One imagines that since the takeover of Little Creatures by Lion there are plenty of beer folks around the country keeping a beady eye or three on the trailblazing brewery for signs of a reduce in craftiness. Given recent months have seen the launch of their excellent IPA and the opening of the equally excellent venue at the new brewery in Geelong and they're now back with another Single Batch release, those signs would seem to be few and far between. The arrival of a new Single Batch is always a cause for excitement, with the latest another to play around with beer styles. Rule of Three blends elements of an English special bitter with a Belgian dubbel then adds loads of late hops. All that results in is a brilliantly clear, copper-coloured ale that, upfront at least, is dominated by the distinctive spicy hop aromas from the large amounts of Styrian Goldings used for dry hopping. Some fruity, clove like spice notes from the Belgian yeast do poke their nose through, along with a little malt sweetness, but really it's those lovely old world hops that dominate. It's full-bodied and has a touch of that fruitiness in the mouth too but, just as it opens with an explosion of spicy hops, so it ends, as they come riding back into the picture to bring this big, hoppy, slightly fruity, slightly sticky English bitter to a pleasantly bitter end.
Published March 21, 2014 2014-03-21 00:00:00
