lo c a l b e e r ta s t i n g
local Ales in hand We may be in the middle of winter, but that doesn’t mean a finely chilled ale need be too far from hand. With the age of the boutique brewer upon us, Reverb has bypassed the bottleshop to tap our dedicated local brewers. It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it.
Hunter Kolsch
Happy Goblin Pale Ale
Wicked Elf Pale Ale
Just picking up the weighty 750 ml champagne bottle tells you this is a significant beer. Pale golden to the eye, this cloudy brew bubbles with excitement, tickling the nose with a fruity aroma. Clean, crisp and refreshing, the Kolsch hits with a cider bite that dances around the mouth. Perfect for a summer’s day, or any day as most of the tasters conceded, Hunter Kolsch was our pick of the beers and would appeal to most beer drinkers. According to one enamoured taster, the “nicest beer I’ve tasted in living memory”. It would be hard to pass this one up. Hunter Beer Company @ Potters Brewery, Wine Country Drive, Nulkaba, Hunter Valley, www.hunterbeer.com.au.
With the brewing date and alcohol content handwritten on the label, the Happy Goblin screams home brew - luckily this is the best home brew you will ever taste. If you could lay these down yourself, you would never visit a bottleshop again. Cloudy with wheat-coloured hues, topped with a strong head and fluffy bubbles, its look belies the aroma of light fruits and a hint of green yeast. To the taste, it’s mother’s milk - full of flavour, well rounded and clean - a beer that could be knocked back all night long, any time of the year. With a comment of “a beer I would buy”, why home brew when the Happy Goblin has already nailed it. Happy Goblin Brewery, Mt Kuringai, www. happygoblin.com.au.
Full-bodied in colour, the butter and brown sugar tones are the first sign that Wicked Elf is not a pale ale in the true sense of the word. With a nose full of hops and yeast, this strong, full-bodied brew coats the inside of the mouth, and sits rather heavily. This is not an all-night beer - after three stubbies, food was out of the question. Rather, Wicked Elf should accompany strongly flavoured food (best still, a good steak) to counter its sharp, strong after-taste. With a comment of “have three with a steak, a good night with the missus, and off to bed with a glow”, the ladies have been forewarned. The Little Brewing Company, Unit 1, 58 Uralla Road, Port Macquarie, www. thelittlebrewingcompany.com.au.
Mudgee Pale Ale
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale
Murray’s Nirvana Pale Ale
Light in colour, yet full of body, the Mudgee Pale dominates whatever you’ve tasted before it. As it hits the glass, its clean honey tones and bubbly head belie the impact this brew has on the taste buds. Its sharp, bitter palate may put hair on the soles of your feet, and is recommended for seasoned drinkers. If this was your first beer experience, it would take you a decade to get over it. Described by one Reverb taster as “a real drinker’s beer – would be great with Thai”, this is not a drop for the casual drinker. Mudgee Brewing Company, 4 Church St, Mudgee, www. mudgeebrewing.com.au.
Coming out of Byron Bay, Stone and Wood Pacific Ale imparts the taste of sun and surf. This pale yellow ale has some serious bubble action in the glass and a sweet, fruity tang in the nose. With this one, what you see and what you smell is exactly what you taste. This is a summer beer, light and crisp with a citrus bite that would be perfect overlooking the waves while devouring fish and chips. With a comment of “carbonated popper, a kid’s drink,” this is the beer equivalent to Black Ice for the ladies. Stone & Wood Brewing Company, 4 Boronia Place, Byron Bay NSW 2481, www.stoneandwood.com.au
Just holding the glass of gold-topped amber with its frothy head entices the drinker to enter royal Nirvana. Complex jasmine and malt notes dance into the nose as you take a first taste — it’s lighter than expected. There’s a lot going on with this herbal tonic, and the citrus fruits, balanced against a hoppy aftertaste, divided our tasters whose comments ranged from “could drink all night” to “don’t know if I could drink too many”. Worth grabbing a six-pack to see where you fall. Murray’s Craft Brewing Company, Taylors Arm Road, Taylors Arm, www.murraysbrewingco.com.au.
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reverb magazine issue #060 — July 2011 35