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 â and, if we've sampled them, our honest, independent take â on as many of them as possible. Enjoy!
BentSpoke Brewing Co Descent 22
Published June 14, 2022
Each year, BentSpoke mark their birthday by putting out Descent: an imperial stout that's spent time in oak. It's never quite the same beer, however, and in 2021 took a bit of a step to the left thanks to the impact of wild yeasts in some of the barrels in which the liquid was aged. It returned in June 22 for their eighth birthday, and again there were wild yeasts at play in the foeders that housed the beer for six months before blending and packaging. In 2021, I found the wild yeasts to have added… Read more
Black
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 10.0%
All Inn Brewing iForgoto Affogato Stout
Published June 14, 2022
The beginning of an affogato is very different to the end of an affogato. The beginning of this simple Italian treat is a game of contrasts as the fresh espresso and the vanilla ice cream clash wildly with each other: hot versus cold; oily versus creamy; wildly bitter versus intensely sweet. But the end of an affogato is a smooth and thick puddle, the flavours of vanilla and coffee joining together neatly like when youâre using Photoshop and you merge the once-disparate layers to create a unified… Read more
Black
- Style
- Sweet Stout
- ABV
- 8.0%
New England & Topper's Mountain Wines Saison du Sauvy
Published June 13, 2022
The New England team make impressive beer on their own, but bring them together with other producers and the skyâs the limit. Here theyâve joined forces with their favourite local winery, Topperâs Mountain Wines, to create the first brew in their All Together Project: Saison du Sauvy. The brew crew began this saison the same way they would for their much loved farmhouse ale, fermenting the wort with Belgian saison yeast in open tanks and letting Hallertau Mittlefruh hops bring the bitterness.… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Saison ft Grape Juice
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 30 IBU
Bridge Road Brewers B2 Bomber Mach 12.0
Published June 11, 2022
And once again, like clockwork, Australia's finest imperial Belgian black IPA returns to herald another orbit around the sun by Bridge Road Brewers. The Beechworth brewery keeps throwing out new ideas with such regularity â let's declare an independent micronation, how about a bar made of cardboard â it's easy to forget just how long they've been around. The launch of this beer marks 17 years since Ben and Maria poured their first beers, making Bridge Road easily one of the oldest brewing companies… Read more
Black
- Style
- Imperial Belgian Black IPA
- ABV
- 10.1%
- Stockists
-
Also available in limited edition packs featuring two bottles, a Teku glass, a stubby holder and tote.
Modus Operandi Neon Nectar Hazy IPA
Published June 10, 2022
Modus Operandi 's Neon Nectar was first released in August 2021 but thanks to its pure popularity, the brewery's ensured the big hoppy beer would get another release in big silver cans for 2022. Thereâs a certain irony to Modus calling this beer âNeonâ too, considering how light-blockingly hazy it is; seriously, you could wallpaper a room with the stuff. Donât get me wrong - the oat-and-wheat-induced cloudiness doesnât stop it from being bright orange but if youâre going to photograph… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.5%
Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery Without Concern
Published June 10, 2022
As common as sours seem to be in the modern craft landscape, itâs not often breweries release such beers without heavy fruit additions. Thatâs particularly true for anything labelled a gose or Berliner weisse, with brewers playing on the clean tartness of a kettle sour by bringing citrus or tropical fruits to the table. But Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery tend to brew at their own pace and there's little about their gose Without Concern that compares it to shelves of kettle sour cans. The… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Barrel-fermented gose
- ABV
- 4.8%
Holgate Brewhouse Imperial Stout 2022
Published June 10, 2022
Given the carnival freakshow nature of parts of the beer world these days, there's a good chance when you pick up an imperial stout there's going to be some element of pastry-ness (is that a word?) in the mix, or at least some sort of off-kilter ingredient. Travel back in time a decade and such beers weren't always thus; their arrival every winter was still cause for excitement but typically the most out there they'd get would be time spent in barrel. Holgate's 2022 release â an AIBA gold medalist… Read more
Black
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 10.0%
High Country Brewers Rule 47 (2022)
Published June 10, 2022
Thereâs a bit of a rule that if you get a bunch of brewers into a room then it wonât be long before each is drinking a pilsner. So it seems fitting that when Victoriaâs High Country brewers - namely King River Brewing, Bridge Road, Bright Brewery, Mitta Mitta Brewing, Billsonâs Brewery, Black Dog and Crank Handle - came together to make a beer at King River's home, pilsner might be at the forefront of their minds. The Rule 47 collaboration takes place each year at a different brewery's home… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Pilsner
- ABV
- 5.2%
Beerland Brewing Mosaic Smash & Birds of Paradise
Published June 10, 2022
Mosaic Smash (Single Malt and Single Hop) is Beerland's tribute to Mosaic hops, here supported by Maris Otter malts from the UK. Head brewer Andrew likes to get the most out of his hops and here went with massive additions in both the kettle and fermenter at a total rate of 13grams per litre. That's a load of Mosaic hops! This DDH-ing creates aromas of passionfruit and pineapple, with sweet orange peel one of the main flavours coming through. In typical American IPA fashion, Mosaic Smash has a dank… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- DDH IPA & Juicy Sour
- ABV
- 6.0% & 5.2%
- Stockists
-
And select WA venues and growler stations
More stockists...
KAIJU! Beer Hopped Out Red 2022
Published June 10, 2022
As welcomes go, my reacquaintance with Hopped Out Red after a three year absence was a good one. No sooner had I swirled the dark ruddy red liquid in my goblet and shoved my nose in than I was emitting an involuntary: "Oh god!" Don't worry â there's nowt wrong with it. I'd just forgotten what a punch the second beer ever released by KAIJU! (before they were KAIJU!) packs. And this time around â its first in three years â it's a slightly altered beast too, with Galaxy hops added to… Read more
Red
- Style
- Hoppy Red Ale
- ABV
- 6.5%
Black Arts' Winter Quartet
Published June 9, 2022
If staying inside and drinking a mixture of mixed culture beers sounds like the perfect way to spend a few winter evenings, then Black Arts have you well covered with a quartet released for the season. First up from the Victorian brewers and blenders is a beer and wine hybrid, Pinot Gris Wild, which sees a golden wild ale thatâs spent time ageing in muscat barrels blended with a house-fermented Pinot Gris. At 7.4 percent ABV, it's the biggest of the four and also the funkiest, providing quite distinct… Read more
Red
- Style
- Mixed Culture Beers
- ABV
- 7.4% & 5.5% & 5.5% & 6.0%
Green Beacon Mollyhawk Aussie Wheat Ale
Published June 9, 2022
Either market research by CUB/Asahi (or Endeavour Group) has revealed there's an untapped desire in the local beer market for Aussie wheat ales or there's been a serious case of "great minds think alike" within the teams at a number of their craft brands. Matilda Bay, who let's not forget introduced many an Aussie to the concept of European wheat beers with Redback, released such a beer not long ago, and now there's two more from Green Beacon and Pirate Life respectively. I'm pretty sure… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Aussie Wheat Ale
- ABV
- 4.5%
Pirate Life Sunlit Aussie Wheat Ale
Published June 9, 2022
Either market research by CUB/Asahi (or Endeavour Group) has revealed there's an untapped desire in the local beer market for Aussie wheat ales or there's been a serious case of "great minds think alike" within the teams at a number of their craft brands. Matilda Bay, who let's not forget introduced many an Aussie to the concept of European wheat beers with Redback, released such a beer not long ago, and now there's two more from Pirate Life and Green Beacon respectively. I'm pretty sure… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Aussie Wheat Ale
- ABV
- 4.6%
7th Day Brewery Saint Belgian Quadrupel
Published June 8, 2022
I love Belgian quadrupels for two reasons: 1) theyâre delicious and 2) youâre supposed to. Having recently dipped their toes into Flemish waters with their Sinner Belgian Blonde as part of their limited edition Making Waves series, 7th Day have come back with more blasphemous beer: the Belgian quad Saint. Pouring a smooth dark brown the colour of packed earth with a generous head that shimmies away, Saint fills the entire room you are in with the biscuity scent of scary strong beer. Donât be… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Belgian Quadrupel
- ABV
- 9.3%
Tumut River Brewing Tea Innit
Published June 8, 2022
With all the crazy beers Tumut River have brought out in recent times (WHO PUTS BLACK GARLIC IN A BEER??), I thought this one was going to be relatively simple by comparison, and that I would come through this process confusion-free. Alas, I was wrong. First up, I have to confess: Iâm baffled by the way the English use the word "innit". In my mind, itâs a simple contraction of the words âisnât itâ, and Iâd understand it being used as such. But I hear it replacing other words… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- English Brown Ale with Tea
- ABV
- 5.3%
- Bitterness
- 25 IBU
Westside Ale Works & Ida Pruul's Dark Quartet '22
Published June 7, 2022
If there's one accusation you'd never get to stick with Westside Ale Works, it's that they don't brew enough different beers. I mean, this is a brewery where they typically have 20 taps pouring their own beers. That's not all, however, as one of their brewers, Ben Sewell, also brews and releases beers under the Ida Pruul banner from their South Melbourne home. And if you want some insight into what the two operations get up to when the mercury is sliding, well... Let's start with two from the host… Read more
Black
- Style
- Various Styles As Indicated
- ABV
- 6.5% & 9.0% & 5.1% & 10.0%
Slipstream Brewing Co Anniversary Ale V & BA Anniversary Ale IV
Published June 6, 2022
And just like that, Slipstream Brewing hit their fifth birthday. They grow up so quickly, donât they? With birthday number five comes Anniversary Ale number five, although weâll use fancy Roman numerals along with Slipstream, and call it Anniversary Ale V. It has a classy new can design, yet is made with the same recipe as 2021âs release, and 2019âs, and 2018âs; the 2020 version was an exploration of a softer, more chocolatey flavour, but the recipe then reverted back to this bold, roasty… Read more
Black
- Style
- Imperial Stouts
- ABV
- Both 10.0%
Nomad Brewing Art Series: Porter & NEIPA & Red IPA & Empiricist #3 WIPA
Published June 6, 2022
In December 2021, Nomad kicked off their Art Series, celebrating the centennial of the National Art School by featuring the works of NAS students on beer labels. Now another round of these collaborative beers is landing. So letâs get arty. The Porter â brown at first glance, but mostly red when held up to the light â carries more weight than its relatively low alcohol content had me expecting. A choc sweetness combined with the thick, almost creamy body gives off strong Milo vibes, while roast… Read more
Red
- Style
- Porter, NEIPA, Red IPA & West Coast IPA
- ABV
- 5.0% & 6.0% & 8.0% & 6.0%
Gage Roads After Hours
Published June 3, 2022
In whatâs becoming an annual affair, earlier this year Gage Roads held a public vote to guide what would become their cool weather limited release. Last yearâs winning choice led them to brew a breakfast stout infused with coffee from Twin Peaks Coffee Roasters, now set for rerelease; 2022âs digital show of hands, however, landed upon "hoppy winter ale". Itâs a result that had this writer wondering what on earth that would lead to in terms of beer style, and just a little miffed… Read more
Black
- Style
- Hoppy Winter Ale
- ABV
- 6.0%
Wolf of the Willows First Chair
Published June 3, 2022
If the chilly temperatures greeting many Australians in the early days of winter 2022 get any chillier, anyone wanting to don skis or snowboard this season might not have to bother heading to the mountains â your local park may well work. At least the plummeting mercury is being accompanied by suitably hearty beers, including this one from Wolf of the Willows: their follow up to last year's Steep & Deep IIPA continues to take the piste but this time in the shape of a coffee-laced breakfast… Read more
Black
- Style
- Coffee Breakfast Stout
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Stockists
-
On tap in Victoria from June 3
In VIC bottleshops from June 6
Interstate from June 10
And appearing at the Outlaw Winter Wonderland event June 12 at The High Plains Hotel, Dinner Plain
More stockists...
