It’s not uncommon for Australians to think all lagers taste the same. But when 4 Hearts head brewer Ken Friend makes a lager he’s looking to his time studying under German brewmasters. Sometimes that results in a super clean and light quaffer. And sometimes it results in a Smoked Marzen.
Influenced by the German town of Bamberg and its reputation for Rauchbier, Ken made this beer with 15 percent smoked malt from Bestmalz. Between the smoky and savoury character of the smoked malt, the bready notes of the Munich malt, and the slight sweetness from the Pilsner malt, this is reminiscent of a sticky BBQ pulled pork burger. It retains a slightly chewy feel in the mouth, but then finishes nice and dry.
The West Coast IPA is a more familiar flavour for Aussie craft drinkers. It has the sweet smell of a fruit shop on a warm day - the waft of ripe guava and pawpaw, a little stone fruit, with even some candied orange entering the fray. While malt sweetness fleshes out the experience, it finishes fairly dry, with the bitterness that floated across the palate the whole way through about the only thing left standing at the end.
Mick Wust
Published December 18, 2019 2019-12-18 00:00:00