Although maybe not attracting as much attention as many of their peers, the brewing team at Mash has been steadily knocking out some intriguing seasonals in recent years. From the Rye The Hop Not ESB to the smoky DeVille to the unique Grasscutter, a lawnmower/session beer gently fermented on two toasts of French oak, their beers are always worth keeping an eye out for. Now they're back with not one but two limited release beers: a Scotch Ale and a West Coast IPA, and both, according to head brewer Charlie Hodgson, "are crackers".
The former is called Bon Scotch and features some peated distilling malt that we're told "adds wafts of smoke to its raisin and chocolate like aromas". At 7.5 percent ABV, it's a full-bodied affair with the alcohol adding a soft warming touch, which suggests it should be perfect as the temperatures start to cool. As for the Copy Cat, the name hints at the sort of West Coast IPA it is ' in other words, it may seem familiar. According to Charlie, it is "bulging at the seams with tropical, piney, resinous hop bitterness and aroma" with the malt there just to hold it all together and stop the bitterness spilling out into the streets. It tips the scales at 6.8 percent and 70IBUs, suggesting it isn't one for the fainthearted. NB He was on to something when he claimed the Copy Cat was a cracker; it won Champion Australian Beer at the 2014 Australian International Beer Awards.
Published April 8, 2014 2014-04-08 00:00:00
