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!
Frenchies Festbier "Party Lager" 2019
Tapped October 11th, 2019
I don’t know about you, but when I think about the marriage of King Ludwig I to Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, which, if I’m honest, isn’t as often as it used to be, I think about Sydney’s premier French bistro and brewery. Frenchies have gone all out in their usual fashion for their 2019 Oktoberfeast event and brewed a pitch perfect German festbier that head brewer, Vincent De Soyres, has rather more aptly named, a Party Lager. There’s great news for the dozens of Reinheitsgebot fans… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Party Lager
- ABV
- 5.6%
- Stockists
-
Best enjoyed at Frenchies Oktoberfeast (but in cans too)
Six String Foxy Dragon XPA
Tapped October 11th, 2019
Things I Didn’t Know #3816: a foxy dragon is apparently a common anime-style hybrid mythological creature. But this beer isn’t so common. It’s a one-off made for BrewCon 2019 by a supplier (Hopco), a brewer (Six String), and a distributor (Hops & More), who all collaborated on this XPA to play around with a couple of experimental hops, SV Fox and SV Dragon. It brings together complex aromas - big sweet bursts of pawpaw, flowers, passionfruit, citrus zest, dried apricot - but there’s nothing… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- XPA
- ABV
- 4.2%
Bevy Brewing Co Extra Pale Ale
Tapped October 11th, 2019
In the five years since beers bearing the name first appeared on these shores, the XPA style has quickly gained momentum among drinkers thanks to its offer of approachability and modernity (pretty much whichever way the brewer has interpreted XPA). Although still a broad style, there’s typically a nod to New World hops and responsible alcohol levels, as is the case with Bevy’s latest offering, although, like its siblings, there is a subtle twist here – toffee malt. The specialty malt's influences… Read more
Golden
- Style
- XPA
- ABV
- 5.0%
FogHorn Brewery Summer Ale
Tapped October 10th, 2019
One of FogHorn’s original beers, Summer Ale may have spent most of its history being enjoyed inside the Newcastle brewpub but, when it joined the canned lineup late in 2019, the beer was given the opportunity to branch out further. And what a natural beer it is to can too; one designed for a barbie by a Newcastle beach. Or any beach. Or any barbecue. Driven by Australian Enigma hops upfront and German pilsner malt, it's a beer that's light on the palate while still packing a hop basket's worth… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Summer Ale
- ABV
- 4.9%
- Bitterness
- 30 IBU
Moo Brew Belgian Pale Ale
Tapped October 10th, 2019
Back in Prehistoric times (well, 2012, anyway, which is pretty much another era in craft beer terms), Moo Brew added a fifth beer to their core lineup. Belgo was a Belgian inspired ale that combined complexity with an approachable 4.5 percent ABV. As is pretty much always the case when breweries add a traditional Belgian (or British for that matter) beer to their core lineup, it didn't last that long before being quietly ushered into the knackers yard, albeit to be occasionally wheeled out in limited… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Belgian Pale Ale
- ABV
- 4.5%
Ballistic Beer Co Sleep When You're Dead Hazy IPA
Tapped October 10th, 2019
Ballistic’s New England IPA was probably the beer that made people pay attention to their Sleep When You’re Dead series more than any other, and this Hazy IPA is closer to the NEIPA than some of the other styles they’ve toyed with. Like the NEIPA, it was born after the brewers came back from a “work” trip to the USA all re-invigorated and inspired to make hazy beers as good as those from the East Coast. And like the NEIPA: keep it cold, drink it fresh, and it will reward you richly. This… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 33 IBU
Nowhereman The Citrus American IPA
Tapped October 10th, 2019
They're enjoying playing with fruity sours and IPAs at Nowhereman these days and, for this hop exploration, they've taken a trip Stateside. Although there’s no strict design brief for their regular IPA iterations, the West Leederville brewers do have a love for the Idaho #7 hop, so this October 2019 release comes centred around that with some Citra along for the welcome to what the decal’s iconic sign tells you is a fabulous citrus party. Understandably, there’s no mistaking the grapefruit… Read more
Golden
- Style
- American IPA
- ABV
- 6.8%
- Stockists
-
Nowhereman Brewery
Clancy’s Fremantle
Refuge Small Bar
Palace Arcade
The Standard
More stockists...
FogHorn Brewery Newy Pale Ale
Tapped October 10th, 2019
You're not going to keep the hordes coming to your brewpub – not matter how highly the beer world rates your beers – without a solid offering of easy-going, session-friendly beers. And this is one that fits the bill at FogHorn. Designed as "a celebration of this great city", it's a pale ale featuring the "HopBurst" method of hopping – adding them as late as possible in the brewing process to extract maximum character without the bitterness. The hops chosen are of the fruity… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Pale Ale
- ABV
- 4.5%
- Bitterness
- 35 IBU
Quiet Deeds Cosmic Gateway & Collusion
Tapped October 9th, 2019
After the flurry of hoppy and hazy releases they’ve focused much of their time on since their brewery was first fired up, Deeds Brewing’s latest two releases head in a slightly different direction. Well, sort of... Cosmic Gateway is a saison brewed with hibiscus and the Kiwi hop Pacifica. It's also the brewery’s first beer brewed in their open top fermenter. It pours a wonderful red that evokes memories of a darker rosé and, when it comes to flavour and refreshment, it would be just as fitting… Read more
Red
- Style
- Saison / DDH Wheatwine
- ABV
- 5.8% & 10.0%
Philter & M/SF/T Beloved Brew
Tapped October 9th, 2019
If there’s anything more typically Australian than a tinnie of beer, it’s our surf culture. Better yet, it’s swigging from a tinnie of beer after an afternoon of surfing. Combining these two great Australian pastimes is what inspired Mona Vale-based surf movement M/SF/T, makers of custom surfboards and apparel, to team up with Philter to create this post-surf summer smasher. In true blue fashion, it’s a no bullshit beer that allows the hops to shine, like the glistening afternoon sun on the… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Aussie Pale Ale
- ABV
- 4.6%
- Stockists
-
You can join Philter and M/SF/T at The Park House in Mona Vale for the launch on Oct 10 from 6pm
Holgate Brewhouse Double Decade Double-Hopped Mt Macedon Pale Ale
Tapped October 8th, 2019
As names go, Double Decade Double-Hopped Mt Macedon Pale Ale doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but does it travel better the other way? It's the fourth in the series of releases brewed by Holgate to mark their first 20 years in operation, following beefed up versions of their ESB, Stout and White Ale, and the one timed to be released as the double decade ticks over. It's not double the size, weighing in at a strong pale ale-esque 5.8 percent ABV, and doesn't pack double the punch either. Instead,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Double Hopped Pale Ale
- ABV
- 5.8%
Holgate Brewhouse Session Pale
Tapped October 8th, 2019
There's a fair bit that's new about Holgate's Session Pale. For a start, the name. And the fact it's in a can. But the beer inside has been around a while as it's a repackaged version of their mid-strength Gatekeeper, a beer that first appeared as a trial batch in the summer of 2014/15 before graduating to the core range. If you've not made its acquaintance before, it's a beer in which the brewers look to pack plenty of flavour and a fair bit of body into its mid-strength size through the use of… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Mid-Strength Pale Ale
- ABV
- 3.5%
Hargreaves Hill Pursuit Of Hoppiness No.1 & Gin Barrel Gose 2019
Tapped October 7th, 2019
Having tested with water initially with their sibling brand Beatnik, it would appear Hargreaves Hill are fully embracing the world of the tinnie, at least when it comes to their limited releases. They're coming thick and fast too, with Pursuit Of Hoppiness the start of a new series focused on, as far as we can surmise, hops. Number 1 is a "triple dry-hopped NEIPA", one in which Aussie varieties Galaxy, Vic Secret, Enigma and Ella have been added to the beer at a Cloudwater-esque 24 grams… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- TDH NEIPA / Gin Barrel-Aged Gose
- ABV
- 6.5% / 4.7%
KAIJU! Mutation Program #0004: Hyperborea Hazy
Tapped October 5th, 2019
For all the very many IPA variants and other highly hopped releases KAIJU! have released since launching with a double IPA (as Monster Mash), they've proven rather resistant to the lure of the hazier side of things. Until now, at least, with the fourth release in their Mutation Program series: Hyporea Hazy, which uses the Conan yeast strain found in The Alchemist's genre-defining Heady Topper plus flaked oats and wheat in its mission to cloudy up the liquid in your glass. That said, it's not actually… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.1%
T-Bone Brewing Pineapple Punch IIPA
Tapped October 4th, 2019
Off the back of another limited release, Bloody Helles, a beer that combined a German lager base with blood orange, T-Bone have turned to another fruit that often finds its way into hop flavour descriptors: the pineapple. Taking a hopped up 8 percent ABV double IPA and layering pineapple juice on top, Pineapple Punch is a beer that, well, you know… packs a punch. With a decent whack of malt sweetness and a big bitterness too, it’s a little like the maltier IPAs that were easier to find in days… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Pineapple IIPA
- ABV
- 8.0%
Mornington Peninsula Brewery Draught
Tapped October 4th, 2019
The first major new addition to the Mornington Peninsula Brewery lineup since they became part of Tribe Breweries might not be one fans of the brewery’s conveyor belt of specialties – from big stouts to hazy IPAs to barrel-aged beers – expected. Instead, it’s at the other end of the spectrum of beers the brewery have released: a companion piece to their Lager, targeting the vast number of Aussie drinkers still getting their refreshment from the country’s bigger brewing companies. It’s… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Lager
- ABV
- 4.6%
Ballistic Beer Co Mulberry Twang
Tapped October 2nd, 2019
Ballistic’s Twang series started with one limited release - Twang Tropical Sour - but since that beer’s popularity sparked the series, it seems there’s always some version of the sour smasher floating around. Whether it’s dry-hopped with a combination of hop varieties, or includes additions like hibiscus and feijoa, Twang has become more or less a staple in the brewery’s seasonal rotation. The latest kettle sour comes with the addition of mulberries. If your childhood was anything like… Read more
Red
- Style
- Mulberry Sour
- ABV
- 4.6%
Modus Operandi Dream Weaver 2019
Tapped October 2nd, 2019
In a world of nonstop new releases, with a fresh NEIPA around every corner, it takes confidence, courage, and quality to re-release a hazy IPA. Luckily Modus Operandi have all three, and have channelled them superbly into this year’s Dream Weaver. There have been some minor changes to the recipe, as hinted at by the slight change in the name from “Unfiltered IPA” to “Hazy IPA”. The biggest change was switching yeasts to London Fog (which seems to be revealing itself as one of Modus’ favourite… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
Newstead Brewing The Doors Of Perception
Tapped October 2nd, 2019
It’s inspiration all the way down, starting with Aldous Huxley’s mind-bending adventures on mescaline that led him to write The Doors of Perception, from which the band The Doors later drew their name, and now, a few decades on, sees Newstead borrowing the title for this dark fruit sour. Pouring a rich, deep mulberry colour with a slightly pink head, this boysenberry, mulberry and blackcurrant fruit sour has an aroma of jammy berries. Flavour wise it’s packing a big berry punch too, with raspberry,… Read more
Red
- Style
- Dark Berry Sour
- ABV
- 5.3%
Tallboy & Moose Zing Tang (can) & Zee Pilz & Eagle Vs Kiwi
Tapped October 1st, 2019
A little more than a month after their first can release Tallboy & Moose have let another deftly decorated tinnie into the world. This time around, the Preston brewpub have skimmed through their brewlog and plucked out Zing Tang. The Berliner Weisse was first brewed close to two years ago has inspired some zingy spinoffs using other fruit, but the original was a beer fueled by kaffir lime and lemongrass and the American hop Lemondrop. Taken together, those elements provide a lot in the way of… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Various styles
