Freshwater Brewing Co Curly Gold, Harbord Lager & Foam Lager

Style
Vienna Lager, Mid-Strength Lager & Helles
ABV
4.5% & 3.5% & 4.5%

They've made no secret of their desire to help educate drinkers about the wider world of lagers: their taps are dominated by them and they host regular events at the brewpub starring nothing but them. And as if to ram the messsage home, in early 2023 they released a trio of them in cans at the same time.

With Curly Gold, they embarked upon their first decoction brew – a process explained in this article – to create their first Vienna Lager. It doesn't pour as deep a colour as many beers of its ilk – definitely more the gold of its name – but retains the style's richer, deeper malt characteristics, both a toasted, almost nutty edge and a fair bit of honey too. The impact of the spicy hops is minimal, and bitterness there to dry things out a little, nothing more.

Harbord Lager is their first mid-strength to appear in cans after the first keg-only batch disappeared in no time at the taproom. Based upon the kolsch style, it pours golden and with a very light haze. Crisp malts meet floral, cut grass / herbaceous hops and a finish more noticeably bitter than the helles below. It delivers plenty of classic Euro goodness for an Aussie-brewed mid.

As for the aforementioned Munich-style helles, Foam Lager, it's one of those beers that transports you across the Equator and drops you in a Bavarian beer hall. As is common with many Freshie beers, it couldn’t be any brighter in its golden glow, while the maltiness is both honeyed upfront and cracker like later on. The hops are there just to support – floral and drying without being obtrusive – leaving those rounded malts to lead the way.

James Smith

Name
Freshwater Brewing Co
Address

4 Powells Road Brookvale
NSW 2100

Phone
0499 207 584
Open Hours

Wed & Thurs: 4pm to 11pm
Friday: 1pm to midnight
Saturday: midday to midnight
Sunday: midday to 10pm

Regular events

Endless Summer Bottomless Brunch: Non-stop Mexican food and drinks from 12pm-2:30pm, every Saturday throughout summer. $80 pp.

Tours

Friday afternoons

Pickled OnMarket
CBCo Goldy

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