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!
Frenchies Fôret & La Grosse Oceanna
Tapped November 3, 2021
Frenchies are certainly no strangers to wood. In fact, you could even go so far as to say that if wood was moving house, and they’d spent all their money buying a dilapidated shack for seven million dollars and could only afford to hire a ute for the move, they could get Frenchies on the blower and know that, within hours, they’d both be awkwardly trying to tie a mattress on top of a bookshelf. Up until recently however, Frenchies’ expeditions into woods have been limited to barrel-ageing and… Read more
Red
- Style
- Oak Conditioned Pilsner & Barrel-Aged Raspberry Sour
- ABV
- 4.8% & 4.5%
Slow Lane Oktoberfest Trio Pt 2
Tapped November 3, 2021
Well, that’s that. Oktoberfest is done for another year. A hearty "Prost!" to all who observe this sacred time but I’m afraid you must fold away the dirndl, box up the steins, and promise yourself that maybe next year you’ll get around to finishing off that kilogram jar of sauerkraut you bought four years ago. As is customary, anyone caught selling a non-pilsner German style beer from now on will be prosecuted to the full extent of Beer Law. The maximum penalty? Sixty days hard labour… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Märzen, Kolsch & Altbier
- ABV
- 6.0% & 5.0% & 5.0%
Atomic Beer Project Hazy
Tapped November 3, 2021
Atomic’s Redfern digs have a new flagship beer, and true to the brewery’s hop exploring intent, it’s hazy. It also happens to be sessionable, juicy, and is built around Yakima Chief’s de rigueur Cryo Pop blend – not too shabby for a new core range beer. Pouring from cans wrapped in the Redfern raven, Cryo Pop’s peachy-OJ-Juicy Fruit-bubblegum vibe leads, with tinned pineapple juice, papaya and a general tropi-citrus cohort also at play. All of which is very now, of course, however it’s… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy Session IPA
- ABV
- 4.5%
- Stockists
-
Available from the Redfern brewery
And Atomic stockists nationally
2 Brothers Springfield IPA
Tapped October 30, 2021
More often than not when a beer arrives bearing pop culture references, it's thanks to a pun or an attempt to grab a bit of reflected glory. With 2 Brothers' Springfield IPA, however, The Simpsons-aping label comes with good reason: brewer Dan Barbieri hails from the town and this is the first time he's been let loose on recipe design. It's also the brewery's first ever hazy IPA – typical of 2 Brothers and their desire to do what suits them rather than chasing trends – so not one you'd want to… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
Black Brewing Red IPA & Black Smokes
Tapped October 29, 2021
Red IPAs aren't released too often – even though we know many beer fanciers who'd love to see more of them on the market – but they're a popular choice for brewers looking to bridge the gap between sessionable summer drinks and heavier winter offerings (or vice-versa). It's where Black Brewing have headed for their spring 2021 release, with Red IPA actually a red rye IPA, and one that leans more into its maltier than hoppier side. With plenty of toffee and some spicy rye awaiting you in this… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Rye IPA & Smoky Black IPA
- ABV
- 5.9% & 6.5%
Dainton Beer Hyperdrive
Tapped October 29, 2021
It seems there can never be enough hops in Dainton’s core range, with the Melbourne brewery including multiple hazies in their lineup and adding the West Coast IPA, Overdrive, to their core range in October 2020. It’s a beer that’s served them well too, picking up a gold medal at The Indies in 2020, while also becoming a favourite of the brew crew and Dainton fans seeking out pine and bitterness. To celebrate that beer turning one, Dainton have created a limited release big sibling in Hyperdrive,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- West Coast IIPA
- ABV
- 8.5%
Exit & Killer Sprocket Saisons In The Abyss
Tapped October 29, 2021
It's nice to have one's memory jolted once in a while, especially when it's to take you back to a fun little period in the evolution of modern Aussie craft beer. In the case of Saisons In The Abyss, it's to the time when Shawn Sherlock (now FogHorn) and Ian Watson (now at Black Hops) were in cahoots at Murray's (yes, Sherlock and Watson) and knocking out all manner of big imperial stouts, Belgians and barleywines. One of the biggest was their Slayer-referencing Seasons The The Abyss, an 11.3 percent… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Saison With Blood Orange
- ABV
- 6.2%
- Bitterness
- 23.8 IBU
Bad Shepherd Belgian Blond
Tapped October 29, 2021
The modern Australian craft beer landscape is one filled with myriad beer styles but, as much as we’re living in a world of unlimited limiteds, there are some styles that seem to miss out. Maybe it’s because we’re all seeking what’s new, with brewers looking to experiment with fresh ingredients and ideas, and craft drinkers looking to hunt down the latest releases. Whatever the reason, it means classic beer styles from some of the great beer-making cultures don’t get made locally so often… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Belgian Blond
- ABV
- 6.5%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU
One Drop Brewing VOID
Tapped October 29, 2021
My door, upon one Halloween, Was forced ajar by hand unseen. No doorbell rang, there were no knocks, But on the step there lay a box. The questions start: “From whence it came? (The sender did not print their name.) Is it for me? Who left it there? What mystery does this vessel bear?” I lift the box’s lid, and lo, There is a beer I do not know. Dressed in a can of dark design, All black and red and artwork fine. The label does not tell the style; Its sly intentions must be vile. Just six… Read more
Red
- Style
- Who knows?
- ABV
- 6.66%
Balter Brewing Hazy Wonderland
Tapped October 28, 2021
At the start of 2021, Balter promised us a four-part hop experiment in which they’d play around with Cryo hops in West Coast and hazy versions of IPAs. They started by putting Mosaic hops on both sides of the fence with CryoMofo and CryoHaze, then moved on to Cryo Idaho 7 hops starting with Electric Wonderland. Now, with Hazy Wonderland, they’ve locked the last piece into place. The aesthetics of Electric Wonderland were 80s SoCal; to quote one of the master wordsmiths of our time: “I saw Will… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.5%
- Bitterness
- 22 IBU
Bridge Road Brewers Watermelon Sour
Tapped October 28, 2021
What’s your preferred method for cutting up watermelon? Do you do the triangular wedges that look like pizza slices? Or the variation on the wedge, where you trim off some of the rind to make pine tree shapes? Are you a melon baller, or a melon cuber? I’d be interested in hearing the method preferred by the Bridge Road brew team, since they hand-cut four tonnes – that’s about 700 melons – to go into their Watermelon Sour. Although whatever method they used to cut what they describe as “a… Read more
Red
- Style
- Watermelon Gose
- ABV
- 4.3%
Bright Tank & Grain Cru Pineapple Cru Hazy
Tapped October 28, 2021
First impressions are important, especially when a beer is labelled Pineapple Cru Hazy. Luckily, the opening thought upon tasting this collab between Bright Tank and Cellarbrations Carlisle and Victoria Park’s Grain Cru club is: “Wow! That’s a lot of pineapple.” Which is just as it should be with pineapple juice additions and dry hopping with Bru-1, a hop head brewer Justin Bishop describes as, “pineapple, pineapple and more pineapple”. Pouring hazy and, well, pineapple-hued, the fruit… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Pineapple Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.6%
- Stockists
-
Available at the brewery
Cellarbrations Victoria Park
More stockists...
Otherside Brewing Co's October Quartet
Tapped October 27, 2021
Fresh from taking top spot in the WA Good Food Guide Beer of the Year 2021, Otherside’s new release program shows no signs of slowing. This collab-heavy quartet covers a broad style span which kicks off with a not insignificant triple hazy IPA packing no less than 3.3 standard drinks into a single can. As collaborator Josh Daley from Mane Liquor points out: “We just wanted to do a bigggggggg fuck off IPA, because ya gotta give the people what they want, and people want beers that slap ‘em… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Various Styles
- ABV
- 11.0% & 5.6% & 12.0% & 6.0%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery
Otherside online
And retail stockists including Freo Doctor
More stockists...
Burnley Brewing Kellerbier & Double Fruited Mango Ale
Tapped October 27, 2021
As October 2021 approaches its end, Burnley Brewing say goodbye to their celebration of Oktoberfest two times over. First off, they’ve released their final Oktoberfest beer and celebratory pack with Kellerbier and Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl Part Three. The latter of those comes on the back of popular demand from the first two packs, which champion the feeling of togetherness, and contain the Kellerbier itself, along with a range of other Reinheitsgebot appropriate beers from the brewery. Kellerbier… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Kellerbier & Fruited Ale
- ABV
- Both 5.0%
- Stockists
-
Grab Oktoberfest Pack 3 here
Wilson Brewing Shore Thing
Tapped October 26, 2021
Wilson have shored up their core lineup ahead of summer 2021 with Shore Thing Summer Ale, a beer designed to encapsulate the Albany brewery's coastal surrounds within a light, refreshing and summery ale. A light body and bright pour take the lead in a beer that's particularly well suited for session sipping, while vibrant, citrus aromatics are abundant on the nose. Hops take centre stage but are purposefully gentle in character, with a very modest bitterness only just persisting after each sip.… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Summer Ale
- ABV
- 4.2%
Bodriggy Brewing Iggy Seltzer
Tapped October 24, 2021
Like many breweries that have expanded into the seltzer market, Bodriggy’s entry into the sparkling soirée has seen the Abbotsford operation launch a new brand for it. But Iggy Seltzer might have its own name and tagline of No Biggy With an Iggy (presumably channelling the Instagram influencer and wildlife supporter named Biggy Pop, who happens to have a famous owner) but the new Iggy isn't too far removed from the wider Bodo look and feel. Largely that's thanks to the tins themselves where you'll… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Seltzer
- ABV
- Both 4.5%
Bad Shepherd Oat Cream IPA III
Tapped October 22, 2021
Launching midway through 2021, Bad Shepherd’s Oat Cream series has become something of a preferred method for the Melbourne brewery to explore hops and the myriad flavours those impressive flowers impart. When number two was released in August, we hoped at the time we wouldn't be waiting too long to see version three, so it seems wishes can come true. Oat Cream IPA III is a touch bigger than the previous two at 8.0 percent ABV and features two American varieties known for their distinct tropical… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Oat Cream IPA
- ABV
- 8.0%
Future Mountain Anniversary Ale 2
Tapped October 22, 2021
When you call a beer your grand cru release, AKA your most premium blend of the year, it seems a bit of a high risk idea to invite a group of people who've never made a beer to help create it. But that’s just what Future Mountain did with Anniversary Ale 2, inviting locals who supported them throughout lockdowns to help agree the final blend. You can read more about the story behind the beer here. Thankfully, under Ian and Shane's guidance, any lack of brewing or blending experience hasn’t had… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Blended Golden Sour
- ABV
- 5.8%
Bright Tank NZ Pilsner
Tapped October 22, 2021
In what’s becoming an annual limited release, Bright Tank’s NZ Pilsner – or is that Pulsner? – draws from classic pilsner stylings before introducing hoppy influences from the land of the long white cloud. For 2021, the light, bready pilsner malt base welcomes the increasingly prevalent Nelson Sauvin to perform a crisp haka, and its influence is bold. Famed white wine, gooseberry and passionfruit notes present, but it’s almost Belgian in expression with lemony tones evoking thoughts of… Read more
Golden
- Style
- NZ Pilsner
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery
And Bright Tank's WA stockists in limited release
Prancing Pony Lager
Tapped October 22, 2021
The Prancing Ponies of the Adelaide Hills are no strangers to traditional Germany style beers, or indeed Germany, given owners Corinna and Frank grew up there. Hence a significant proportion of the beers they release – at least by Aussie standards – are lagers. Their new for spring 2021 core range offering, Pony Lager, keeps things simple, equally at home in the hands of a crafty type after a straightforward drinking experience and appealing to the drinker who prefers the mass-produced variety.… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Lager
- ABV
- 4.5%
- Bitterness
- 23 IBU
