New Beers
There has never been a time like now: more breweries releasing more new beers than ever before. Here, in The Crafty Cuppa, and in our weekly newsletter, we'll bring you details โ and, if we've sampled them, our honest, independent take โ on as many of them as possible. Enjoy!
Black Dog Junk Yard Dog Double IPA
Published September 17, 2014
Black Dog has never been afraid to play around with high ABV beers, whether in the form of barrel-aged barley wines, collaborative imperial red ales or imperial stouts. The Junk Yard Dog Double IPA, which belongs in that family too, was debuted at Good Beer Week in 2014 and has returned to see out the year. Brewer James Booth hasn't held back on the hops โ even by double IPA standards โ packing so many American, Aussie and Kiwi hops into the brew it's registering somewhere around the 140 IBU… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Double IPA
- ABV
- 9.0%
- Bitterness
- 140 IBU
- Stockists
-
Alehouse Project
Spotted Mallard
Gertrude Hotel
Royal Hotel Clifton Hill
Park Hotel Werribee
Bottles:
Slowbeer
Purvis Beer Richmond
More stockists...Purvis Cellars
Grape & Grain Moorabbin
Low Buy Liquor
3 Ravens Unkindness BIPA
Published September 16, 2014
Having helped Melbourne's 3 Ravens to not only its first gold medals at this year's Australian International Beer Awards but also the Best British Ale and Champion Small Brewery titles, head brewer Adrian McNulty decided it was time to take his brewing skills, love of dark music and collection of off kilter headwear to pastures new in the form of Moon Dog. Prior to leaving, he created a farewell beer with his recently installed co-brewer, Ian Morgan (who has since been joined by former Boneyard brewer… Read more
Black
- Style
- Black IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Bitterness
- 130 IBU
- Stockists
-
The Alehouse Project Hopfest
The Catfish
Village Melbourne
More stockists...
Red Hill Double Barrel Temptation
Published September 14, 2014
They do like to play around with casks and barrels down at Red Hill, with the latest of their oaky adventures resulting in the release of the Double Barrel Temptation. Fans of the Mornington Peninsula brewery will know and love the Temptation, their once-a-year strong Belgian golden ale. They'll also likely know about their even more occasional "Double Barrel" series, which sees them bottle extremely limited amounts of their seasonals aged in oak barrels. Last year's Double Barrel Imperial… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Barrel Aged Belgian Golden Ale
- ABV
- 10.1%
- Stockists
-
[Purvis Cellars](/beer/bottleshop/purvis-bee
More stockists...
Stone & Wood Limited Release Jasper
Published September 3, 2014
With the huge, self-inflicted obstacle that was Australia's insatiable desire for Pacific Ale just about cleared thanks to the opening of brewery number two, the brewers at the original Stone & Wood site in Byron Bay have a little more time to play around. Play around or, perhaps more accurately, "sit around in The Rails and talk about beer". Apparently it was one such evening that inspired this twist on Jasper, the red ale that is the third beer in their year round range. Rather poetically,… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Smoked Red Ale
- ABV
- 4.7%
- Stockists
-
Find it on tap here
Two Birds Bantam IPA โ RETIRED
Published September 3, 2014
The term "session IPA" is one that has seen its popularity grow and have its value debated in equal measure since first appearing on the scene. "Isn't it just a hoppier pale or a lower ABV IPA, in which case it's not an IPA?" is the typical starting point for any conversation. Indeed, there have been some examples in which the attempt to get more hops without the balancing malt and booze have led to beers deserving of debate, but the Bantam is one that seems likely to render any… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 4.7%
- Bitterness
- 38 IBU
Lord Nelson 2IC (500ml bottle)
Published September 2, 2014
In recent years, the Lord Nelson - Australia's oldest pub brewery - has been pouring a growing range of seasonal and one-off beers through its taps in The Rocks. Some reappear every year, others are concocted for a special occasion, do their thing and disappear and, as of a few months ago, every now and again one of them breaks free of the pub and is brewed and bottled on a larger scale and distributed nationwide. First for this treatment was the rather tasty Double Nelson IPA and following in its… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- American Brown Ale
- ABV
- 4.7%
- Bitterness
- 24 IBU
- Stockists
-
In bottles nationwide where you find Three Sheets and Old Admiral
Green Beacon The Digger โ Anzac Bock
Published September 1, 2014
This beer was originally conceived with beer educator and writer Matt Kirkegaard of Brews News for the annual Media Brew competition at Beervana NZ. It's brewed with golden syrup and oats and plenty of New Zealand Motueka hop in the hopback as a tip of the hat to the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the Great War and the making of the original ANZAC diggers. Say the people behind it: "We celebrate the friendship between Australia and New Zealand in a far happier light, brought together… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Bock
- ABV
- 7.0%
Grifter Brewing Co Coven
Published August 29, 2014
It might just be us, but there seems to be a bit of a sinister air surrounding the Grifter Brewing Company these days. Following on from their winter oatmeal stout release, The Omen, comes Coven, an amber ale firmly encased within some striking coffin-shaped imagery. The word 'Coven' represents a gathering of witches and it's true you can almost imagine the three Grifter boys huddled around a vigorously overflowing boil, giant paddles held aloft, chanting, 'Double double, toil and trouble!รข?ย.… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Amber Ale
- ABV
- 5.7%
- Stockists
-
NSW:
Bank Hotel
Baxter Inn
Foxtrot
Frankies Pizza
Gasoline Pony
More stockists...Henson Park Hotel
Petersham Bowls
Rose Hotel Chippendale
The Little Guy
[Welcom
Nail Red
Published August 20, 2014
Having become increasingly convinced that Nail's founder John Stallwood is Australia's maestro of malt on the back of staggeringly consistently high quality releases such as his Oatmeal Stout, Hughe Dunn Imperial Brown Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Imperial Porter and Clout Stout, we expected this Red Ale to be another exploration of just how much character and depth could be expressed in a beer via the mastery of beer's backbone ingredient. So imagine our surprise when the first thing to hit us as the… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Ale
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 35 IBU
Young Henrys Red Hop Poker
Published August 19, 2014
The folks at Young Henrys couldn't be accused of not enjoying a lil' bit o' Yee Haw! Harking all the way back to one of their very first limited releases, the Yippee IA (Imperial Amber Ale), the chaps with the chaps have never shirked away from the opportunity for a Southern-inspired celebration, be it barn dance, hoedown or boot scoot. And now they've gone and developed themselves a Texas-style Red Hop Poker. Originally brewed for the Carnivore's Ball in Marrickville, this is an India Red Ale that… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- India Red Ale
- ABV
- 6.2%
- Stockists
Moon Dog Black Lung IV
Published August 12, 2014
In a recent radio interview to chat about our new beer book, the host in Brisbane plucked a few beers from its pages that had caught her eyes for different reasons. Among them was Black Lung, with its eye-catching packaging โ a suit-and-tie-wearing skeleton with hole in its skull smoking multiple cigars โ prompting a question about the importance of presentation in the craft beer world. Acknowledging that Moon Dog's was among the most visually arresting, we suggested it would only get a brewery… Read more
Black
- Style
- Smoked Stout
- ABV
- 9.1%
- Stockists
-
At good craft beer venues nationwide.
If you want help finding it near you, contact Moon Dog's distributor Phoenix.
Bridge Road Brewers B2 Bomber Mach 4.0
Published August 8, 2014
One of Bridge Road's most popular annual releases is back in its fourth incarnation. The B2 Bomber first took to the skies to mark the brewery's birthday back in 2010. Ever since then (barring one exception) it has been the birthday brew, evolving (well, being beefed up is probably more accurate) each year. It's a melding of styles that takes in black IPA and Belgium, with the former meaning plenty of dark malts and punchy hops, the latter providing a fruity, herbal yeast character. Last year saw… Read more
Black
- Style
- Belgian Black IPA
- ABV
- 8.6%
- Stockists
-
Bottles:
Grape and Grain Morrabbin
Olinda Cellars
Kegs:
More stockists...[Woodlan
Van Dieman Giblin Imperial Stout & Enigma IPA
Published August 8, 2014
Clearly Will Tatchell is something of a glutton for punishment - or has a team of eager beavers on hand come packaging day. Because having been inspired to follow the Belgian lead and painstakingly wrap the 2,500 bottles of his Hedgerow Sour in pretty paper, he's done the same with this year's release of his Giblin Imperial Stout. Given many of the imperial stouts coming out from Australian brewers these days tip the scales above 10 percent, this one is a pretty restrained affair; at 7.7 percent… Read more
Black
- Style
- Imperial Stout & IPA
- ABV
- 7.7% & other
- Stockists
-
Saint John Craft Beer, Launceston
Mill Providore, Launceston
Alps & Amici, Launceston
Cool Wine, Hobart
Abbey Bottleshop, Hobart
Club Hotel, Burnie
More stockists...
Young Henrys & Holgate I Should Coco
Published August 6, 2014
It's no secret that the team at Newtown's Young Henrys love to collaborate. Roast coffee? Come and make beer with us! Got vanilla? Come make beer with us! In a rockin' band? Come and make beer with us! Run a radio station... Well, you get the message. It's not that often, however, that they make beer with other brewers but, following a few real ales shared at this year's Good Beer Week Cask Off, owner Richard Adamson got chatting to Holgate Brewhouse founder Paul Holgate and a plan was hatched. Young… Read more
Black
- Style
- Chocolate Truffle Stout
- ABV
- 6.2%
- Stockists
-
Rose of Australia
Freda's
Angry Pirate
Lord Dudley
Petersham Bowling Club
Art Bar
More Sydney venues to come with some heading to Melbourne
More stockists...Keep an eye on Young Henrys social media...
3 Ravens Druid
Published July 30, 2014
You can tell 3 Ravens head brewer Adrian McNulty is being given free rein in the brewery these days. The man has musical tastes of a particularly dark, intense and heavy shade of black and the creation of beers such as Black Mass ' a whisky barrel-aged chipotle and vanilla porter ' and now this Pedro Ximenez barrel-aged Belgian strong dark ale named Druid would seem to reflect brew days soundtracked by intense aural assaults. Having enjoyed the Druid on tap and from the bottle, we feel that maybe… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Barrel-aged Belgian Quad
- ABV
- 11.0%
- Stockists
-
[Purvis Cellars](/beer/bottleshop/p
More stockists...
3 Ravens USB (Uber Special Bitter)
Published July 29, 2014
On the night of the 2014 Australian International Beer Awards, shortly after 3 Ravens head brewer Adrian McNulty had collected the trophy for Champion Small Australian Brewery, we asked one of his colleagues: "Does this mean Adrian will be allowed to brew USB again?" The beer ' essentially a souped up version of their English Ale ' was always a favourite at Crafty Towers but, when the brewery was taken over by Mash in 2013 the brewing of all limited release beers was put on hiatus to focus… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Strong English Bitter
- ABV
- 6.2%
- Stockists
-
[Purvis Cellars](/beer/bottleshop/p
More stockists...
Mountain Goat Smoke 'n' Mike
Published July 28, 2014
Just the other day, we wrote that you don't often see a lager from Mountain Goat. So they go and release their second in a fortnight... It's also the second In Breed in a fortnight too (where one of the in-house brewers gets to create a beer of their own), this time a beer based on the pale German Helles style of lager but with a smoky kick that's been created by, you've guessed it, Mike. The follow up to his first beer, Mike's Third Nut, is a light copper-coloured beer that uses a touch of classic… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Smoky Lager
- ABV
- 6.1%
- Bitterness
- 30 IBU
- Stockists
-
[Young & Jackson](/beer/bar/young-jackson
More stockists...
Murray's / Crafty Pint Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep '14
Published July 25, 2014
The unlikely tale of the Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep rolls on, getting smokier and fishier as it goes. For those new to the beer, it began as an idea at Crafty Towers for a beer to enter the Beervana 2012 Media Brew competition, became a 10 percent smoked imperial oyster and mussel stout brewed with a Trappist yeast, won the competition with a perfect score and was scaled up from that 20 litre batch to a commercial release last year. Murray's head brewer Shawn Sherlock said it would never be repeated… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Smoked Imperial Belgio Mollusc Stout
- ABV
- 10.0%
- Stockists
-
Good craft beer stockists around Australia
Beervana 2014 Australia Bar
More stockists...
Hargreaves Hill / Deschutes Hopburst IPA
Published July 19, 2014
His predecessor in the head brewer role always professed to a love of black beers (and wasted little time knocking one out at his new home), but the new occupant of the role at Hargreaves Hill seems to have quite the affinity with hops. Since moving across the Yarra Valley from White Rabbit earlier this year, Kai Dambergs has made the Pale leaner and more hop forward, created an imperial IPA, a hopped up American Wheat and a number of IPAs, of which this is the latest. It's the result of a collaboration… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- American IPA
- ABV
- 6.3%
- Stockists
-
Beer Deluxe, Fed Square
Hotel Lincoln
Nieuw Amsterdam
[Gert
More stockists...
Van Dieman Hedgerow 2014
Published July 17, 2014
Tasmanian brewer Van Dieman's Hedgerow has had an interesting development. Originally a soft, malt led annual release that made use of various pickings from around head brewer Will Tatchell's parents' farm, where there brewery is based, in 2012 he decided to place it into pinot barrels too. The result was a delightful, spritzy, fruity and delicate sour that ended up collecting gold at last year's Australian International Beer Awards. It's been a couple of years between Hedgerows and again there has… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Sour
- ABV
- 6.6%
- Stockists
-
Saint John Craft Beer, Launceston
Mill Providore, Launceston
Alps & Amici, Launceston
Cool Wine, Hobart
Abbey Bottleshop, Hobart
Club Hotel, Burnie
More stockists...
