It was more than a decade ago that young Holgate brewer Nick Rhodes, now at Little Creatures / White Rabbit in Geelong, lined up a brewer exchange that saw him spend time at Nøgne Ø. The Norwegian brewery was putting out some of the most consistently excellent beers on the planet at the time, many of which made their way here – often with then head brewer Kjetil Jikiun accompanying them. Other than the fact typing the brewery's name, complete with ø and Ø, was somewhat time-consuming, their presence – beers and Kjetil – were a most welcome feature of that period of craft beer's explosive rise in Australia.
As part of the exchange, the two breweries and their exchange brewers each produced an imperial red ale called Half A World Away. It's a beer that would have, in all likelihood, remained a curio enjoyed by those lucky enough to try it were it not for the People's Choice element of Holgate's 25th anniversary celebrations. This saw the public vote for a past Holgate beer to be brought back to life, and Half A World Away got the nod. As, indeed, did one of the beer's nominees, Andrew Pocock, who won a brew day as part of the promo.
When it comes to the reborn liquid, it's one to make you wish a) that it hadn't taken 11 years for this particular beer to reappear, and b) that it's a shame we don't see more imperial red ales full stop.
For one, it pours a genuinely beautiful colour that makes me think of a giant pipe organ in a grand cathedral (even though it’s more the colour of the buffed pews that would inhabit said cathedral). Half a dozen malts combine to create the impression of sticky toffee swirling with berries and dark citrus, augmented by hints of chocolate and a deep, dark fruit bitterness courtesy of the old school Chinook and Centennial hops that do their best to make an impact amid the mountain of booze and malt sweetness.
The people have spoken. The people are wise.
James Smith
Published October 22, 2024 2024-10-22 00:00:00
