As December fast approaches, Tallboy & Moose is ready to hit you with another four new beers, all of which are worthy of being enjoyed in the sun. The Noodler (4.7 percent ABV), is an American wheat beer brewed for the fifth birthday of one of Fitzroy’s top craft beer haunts, The Catfish. Taking its name from a difficult-to-believe-is-real pastime in America’s South, where bare hands are used to capture live catfish, it’s a beer designed for a long day on the lake, one to keep you hydrated while undertaking such an unusual and occasionally dangerous ritual (NB: noodling tends to be more dangerous for the fish than the person). That translates to a dry and lightly bodied summer quaffer, with a fresh breath of stone fruit from the hops.
Guava Fresca (4.4 percent ABV) is a kettle sour with a smooth body and a slight sweetness thanks to the use of lactose that matches against the beer’s tartness. On the guava front, the tropical fruit bowl and pear flavours provide for an almost smoothie-like quality.
And smoothie-like was an initial reaction when pouring a glass of Pillow Fight (6.4 percent ABV) too, though that initial idea soon gave way to reminders of Splice ice cream. It's a milkshake IPA brewed with the addition of lactose then hopped with a combination of El Dorado, Galaxy and Azacca – and with some vanilla and grapefruit thrown in for good measure. The grapefruit aroma is what stands out at first, though more orangey and tropical fruit flavours arise from the hops too.
The final beer of the quartet, Sleight of Hand (5 percent ABV), may be the darkest among them but that doesn’t mean it’s a beer unsuited to an afternoon in the sun. The dark lager has both a roastiness and some chocolate going on but floral flourishes from European noble hops keep it closely connected to far paler lagers.
Will Ziebell
Published November 27, 2018 2018-11-27 00:00:00