New Beers

McCoppins

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Olinda Cellars

Mountain Goat The Naz

Published August 8, 2012

Goat fans will be aware of The Craig, a beer made by one of the Goat brewers called, incredibly, Craig. In fact, true fans will be aware that there have been two Craigs. And now, following in The Craig's footsteps comes The Naz, a beer concocted by fellow brewer Shane, aka Naz. As The Naz is a guardian of The Crafty Pot, we probably need to say something good about his beer so he keeps being nice to her. Thankfully, that's not a problem as he's come up with a well balanced mocha porter that's had… Read more

Style: Mocha Porter
ABV: 5.2%

Stockists

Mountain Goat

Beer Cartel (growler fills)

Rockwell & Sons (opening soon)

Others TBC

Red Duck Ragnarok

Published August 2, 2012

There's something a little disturbing about the story behind this new release from Red Duck. According to the release notes: "Ragnarok, from Norse mythology, is the final battle of the Gods, in which most are killed, and the Earth is destroyed. It would be the end of the world as we know it. But the outcome isn't all bad, as a few Gods survive, as well as 2 humans who are able to repopulate a new and cleansed world." All well and good, but as they go on to explain that the beer is a collaboration… Read more

Style: Belgian Quad
ABV: 10.6%

Stockists

McCoppins

Press Cellars

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Swords Select

Olinda Cellars

Red Hill Weizenbock 2012

Published August 1, 2012

The brewery may have closed its bar and restaurant last month, but the beers keep on coming. This time it's the return of a style that's cropping up a little more often around the Aussie craft beer world these days - the weizenbock, aka a strong wheat beer. It's a beautiful looking beer in the glass with a fluffed up pillow like ahead atop its cloudy brown body. It's one with plenty going on too; the label might talk of its chocolate flavours, but get it young and it's those big, fruity wheat beer… Read more

Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 7.9%

Red Duck Hop Bach

Published July 27, 2012

While Red Duck do have some hoppy beers in their range (the Bengal IPA, Hoppy Amber, for example), they're generally a brewery that explores the beer world in other ways, whether with malt-led numbers, experiments without hops or blending meads and strong ales. With this one beer they could be seen to redress the balance in one fell swoop. Concocted with 25 different hop varieties in conjunction with visiting Danish brewer Anders Kissmeyer earlier in the year, it's a nigh-on ten per cent Imperial… Read more

Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.8%

Stockists

McCoppins

Press Cellars

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Swords Select

Olinda Cellars

3 Ravens Prussian Porter

Published July 24, 2012

Word on the hopbine suggests 3 Ravens will live on, despite earlier fears, with a white knight on the distant horizon. Should that not prove to be the case and were this to be the final special release from the Thornbury brewer it would be a fitting farewell. A year in the making from the time of its brewing followed by a few months in barrels also used for beers such as the Double Ale Noir, it has now been deemed ready for release, following an early taster in cask form at Good Beer Week's Bull… Read more

Style: Prussian Porter
ABV: 8%

Stockists

3 Ravens

Harvest Wine & Liquor

Others tbc

Stone & Wood Stone Beer (2012)

Published July 23, 2012

This year saw a change in direction for the Byron brewers' annual stone beer. Sure, they still pulled out the same stones from Fiji and heated them in a wood fire on the driveway outside the brewery. And they still lifted them, when white hot, into a metal cage and lowered them into the brew to let them work their caramelising magic. But elsewhere, it was all change with an all new recipe that saw the beer become a much bigger affair. That it's a new beer is apparent from the moment it hits the glass:… Read more

Style: Stone Beer
ABV: 7.2%

Stockists: Find it here

Moo Brew Vintage Imperial Stout 2012

Published July 16, 2012

Over the past week or so, we've been interviewing some of the country's leading brewers about barrel aging. We were told that one of the effects is to allow oxygen to slowly come into contact with the beer, which - in the case of beers such as stouts - can have the effect of softening the roast characters and lending the beer more caramel notes. Whether it was coincidence or not, the latest release of Moo Brew's Vintage Imperial Stout then landed in our hands and may as well have announced: "Here's… Read more

Style: Barrel-aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.5%

Moon Dog Black Lung II

Published July 14, 2012

The original Black Lung was quite possibly the Crafty Pint's pick of the Moon Dog beers to date. The sequel sees them replace the bourbon barrel aging with whisky instead and it's instantly apparent that the beer has picked up far more character from its time spent inside wood than the previous iteration. Considering it's been blended with an unwooded batch of the beer, one can only imagine how the unblended version must have tasted - like licking the inside of the barrel itself, perhaps! The intensity… Read more

Style: Smokey Stout
ABV: 8.9%

Stockists

Purvis Beer Richmond

Prince Wine & Spirits Essendon

Albert St food

Bridge Road B2 Mach II

Published July 13, 2012

Bridge Road has concocted some fantastic beers for its birthday releases: a barrel-aged Imperial Porter, a black saison and the B2 Bomber among them. The last of these is probably the one that caused the most excitement among the craft beer cognoscenti, a melding of a Belgian yeast with lots of hops and dark, roasty malts. For the brewery's seventh birthday, it's been brought out of retirement and given a boost in the form of more hops. The result is the same utterly idiosyncratic nose that bamboozled… Read more

Style: Black Belgian IPA
ABV: 8.0%

Stockists

Bridge Road

Others tbc

Bottles can be ordered from info@bridgeroadbrewers.com.au

Mountain Goat Seedy Goat 2012

Published July 11, 2012

One of the more interesting collaborations of 2012 saw Goat team up with their mates at Seven Seeds to deliver a coffee IPA that was subtler than one would expect. Instead of using the coffee to add a roasty character, the beans were very gently roasted to instead impart fruity perfume that complimented the hops in the beer. It's back for 2012 with a tweaked recipe. According to head brewer Dave Bonighton: "This year we've used the Nicaraguan Finca Jaime Molina Montecristo bean. This is a coffee… Read more

Style: Coffee IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Bitterness: 55IBU

Stockists

Kegs:

Tramway Hotel

Beer DeLuxe

Hell of the North

Alehouse Project (opening soon...)

Napier Hotel

Prince Alfred Hotel, Port Melbourne

Belgian Beer Cafe, Eureka

Mash Koffee Stout

Published July 5, 2012

A winter seasonal from the Swan Valley brewery, this is described as "A wonderfully simple yet complex little beer made with Yahava Koffee Beans. It displays hints of chocolate, cocoa, soft acidity and the signature fresh coffee nuttiness in flavour and aroma." Relatively low in alcohol, it's only available on tap.… Read more

Style: Coffee Stout
ABV: 4.3%

Stockists

Mash Brewing

Mash Rockingham

Mash Bunbury

Mash Challenger English IPA

Published July 2, 2012

The clue's in the title... Challenger hops are a classic variety when brewing English style ales and this is just that, an English style ales brewed with lots of hops thrown into the whirlpool and more used for dry hopping. As well as the English hops, there are some Kiwi representative too that add some tropical fruits on the nose before the more typically British apricot and orange - plus some caramel malts - join in the fun.… Read more

Style: English IPA
ABV: 5.8%

Stockists

Little Creatures Day of the Long Shadow

Published June 29, 2012

Timing is everything. And there was certainly something amusing about the release of a spiced ale that's close to double figures for alcohol content coming so close to news that Lion - not a company known for its promotion of such esoteric fare - was planning to take control of 100 per cent of Little Creatures. While their Pale Ale has continued its successful charge across the country as one of the best craft beer converters, the Single Batch series has helped keep those at the more extreme end… Read more

Style: Spiced Ale
ABV: 8.9%

Stockists: Find it here

Mountain Goat Hip Hip Hooray IPA

Published June 29, 2012

The 423rd IPA to be released by Mountain Goat in the past 18 months is possibly its hoppiest yet. The Hip Hip Hooray was brewed as a surprise gift for the brewery's bar and events manager Sam's recent birthday and is as punchy and full of character as the lady herself. The aroma leans more towards the hops more than any previous Goat IPA, with buckets of floral, tropical aromas in charge and the malt kept more in the background than their straight Rare Breed IPA. Hardly surprising when you consider… Read more

Style: Double IPA
ABV: 7.4%
Bitterness: 70IBU

Stockists

Mountain Goat

Others tbc

Mash Tank 8

Published June 25, 2012

A Belgian style ale from the Swan Valley brewers that they're calling a "dirty blonde". We presume this is for all the right reasons, however, such as keeping it dirty (aka cloudy ) to ensure the beer retains its distinctive yeast character and the fruity esters that come with it. Look out for "an added spice or two which combine for an unmistakable Belgian nose" as well as "tart acidity" with the malts very much there just to keep things ticking along.… Read more

Style: Belgian Blonde
ABV: 5.5%

Stockists: Mash Brewing

Bright Stubborn Russian 2012

Published June 21, 2012

Among last year's impressive haul of Aussie brewed Imperial Stouts was Bright's Stubborn Russian. It was actually one of the lower ABV offerings of the haul, something that has been seen to for this year. In the words of brewer Jon Seltin, it's "black, bigger, badder" stands at 9.6 pr cent yet "is smoother and more integrated than the last release - a good sign that it's a winner is the fact that it's now the go-to beer for all our beer-geek bar staff," he says. This year's contains… Read more

Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.6%

Stockists

Bright Brewery (bottle and on tap)