More than four years after launching with beers such as a Cognac barrel-aged double IPA and a cherried, barrel-aged sour black ale, Moon Dog entered the fray in the most densely populated part of the Aussie craft beer world: the hoppy, pale, around 5 percent ABV ale arena. And they did so with a beer that was very hoppy, not as pale as some, but very much 5 percent ABV.
At launch, Old Mate became part of the Abbotsford brewery's trio of core beers, alongside Love Tap and Mack Daddy, bringing some eye-catching, borderline neon orange – plus what appears to be a Bandido lemur in spurs – to the party. Since then, Love Tap has been retired and replaced with the more traditional Lager, while Old Mate has gone on to become one of the beers driving the brewery's rapid expansion.
While it's been the brewery's biggest seller for some time, the team nevertheless decided it was time for a refresh inside and out in 2021. They headed back to drawing board, tripled the dry-hopping rate, dialled the ABV back a little, and gave the cans and bottles a wee tweak. As a result, new Old Mate nigh is a bright take on the contemporary pale ale: citrus and pineapple are balanced by a touch of light caramel malt and a decent, vaguely earthy bitterness, making for an easy-going pale you'd happily sit on for a session.
James Smith
