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 – and, if we've sampled them, our honest, independent take – on as many of them as possible. Enjoy!
Burleigh Brewing Black Giraffe 2013
Published July 18, 2013
This annual collaboration between the Gold Coast's Burleigh Brewing and their nearby roasters Zarraffa's Coffee is one we look forward to at Crafty Towers. And this year's release is another welcome arrival. Featuring "hundreds of kilos" of freshly roasted coffee, it's a seriously black and seriously balanced lager. The ethically-sourced, Guatemalan coffee joins chocolate, caramel and toffee malts to ensure it's part of a rounded brew rather than dominating, while the American hops are… Read more
Black
- Style
- Coffee Lager
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Bitterness
- 50 IBU
- Stockists
-
Check the brewery's Giraffe Tracker
Eagle Bay Black IPA
Published July 17, 2013
The folks at Eagle Bay, the brewery with a rather enviable hilltop spot at the northwestern tip of the Margaret River region, has a couple of winter seasonals line up for 2013. The first is this Black IPA, which takes its inspiration - and its hops (Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe) - from the US to create a beer that combines "prominent pine and citrus hop aroma" with "hints of chocolate and coffee". It's a beer the brewer says is "rich and robust", "delicious"… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Black IPA
- ABV
- 5.&%
- Bitterness
- 60 IBU
- Stockists
-
Pourhouse, Dunsborough
Clancy's Dunsborough
More stockists...
Red Hill Imperial Stout 2013
Published July 13, 2013
Every winter, the number of Imperial Stouts released by Aussie micros increases. This year we've seen them head well past 10 per cent, use Belgian yeasts, spend time in barrels, cram in tonnes of American hops and even, in one particularly silly case, feature heaps of molluscs. The one that started it all was Red Hill's and this year they celebrated the fact by launching the 2013 vintage at their Secret Stash weekend alongside aged earlier releases stretching back to 2008. The latest remains faithful… Read more
Black
- Style
- Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 8.1%
- Stockists
-
Firkin / handpump:
Belgian Beer Cafe Eureka
Keg:
Pope Joan
More stockists...
Redoak Chateau Sour
Published July 10, 2013
Even by Redoak's impressive standards, when it comes to winning awards few of David Hollyoak's beers have enjoyed success quite like that of the Chateau Sour in 2014. A true labour of love, this beer starts out with a base beer created from specialty Chateau malts from Belgium then undergoes spontaneous fermentation in old oak with whatever yeasts are in the air around the brewery at the time. David says: "The beer is wild fermented in barrels, which give it a bit of wood, but as we use old… Read more
Red
- Style
- Flemish Red
- ABV
- 5.0%
Murray's / The Crafty Pint Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep
Published July 9, 2013
We've said plenty about this beer created in collaboration with Murray's so won't say much more here. What's more, as it's kind of our beer it would be wrong to say much about it anyway. That's part of the reason why we've decided to run a little competition inviting you to review it for us in 50 words or less, with the best and most entertaining received by August 9, 2013, winning a t-shirt. What we can say is that it's a 10 percent ABV Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel & Oyster Stout featuring… Read more
Black
- Style
- Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel & Oyster Stout
- ABV
- 10.0%
- Stockists
-
Oak Barrel, Sydney
[Union Hotel Newtown](/beer/bar/union-hote
More stockists...
Young Henrys Mother Shucka
Published July 3, 2013
They're like London buses, these oyster stouts. You wait an age for one to turn up then two come along at the same time. Yes, pipping The Crafty Pint's effort with Murray's to the public by a week or two comes the Mother Shucka from Young Henrys. Brewed with four dozen Sydney Rock Oysters that went in shells and all to the whirlpool, the inspiration for the beer came one night when brewers Oscar and Rich were enjoying a few oysters at a dinner party and it came out that Oscar's mum is known as the… Read more
Black
- Style
- Oyster Stout
- ABV
- 6.7%
- Stockists
-
Old Growler
Petersham Bowling Club
And Young Henrys' beers "usual haunts"
More stockists...
Van Dieman Dubbel Shot
Published July 3, 2013
This is the first beer of what Van Dieman brewer Will Tatchell hopes to be a series of beers under the Mash Up moniker. The idea is to hook up with as many of his local primary producers in Tasmania to create collaborations that celebrate the colourful nature of the land. First up is this collaboration with Evandale roasters Ritual Coffee that first saw the light at this year's GABS and has since been bottled and sent out around the state. The base beer is a Belgian Dubbel so Will didn't want anything… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Coffee Dubbel
- ABV
- 6.6%
- Stockists
-
Keg
Jack Greene, Hobart
Preachers Bar, Hobart
New Sydney Hotel, Hobart
Alchemy Bar, Hobart
Bottle
Cool Wine, Hobart
The Abbey, Hobart
More stockists...
You Am I's Brew Am I
Published July 3, 2013
When they embarked on his first "rockstar brews" with Crow and Front End Loader last year, did Young Henrys' Richard Adamson and Oscar McMahon have any idea where it would take them? Thus far it's led to a closing night gig at Melbourne's iconic Cherry Bar with three craft beers being launched and now this beer for You Am I's 20th anniversary tour. Conceived with the band to represent their origins (wheat from WA, malt from Victoria, hops from New Zealand), pouring at the tour venues (or… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Rock n Roll Beer
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Stockists
-
Order online here
Enjoy it at venues or neighbouring pubs on tour
Check out the nationwide launches here
More stockists...
3 Ravens / Two Birds / ParrotDog Fly By Night
Published July 2, 2013
It seems like this three-way, trans-Tasman collaboration brewed during Good Beer Week was some time in the making. As soon as 3 Ravens brewer Adrian McNulty heard there was to be a second avian-themed brewery in Victoria, namely Two Birds, he set his mind on brewing with them. When the idea was eventually suggested (as beers were consumed), it was decided it would be a good idea to bring in Kiwi brewers ParrotDog too, what with their feathery, winged nature. Thus it was that on the Monday of Good… Read more
Black
- Style
- Black IPA
- ABV
- 6.6%
- Stockists
-
Six kegs are off to NZ, a few are already gone, but the others can be found at:
The Park Hotel (although may be gone already)
The Wheaty (being tapped end of July)
Village Melbourne
[Bee
More stockists...
The Village Goat
Published June 28, 2013
There's been a fair bit of change and plenty more to come at the Village Melbourne. The former Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone retains its selection of Belgian beers among its taps and shelf space but, in the past year, has embraced the wider world of beer wholeheartedly. There have been themed craft beer events, a Good Beer Week event that pitted Belgian classics against modern interpretations and looking ahead grand plans for the continuing reinvention of the venue. And now they have their own beer.… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Australian Brown Ale
- Stockists
-
Village Melbourne (listing on Crafty coming soon)
Mountain Goat / Brooklyn Brewery Hopfweizenbock
Published June 26, 2013
The opening event at this year's Good Beer Week saw the concept from 2012's Masterclass of Champions - punters invited into a brewery for a live international collaboration brew followed by a brewery floor feast - switched from the Yarra Valley to Richmond. At Mountain Goat, 15 guests got to take part in the brew, while another 75 rocked up for a beer degustation lunch. The international guests this time were from NYC's awesome Brooklyn Brewery, with two brewers flying in for the day and bringing… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hoppy Weizenbock
- ABV
- 6.5%
- Stockists
-
We haven't seen a list yet, but they brewed LOADS of it so expect it to pop up at any good bar or bottleshop near you soon.
Little Creatures Single Batch Mr Obadiah
Published June 24, 2013
The full effects of last year's Lion purchase of Little Creatures will take some time to be seen. Yet, when the announcement was made last year, there were fears among beer aficionados that the Single Batch program could be something to suffer. Yet that's not proven to be the case; indeed, both Creatures and White Rabbit continue to play around with one-off firkins and tiny, tap only experiments at the bases in Freo, Healesville and Fitzroy. The latest Single Batch to make its way nationwide is Mr… Read more
Black
- Style
- Rye Porter
- ABV
- 6.9%
- Stockists
-
[Little Creatures](/beer/brewery/little creatures/)
[Great Nort
More stockists...
Feral Brewpub Series: Boris
Published June 20, 2013
It seems the brewing maestros at Feral are genre-benders. Hop Hog IPA has made a habit of winning the Pale Ale trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards and now Boris has picked up the trophy for Best Porter despite being tagged as a Russian Imperial Stout. If anything, it shows that the brewers there know their beers inside out and just where they're going to fit within judging style guides. Semantics aside, any beer that wins a trophy is likely to be a cracker. And, as anyone who's come… Read more
Mornington Peninsula Russian Imperial Stout
Published June 20, 2013
Even in its darkest days, the Australian beer world produced some cracking stouts, from the well known, such as Cooper's Best Extra, to the lesser lights, such as Southwark. And as it races ever onwards and upwards into its bright new future, it continues to knock out amazing stouts in all shapes and sizes. For the past two years, the Best Stout trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards has stayed at home, despite the fact this is a category, unlike those featuring hoppier beers, in which… Read more
Black
- Style
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 9.5%
- Stockists
-
Kegs are going to:
More stockists...
2 Brothers Magic Pudding
Published June 19, 2013
If you were asked to name the most successful brewery in Victoria when it comes to awards, what would your snap answer be? It should be 2 Brothers, as the Moorabbin brewers have steadily and consistently been racking up major trophies at the Australian International Beer Awards for the past few years while packing the punters in at their brewery bar every Thursday and Friday. Having picked up trophies for their beers, this year they collected another - Best European Style Lager for the Taxi Pilsner… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Dessert Beer
- ABV
- 9.1%
- Stockists
-
Good bottleshops
Holgate Brick Kiln Dark Wheat
Published June 19, 2013
A winter beer that's not an Imperial Stout - who'd have thunk it? At least that's how it feels this week, with Holgate's annual release of its dunkelweizen coming in the midst of a wave of big, black beasts. A beer named in homage to Brick Kiln Road in Holgate's hometown of Woodend, which was where founders Paul and Natasha had the inspiration to open a brewery while out rambling, it's one inspired by the dark wheats of Bavaria. It pours such a deep brown that the punch of the candy bananas on the… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Dunkelweizen
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Stockists
-
At good bottleshops and beer bars across Australia.
Red Duck Wooly Nelson
Published June 18, 2013
It seems we're in the middle of another of Red Duck's regular avalanches of new beer releases, with this one a single hop beer utilising the popular Nelson Sauvin. Presumably the "wooly" refers to the fact that it's a Kiwi hop rather than any weird sensation experienced when supping the beer. If it's anything like their last single hop release, the Topaz, which we found to be a simple beer delivered well, then it should prove a lovely showcase for one of the most distinctive and powerful… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Pale Ale
- ABV
- 4.6%
- Stockists
-
Press Cellars
Swords Select
Olinda Cellars
More stockists...
The Wheaty SchwartzHopf
Published June 17, 2013
To mark 10 years as a venue many knowledgeable types will tell you is the best beer bar in Oz, the ladies at The Wheaty headed south to Moo Brew for a three-way collaboration with two of their favourite breweries / stalking victims: Moo and Mountain Goat. They took over the older, smaller of the two Moo breweries and set about creating a hoppy, black pilsner. The thinking behind it, according to the Wheatsters, was: "No 10% ABV, 10 Malts, 10 Hop additions, 100 IBU business for us in our 10th… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Black Pilsner
- ABV
- 5.8%
- Bitterness
- 60 IBU
- Stockists
Moo Brew Seasonal Stout 2013
Published June 13, 2013
On a tour of Moo's brewery just before it became operational, head brewer OJ was at his most animated when showing off the waste water treatment system. This isn't to say he has any unpleasant foibles, more that he's a real technician when it comes to brewing, someone fascinated by the finest of details and determined to turn out clean, tight beers. It explains why everything that comes out of the Tassie brewery tends to be so immaculate and of a consistency the big breweries would admire - even… Read more
Black
- Style
- Stout
- ABV
- 8.0%
- Stockists
-
On selected taps from June 13
Check out the Moo Store Locator [here](http://moobrew.com.au/store-locator?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Moo+Brew+2013+Seasonal&utm_content=Moo+Brew+2013+Seasonal+CID_849c62c98e3c66c0e3d053a8e4f87ba9&utm_source=Campaign%20M
Colonial Gary The White
Published June 12, 2013
It's fair to say that Team America is a pretty popular film at Crafty Towers. The Pint family calls each other Gary in honour of the film's hero, Mrs Pint bought the soundtrack and discovered with glee that there are extra verses to many of the film's songs and, almost a decade on from its release, it's quite terrifying how much of the phraseology around the house can be traced back to the film too. So any beer that also takes its name from Mr Johnston and lifts quotes from the film in its tasting… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- White Stout
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Stockists
-
The Royal
Print Hall
Raffle
More stockists...
