TASTING
Sydney Brewery Pyrmont Rye IPA 6.5% ABV, 355ml can Emanating bold aromatics straight off the pour, this brew caused instant salivation. Deep pine, citrus, grapefruit and a peppery rye spice jumped through the tight white foam. A full-bodied palate was immersed in a predominately tropical fruit hop flavour. Delicate caramel malt and a light toasted peppercorn proceeded a lingering clean bitterness over a dry finish. Kudos to the brewers for delivering a perfectly balanced beer in amongst so much flavour. We’ve already hunted down more for the beer fridge! Style: Rye IPA Glass: A big one Food Match: Weiner schnitzel Sydneybrewery.com
Veltins Pilsener 4.8% ABV, 330ml The trouble with importing pilsners is that they’re delicate beasts. After weeks and weeks of cold maturation or lagering and only kettle hops for flavour, they don’t survive the journey in an unrefrigerated shipping container well at all. However, Veltins is a great example of a commercial German Pilsener that has been made for nigh on 200 years, so even with the travails of travel it is worth a go. Clean, crisp, bitter and smooth and just made to be drunk with a large hunk of dead animal. Style: German Pilsner Glass: Pilsner Food Match: Schnitzel & chips Veltins.com
Red Hill Brewery Imperial Stout 8.1% ABV, 330ml Red Hill Brewery is an independent microbrewery situated among its own hop garden on the Mornington Peninsula. It’s always exciting to see this little black beauty on the shelves and it delivered a lusciously delicious flavour as expected. Poured into a wide tulip glass, the foam was thick and creamy and the balanced mocha/coffee notes rose up quickly. Rich and smooth with a chocolate sweetness and slight liquorice bite, it finished with a rounded bitterness that was lingering but not dominating. Style: Imperial stout Glass: Tulip Food Match: Home-made tiramisu Redhillbrewery.com.au
Bridge Road Brewers Wild Red Sweet Flemish Brett 6.5% ABV, 330ml Exploring yeast and fermentation with this series is worth it. This one combines different commercial yeast strains, different Brett strains and in this case Brettanomyces bruxellensis. The end result is an upfront and funky, slightly sharp aroma with a hint of sweet, almost jammy fruit notes. These flavours transition through to the palate and provide a slight dryness that builds a little with each sip but doesn’t become astringent over time. Well balanced. Style: Barrel fermented red ale Glass: Tulip Food match: Range of pâté and cheese Bridgeroadbrewers.com.au
Fixation Squish Citrus IPA
Coopers 2017 Vintage Ale
Mismatch Brewing Co. Evil Archies Red IPA
Bridge Road Brewers Wild Red American Ale
5.9% ABV, 330ml can Popular IPA experts Fixation Brewing Company recently released Squish as their first packaged beer, after pilot batches of the beer proved popular around the country. Aromas of pine and tropical fruit lead into a really clean palate, with a great residual bitterness that invites you back for another sip, and some citrus hints thanks to the addition of grapefruit and blood orange. Fresh and quaffable, expect to see cans of this at a BBQ or two once the weather warms. Style: Fruit IPA Glass: IPA Food match: Prawns with chilli aioli Fixationbrewing.com.au
7.5% ABV, 355ml The 2017 edition of this annual and popular release from Coopers pours a gorgeous crimson red. As always, it’s superbly well balanced with a robust malt character. Flavours of caramel, honey, roasted hazelnuts are backed up by a warming alcohol presence, and there’s a subtle range of fruity aromas that peek through thanks to the use of Denali and Calypso hops. At 50 IBU, there’s no overbearing bitterness. Style: English strong ale Glass: Snifter Food match: Venison stew Coopers.com.au
6.66% ABV, 375ml can This is a very bitter beer. Not just bitter as a perfect foil to what is a rather lovely rounded rich malt character, but bitter as in the long lingering harsh bitterness left after a long and acrimonious divorce. It does however live up to the Evil moniker and in that case the marketing is accurate. If we assume this was all intentional, and there’s some pleasure in pain, then it’s done well; the dense head retention and clean hop flavours would certainly back up this assumption. Evil indeed. Style: Red IPA Glass: Straight-sided half pint Food Match: Pepperoni pizza Mismatchbrewing.com.au
8.1% ABV, 330ml With many of Australia’s brewers trying their hand at what is an ancient style of beer production, we have much to learn and shall have much fun on the way. This sour beer hits many of the right notes with balanced, complex sourness mainly from lactic. But the barrel has played more than its fair share in this beer and is highly dominant. There will be those that love the aggressive woodiness; indeed, will search it out. Style: Barrel fermented sour ale Glass: Wine glass Food Match: Cured meat platter Bridgeroadbrewers.com.au
SPRING 2017
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