New Beers
Barely a day goes by without another seasonal or one-off special flying out of an Australian brewery (if not ten). Here and in our weekly newsletter, we'll bring you news and, if we've sampled them, our take on as many of them as possible. Happy hunting!
Pikes Beer Co Hazy IPA
Tapped September 23rd, 2019
Keeping things moving with their fish scale-liveries limited release series, the Pikes team ventured into the land of the haze with this Hazy IPA. Sitting at 7.2 percent ABV, Pikes’ Hazy IPA gets its cloudiness and hoppy punch from two huge dry hop additions of Citra and Galaxy hops. There's just a slight haze in a beer with a dark orange glow and frothy, big white bubbly head. Those hops lead the way with no malt aromas or flavours presenting themselves any more than is necessary to balance the… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 7.2%
Otherside Brewing Co Grapefruit & Citrus Anthem & NZ IPA
Tapped September 21st, 2019
For September 2019, Otherside have focused their experimental juices on a pair of fairly straight-ahead IPAs by today’s standards, although there is considerable difference between the two. Grapefruit & Citrus Anthem seasonally twists their core range IPA, with the tweaked recipe aiming to amplify the OG via grapefruit and orange additions which come off less pronounced than expected. Slightly lighter in colour than Anthem, there’s orange sherbet in place of melon and a new but subtle creaminess;… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Citrus IPA / NZ IPA
- ABV
- 6.2% & 6.5%
- Stockists
-
Available now from the Myaree brewery, Freo.Social (on tap) and Otherside stockists nationally.
Little Bang Brewing Schwangberry & Guava sNEIPA
Tapped September 21st, 2019
The Stepney brewers are at it again, releasing two new beers that are variations on their Schwang and sNEIPA ranges. Next up in the kettle sour range of Schwangs comes Schwangberry, utilising fresh raspberries to add a tartness, fruitiness and a vibrant colour to the beer. Due to the hefty load of added fresh raspberries, the beers pours a hazy bright pink with a light white head. A decent acidic aroma announces itself initially, along with solid backing from the fresh raspberries. It's an easy-drinking… Read more
Red
- Style
- Raspberry Sour / Sour NEIPA
- ABV
- 3.0% / 5.1%
- Bitterness
- 11 IBU / 15 IBU
Nowhereman Mango Fandango
Tapped September 20th, 2019
As the weather warms, Nowhereman have committed to putting at least one sour on tap until winter next year, which in real terms for Perth is about mid-August 2020. Kicking off the puckerfest is Mango Fandango, a fruity dance of 60 kilograms of mango atop the house gose base. Unsurprisingly, the tropical fruit dominates proceedings but not in a pulpy fashion – this is clean refreshment. Acidity and brine remain supportive in the golden sunshine-coloured beer, one that radiates warmth and good vibes,… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Mango Gose
- ABV
- 4.6%
Moon Dog Jumping The Shark 2019
Tapped September 19th, 2019
How do you jump the shark when, from the very off, doing just that was part of your schtick? In the case of Moon Dog, it was to create a series of beers even bigger and more batshit crazy than those they were releasing already. The Jumping The Shark series kicked off with a barrel-aged imperial stout weighing in at more than 15 percent ABV that was loaded with truffles and ended up with an AIBA gold medal. There's been the odd miss along the way, with The Fonz failing to stick his landing when he… Read more
Black
- Style
- Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 12.2%
Batch Brewing Co Azacca IPA
Tapped September 19th, 2019
With Azacca hops headlining, and Citra and Ekuanot playing a supporting role, this beer is full of flavour, but doesn’t demand to be centre of the occasion. As far as IPAs go, this one’s at the easier end of the scale; or alternatively, you could think of it as a pale ale jacked up to 11. Florals and citrus aromas give you expectations of a delicate little number, and they’re joined with sweet fruits when you first put it to your lips. But it fades into flavours more reminiscent of noble hops,… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.4%
Ballistic & Deep Creek Hybrid IPA
Tapped September 19th, 2019
If we want to know what to expect from this beer, where should we look? It’s called a Hybrid IPA, with “the grit and bitterness of a West Coast IPA” and an "East Coast style dry-hopping schedule”. Well, if we look halfway between West Coast USA and East Coast USA, you’re landed smack bang in the middle of America. Nebraska, perhaps? Or Iowa, or the Dakotas? Nowhere particularly renowned for their IPAs, anyway. Or, since this is a collaboration between Brisbane’s Ballistic Beer and… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.4%
- Bitterness
- 60 IBU
Bright Tank Dank Tank West Coast IPA
Tapped September 19th, 2019
As new head brewer Jackson Purser finds his feet at Bright Tank following his move south from Indian Ocean, the brewery’s toys have started to come into play. The reverse osmosis unit has quickly become a favourite for dialling in exact water profiles to best express each style. And in the case of Dank Tank, part of its dry appeal can be attributed to water chemistry, which may not be super interesting for most drinkers but is when it comes to delivering the beer's very tight outcome, something… Read more
Golden
- Style
- West Coast IPA
- ABV
- 6.4%
- Stockists
-
Available now from the brewery, with limited amounts hitting taps at select WA venues.
3 Ravens Strawberries & Cream Shake & Party Lager
Tapped September 18th, 2019
"Treat like milk" it says around the rim of the can. And, in the case of this Shake release from 3 Ravens, it looks like it deserves a spot next to the previous Coffee Shake in the milk fridge too. That said, it does say "beer" a couple of times on the label: "Great Beer Taste" front and centre and a Simpsons reference on the side we'll leave you to discover for yourself. As for the liquid inside Strawberries & Cream, it's going to elicit the same love it / hate… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Milkshake IPA & Festbier
- ABV
- 6.0% / 5.6%
- Bitterness
- 15 / 28 IBU
Future Mountain Harrow & Harvest
Tapped September 17th, 2019
Future Mountain’s take on a classic Belgian witbier, Harrow & Harvest is made with malted, rolled and raw wheat plus orange peel and coriander seeds. The last of those ingredients was sourced from the Indian supermarket a few shops down the brewery’s home in Reservoir in keeping with their ethos, of course. Though it's clearer than the typical haze found in Belgium’s wits, you’ll find flavours familiar from those originals: a mix of sweet orange and coriander, yeast-derived clove, some… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- White Ale
- ABV
- 4.3%
- Stockists
-
Future Mountain bottles are heading to some bottleshops but your best bet is the brewery or their online store
Future Mountain Incantation
Tapped September 17th, 2019
The first saisons might have been found in the fields of Belgium and Northern France but when they’re made with a lower ABV – which few modern ones are – there’s no limit to where, when or how they should be enjoyed. Well carbonated, light on the palate and unlikely to lead to a nap post-consumption, it’s a beer ready to match with almost any meal at almost any time of the day. That’s certainly the case with Future Mountain’s Incantation, a sprightly-carbonated table beer that sits… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Table Beer
- ABV
- 3.4%
- Stockists
-
Future Mountain bottles are heading to some bottleshops but your best bet is the brewery or their online store
Future Mountain Series of Dreams
Tapped September 17th, 2019
Beginning its life as golden ale, after six months in barrels Series of Dreams was transferred to spend a further two months on fresh raspberries from the Yarra Valley. The beer spent those two months refermenting away and extracting a lot from those berries, as its vibrant, bright red colour can attest to. It plucked out a whole lot of flavour too, packing a hefty punch of raspberries with a jammy quality that matches against the beer’s tart acidity. Will ZIebell… Read more
Red
- Style
- Raspberry Sour
- ABV
- 5.8%
- Stockists
-
Future Mountain bottles are heading to some bottleshops but your best bet is the brewery or their online store
Future Mountain Memoria
Tapped September 17th, 2019
Even before they opened the doors to their Reservoir brewery, Future Mountain’s Ian and Shane were busy working with local farmers to get their hands on seasonal fruits for their beers. They were keen to brew for the seasons, finding the right fruit when it was ready and thus bringing beer and its agricultural roots together. They’re not quick to waste any of that bounty either, as Memoria is a testament to using apricots that had already had one beer flow through them. The first was Two Wheeled… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Apricot Sour
- ABV
- 5.8%
- Stockists
-
Future Mountain bottles are heading to some bottleshops but your best bet is the brewery or their online store
Future Mountain A Million Stars
Tapped September 17th, 2019
A Million Stars was designed during the depths of winter and is a farmhouse beer that even the brightest stars wouldn't shine through. Made with a bouquet of cardamon, black pepper, rosemary, star anise and juniper plus the French hop Aramis, which contributes further spice and some pine. Flavours of lavender and bergamot also come to the fore alongside its roasted, savoury malts and, while it might pour the deepest of browns, it’s dry and slightly light body makes you think it could just as easily… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Dark Farmhouse Ale
- ABV
- 5.5%
- Stockists
-
Future Mountain bottles are heading to some bottleshops but your best bet is the brewery or their online store
Moon Dog Barrel-Normal Activity
Tapped September 14th, 2019
Back in early 2019, we spoke to Jason Perrault, a hop breeder from the American Northwest. Towards the end of the interview, he spoke of a new hop variety they were developing that could give barrel-ageing qualities to a beer. The hop doesn't yet have a "proper" name but has started appearing very occasionally in limited release beers here, including an IPA that's just left Ballistic's brewery in Brisbane. Moon Dog got their hands on some of Yakima Chief Hops' HBC 472 too and decided to… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Porter
- ABV
- 6.3%
Hop Nation Sweet & Sour Trio
Tapped September 13th, 2019
Their Site Fermentation Project may have become home for their more esoteric sour beers but the Hop Nation team clearly feel there's still a place for beers from that ever-expanding realm to live within their original brand. In the case of the "Sweet & Sour" beers, there's room for three that share much in common: each features a hefty addition of fruit as well as a lick of lactose (the sweet). Taken in the order I opened them, Cobbler is a peach sour inspired by the dessert of the… Read more
Red
- Style
- Fruit Cream Sours
- ABV
- 4.5% / 5.0% /
Hop Nation Site Fermentation Project Turn The Page
Tapped September 13th, 2019
Turn The Page is another Site release utilising a sour blonde ale base as the launchpad from which to play around with fruit, in this case rhubarb – plus vanilla as the aim is to bring rhubarb and custard to life in beer form. That said, while some of its predecessors have displayed some serious intensity on the sour and acidic front, here's a very different beast. It looks a little like a Bellini, from which rises a sherbet candy like tangy aroma. There's something perfume-esque too, with a sweetness… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Sour Blonde With Rhubarb
- ABV
- 6.0%
Tooborac Axe & Hammer
Tapped September 13th, 2019
When most breweries conceive springtime releases, they tend to favour something lighter, something that anticipates warmer, sunnier times ahead. For Tooborac, they also appear to be looking ahead to such times but have honed in on one particular activity that rises in popularity as the sun starts beating down: BBQing. Axe & Hammer is a "Texas BBQ Smoked American Red Ale" – a mouthful of a style to say and a mouthful of a beer to boot. There's hickory smoked malt and smoked paprika… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Smoked Red Ale
- ABV
- 4.8%
Venom Brewing West Bendigo IPA
Tapped September 13th, 2019
At 2019's Bendigo On The Hop, we ran a couple of IPA blind tastings for attendees. As ever with such things, the results varied from session to session; after all, we all have different palates and different tastes. No beer on the lineup attracted such wildly differing opinions among attendees, however, as the West Bendigo IPA from Venom – a collaboration with Bendigo venues The Hop Supply Co and Handle Bar they were launching on the day. It picked up both full marks from some and cutting remarks… Read more
Golden
- Style
- West Coast IPA
- ABV
- 7.5%
Bad Shepherd The Almighty 2019 & Passionfruit Sour
Tapped September 13th, 2019
The Almighty has long been one of Bad Shepherd's most highly-anticipated seasonal releases and one of their best. And, as it leaves the Cheltenham brewery once more for 2019 – complete with Hop God on the cans – that's the case again. It's another tightly wound IIPA, sitting at just 8.5 percent ABV this year but with 100 IBU of bitterness squeezed in, that's a long way from the hazier, juicier beers that have dominated the IPA landscape in recent times. Golden and pretty clear, there's pineapple,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Imperial IPA & Fruit Sour
- ABV
- 8.5% / 4.0%
- Bitterness
- 100 IBU / 8.5 IBU
