Lobethal Bierhaus India Pale Ale – 5.2% Alcohol

The label on this bottle reminds me of one of the imported German lagers you find in the imported section of the bottle shop but the contents couldn’t be farther away from one if it tried. In a glass the IPA poured a bright copper colour covered with a medium sized rocky off white coloured head, which quickly died down to an above average lace covered around 3-4 mm in height. The aroma straight out of the bottle gave away the hop load in this brew with pronounced pine, grass and floral notes predominating but after being allowed to sit a minute or two these blew to reveal the malt driven caramel and bread notes from the base.

On the palate dried fruit, apricot, caramel and biscuit notes led the way with the hops kicking in around midway across the palate. With earthy pine, citrus, floral and citrus flavours taking the spotlight. The beer itself also had a slightly foamy mouth feel which was very pleasant although in my opinion the hops seemed a little restrained for an IPA.

Score: 7.6 / 10

Verdict: The overall balance of this brew seemed a little out of whack to me, although I loved the rich malt base that shines though. Overall I thought it was an enjoyable change of pace.

Link: Lobethal Bierhaus

Tags: IPA, lobethal, SA

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Hunter Beer Co – Hunter Bock 5.5% Alcohol

One of my favourite places to stop by while in the Hunter Valley is the Hunter Beer Company located at The Potters Hotel & Brewery in Nulkaba. The service there is impeccable combine with beers brewed on-site that are cold and tasty the only downside to a visit is the argument that pops up without fail around the 1 1/2 beer mark, about who is going to be the responsible one that switches to soft drink to drive everyone else home.

Last time I stopped by I decided to pick up a bottle of their Bock for future enjoyment without worrying about staying under the limit and I must say it did not disappoint later when it was taken out of the fridge. Into a glass the Bock poured a very dark brown colour with a small creamy tightly packed white head that didn’t hang around long before subsiding to a thin lace covering.

On the nose slightly sweet malt notes accompanied by aniseed, coffee and cocoa aromas. Taste wise this brew has a very nice flavour profile consisting of cocoa, coffee, bread, toasted grain notes, the mouth feel is somewhat creamy and the ending smooth with the gentle flavour of lightly burnt toast.

Verdict: Very nice come spring or autumn I would love to sit outside and enjoy one of these only downside is the drive to go get them.

Score: 7.8

Link: http://www.hunterbeer.com.au/

Tags: Bock, Hunter Beer Co, Hunter Valley, NSW, Nulkaba, Potters

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Boatrocker Alpha Queen 5.0% Alcohol

I am not the biggest fan of hoppy IPA’s etc but I still like a beer with assertive hop flavours that jump out at you. The Boat Rocker Alpha Queen seems to fit this category perfectly, brewed in Melbourne, they add loads of Cascade hops late in the kettle and then dry hop loads more afterwards, giving intense flavour without the intense bitterness.

Decanting into a glass the Alpha Queen is clear amber colour with an off white head that stands around 1cm tall. The smell is bountiful with intense pine, toffee and grapefruit aromas predominating.

On the palate the hops start mild tricking the drinker into thinking that is all there is, but around the halfway mark they kick in with a no holds barred attack before subsiding to a assertive yet mildly bitter after taste. Grass, spice and citrus ( mostly grapefruit ) are the main flavours noticed from the hops, with caramel and biscuit malt acting as a base to keep the bitterness in check.

Verdict: Very refreshing, unbeatable on a hot summer day,leaves the drinker hanging for a second. Would be awesome to enjoy with a nice big steak or similar.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

Link: Boat Rocker Brewing Company

Tags: american pale ale, Boatrocker, cascade, hopped

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Pigs Fly Pale Ale 4.6% Alcohol

This beer hails from the Bowral Brewing Company, not sure what their output is but I hadn’t seen this drop for sale until I stumbled across it in the “tunnel of beer” at Hunter Valley Wine Cellars in the Hunter Valley over the weekend.

In a glass the beer appeared bright amber in colour with an above average level carbonation and a thick loosely packed head riding atop which took some time to die down.

On the palate a mild bitterness seems to kick in without delay and continues right till the end. The mouthfeel and body are great, malt flavours predominate accompanied by a fruitiness that seems to change as it travels the palate transforming into lemon related flavours near the back.

The aftertaste is pretty simple, slightly sweet with a mild fruity bitterness which hangs around for a minute or two before leaving.

Verdict: Not too bad, just nothing overly fantastic either. Very easy to drink although it left me feeling something was missing.

Score: 7.2 / 10

Link: Bowral Brewing Company

Where to buy: Seems even though I hadn’t seen it for sale its all around Sydney look here for a full list of stockists.

Tags: bowral brewing company, pale ale

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New Smirnoff Premixed Cocktail Range

Smirnoff has recently released their ‘Perfect Pour’ range of premixed ready to drink cocktails. Perfect for parties, barbeques or just a quiet drink at home, you cant now enjoy your favourite cocktail concoction without the mess and the fuss of making from scratch.

The range is currently comprised of three flavours including Pomegranate Martini, Mojito and the Grand Cosmopolitan.They come ready to pour into a chilled glass and are available in all major bottle shops around the country, costing around $23 for 700mL bottle.

Tags: Cocktail, smirnoff

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Barons Lager 4.9% Alcohol

I have been a big fan of the Baron’s beers since they first came out, although the Black Wattle Ale and Lemon Myrtle Witbier seem to be the only ones I see on a regular basis. So it came as a pleasant surprise to track down a bottle of their Lager in Vintage Cellars, I had an earlier look in Dan Murphy’s but was unable to locate it.

The Barons lager poured clear with a bright golden colour, minimal level of carbonation and a smallish white head around 1cm. On the nose, grassy and floral notes predominate straight after pouring with honey and clove notes coming through later after being allowed to stand awhile.

On the palate a light mouth feel is accompanied by grassy herbal notes, clove, pepper the beer then goes on to finish crisp with minimal after-taste. A few times I swore I tasted some slight “musty” flavors toward the back of the palate that one would expect from a Belgian but it didn’t seem constant so was very hard to pin down.

Verdict: It did strike me as a tad watery in places although this may have just been too excessive chilling, as it did grow on me the further down i got. All in all a very smooth session lager for lazy summer days.

Score: 7.2 / 10

Link: Barons Brewing

Tags: Barons, lager, NSW

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My Wifes Bitter – Burleigh Brewing Co 4.8% Alcohol

My Wifes Bitter from Burleigh Brewing Co is a limited edition release of their take on the traditional English bitter. Only 400 cases have been made, and in my honest opinion if you find it for sale the bottle alone makes it worthwhile buying!

In a glass My Wife’s Bitter is a clear copper colour, with a low level of carbonation and a very small tan head which didn’t hang around long before disappearing completely. The aroma was fairly complex boasting brown sugar, ripe apple, toffee and chocolate notes.

On the palate this brew boasts a creamy mouth-feel, toffee and caramel notes lead the way on the flavour front with the odd fruity element being thrown into the mix by the hops.

Verdict: My Wife’s Bitter comes in a large 650mL bottle with retro looking label which was awesome. The beer itself came off a bit watery in taste and could probably have done with a tad more carbonation as it was almost lifeless near the end of the bottle. Still even with its faults it was still a pleasant enough beer to drink, and I will still buy another if I see it again.

Score: 7.1

Link: Burleigh Brewing Co

Where to buy: Being a limited release it is not easy to find, I brought mine from the Vintage Cellars at Balgowlah so that or another Vintage Cellars store is probably your best place to start the search.

Tags: Burleigh Brewing Co, English Bitter, Fuggles, Goldings

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Little Creatures Bright Ale 4.5%

The Little Creatures Bright Ale is starting to make inroads on tap around Sydney’s bars of late and the addition is most welcome.

In a glass the Little Creatures Bright Ale is a bright clear golden colour with a small loosely pack white head riding atop. On the nose this brew is very tropical with passionfruit and citrus notes dominating although some sweet malt notes can be detected lurking in the background.

On the palate the Bright Ale starts light with a subdued hop bitterness, midway the hops seem to kick in fully with passionfruit and lemon notes accompanied by a metallic type bitterness. The finish is pleasantly sweet and clean with a fruity honey type of after taste and a clinging foamy mouth feel.

Verdict: A crowd pleaser this beer has enough flavour to keep you interested but is so refreshing and clean tasting one never seems enough.

Score: 7.7 / 10

Link: Little Creatures Brewing Pty Ltd

Where to buy: Any bottle shop with a half decent selection of beers around Sydney should stock the Little Creatures Bright Ale.

Tags: Bright Ale, Little Creatures, W.A

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Murrays Pilsner 4.8% Alcohol

New South Wales may lag behind Victoria in the number of craft breweries we have, in my opinion though it doesn’t matter as we are lucky enough to have my favourite brewery in Australia, Murrays Craft Brewing Co. Located at Port Stephens north of Newcastle, Murray’s head brewer Shawn Sherlock is constantly pushing the boundaries with beers that taste great but never seem to fit exactly within a style.

That said when I saw a bottle of Murrays Pilsner sitting unloved in the fridge at Vintage Cellars I had to buy it! Pouring the bottle into a glass gave a cloudy straw coloured brew with a medium sized head around 2- 3 cm high which slowly subsided over the space of 10 minutes. The aroma was very full on, packed with pine, clove, herbal and floral notes straight after pouring. With bread notes coming through later after the majority of volatiles wafted away.

On the palate this beer has a somewhat oily mouth feel and leads with a big hops hit that just seems to keep building right to the back of the palate, with a slight malt sweetness that shines though around mid way. The flavours that come across are very similar to the aroma with big grapefruit, passion fruit and pine flavours, whilst finishing dry and crisp.

Verdict: This beer is very heavy hitting on the flavour front, after the first sip i thought this beer was not for me due to the intensity. But it did seem to mellow as it warmed and had one me over only a few sips later.

Score: 7.8 /10

Link: Murrays Brewing Company

Where to buy: I have seen this Pilsner for sale at Dan Murphys and Vintage Cellars on occasion, both seem to stock bits and pieces of the Murrays range but it seems to be luck of the draw as to what is on sale during any given day.

Tags: Murrays, NSW, pilsner

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Red Duck Overland Bright Ale 4.5% Alcohol

Decanted into a glass this beer is clear, bright gold in colour with a with a good sized white fluffy head around 3cm high. On the nose this brew is packed with character, consisting of citrus, apple, melon notes accompanied by a hint of vanilla.

Caramel, toffee and honey flavours dominate the palate along with a medium mouth feel. Citrus notes also make their presence known toward the back of the palate before the beer ends with a dry finish.

Verdict: One of the most enjoyable beers i have had for awhile, would definitely love to have one of these again in the future.

Score: 8.3 / 10

Link: http://www.redduckbeer.com.au/

Where to buy: Not sure that any Sydney retailers stock this number, and strangely the Red Duck website makes no mention of the Overland Ale at all. Although it can however be purchased on-line from this site.

Tags: Red Duck, US Pale Ale, VIC

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