Moon Dog Old Mate

Style
American Pale Ale
ABV
4.5.%

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

Name
Moon Dog
Address

17 Duke Street
Abbotsford
VIC 3067

Open Hours

Brewery bar open
Tues to Fri: 4pm to 11pm
Saturday: Midday to 11pm
Sunday: Midday to 8pm

Tours

Upon request

CBCo Goldy
Black Bad Boy Bao 2024 B

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