Forget blue milk, Mixtape fired up four special edition brews to celebrate May The Fourth in all its geeky glory. The brewery team’s love of Star Wars is no secret: their Marrickville venue is adorned with toys and memorabilia from a galaxy far, far away, founders Jason and Gabi have matching X-wing tattoos and they’re known to throw the biggest sci-fi parties this side of Mos Eisley.
The first brew to jump into lightspeed is the Mando Calrissian Mandarin IPA, a punny tribute to Cloud City’s charming main man Lando. Finely carbonated and infused with a galaxy of hops (Mandarina Bavaria, Citra, Cascade, HC630) plus mandarin peel in the kettle and fresh juice added a day before kegging, this punchy, effervescent drop is easy to drink and hard to put down.
The Where’s Windu? Blueberry and Dragon Fruit Pastry Sour pays tribute to the OG Jedi Mace Windu and his iconic purple lightsaber. Like its namesake, this definitely stands out, gleaming with its vibrant, mouth-watering magenta colour. Twenty kilos of blueberry purée and dragonfruit in the 250-litre brew ensure it also packs a delightful, full flavour that deftly balances the sweet, sour and lactose and masks a seriously dangerous 7.4 percent ABV.
Next up, Star Wars’ most famous slug gets a shout-out with Jabba The Nutt Brown Ale. There’s no added nuts per se, but a barge-full of brown and Shepherds Delight malts imbue a lovely, moreish mix of biscuit, dark toast and hazelnut notes. Throw in the warm, woody spice of quintessential English hops (Fuggles and East Kent Goldings) and this is perfect for sipping around the campfire on a chilly Tatooine eve.
Last but not least is Dark Helmet Oatmeal Stout, named after Spaceballs’ Vader-mocking villain, hilariously played by Rick Moranis in 1987 [I still vividly recall the embarrassingly loud honks of my late McGrandad when he took me to see it in Edinburgh at the time – Editor]. Pouring black as the midnight sky, this shadowy figure is rich with smooth, roasty malt flavours and a subtle sweetness from the oats. Flaunting a nice, boozy body and a touch of smoke on the finish, the Schwarz is definitely strong with this one.
Jason Treuen
Published May 9, 2024 2024-05-09 00:00:00
