One of the questions we ask in our semi-regular Brew & A features with Aussie brewers (only semi-regular as they're all too bloody busy to respond...) is what beer would they choose if they were stranded on a desert island for the rest of their days. When compiling the questions years ago, we tried them out ourselves and, while temptation might have been there to go for something "on trend" (probably double IPAs back then) it was hard to see past a good Munich helles: the lagers that are so simple and delicate yet hard to perfect and just wonderful drinking beers. These days, we'd probably plump for a saison, but we're in danger of digressing.
Point being, we love as good German lager and you don't see many around. But, with lager styles seeming to be making something of a comeback, hopefully there will be more choices – maybe even some that become readily available. Whether that's the case with this one, a product of Holgate's Tank 9 small batch program, remains to be seen. What we do know (cos they told us) is that they've kept the ABV on the low side and reckon this very pale beer "displays sweet malt and subtle hop aroma", has :light, grainy malt balanced by an earthy, herbal hop character" and a finish that's "clean and dry whilst displaying a delicate bitterness." Sounds alright to us.
Published February 10, 2015 2015-02-10 00:00:00
