Typically, we cover new beer releases from a brewery as they come to hand. This used to be a straightforward affair but, if the late twenty-teens have taught us – and most drinkers – anything, it’s that more breweries means more beer. In the case of some, the now weekly new release schedule manifests its own destiny, to be devoured and replenished with something fresh, every Friday, indefinitely, which is most certainly the case for Otherside’s Brewshed at Freo.Social.
While their main Myaree production facility pumps out the core, limited and experimental range, the tiny port city setup 15 minutes away Wonka-fies the brewers' creativity, six to nine kegs at a time, to be sold almost exclusively at the Freo.Social Brewshed. WA's FOMO-ists should breathe easy, however, as there are plans for quarterly catch up parties with all of the best-sellers; for now, here’s a snapshot of the debut sextuplet.
Coal Miner Grisset – 3.8 percent ABV: A table saison that’s light on spice and alcohol but with enough presence for food matching and responsible refreshment.
XPA – 5.2 percent ABV: A Perth Royal Beer Show gold medal-winning lean pale ale driven by Vic Secret. Clean and moreish enjoyment that suits seeing bands in the main room.
Tribulation IPA – 6.4 percent ABV: Named after blackouts that caused the glycol (cooling) system to fail during ferment, Tribulation is a modern, fruity, hazy IPA that remains dry.
Roggen – 6.2 percent ABV: A little seen style – a roggenbier – that’s this scribe’s pick of the debutants. Twenty percent flaked rye delivers subtle but intriguing spice, the mouthfeel is full and the banana esters linger. Dark, delicious and clean.
Jagged-it double IPA w/ Jaggery sugar – 8.8 percent ABV: When sales manager Kyle Lyons returns from MasterChef with an idea to pimp a double IPA you just go with it. A quick trip around Fremantle, saw "bags of big clumps of Asian sugar" returned to the Brewshed that ultimately dried out the double West Coast IPA into a low carb, single hop (Simcoe) beast.
Sabbath 2019 – 6.4 percent ABV: Not entirely new but very well loved. Sabbath 2019’s expression as a mid-strength Omnipollo-esque pastry stout is well placed here. Lactose, hazelnut, coffee and vanilla deliver a decadent and very drinkable dessert beer.
Guy Southern
Published July 15, 2019 2019-07-15 00:00:00
