It’s almost two years since Alpha Queen from Boatrocker first appeared in Aussie bars and bottleshops and turned heads with its highly hopped aromas and full flavours. For a debut release by a new brewing company (founder Matt Houghton doesn’t have his own brewery yet so has beer made to his recipe elsewhere), it was pretty ballsy, featuring big US hops and not holding back on the bitterness.
And, while Matt has tweaked the recipe since then, there was no second beer… until now, with the arrival of Hoppbier, a “Beer Garden Pilsner”. Using all German malts and playing with the minerals in the Geelong water to create a water profile like that of Northern Germany, the new beer is a little bit old meets new, with the use of all New Zealand hops that give it some tropical fruit salad aromas.
“When I was backpacking around Europe years ago, I loved the bars of Northern Germany and the beers they served there,” says Matt. “I’d always wanted to make something like that and also love New Zealand hops so thought I’d do something with a shitload of hops thrown in late in the boil and dry hop the beer as well.”
The result was the Hoppbier, which displays fruity nose you’d expect from Motueka and Riwaka hops and a bitterness that’s there but doesn’t linger. It arrives at a good time, with the mercury – and consequently the demand for refreshing beers – on the rise. As for the Alpha Queen, the latest batch is a UK – US hybrid with English Maris Otter malts and a blend of three American hops giving it nice toffee and dark citrus flavours, an enticing nose and bigger bitterness than its new sibling.
Looking ahead, Matt’s search for a brewery and investors continues. Unlike some brewing companies that create a story that leads drinkers to believe they brew their own beer, he’s always been up front about the Boatrocker set up. But it’s a situation he’s keen to change.
“My aim is to grow into a brewery, but to do that we need to get to the right sales levels and we need investors. We want to produce our own beers and make styles – big IPAs and stouts – that we can’t at Southern Bay. Quality control isn’t an issue there, but the equipment can’t be pushed as far as my imagination would like.”
So for now it’s on with the one-man Boatrocker mission (with help from his wife) and plans to have beer number three out in the next six months.
Note: the photos were taken at Dexter’s, a cool little cafe / bar in Clifton Hill with a small, but select craft beer range. Hunt it down on Queen’s Parade or find them on Twitter @dexterbarcafe.
