It’s been a little while since we’ve caught up on the latest from Traralgon’s Good Land Brewing but by the looks of things, they’re certainly keeping their limited releases as varied as ever. Ratskeller is an oak aged pilsner that was brewed in collaboration with the crew at Carwyn Cellars and uses organic pilsner malt from Voyager Craft Malt and traditional German hops. The initial plan was to age it in white wine barrels for two months but owner Jimmy Krekelberg felt that each time he tried it, it got better and better so doubled down and went for four months instead. They then blended in a small amount of fresh beer and lightly dry hopped it to keep things fresh and the result is a refreshing beer that continues to surprise and delight in its layers of complexity. There’s a touch of toasted oak, a whisper of white wine and grape, sweeter bready malt or honey flavours and a bitter finish. In other words, it’s precisely the kind of delight to drink you should expect the likes of Good Land and Carwyn to conjure.
House IPA, meanwhile is a somewhat old school IPA that presumably gets the name from the fact it’s pretty hard to think of a moment in life that it wouldn't be good to drink it. There’s a sweet touch of biscuit malt that’s soon balanced out by the beer’s bitterness, while the hops provide a classic American mix of pine, orange zest and grapefruit.
Finally, Popsicle is a raspberry and vanilla pale ale that pours with a hazy pink hue. Given that colour and the fruit are often more closely tied to kettle sours in the modern beer world, it’s hard not to expect a bit of tartness on the palate. But try it and you won't find any, instead, Popsicle is all about sweet raspberry and creamy vanilla notes in the soft and lush, rich pale ale.
Will Ziebell
Published August 11, 2022 2022-08-11 00:00:00
