After pouring into a glass the Mildura Storm Cloudy Ale is a hazy golden amber colour with a medium level of carbonation and a good sized white loosely packed head up top. On the nose citrus notes from the hops predominate although cloves, spice, bread and honey are not too hard to detect.

On the palate citrus orange and caramel notes lead the way with more citrus (lemon and lime) coming through in the taste as the beer progresses. This brew ends fairly clean with just a slight residual sweetness and a mild tart sensation.

Verdict: This is the third time I have tried the Mildura Storm Cloudy Ale and every time it has left me disappointed, the taste just seems a bit off balance. Love the rest of the Mildura Breweries range, the Storm Cloudy Ale is definitely not my cup of tea though.

Score: 6.7 / 10

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

Pours copper in colour with a short lived head around 2 -3 centimetres in height and average amount of carbonation. Although the level of carbonation didn’t seem to last very long and it had all but vanished by the time i had finished the beer, although the lack of bubbles near the end seemed to have minimal effect on the taste.

The aroma was pretty restrained consisting mostly of toasted grain notes although a slight nuttiness and a touch of chocolate was also detected.
On the palate this beer exhibits a mildly creamy mouth feel accompanied by sweet toasted malt oriented flavours, butterscotch, caramel, brown sugar a touch of coffee, hazelnut and pepper. The after taste was slightly sweet with a mild butterscotch sweet tang.

Verdict: When this brew first came out i was intrigued about what flavours wattle seed could lend to a beer, brought a bottle and can’t remember being overly impressed. Seems my memory didn’t do it justice though and i found this bottle easy drinking with plenty more flavour than i remembered.

Score: 7.8 / 10

Where to buy: Pretty much any bottle shop around Sydney that has room to more than the default New, VB combo.

Link: Barons Brewing

Related Beers: Barons Lager

Its been awhile since i have had this brew on tap and it was the first time i have tried it in a bottle. It poured clear, golden in colour, with a medium level of carbonation and a head around 2 fingers in size which slowly receded to a thin lace cover.

The aroma was mostly malt driven, with sweet caramel notes and the odd hint of basil and lemon. On the palate sweet malty flavours lead the way with caramel, toffee and butter scotch although it’s not too much work to notice hints of citrus and vanilla lurking in the background. The beer finishes crisp with a slightly sweet after taste.

Verdict: Easy drinking English style Ale, if your in Sydney there is no excuse to miss tasting it at its birthplace up in The Rocks at the Lord Nelson.

Score: 8.0 / 10

Where to buy: This beer is pretty easy to find around Sydney, you can get it from the Lord Nelson Hotel itself, The Australian Hotel or the Australian Wine Centre in Circular Quay.

Link: Lord Nelson Brewery

Fresh apple flavours dominate the front of the pallet, working to an apex of fresh floral hops, citrus, toffee and caramel flavours as the brew moves further over the palate. A slight pepper spiciness also seemed to linger for a little while after every sip.

Verdict: Pleasant enough for something different, bit intense though to enjoy more than 1 or 2 during a sitting.

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 5/10
Taste:7.9/10
Overall:7.6/10

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

Where to buy: This is another Victorian micro brew that at present come as far north as the border, so the only option for us New South Welshmen is to buy a case from the breweries website.

Emptying the bottle into a glass the beer was a nice straw colour with a head around 3cm in size, this slowly died over the space of a few minutes to leave a nice lace covering. Aroma wise i struggled to get much at all, bar the faint smell of citrus fruit and the odd hint of freshly cut strawberries.

On the palate this beer was extremely clean, combining a gentle hop bitterness with some wheat tones, hints of toffee flavoured sweetness accompanied by notes of citrus fruits and a touch of spice.

Score: 7.9 / 10

Verdict: This ale is super clean, on a hot summers day this type of easy drinking session beer would be hard to beat.

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

Where to buy: Online at their website.

Score: 5.6 / 10
Verdict: Started off great although something about the balance was a little bit of and by the end of the bottle i was a bit over it. Its not something i would go out of my way for again but i would happily drink another at some stage for something a bit different.
Where to buy: Dan Murphy’s stocks this, i got my bottle online from Slow Beer though.

Decanting a bottle into a glass presents a deep copper colour ale, sporting a short lived tan coloured head. The aroma is hard to catch when cold, but is packed with big malt notes, accompanied with hints of bruised apple and fresh cut grass.

On the palate toffee and caramel flavours dominate along with hints of plum, raisins and apple. The hops stop the malt overpowering the drinker, resulting in a beautifully balanced ale. The aftertaste is sweet, with a fantastic hop twang that leaves the taster longing for that next sip.

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Verdict: This is not a beer you want to drink quick, its a drop that encourages you to take it slow and enjoy every sip. If you love big malty ales you won’t find one much tastier than this number.

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

Verdict: Very unique in flavour and at 8.5%, it packs quite a punch, definitely a beer for sipping. It’s not something i would like to drink everyday but it made a pleasant deviation from the norm.

Score: 7.8 / 10

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

In a glass it exhibits a medium sized tan head over a very dark almost black lightly carbonated body. Which aroma wise dominated by cocoa notes. To taste the flavor is mostly made up of toasted malt flavours accompanied by rich cocoa and coffee hints which leave a faint nutty quality in the aftertaste.

Verdict: I found this beer to be highly enjoyable and satisfying, perfect for unwinding at home after work on a cold winters night.

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Link: www.goatbeer.com


Where to buy:

In a glass this brew appears a murky straw colour with a lively medium sized head resting on top which lasted around 5 minutes before slowly starting to die away. The aroma caught me off guard at first as being very similar to a white wine with a passion fruit like presence that was very reminiscent of a semillion.

The taste come on with a mild bitterness, which is then quickly replaced by a wave of tropical flavours of Guava and Passion fruit ending with a sour tang and a dry mouth feel.

Verdict:It would probably pair with a light meal as good as any white wine. Maybe work good as a starter beer on a hot summers day but the tang at the end was too much for me and made me think the beer was partially oxidized.

Rating: 4.7 / 10

Link: Red Oak Brewery Cafe