Barely a week goes by without another seasonal or one-off special flying out of an Australian brewery. We’ll do our best to know what’s coming when, where it’s going and – where possible – what it tastes like before it goes on sale. Be aware, however, that just because a venue’s getting a beer doesn’t mean they’ve tapped it. They tend to go fast too so check they’re not sold out first!
| Beer | Details | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|
Temple |
Temple / Weihenstephan UNIFIKATOR Released on 4/05/12When the head brewer from the world’s oldest existing brewery decides to pop into your brewery when it’s only been open for a few weeks to make only the second collaboration in his brewery’s history, you have every right to give the beer a name entirely in capital letters. And a name as bold as UNIFIKATOR. Because however you look at it, the fact that Temple hooked up with Frank Peifer of Weihenstephan is an incredible achievement. The beer – a strong wheat beer or weizenbock – uses the distinctive Weihenstephan yeast strain as well as some rye in the brew to add a layer or richness to the malt character. The result is a luscious, full-bodied blend of the banana and spice esters typical of the German brewery’s beers, some dark fruit notes, rich malts and a touch of chocolate before it ends both spicy and slightly sweet. |
Weizenbock 7.0% |
Temple |
Hargreaves Hill |
Hargreaves Hill C4 IPA Released on 24/04/12We have to be careful when writing about IPAs from Hargreaves Hill. We mistook a joke about the name of the Topaz and Amarillo IPA from 2011 as serious which resulted in parts of the beer world thinking it was indeed called Melanie. So just to be certain, this one is called the C4, not 4C IPA. So called because it contains four hop varieties that begin with the letter C – Citra, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook – and also in a nod to the IRA’s explosive of preference in its 20th century campaign against the British Government, presumably as it’s a hop bomb. That said, while it is bursting with those piney, citrusy notes you’d expect from such hops – and possesses a resiny character in the mouth – it’s far from explosive. Instead it’s all under control, with the malt backbone holding everything in check, the bitterness firm but not overbearing and the result yet another addition to Hargreaves fine arsenal of beers. |
US IPA 5.4% |
Hargreaves Hill |
Mountain Goat |
Mountain Goat Black Pepperberry IPA Released on 18/04/12Danish brewing genius Mikkel Borg Bjergsø was in Australia last month and, while here, starred at The Gypsy & The Goat event that we ran at Mountain Goat’s brewery. It featured a rather special brewery floor degustation while a collaborative brew was created by Mikkel, Dave Bonighton and the Goat brewing team. The result is this, the Black Pepperberry IPA, a lusciously rich beast with a seriously powerful hop aroma and plenty of hop flavour (thanks to “aggressive” dry hopping with Galaxy, Citra and Cascade), a wee bit of rich, chocolatey malt and plenty of bitterness too. We detected a little berry flavour prior to the fruity hops racing in like a horde of wailing banshees, while Dave reckons it adds a little peppery spice to the bitterness too “to create a different kind of back palate sensation”. He also describes it as “big, black, bitter” which is probably all you need to know, other than the fact The Crafty Pint makes an appearance on the label. It’s in Danish, so we’ll leave it up to you to work out what it says. Hopefully, it’s something nice… EDIT Having revisited the beer on draught and again in bottles, the pepperberry is far more prominent throughout the beer than it appeared on first sampling, especially on tap. It adds another dimension to what is a genuinely unique beer. |
Black IPA 7.3% 70 IBU |
Mountain Goat |
Bridge Road |
Bridge Road / Mikkeller Dark Harvest Released on 18/04/12When we cracked our sample of Dark Harvest, the reaction was instant. “Chocolate orange!” we cried. Then we thought that might be a stupid thing to think. But we told Ben at Bridge Road anyway, opening ourselves up to the risk of being unmasked as utter charlatans. Thankfully word came back that “the hops were a research variety that showed huge orange and mandarin characters in the paddock. Good that you got some choc orange, that was the plan.” Phew! Dodged that bullet. So, what else do you need to know? Ben had said hops picked from his local hop farm at Rostrevor and delivered instantly to his brewery at the same time as he flew Mikkel into town. Dark because it’s dark and was brewed at night and Harvest, because, well, the hops had just been harvested, the malt bill is all the Dane’s doing, lending the beer “that dark, rich and wholesome character so typical of his dark beers” according to Ben. It’s lovely, multi-layered and pretty darn hoppy too boot, reminding us at Crafty Towers a little of the Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black in many ways. There’s not much around either, so grab it while you can. |
Hoppy Dark Harvest Ale |
Bridge Road |
Little Creatures (WA) |
Little Creatures The Quiet American Released on 16/04/12It’s all go at Creatures these days. Hot on the heels of the Wet Hopped Pale Ale comes this hybrid US IPA / Belgian Trappist ale, while the Little Rabbit collaboration brew with their sister brewery at White Rabbit takes shape in Healesville. It’s “Quiet” as a nod to the monks who brew the original Trappist beers and “American”, well, because it’s packed with pungent American Cascade and Chinook hops. This blending of styles is rather popular these days it seems, with Bridge Road’s India Saison, Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe and Mornington Peninsula’s White IPA rolling out of breweries recently, and The Quiet American is one that allows both its yin and yang to shine. The hop aromas are first to hit, with some banana-like yeasty esters in the background, while those hops are back in play in the mouth, contributing both resiny flavour and a firm bitterness alongside some sticky sweet malts, with the fruity, slightly funky Belgian character coming increasingly to the fore as it warms. Complex and interesting, as you’d imagine the lovechild of a monk and a Yank to be. |
US IPA / Belgian Hybrid 7.2% 55 IBU |
Little Creatures |
Red Hill Brewery |
Red Hill Hop Harvest 2012 Released on 14/04/12The first fruit of the sticky day in March when the Red Hill crew invites friends and beer lovers to the farm to pluck their homegrown hops from their bines. Just 24 hours after picking, lashings of Goldings and Willamette were thrown into the beer, with some dry-hopped and placed in casks to be served at the brewery via its handpump. The rest is out and about in bottles and kegs now. Unlike some of the hop harvest beers that come out at this time of year that try to allow just the hops the shine, it’s a rounded English ESB style beer, so while you get fresh, floral hop notes and earthy flavours, this burnt copper coloured beer as as much about full-bodied malty goodness as it is those gorgeous green cones. |
ESB 6.0% |
ON TAP Peninsula: Cellar & Pantry (Red Hill Cellars), Majestic Cellars, Ritchies TO DRINK – Bar Fred, Bella Union, Grumpy’s Green, Junction Hotel Newport, Kananook Boathouse, Bar None, Ten minutes by Tractor, Mosq |
Van Dieman |
Van Dieman Hedgerow Autumn Ale 2012 Released on 13/04/12Anyone that’s enjoyed the previous edition of Van Dieman’s take on harvest ales – using harvested rose hips, hawthorn and sloe berries from around the family farm rather than freshly harvest hops – will be in for something of a surprise this time around. Whereas in the past, there was the addition of a subtle forest fruits like character to a soft, malt-led English style ale, in 2012 it’s all about the funk. Instead of racking the beer over the farm pickings for six weeks, brewer Will racked them for 12 weeks. And he aged some in oak pinot barrels too. The result – even if you missed the bold “Barrel Aged Sour Beer” addition to the label – is unmistakable from the moment the bottle is popped, with that distinctive farmhouse tang rising to the nostrils immediately. That sourness is there in the mouth too, although not as powerfully as you might expect. It mingles with a dry pinot like character but with some malty sweetness too in an unexpected, but welcome, twist on our favourite of the Van Dieman range to date. |
Barrel-Aged Sour Ale 6.1% |
Crown Cellars – Launceston Some will be coming to Melbourne for Good Beer Week too… |
Grand Ridge |
Grand Ridge WHOA! Released on 30/03/12When flicking through the results booklet after last year’s Australian International Beer Awards, a name jumped out from the crowd, the WHOA! from Grand Ridge. It had medalled but we’d never heard of it. Now the mystery is solved as it’s been bottled and released around this year’s hop harvest. The WHOA! stands for wet hopped oatmeal ale, meaning it’s brewed with fresh hops from the brewery’s own collection and uses a little oatmeal in the grain mix. The result on the hop front is rather subtle – a mild grassy hop aroma – but more prominent on the grain side of things, with the light golden, crystal clear beer reminiscent of those English golden ales with a strong cereal character. |
Wet Hopped Golden Ale 4.5% |
Grand Ridge |
Mornington Peninsula Brewery |
Mornington Peninsula White IPA Released on 21/03/12We’ve had straight IPAs, double IPAs, black IPAs, rye IPAs. Now it’s time for Australia’s first White IPA. The latest cab off the rank at Mornington Peninsula is a hybrid between a Belgian Wit and an American IPA that brewer AG first read about in an American brewing magazine. Apparently it was first brewed as a collaboration between Deschutes and Boulevard Brewing, who specialise in Belgian beers. He says: “The idea is too have a souped up version of a witbier, citrus hops complementing coriander and spice, with the beer presenting as a witbier colour wise.” The result is aromas “of coriander and citrus hops leading into a crisp, rather dry palate and an ever-present bitterness supporting tart grapefruit and spicy notes.” After the success of the equally unlikely Bridge Road / Nøgne Ø India Saison hybrid, we can’t wait to have a taste. |
White IPA 6.3% |
Mornington Peninsula Brewery |
Schwartz (NSW) |
Schwartz Belgian Strong Dark Ale Released on 21/03/12If the yeast profile for this Belgian Strong Dark Ale is any indicator, this is not your average beer. According to brewer Michael Capaldo, the recipe calls for Belgian Trappist yeast in the primary ferment, a Champagne yeast for the secondary ferment, a Dark Lager yeast plus “a million malts and a whole lotta love”. When you put all that together you get this super-smooth 8.7% black beauty. |
Belgian Strong Ale 8.7% | |
Murray's (NSW) |
Murray's Libertine Released on 21/03/12Murray’s brewers Shawn Sherlock and Ian Watson unveiled a range of rather extraordinary Belgian styles at a dinner this month. Of these, only the Libertine is on wider release, found on draught at Manly and good beer venues. Given the brewery has its residence at a place called Bob’s Farm, perhaps it’s fitting that they should release a farmhouse style ale. At a relatively light 5 per cent, this isn’t a heavy-hitter in the mould of so many modern farmhouse ales. It was brewed to be fairly light, crisp, dry and sessionable, aimed more towards what was commonly consumed by Belgian workers in times gone by. According to Shawn: “It’s a very dry beer which helps with drinkability but it has some really interesting, funky farmhouse ale yeast character.” |
Belgian farmhouse ale 5.0% |
Murray’s |
4 Pines (NSW) |
4 Pines Keller Door Series: Stouts Released on 16/03/12The second in the 4 Pines series of multiple releases sees them switch from showcasing hops to showcasing rather darker beers. In tribute to St Patrick’s Day, Keller Door 2 sees them unveiling a Dry Irish Stout (which is also pouring on the hand pump at their Manly venues) alongside an Oatmeal Stout, Choc Orange Stout and Russian Imperial Stout. The beers have been tapped at Manly to kickstart their Paddy’s Day Weekend festivities, while others are currently winging their way around the country’s beer bars for your deep and dark tasting pleasure. |
Stouts Various |
4 Pines |
Little Creatures (WA) |
Little Creatures Wet Hopped Pale Ale Released on 16/03/12Brewing this beer was a little like the Amazing Race for hops, as you can read about in the story we ran on it here. Little Creatures wanted to see what their flagship would taste like when brewed with freshly harvested hops instead of dried flowers, ending up putting 100kg into the hopback where usually there would be 25kg. The result is a surprisingly different beer, one that’s nailed spot on by the head brewer, in that the hops are rather conspicuous by their absence on the nose but appear with interest in the mouth; once the familiar Pale malt sweetness has passed, the hops come out to play, making for an enjoyable and interesting twist on one of Australia’s favourite beers. |
Wet Hopped Pale Ale | |
HopDog BeerWorks |
HopDog Ham on Rye Released on 3/03/12As the entries for The People’s Pint have rather surprisingly shown, it seems plenty of Aussies like a bit of smoke in their beer. Certainly, that’s the case with the HopDog family, as head brewer Tim explains: “The idea for the beer came from a visit to the Lowenbrau Keller in The Rocks in 2004 with my wife, Mrs HopDog, where we had Rauchenfels Stenbier and Schlenkerler Marzen. Wow! Smoke! Fell in love with them, and had to bring some of my own style to it.” The result is the Ham on Rye, which has taken eight years to appear but which is available now. A smoked rye golden ale, made with 50% German rauch/smoked malt, a hefty whack of rye, and plenty of NZ Southern Cross hops, it’s got both smoke and bacon going on, plus, says Tim: “a hint of cracked pepper and citrus”, adding that it’s “bacon sandwich in a glass”. |
Smoked ale 4.7% | |
HopDog BeerWorks |
HopDog Alluvial Peach Released on 2/03/12A beer described by the brewer as “the elevator music of our beer line up compared to the arena rock spectaculars of the rest”, this is a fruity number with quite a genesis. Made with 50kgs of fresh Araluen peaches per 100 litres of a simple Belgian wheat beer – “minus the orange peel and stuff” – then aged for 30 days in used French oak barrels. Look out for a hint of tartness in a smooth, sweet and peachy affair. |
Fruit beer |
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