Holgate Brewhouse Half A World Away

Style
Imperial Red Ale
ABV
9.0%

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

Name
Holgate Brewhouse
Address

79 High Street
Woodend
VIC 3442

Phone
Hotel, Bar and Restaurant: (03) 5427 2510 Brewery Sales: (03) 54 273 522
Open Hours

Seven days: midday to late

Tours

Sat & Sun: 3pm
Book via website

CoCon 3rd birthday 2024
Pac Ale 2024

More from Holgate Brewhouse

Holgate x Wolf of the Willows Tropical Hazy IPA
Fruited IPA
6.2%
Holgate Brewhouse Sparkling Ale
Sparkling Ale
5.0%
Holgate Brewhouse ESB
ESB
5.0%
Holgate x Noodledoof Dank AF West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA
7.3%
Holgate Brewhouse Imperial Stout 2024
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
10.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Dunkel
Dunkel
4.7%
Holgate Brewhouse Campfire Red IPA
Red IPA
7.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Millennium Falcon 2024
Emperial IPA
9.0%
Holgate Brewhouse x Molly Rose Entwined
Mixed Ferment Rye Saison
5.1%
Holgate Brewhouse Hazed As Bro NZ Hazy IPA
NZ Hazy IPA
6.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Mango Passionfruit Sour
Fruited Sour
6.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Premium Pilsner
German Pilsner
5.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Millennium Falcon 2023
Imperial IPA
9.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Hefe Weissbier
Hefeweizen
5.1%
Holgate Brewhouse Breakfast Club Non-Alc Lager
Non-Alc New World Lager
<0.5%
Holgate Brewhouse Cherry Sour
Cherry Gose
4.5%
Holgate Brewhouse Mountain Mist
Hazy Pale Ale
5.0%
Holgate Brewhouse Draught Lager (cans)
Helles Lager
4.3%
Holgate Brewhouse Mt Macedon Pale Ale (2022 On)
Pale Ale
4.5%
Holgate Brewhouse Citrus IPA
Citrus White IPA
6.0%