New Beers
Barely a day goes by without another seasonal or one-off special flying out of an Australian brewery (if not ten). Here and in our weekly newsletter, we'll bring you news and, if we've sampled them, our take on as many of them as possible. Happy hunting!
Mash Brewing Techno Viking Kviek IIPA
Tapped Yesterday
Mash Brewing decided to plunder the realms of the hottest yeast in town for their Perth Craft Beer Festival beer in 2019. They used the Loki kveik strain from Norway to create the aptly named Techno Viking Kveik IIPA. If you're wondering who or what a Techno Viking is, the brewery has provided a handy QR code on the can that takes you to the classic YouTube video; and, given this Viking is part of their Brewers Series, the can features the brewer who designed the beer as the Techno Viking. Once… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Kveik IIPA
- ABV
- 8.0%
Black Brewing & Kuld Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout
Tapped Yesterday
For their latest dessert-inspired collaboration, Black Brewing and WA ice cream artisans Kuld have focused their attentions on the tri-coloured Neapolitan treat; apparently three ideas in one beer are better than one in the two previous. Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavours present in the lactose infused sweet stout, as you'd hope, which arrives as a gleeful, cross-stripe gambit rather than distinct layers through its length – after all, what child really took the time to explore the nuance… Read more
Black
- Style
- Sweet Stout
- ABV
- 5.5%
Cheeky Monkey Hazy IPA & Double NEIPA
Tapped August 21st, 2019
Cheeky’s new IPA duo capitalises on their Double IPA, released only a week prior, in a blaze of stylistic exploration and confidence. Both feature Loki, Cheeky’s new limited release primate mascot, aptly named for his shapeshifting and mischievous nature; look out for more from him over the remainder of this year. The Hazy IPA was Cheeky’s first beer to sell out at the 2019 Perth Craft Beer Fest and hits the sweet spot of playful brewer design and punter appeal – everybody wins. Double dry-hopped… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA & Double NEIPA
- ABV
- 6.0% & 8.0%
Beerfarm & Fervor Native Series Strawberry Gum Stout
Tapped August 20th, 2019
A full-bodied milk stout brewed with native strawberry gum leaf is the latest rendition of Beerfarm’s popular Native Series collaboration series with South West roaming fine-diners Fervor Food. If the thought of drinking the sweet, berry-flavoured native leaf in a luscious stout base is appealing to you, then put this one at the top of your shopping list. Although The Crafty Pint can’t endorse the many claimed health benefits of consuming the strawberry gum leaf, subtleties of sweet berry and… Read more
Black
- Style
- Strawberry Gum Stout
- ABV
- 6.5%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU
Pikes Beer Co Belgian Quad
Tapped August 20th, 2019
The Pikes team have been at it again, using their sibling winery's barrels to age something big, bold and Belgian. Initially brewed for GABS 2019 but now on wider release, the 10.7 percent ABV Belgian quad was built around a collection of Belgian specialty malts before being aged in seven wine barrels that previously housed three different red wine varieties: shiraz, mourvedre and cabernet. The beer was left to sleep for five months, long enough for the barrels to leave their mark in terms of colour,… Read more
Red
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Belgian Quadrupel
- ABV
- 10.7%
Pikes Beer Co Red IPA
Tapped August 20th, 2019
Pikes Beer Co’s sixth limited release comes in the form of this Red IPA, housed yet again in 500ml bottles sporting an embossed scaly label that tips a wink to the brewery's fishy logo. Unlike many such beers that tend to venture down the road towards overpowering hop aromas and flavours, Pikes' version is slightly different. Malt is king, with the hops Amarillo and Cascade encouraged to take a back seat. Meanwhile, at 7.2 percent ABV, the Pikes brewers have nearly hit imperial territory. Pouring… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red IPA
- ABV
- 7.2%
Feral Brewing Draught
Tapped August 19th, 2019
For a brewery that's done as much as any on the local scene when pushing the lupulin threshold of both Australian drinkers and the market, Feral Draught may come as a surprise to some. Described as an "easy drinking ale", this entry level beer is designed for inclusive, everyday drinking. It's all Aussie when it comes to the malt and hops, with a light dry-hopping of Vic Secret – not that many will be playing too much attention given the comments from tasters on the rigorous, 750 kilometre… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Session Ale
- ABV
- 4.2%
- Stockists
-
Available nationwide
Clare Valley & Sublime Coffee Iced Latte Stout
Tapped August 16th, 2019
Clare Valley Brewing and Sublime Coffee are no strangers to each other, working through two previous collaborations that took the form of a Coffee Porter and Coffee Schwarz. Here, for a third year in a row, Sublime Coffee supplied the coffee, this time for an Iced Latte Stout. The 6.1 percent ABV beer welcomed a generous helping of Blend 52 roast coffee added in the kettle, whirlpool and the fermenter. More than a drop of lactose was also added to leave a touch of residual sweetness and creaminess.… Read more
Black
- Style
- Iced Latte Stout
- ABV
- 6.1%
Ogdens Brewery Red Ale
Tapped August 16th, 2019
Damian Bussemaker’s latest creation to hit the taps at South Perth's Windsor Hotel, home of the fledgling Ogdens Brewery, is a red ale. Apparently, it's his first such creation but, judging from the initial reception from Windsor regulars, it’s unlikely to be his last. In keeping with the approachable mindset that has defined his beers to date, Ogdens Red Ale keeps to the lighter end when it comes to both colour and ABV. Copper orange in the glass, with a light red tinge, an Altbier style malt… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Ale
- ABV
- 5.0%
WIlson Brewing Peach Of Ship
Tapped August 15th, 2019
We’ve had pastry stouts and milkshake IPAs, Skittle sours and even a long mac topped up, boozed up and served in a can. As of late, there's been little off limits for brewers conjuring ways to recreate their favourite treats in the brewhouse, with many eager punters relishing the beer-soaked nostalgia. Joining the party are Wilson Brewery, who have put forward their reincarnation of peach iced tea as an IPA. Loaded with 240 litres of Albany grown Snow White and Yellow peach juice, along with 20… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Peach Iced Tea IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 30 IBU
Blasta Brewing Son Of A Beast NEIPA
Tapped August 15th, 2019
The second in the Blasta Brewing Beast series effortlessly delivers what many NEIPA releases fail to achieve – texture. Son of the Beast ‘s smooth, full length supports the Galaxy-driven, tropical breakfast juice that’s synonymous with the style but with a creaminess that never feels contrived or adjunct derived. Perhaps it helps to be receiving regular Treehouse packages at the brewery as well as enjoying frequent trips to the UK to sip on Cloudwater, Verdant and the like... Whatever the… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- NEIPA
- ABV
- 6.5%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery, draught and for takeaway purchase, plus Blasta stockists nationally
La Sirène La Funq & Elemental (Autumn) & Vin Folie Chambourcin
Tapped August 14th, 2019
Across a few winter weeks, La Sirène have released three more beers from their barrel program. Each has its distinct character yet they all share common traits, none more so than the delightfully refreshing and cleansing acidity the comes from the Alphington brewery’s evolving house character. It comes from the mixed culture derived in great part from the atmosphere that inhabits and surrounds their brewery and offers both that refreshing underbelly to so many of their beers as well as subtle,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Ales
- ABV
- 6.6% & 4.4% & 7.6%
Otherside Brewing Co Creative Releases Headliner Double IPA
Tapped August 14th, 2019
Otherside’s connection with the creative world was a central part of the Western Australian brewery’s inception; their relationships and patronage have seen artists feature on many of their labels. The team have now brought this ethos under the Creative Release banner, of which Headliner 2019 is the debut. Artist William Kitely describes the beer inspiration of his featured piece as reminiscent of “the lull of summer, as those sea breezes slowly roll up towards the Perth Hills, releasing the… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Double IPA
- ABV
- 8.5%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery, Freo.Social and Otherside stockists nationally
Little Creatures IPA (2019)
Tapped August 14th, 2019
Nearly twenty years on, there is something cute about Little Creatures' reworked IPA. Lining up nicely with the opening of the brewery’s San Francisco outpost, IPA 2019 draws from the very environment that inspired cherub-fronted fermentation inside an old crocodile farm in Fremantle. Gone is the English-leaning IPA recipe and in its place is a very modern West Coast IPA featuring a suite of seven variously classic and hyped US hops. As a result, bright tropical, stonefruit and citrus characters… Read more
Golden
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.4%
Five Barrel Brewing Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts 2019
Tapped August 13th, 2019
Over the past few years, when the weather gets colder it’s time for Five Barrel to roll out the big, dark imperial stout Phil O’Shea has been hiding away in barrels for months. Each year the beer is made in the old school high gravity style, with two mashes going into making the one brew. In 2017 and 2018 it was stored in shiraz wine barrels and came out measuring 9.6 percent ABV. For 2019, Phil opted for something a little different: the shiraz barrel version is back, albeit bigger at 10.5… Read more
Black
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
- ABV
- 10.5%
Van Dieman Medlar
Tapped August 13th, 2019
One of the many marvellous things about wild ales is the element of the unknown, the unpredictable, they can possess. Sure, for brewers it might mean a lot of liquid disappearing down the drain after months or years of patience, while for drinkers they may encounter an experience that's not always for them. But it can also lead to moments like my first meeting with Van Dieman's Medlar, the latest wild ale to leave the Tasmanian farm brewery. In quick succession, my thought processes (and hastily… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Fruited Wild Ale
- ABV
- 7.5%
- Bitterness
- 15 IBU
- Stockists
-
Order direct from Van Dieman here
Rocky Ridge BD Imperial Stout & Barleywine Is Life
Tapped August 13th, 2019
We’re well and truly into the thick of "big beer" season and the multitudinous Rocky Ridge brewers aren’t holding back with their seasonal releases of gutsy, warming ales. Most notably, their 2019 vintages of DB Russian Imperial Stout (previously Dirty Bitch after one of the brewery dogs) and Barleywine Is Life – both barrel aged – which have had many a punter waiting in anticipation. This year's DB comes in at a sizeable 12.5 percent ABV and, after spending six months in shiraz… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout & Barleywine
- ABV
- 12.5% & 11.0%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU & 55 IBU
Rocky Ridge Where's Danny? & Blueberry Imperial Berliner
Tapped August 13th, 2019
As has been the tradition since they launched, in recent weeks WA punters have had a slew of new releases from the team at Rocky Ridge to tuck into, not least among them a ginger nut stout brewed in honour of assistant brewer and all-round nice guy Ash "Danny" Gale. and the trend-bending Blueberry Imperial Berliner. Where’s Danny is an American style stout brewed with chocolate, orange and fresh ginger. Plentiful quantities were added during brewing and fermentation to ensure each adjunct… Read more
Red
- Style
- Ginger Nut Stout & Imperial Blueberry Berliner Weisse
- ABV
- 5.7% & 6.5%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU & 6 IBU
Fixation Recliner & NSR & Hop Tingle & Midnight Sun IPAs
Tapped August 11th, 2019
You turn your back for five minutes and, whaddya know, there's four new IPAs pouring at Fixation's taproom. Working through the foursome in order of palate impact, let's start with Recliner, the brewery's beer for the 2019 Bendigo On The Hop. It's a twist on their Tropical IPA, featuring pineapple and mango additions, with the former leading the way on the nose, the latter coming into play more to taste. It's a combo that works well, creating an easy-going fruity IPA with a smooth body, a little… Read more
Golden
- Style
- IPAs
- ABV
- 5.8% & 5.2% & 6.5% & 6.8%
Van Dieman Wilderness Project: Long Shadows & Unpredictable Spring
Tapped August 9th, 2019
The transformation of Van Dieman from a farm-based brewery producing pretty normal beers, other than the odd one featuring ingredients from the Evandale property, into a brewery bottling the farm has been years in the making. The final step in the mission to produce 100 percent estate ales – brewed solely with ingredients grown, sourced and processed on site – was the firing up of a small malting setup, leading to the release of beers such as the trio named after founder Will Tatchell's three… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Australian Spontaneous Ales
- ABV
- 6.0% & 5.9%
- Bitterness
- Both 12 IBU
