With the Sydney weather finally threatening to break into something resembling winter but not quite managing to cloud out the sunshine completely, the brewers at Endeavour have straddled the seasons by releasing something light and something dark.
Beginning on the light side we have the Belgian Blonde Ale. This is their tribute to the unassuming old style of golden ale, where a handful of lighter malts have been cooked up together with some candied sugar and a Belgian yeast. In terms of aroma, the yeast doesn’t deliver a full hit of punchy phenols, instead dealing in subtle sweet fruits with a little banana ester and some spiciness. Once it hits your mouth, the immediately defining character is the sweetness from that candy which teams up with the malt for a fulsome mouthfeel that gradually dries out, leaving a sweet little sensation that promptly encourages you to quickly pursue the next sip. It all comes together in a way that gives little hint the beer is hiding more than six percent ABV.
The dark beer of the pair is the Vanilla Porter though it is actually, on one measure at least, the lighter of the two due to having an ABV of just over four percent ABV. This is the second beer to have been made with staff at the Tap Rooms, following the recent Saison, and they’ve opted to show off their collective sweet side. To do so, they took a fairly traditional porter profile and added vanilla, resulting in a beer with classic dark chocolate and subtle roast characters from the malt that marry up with the fragrant extract. It’s not a weighty beer, but an approachable one that offers gentle reward and leaves you with a slightly sweet sensation.
Nick Oscilowski
Published June 1, 2018 2018-06-01 00:00:00