New Beers

Boatrocker Brewery Pacific Stout

Published July 27, 2016

Now that Thunder Road has won its battle to call one of its beers Pacific Ale, can we expect to see a flood of beers of said nomenclature appearing on shelves? One has to assume so, although quite whether many will choose to use the word Pacific in conjunction with a hefty stout is doubtful. However, for this winter release, Boatrocker felt it was the best way to capture the essence of the beer, given it's a stout featuring Aussie hops Galaxy and Ella. Back before it had a name, it started out as… Read more

Style: Stout
ABV: 7.5%

Stockists

Local Taphouse St Kilda

Mount Macedon Hotel

Nomad & Stone Brewing Sol-Cal-Iente

Published July 25, 2016

When beer from the iconic US brewery Stone started being distributed in Australia legitimately for the first time in 2015, their then brewmaster Mitch Steele followed the freight Down Under to see for himself how the beers were travelling. And, while here, he helped brew something new. It was a collaboration with the Nomad brewery (which shares some ownership with the distributor Experienceit that brings in Stone’s beers) and ended up as a rye IPA named AirRyeEvil. Fast forward a year or so and,… Read more

Style: Black IPA
ABV: 5.5%

Stockists

Purvis Cellars Surrey Hills

Carwyn Cellars

Cellarbrations Carlisle

New England Big Winter 2016

Published July 25, 2016

The label of New England’s Big Winter 2016 states that it’s a beer brewed “to celebrate frosts, snow flurries and the smell of wood fires”. While that may be fine for Uralla, at the time of the beer’s release some parts of New South Wales were closing in on their highest July temperatures for decades. Fortunately, at least the evenings remain, for the most part, cool enough to make conditions nigh on perfect for a beer like this. Big Winter is a Belgian-style strong ale and it’s utter… Read more

Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 8.6%

Stockists

Forest Lodge Hotel

Lord Raglan Hotel

New England Brewery

Nomad Brewing Choc Wort Orange

Published July 24, 2016

They'll be happy Nomads in Brookvale this week after returning from the Craft Beer Awards in Brisbane with a champion's trophy in their luggage. After spending the past year or so diversifying their brewing palate in pretty much every direction imaginable, adding all manner of ingredients to beers, exploring high and low ABVs and collaborating with a high calibre roster of internationals, they may be particularly chuffed that it was one of their launch beers that took out the gong too: their Long… Read more

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.5%

Stockists

Archive Beer Boutique

Beer Cartel

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Cellarbrations Carlisle

Hopheads

Mane Liquor

Dainton Family Brewery Black Sheep Brunch Stout

Published July 20, 2016

Their long-awaited brewery and venue is finally open and their brewery is pretty much ready to start making beer. All of which means this beer could well be the last brewed by Dan Dainton and his merry band of assistants on a multitude of breweries around Victoria – and it's one the Dainton crew reckon is one of their best too. In other hands, the addition of coffee (in extract form) and flaked oats to a stout may well lead to it being tagged a breakfast stout, although here they've gone for brunch.… Read more

Style: Oatmeal Stout
ABV: 5.5%

Stockists

Beer DeLuxe

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Wayward Brewing Dad Rock Imperial IPA (Gluten reduced)

Published July 20, 2016

There’s a small but slowly growing number of gluten reduced beers to be found in Australia but it’s hard to imagine there are any others as ballsy as Wayward’s Dad Rock double IPA. However, when the beer first came out, around the middle of 2016, it was as worrying for coeliacs as most any other beer. Named for a Spotify playlist of classic bands that was popular with the Wayward brewers at the time – think along the lines of Skynyrd, Creedence and The Eagles – the original Dad Rock was… Read more

Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.0%

Lord Nelson Brewery Dead Ahead

Published July 18, 2016

In something of a quinella, the 175th anniversary of The Lord Nelson hotel – Sydney's oldest continuously operated pub – and the 30th anniversary of The Lord Nelson brewery – Australia’s oldest continuously operated independent brewery – both occur in 2016. And, as a celebration of both, a new beer has been brewed. As is customary with The Lord’s beers, it is neither barrel aged nor blended. It is not infused with spices or sweetened with syrup. It has not been distilled or dry hopped… Read more

Style: English Golden Ale
ABV: 5.2%
Bitterness: 30 IBU

Stockists

On tap at the Lord Nelson

In bottles across Australia.

Cheeky Monkey Silverback Stout (cans)

Published July 18, 2016

Having stepped up their canning plans earlier in the year by putting their smallest beer (Travelling Monk) and one of their biggest (an imperial India pale lager) into 500ml cans, WA's Cheeky Monkey is at it again. A few weeks on from sending the latest batch of their Silverback Stout – originally created by Red Proudfoot (now head brewer at Pirate Life) for the Margaret River brewery's first birthday – in kegs, they've now released the 10.1 percent ABV beast out in tinnies too. In bringing the… Read more

Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.1%

Stockists

Cellarbrations Carlisle

International Beer Shop

Mane Liquor

The Common

The Dutch Trading Co

Cheeky Monkey Brewery

Five Bar

And other bottleshops in WA

Green Beacon Uppercut IIPA 2016

Published July 18, 2016

The biggest of Green Beacon's hop forward beers is back for round four. The Uppercut imerial IPA is a seasonal that, as is the Brisbane brewery's wont, tends to change a little with each release. Certain characteristics remain the same: it's always awash with New World hops and it always packs a sizeable boozy punch. This time around, those hops come in the form of West Coast Americans Simcoe, Columbus, Amarillo and Centennial and the boozemeter clocks in at 8.5 percent ABV. The beer into which they've… Read more

Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%
Bitterness: 90 IBU

Stockists

Archive Beer Boutique

Blackwater Trading Co

Pumpyard Brewery & Bar

Mill on Constance

Rocks Brewing Russian Imperial Stout 2016 – RETIRED

Published July 15, 2016

Mark Fethers, the CEO of Rocks Brewing, has been banging on at his brewers for a few years about doing an annual release of Russian imperial stout, with the grand ambition of having a back catalogue of vintages which can then be blended into some sort of master beer made from a portion of each of its younger siblings. With the release of Rocks’ second RIS, he might just be on his way. The first in the series, in 2015, was overseen by head brewer Scotty Morgan and Nick Downs from Reformation Brewing,… Read more

Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.8%

Stockists

Lord Raglan Hotel

Sydney Wine Merchants

The Oak Barrel

Rocks Brewery

Oldfield Cellars

And select bottleshops across NSW

Pirate Life Stout

Published July 14, 2016

They may have made their name – and, boy, how they've done that – by displaying a knack for creating delicious hop forward beers, but there's plenty more in the Pirate Life locker. Last winter, they played around with a stout and a brown ale, released in small amounts and on limited taps, and now the Stout is back, still draught only but with more of it (and, potentially, plans for it to appear in their award-winningly distinctive cans a year hence). It's tagged an Export Stout, thus bigger than… Read more

Style: Export Stout
ABV: 7.1%

Grifter Brewing Co Horses Head

Published July 14, 2016

For their winter 2016 release the Grifter Brewing Company hasn’t gone as dark as trends might dictate – it’s more like they saw black on the colour chart then took two steps forward, one across and landed on red ale. The Horses Head is absolutely full of fruity hop character, but more of the crisp, citrus kind rather than juicy like a melon. There is bitterness but it’s a bit-part player, simply doing its job without really being a concern. What is more noticeable is the crystal and dark… Read more

Style: Red Ale
ABV: 4.9%

Bad Shepherd IPA

Published July 13, 2016

The new releases keep on rolling out of Bad Shepherd's Cheltenham brewpub, with this one set to become part of the core range too. It gives the Tiny IPA and American Pale already on the roster a big brother to look up to: a 6.8 percent ABV New World IPA that plucks its hops from near and far. There's Aussies Vic Secret and Ella, Americans Columbus and Simcoe, Kiwi Moutere (formerly Brooklyn) and new French variety Barbe Rouge too. And those who know something about hops will know there's a few varieties… Read more

Style: New World IPA
ABV: 6.8%

Stockists

Brother Burger and the Marvellous Brew

Carwyn Cellars

East of Everything

Local Taphouse St Kilda

Mrs Parma's (unlisted)

Nillumbik Cellars

Wolf of the Willows Stray Wolf

Published July 13, 2016

Stray Wolf is a coming together of two of the newer operations doing good things for beer in Melbourne. On the one hand you've got Wolf of the Willows, the former brewing gypsies who are now housemates at Bad Shepherd. On the other is Stray Neighbour, the top notch Preston restaurant with a fine line in craft beer on tap. They're not only doing good things for beer either; with this collaboration they're doing good things with beer as a percentage of profits is going to a couple of dog shelters.… Read more

Style: Red Ale
ABV: 5.0%
Bitterness: 34 IBU

Stockists: On tap in Victoria and Queensland

Hargreaves Hill Barrique Belgian Blonde

Published July 13, 2016

Hargreaves Hill's barrel program continues with the release of another Belgian inspired beer. This time, after a run of darker, barrel-aged sour beers comes the Barrique Belgian Blonde. Described as "a gentle ale", it spent time in former French oak Chardonnay barrels from the Giant Steps / Innocent Bystander winery across the Yarra Valley from Hargreaves' home. According to the brewers, it's time on oak was timed to allow the fruit character to shine "while maintaining a gentle oak… Read more

Style: Barrel Aged Belgian Blonde
ABV: 6.2%

Moon Dog Black Lung VI

Published July 9, 2016

One of the most anticipated annual releases from Moon Dog is back. The Black Lung is a peated, barrel-aged imperial stout that has appeared in a different form each year for six years now. The difference comes from the choice of barrel in which the beer spends time before packaging: first up was a bourbon barrel to be followed by others including whisky, Pedro Ximenez and fresh oak. It's a beer that has picked up trophies in the past (and is the brewery's entry in the forthcoming Great Australian… Read more

Style: Barrel-Aged Stout
ABV: 9.0%

Stockists

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Carwyn Cellars

Clifton Hill Brewpub

3 Ravens Thornbury Lager – SUPERSEDED BY THORNBURY PILSNER

Published July 8, 2016

With ten taps to fill at their newly expanded brewery bar, there’s plenty of scope for the 3 Ravens brewers to play around. And one beer that’s become a permanent resident on those taps since the bar was reopened – and is proving popular enough elsewhere to have swiftly graduated to the ranks of year round brew – is the Thornbury Lager. Based on Northern German pilsners, it’s a beer designed to be drunk rather than dissected. Head brewer Brendan Sullivan selected the Aussie hops he felt… Read more

Style: Pilsner
ABV: 4.9%
Bitterness: 38 IBU

Stockists

3 Ravens Brewery Bar

3 Ravens Little Ravens Dark Lager

Published July 8, 2016

It’s the middle of winter. And, if you’re in Melbourne, it’s been a particularly cold and wet one so far. So, if you’re a brewer, you’re mind will be turning to brewing darker beers, maybe a porter or stout. Or perhaps something boozy, like a big Belgian or barley wine. Or, maybe you think, sod it, let’s knock out a couple of lagers. Admittedly, in the case of 3 Ravens, one of those, the Thornbury Lager, is a new permanent release, while this Dark Lager comes with plenty of dark malt… Read more

Style: Dunkel
ABV: 4.9%
Bitterness: 20 IBU

Stockists

Junction Beer Hall

The Spotted Mallard

3 Ravens Brewery Bar