The team at Woolshed has been making regular trips to the Hunter Valley to make use of Hope Brewhouse's canning line, with these three beers all making it out of the brewery in pretty close succession. The Blood Orange NEIPA utilises Mosaic, Riwaka, Galaxy and Ekuanot at differing stages then, to inject even more fruitiness, adds in some Riverland blood orange juice for good measure.
In typical NEIPA style, this beer pours super hazy with a burnt orange colour and a slightly off white head. Huge citrus aromas herald an explosion of hops, mixed with the fresh OJ. Indeed, as you make your way through the full-bodied beer, it's mainly orange all the way, with a slight bitterness and a zingy kick.
The Big Orange is a beer that started life in 2017 as a collaboration with Adelaide Hills' Left Barrel Brewing. It first poured at the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival and now has been brought back to life as a limited release. The Big O starts with a wheat beer base, kettle soured overnight before receiving a large addition of Riverland orange juice. It's a hazy, light orange colour with very little carbonation and a small head and, aroma wise, the differences between beer and an orange juice would be hard to pin point. The OJ flavours are joined by a big, pithy juiciness, some tartness to balance the sweetness, creating a beer that's super refreshing, just like a fizzy breakfast juice.
With the Chocolate Breakfast Stout, it seems the brewers have set out to ensure morning drinking is appropriate. Rolled oats, roasted barley, milk sugar and sweet caramel malts make up the bulk of the recipe, alongside some pure liquid cacao. Before you even get a chance to look at this beer in the glass, a huge chocolate cloud ploughs through your nostrils from a billowing, off white, peaky and persistent head. The chocolate is joined by a little coffee and cream on the nose, with potent roast coffee making a first impression on the palate before the sweeter, creamier side reappears ahead of the roasted malt bitterness that brings a dry finish.
Matt King
Published July 5, 2018 2018-07-05 00:00:00
