag’s beers. Quite unexpectedly smooth, dry and woody in the mouth, a little too thin in body but soft in carbonation as to heighten its overall mouth-feel. Honey flavour is there, but blends nicely with the dry, dark and earthy malts, and grassy, slightly out of place, hop flavours before finishing off long, dry and reasonably malty. Quite a surprise, personally, as I rate Boag’s beers as some of the lowest of the Macro’s, and many new beers that come onto the market are generally only there for the gimmick value, but this seemed quite distant. Not bad and I hope Boag’s continue to brew this and maybe eliminate some of the others. Quaffable!!! | ||||
| Smoky Bishop Dark Lager (Brewed by: Matsos Broome Brewery - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 7.00 | Total: 5.75 |
| Comments: Starting off my day at the Freo’ Beer fest with a light coloured wheat beer, it was great for this to come in second. Not that I have a dark beer bias, it’s just I love the flavour and depth that malt produces in beers. This was a session beer, even with the small sample I received. On draught; poured a tawny, brownish amber with a thin, dense off-white head that left some legs. Dry, pasty and nutty malts on the nose. Lighter notes of burnt sugar, wood and cocoa come in late to join the first sip. Rich, oddly tannic, chocolate malts in the mouth which dry out just before the swallow with a touch of burnt wood. Deeper malt flavours, some peppery spices and a hint of orange peel comes in as it warms showing this would taste better had it not been chilled from the keg. It’s quite light in body and yet smooth in comparison to the Monsoon Blonde, and the finish is similar to the palate showing some good length. Could have passed for a Strong mild as it could easily be knocked back in quick succession. Not bad, now I just got to hunt down the ESB. | ||||
| Monssonal Blonde (Brewed by: Matsos Broome Brewery - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 5.25 |
| Comments: First beer off the rank at Fremantle’s International ’How much can you drink?’ fest. Honestly was a great day for myself; wife’s at work, stinkin’ hot, not much shade and a couple of thousand tanked Sand groper’s bouncing around demanding more beer for their enjoyment. Anyway, onto the beer. Tasted on draught; opaque lemony straw body through the plastic cup. Decent sized head formed that managed to last and trail globs of sticky froth in it’s wake. Tangy wheat nose with a balance of tart ginger, grapefruit and pineapple. Wheat flavour is predominant in the mouth, quite grainy and pasty with undertones of pine-nuts, light biting herbs and a souring malt edge down the sides. Very light in body and a little too charged in carbonation which affected the mouthfeel. Becomes tangy in the back as it warms but still finishes rather fresh with a light hint of grainy wheat, ginger-root and pineapple. This was a little undemanding, but it was refreshing so for that it did its job. Matso’s had the busiest tent of the event for the time I was there so this one must also agree with the younger patrons who turned up in there droves. Easy drinker. | ||||
| Hahn Premium (Brewed by: Lion Nathan - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 2.00 | Total: 2.25 |
| Comments: Realised I hadn't yet tasted this gem so off to the bottlo I go. Poured a brilliant yellow-gold with a heavy charge of carbonation raising up a fine layer of artificial foam that lasted and left rings daubed down the glass. Complex, yummy aroma of sourdough, eggs, plasticine and the fur of a wet cat with just a pinch of lemon and lawn clippings coming in late. The use of Hersbrucker should be outlawed on this one as it has the flavour, but the combination is woeful to say the least. Lightly puckering lemon and citrus notes intermingle with some plastic and ’Trix’ dishwashing liquid flavours giving it the feel of hydraulic fluid on the tongue (An educated guess!?!). Its soft carbonation, light body and lack of bitterness in the back gives a full run of the tongue to some sweet castor sugar and corn flavours that don’t sit too well. Finish is all ’Pride’ and washing detergent as it slicks it’s way south to sit heavy in the stomach. Worse than I expected. A beer to be proud of, Chuck! (375mL, 10/07/06) | ||||
| Sail & Anchor Chilli Beer (Brewed by: Sail and Anchor Brewery Hotel - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 3.00 | Aroma: 2.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 3.50 |
| Comments: Back behind the bar for another season, I finally got to try this with a well planned side of wedges and sour cream, at the Queens Hotel in Mt. Lawley. Poured slightly hazy; a burnished copper hue with no head and very little carbonation (unclean glass, lack of body or is it the chillies?). Not much aroma; tangy chilli note with some cardboard and honey. Chillies in the mouth start it off with all guns blazing, err,.. literally. In fact for the first few mouthfuls it was all chillies, like the butt of ripe red chilli bombs, with a light tang and then all acid and heat. I love my chillies so this wasn’t actually that bad. Light in body with the feel of a champagne on the tongue with pepper heating up the lips and all the way down the throat. Half way through lighter fruit and yeasty notes build, but otherwise it remains a fiery little number with those chillies lingering long afterwards. Pass me the bottle of milk? | ||||
| Premium Lager (Brewed by: Coopers Brewery - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 2.00 | Drinkability: 4.00 | Total: 3.50 |
| Comments: Poured a rather sunny shade of gold, quite clear with very fine carbonation raising up to a dense, lather of white foam that lasted and left some legs. Appearance was just above the average of the other 2000 Aussie pale lagers. Quite subtle in aroma but what I did get had warning signs on it. Lightly tinny edge to a weird blend of vinegar and nail polish remover alongside some nasties usually associated with high gravity brewing. Light notes of castor sugar lace the tongue with a hint of peppery Saaz hops in the back before all ’Pride’ in the finish. If you could hold it in the mouth without swallowing, this would possibly pass as a decent lager, but alas this is not wine-tasting. Light in body and it slowly sinks into soapy on the tongue as it warms. Aftertaste was a killer and reminded me of younger days swilling cans of Export with that lovely metal shards and rusty nail flavour. There’s not enough in this one to excite, and with the pressure now coming from inside the ranks of Cooper’s, beers like this aren’t going to save them. Disappointing!!! (375mL, No Use-by, Int’l Beer Shop, W. Leederville) | ||||
| Coopers Regency Light (Brewed by: Coopers Brewery - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 3.00 | Taste: 3.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.00 |
| Comments: As far as Light lagers go I can't say this is too bad a drop. Poured quite a lively, brilliantly clear palest yellow gold with a huge pillowy white head that lasted and daubed fluff all down the glass. Tinny, slightly metallic hop and cardboardy malt nose with nothing really else. Quite soft in the mouth in all aspects. Soapy, light body with very soft carbonation. Slightly plastic towards the back, sweet upfront with a dash of peppery, grassy hops coming in just before the short and crisp swallow. Nothing off-putting. Certainly some N/A beers would rate higher in the flavour department, but this was easy to drink. Just not a huge fan of light lagers. (375mL, BB 06/08/06) | ||||
| Cascade Amber Ale (Brewed by: Cascade Brewery - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 5.00 | Aroma: 4.00 | Taste: 4.00 | Drinkability: 4.00 | Total: 4.25 |
| Comments: Bearing the similarly designed label of the blonde and coming after a bunch of colloquial ’Aussieland in colonial time’ ads that did more to embarrass Australians with entendre humour than to invoke the spirituous green and gold. Not without few words to say about the beer before tasting I was quite surprised by this one, atleast after downing the blonde. Boring but different, this was a new macro I could easily sink in bulk. Pours a clear light amber and left aside for a moment it managed a compact layer of beige cream that lasted and left trails of lace. Slightly tannic in the nose; earthy, toasted malt and a hint of out-of-date hops and marmalade that weren’t too bad a combination to sniff. Disappointing, but not surprisingly, thin and watery in the mouth. Very soft in carbonation and mostly citric in flavour for the first few gulps. Orange peel gives it a zing with a balance of dry, woody toasted malts. Staling, grassy hops finish it off and linger ever so softly with that ever present woody note. It actually all worked, and if it wasn’t watery thin it would be a decent effort. Average!!! (375mL, BB 12/06/06) | ||||
| Spruikers Challenge (Brewed by: Colonial Brewing Co - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 8.00 | Aroma: 8.00 | Taste: 7.00 | Drinkability: 9.00 | Total: 8.00 |
| Comments: Possibly the best off the Colonial ranks so far and a brilliant example of a Kölsch so I’d have to say ’well done and cheers!’. Tasted from the bottle into a stumpy tulip glass. Very lightly hazy, pale yellow-gold body with intermittent fine carbonation raising up a dense snow-white head of foam that stuck around for the length and left trails of lace in its wake. Juicy, spicy and summery cantaloupe, passion-fruit and pear nose with a light hint of doughy malt that made it even more inviting. Soft and smooth in mouthfeel. Lightly prickly in carbonation and as juicy as the aroma. Fruits dominate the palate; pears, passion-fruit, mandarins, cantaloupe and other summer delights mingle and linger in the mouth even long after the swallow. Grassy, lightly bitter hops come in late and finish it off nicely. The gentlest piney, woody note is in there also, a similar trait I noticed in their ’Pistol Whip’ Bitter. Beautifully balanced thirst quencher that had the long hot summers of Oz beat. I honestly liked this one so I think I’ll have another!!! (33cL, bottling date unknown) | ||||
| Dr Quick Strong Ale (Brewed by: Colonial Brewing Co - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 7.00 | Aroma: 7.00 | Taste: 6.00 | Drinkability: 8.00 | Total: 7.00 |
| Comments: Not my first try of this little devil. It seems to go down with the ease of an early IPA, so I just enjoyed drinking it without a thought to rating it. Tasted from the bottle into a flute glass, cool and not cold. Pours a deep burnished amber, hazy and opaque, with a lot of protein ’floaties’ darting about. The head slowly formed late after settling; creamy and dense, but quite short, leaving a little legs in its wake. Soft bready, vanilla and sweet toffee nose with toasted malt coming in and a hint of citric fruit. Quite nice. Strong citric orange flavours in the mouth with a good dose of hops in the back that really dominated the palate for the first few sips. Peppery spicy and raspy herbal hops, that balanced the sweet toffee and toasted malts that soon became pronounced, yet still dwindled in favour of the fruity esters. Finish is long and similarly fruity and tangy. Medium bodied, very soft in carbonation and in good control of its ABV, it goes down without a fuss, but doesn’t seem to be one you could sit on all night. A surprisingly good ale from a surprisingly good brewery. Keep them coming. Cheers! (33cL, no bottling date). Re-try:- Held a dozen on for only a few months and it is really starting to get good. Aroma of fresh pulped oranges, tree-bark and a little shaved fruit rind. Citrus dominates the palate with a concentration that rules only vodka could tame it. And yet it’s subtle complexities have been lost so that the alcohol has tamed it (in a really good way). Sweet; prickly in carbonation and smooth in the rear. Flavours of orange concentrate, fresh cracked pepper and a very light note of spicy, water soaked herbs. Though lacking complexity, it has become a joy to drink. Still one to make a mockery out of the ABV, A session of these are a little too easy. One I’ve grown to love (home-delivered). | ||||
| 18 Hands Brown Ale (Brewed by: Colonial Brewing Co - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 6.00 | Aroma: 6.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 6.00 | Total: 5.75 |
| Comments: Another gem from this South West brewer, and delivered to my door just in time for Chrissie. Pours a dark cola brown, quite clear, with a tinge of maroon coming through. Head slowly formed and filled the top with a creamy tannish layer that remained ’til the finish. Deep malty and slightly earthy bitter/sweet chocolate nose with a light note of coffee beans. Quite dry in the mouth; malty and earthy with a strong hint of dusty cocoa and chocolate similar to the aroma, and a lighlty roasted malt bitter back end. Medium bodied, smooth and soft in carbonation giving the generous malty flavours room to fill the mouth and follow long into a deliciously dry, malty swallow that had a hint of the missing coffee beans. This was tasty. Easily a session Brown ale and yet just as easily a quiet sipper. Quite nice!!! (33cL, bottling date unknown) | ||||
| Ginja (Brewed by: Port Dock Brewery Hotel - Reviewed: April 2006) | ||||
| Colour: 4.00 | Aroma: 5.00 | Taste: 5.00 | Drinkability: 5.00 | Total: 4.75 |
| Comments: Surprisingly pleasant Ginger ale you feel like drinking in place of a can of coke for the lunchtime meal. Poured a medium burnished gold, quite clear, with a white head that formed on the pour, died back and later regrouped as a thin dense pad. Quite pleasant and generous in the nose; spicy, woody and lightly sweet ginger aroma with a backing note of fresh crushed pasty nuts like pistachio or macadamia. Quite soft and almost gooey in the mouth, not overly strong in the ginger department, but there was a sweetness to it suiting its low ABV. The carbonation was pleasant and a light earthy and zesty ginger flavour mixed well with doughy malt notes and a hint of vanilla up front. Light in body and creamy, it finished off quite crisp with a little lingering ginger gumminess that was quite nice for the style. This was easy to drink and as I love a good ginger ale it made a pleasant change from beer for just one night. Now if the boss would only let me down these at work!?! Hmmm... (33cL, 12/05/06) | ||||