Winter might have just left us, but sometimes you wonder if Bright Brewery believes the darkest days of the year should continue (and that's not just because they have a festival of the same name). Not only do they get to enjoy the best of the High Country’s snow, but the dark beers never seem to end, with their Double Shot Affogato Stout seeing out the season. This beer is a ramped-up version of the brewery’s longstanding sweet coffee stout made with their neighbours at Six Pence, with this version pushing the booze level up to 8.5 percent ABV.
The double shot element is a good thing for me, a Melbourne coffee snob who believes that if you’re drinking a regular coffee, you might as well not bother. Where’s the hit? Where’s the flavour? Here, the flavour is all freshly-ground coffee, creamy vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate, all tied up in quite a thick, creamy beer.
A little less winter-ready is Smoko, which has a bit more of a spring in its step, thanks to the rauchbier landing nicely ahead of the many German beers we’re likely to see flooding us this season. Named after the location on the outskirts of Bright, the beer has plenty of the campfire about it, thanks to its warming beechwood-smoked essence that captures bacon cooking over a campfire while you enjoy a packet of Cheese & Bacon Shapes (just to be clear, this beer DOES NOT taste like cheese, but neither do the Shapes). Speaking of which, there's also gentle biscuity notes, a touch of toast and a swirl of caramel.
Will Ziebell
Published September 6, 2024 2024-09-06 00:00:00
