As part of their second birthday, Good Land Brewing made sure to have plenty of fittingly celebratory beers ready for their Good Days party. Alongside a couple of fresh hoppy beers, the Traralgon outfit brewed a few more dessert-like treat too.
In the case of Dark Magic, the beer is a collab with fellow the Gippslanders at Sailors Graves and it's the kind of recipe that clearly comes from the heart of both breweries. Each has a passion for European styles with offbeat ingredients and when Jimmy Krekelberg and Chris Moore came together, it just can't have taken long to come up with Belgian dark lager made with liquorice root. There’s a lot to unpack just from the blend of rich malts which match roasted elements to dark plum and chocolate fudge which are then all joined by Belgian yeast ester notes of cloves, spice and fruit cake. Meanwhile, the licorice root adds a spice blend that sits somewhere between fennel and aniseed and taken together, it all conjures the flavour profile of an Belgian chocolate designed to be enjoyed straight after lunch.
Royal Sandwich meanwhile, is one you’re more likely to save until after dinner with the imperial stout brewed with marshmallows vanilla beans and roasted hazelnut. Fittingly for a birthday, the beer’s incredibly decadent with rich layers of chocolate, substantial vanilla and marshmallow that comes across like you’ve just pulled it out of the campfire and ripped its burnt shell off before diving in. The hazelnuts provide a slightly roasted counterpoint to all those sweeter sides but by and large, this is a fittingly indulgent birthday beer.
Will Ziebell
If you missed Good Days in Gippsland then you still have a chance to try these beers - alongside many others - and party with the Good Land crew. They're heading to Carwyn Cellars on August 12, with details here.
Published August 8, 2023 2023-08-08 00:00:00
