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!
Hop Nation Organic Lager
Tapped October 25th, 2019
Flick through the Rolodex of new releases from Hop Nation over the past couple of years and you'll find barrel-aged blends, hazies aplenty, fruit sours and wine. Yet the beer they've been putting as much time and effort into as any is something rather more straightforward: a lager. A lager in which the most remarkable or distinctive part is the fact it's certified organic: brewed using organically grown hops and malt. It's been designed with summer sessions in mind and, presumably, in the hope it… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Organic Lager
- ABV
- 4.0%
- Stockists
-
Launching at Hop Nation on the weekend of October 25-27 with $5 tinnies, $10 pints, and specials on takeaway purchases.
Nomad Brewing South Pacific Luau & Supersonic Yuzu
Tapped October 25th, 2019
When it comes to botanical additions to beers, Nomad often goes in a distinctly Aussie direction. But these two releases from the brewery are designed to give Australian drinkers a taste of other lands. So, take a sip, close your eyes, and let the flavours whisk you far from home... With South Pacific Luau, Nomad have taken their South Pacific Dream a step further - or rather, three steps further - by adding passionfruit, orange and guava into the mix, turning the South Pacific Ale into a full-on… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Fruit Pale & DIPA
- ABV
- 4.1% & 7.8%
Brewmanity Yuzu & Citrus Sour
Tapped October 25th, 2019
I guess the joy of catching up with an AFL legend – one who has a bar named after him at the CUB fortress that is the MCG, no less – to take delivery of a new beer release should have subsided by now, especially as David Neitz has been in the game with Brewmanity for years. But, let's be honest, moments such as chatting to him about the recipe and brewing process for their Yuzu & Citrus Sour remains up there with the unlikeliest of the many unexpected delights that have come my way since… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Yuzu & Citrus Berliner Weisse
- ABV
- 3.8%
- Stockists
-
Try it first at Brewmanity's Beer Market Pop-Up on Oct 26 and 27.
Then find it in independent retailers
Feral Brewing Tusk IIPA 2019 Edition
Tapped October 25th, 2019
Tusk started life as Australia’s first double IPA, way back in 2003: brash, arrogant and without a dry hop regime in sight, because no one knew what DH or DDH was at the time, but that wasn’t the point. The OG was just big, malty and bitter; a creative endeavour to push things further. A decade later, it was resurrected with a tighter focus: quality. After pouring cooked imported IPAs into a potted ficus at the Swan Valley brewpub, former Feral owner Brendan Varis and innovation brewer Will… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Imperial IPA
- ABV
- 10.9%
- Stockists
-
Tapped first at Feral's Brewpub Tusk Day celebration on Oct 25 then...
More stockists...WA – Oct 26
Balmoral Hotel
Besk
The Bird
Boardwalk Beer Festival
Clancy's Fish Bar City Beach
Clancy's Fish Pub Fremantle
Clancy's Fish Pub Dunsborough
Collective Rockingham
Fenway Subiaco
Greenhorns
The Local Hotel
Norfolk Hotel
Mechanics' Institute
Old Faithful Bar & BBQ
The Palace Arcade
Petition
Rosemount Hotel
Si Paradiso
Varsity Bar
NSW – Oct 31
The Beach Club Collaroy
The Blind Monk
Club Rivers
Rag & Famish Hotel
Royal Albert Hotel
ACT – Oct 31
The Durham
SA – Oct 31
The Franklin Hotel
Little Pub Off Hindley Street
VIC – Nov 1
Boilermaker House
Hop Temple Ballarat
Howler Melbourne
QLD – Nov 1
Empire Hotel
Blackman's Brewery Indie Ale
Tapped October 25th, 2019
Australia's first Indie Beer Day – an initiative of the Independent Brewers Association – sees breweries, venues and beer lovers across the country unite to say #cheerstoindiebeer and put on all manner of celebrations in honour of the country's independent brewers. It also sees the launch of an actual Indie Ale, courtesy of Blackman's Brewery. This is no repackaged beer rushed out to take advantage of the day, either. Rather, it's the brainchild of their main man-on-the-road about Victoria, Luke… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Kolsch Style Ale
- ABV
- 4.4%
- Stockists
-
Blackman's Brewery & Burger Bar
And good beer stockists where you find Blackman's beers
More stockists...
Wayward Brewing Appalachian Mist Hazy IPA
Tapped October 25th, 2019
The Appalachian Mountains are like the Energizer Bunny - they keep going, and going, and going. They go beyond being a mountain range and into being a system of mountain ranges, a topographical beast that stretches over sixteen states in the USA and reaches into Canada. But this monster is a gentle giant, affording huge areas of near silence and peace as the clouds settle among the kilometre-high peaks and the mist seeps into every valley and crevice it can find. It’s this embracing peace of the… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 35 IBU
Bright Brewery Mystery Beer No.1
Tapped October 24th, 2019
Bright's man about Melbourne Evin Craney had long had an idea. Well, he'd probably had more than one, but there was this particular one: that a brewery should allow their brewer to create a beer – no guidance as to what it could be or what should be in it – and they and they alone would know what it was. The beer would then be sold and drinkers would be invited to guess what it was. At Bright Brewery, he found the people willing to back his plan and, as of October 2019, it is no longer a plan… Read more
Golden
- Style
- ?????
- ABV
- 6.1%
- Stockists
-
More stockists...
Bright Brewery
Bar Josephine
Superbus Wine
Park Werribee
Black Bee Bar
Penny Young
Melbourne Cellar Door
Local Bottle Store
The Vin
Pixel Bar
Hops and Vine
Fizz and Hop
Park Hill Cellars
And more to come
Bad Shepherd & Fat Goat Schlimme Ziege
Tapped October 24th, 2019
There are certain beer styles you'd bump into frequently in the earlier days of the craft beer revolution that hardly ever appear in the current era of hops, bugs, haze and lactose: many of them classic European styles no one gives a hoot about anymore. Then there are some you hardly saw even then: such as classic Bavarian style hefeweizen given a hoppy makeover. Sure, I recall James Squire putting out one under their Mad Brewers' banner, but there haven't been many. So trainspotters of the obscure,… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Hoppy Hefeweizen
- ABV
- 5.0%
King River Brewing Muntoberfest Marzen & My Ambrosia
Tapped October 24th, 2019
Barring the odd concession to modernity, such as his IPA, Nathan Munt prefers to take inspiration from the old European ways. Arguably the highlight of King River Brewing's short life to date was a gold for his most personal beer, the Waiting For Godot Belgian Tripel, at the 2019 Indies. So you can imagine he puts more weight than most on the time of the year that Oktoberfests rule the land; in King River's case, they even call it Muntoberfest. Two of the beers appearing at the 2019 running of the… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Marzen / Maibock
- ABV
- 5.5% & 7.2%
- Stockists
-
Try them both at Muntoberfest 2019 then look out for them in King River stockists
Beerland Brewing Bees Please
Tapped October 23rd, 2019
The start of spring has been a busy time for the brewers at Beerland Brewing. One might say they've been busy bees... Head brewer Andrew had the idea to recreate one of the most popular beers from Matilda Bay's past, Beez Neez, adding 22kg of Australian honey late in the fermenter to a wheat beer base. While most of this ends up transformed into alcohol, it becomes a balancing act to get the ABV and residual honey flavours just right. In the case of Bees Please, the finish is dry and there is a… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Honey Wheat Beer
- ABV
- 5.2%
Beerland Brewing Summer Break IPL
Tapped October 23rd, 2019
There could be a bit of "Build it and they will come" here, with Beerland's brewers creating a beer laced with summer vibes in the hope of bringing warm weather to the west. Either way, Summer Break comes channelling a summertime Euro trip. German hops of new (Huell Melon) and older (Tettnanger) heritage help to create a beer that is both Festbier and European lager in style. Pilsner and Munich malts contribute to a clean malt base while a German lager yeast works with the hops to lay… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- India Pale Lager
- ABV
- 5.0%
Beerland Brewing Golden Hour
Tapped October 23rd, 2019
In teaming up with good friends BredCo Bakery in Albany for this collaboration, Beerland conceived a recipe featuring one hundred wholemeal sourdough loaves in the mash tun to create a sour pale with a twist. Hints of spice lead into a refreshing tartness in this clean and dry kettle sour, where Slovenian Dragon hops add stone fruit and peach flavours. It's an easy-going entry point for those taking first steps into sour beers, while the name is a reference to dawn in WA's Great Southern. Mike Cridge… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Golden Semi-Sour Pale
- ABV
- 5.7%
Beerland Brewing Destination XPA
Tapped October 23rd, 2019
There seems to have been something of a theme with the rash of new beers out of Beerland's twin Perth brewpubs this spring. While all four have their own personality, the terms "pale" and "refreshing" apply across the quartet. In the case of Destination XPA, you've got a beer bursting with bright citrus and stonefruit as the Citra and Mosaic hops sing their little green hearts out. The XPA has become an increasingly popular beer, often a gateway for people into the world of hoppier… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- XPA
- ABV
- 4.6%
Otherside Brewing Co Experimental Series: Amchoor & Sencha Sour
Tapped October 23rd, 2019
The Otherside brewing team continue to take the road less travelled. Here, the use of amchoor, an Indian dried green mango spice, and Japanese sencha green tea shows not only how diverse and creative beer can be, but does so while serving up an intriguing refreshment. Leading with an earthy, green tea aroma, the palate soon shifts towards the fruity yet with a slight sweetness. Rather than plump mango, amchoor imparts something of an exotic tropical, citrusy element; it's one that's somehow rooted… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Spiced Sour
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Bitterness
- 4 IBU
- Stockists
-
Otherside Brewery
And Otherside stockists nationally
More stockists...
Batch Brewing Co Tasman Tango South Pacific Ale
Tapped October 22nd, 2019
In late 2018, Batch released two session IPAs under the name Tasman Tango - one made with Australian malts and hops, the other made with New Zealand malts and hops - and sold them in mixed four-packs, partnered up so people could compare them and see what they liked about each. Now, nearing the end of 2019, Batch has taken the Tasman Tango name and put it on a beer that essentially brings together the best of both countries as they dance the dance of love. The malts in Tasman Tango approach with… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Pacific Ale
- ABV
- 4.5%
Batch Brewing Co Juicy As Phuck NEIPA 2019
Tapped October 22nd, 2019
As trite as they can sound in certain contexts, the phrases “becoming who you are” or “finding yourself” ring true for most of us. As we go through life, the years teach us things and help us to grow into ourselves in a way that we could never have imagined in the past. We become a truer version of ourselves. And we can apply this same philosophical psychobabble to Batch Brewing’s Juicy As Phuck, which has undergone a recipe change that brings it more into itself. Juicy entered the market… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- NEIPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
Batch Brewing Co Farmhouse XPA
Tapped October 22nd, 2019
When Batch opened their second location, Small Batch, they said it would function as a kind of engine of innovation, providing experimentation and market research for developing new beers. As well as, you know, being a kickass venue where shuffleboard is king. Farmhouse XPA is the first fruit of this process. (The innovation and experimentation, not the shuffleboard.) The brewers had the time and space at Small Batch - not to mention a small army of drinkers - to work with the recipe and road test… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Farmhouse XPA
- ABV
- 5.4%
Innate Brewers Fauxdenbach
Tapped October 22nd, 2019
It’s a funny name. Once you get past the chucklesome reference, the idea of creating a kettle soured version of one of the world’s most iconic, awarded and influential beers is rather hilarious. Or at least it is until you actually try it. Whether the result is driven by chutzpah, deft technique or, most likely, a combination of both, Fauxdenbach’s mimicry is impressive. Sure, the oak depth and implied cherry tones aren’t the same as one would expect from ageing liquid for three years in… Read more
Red
- Style
- Kettle Soured Flanders Red Style Ale
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Stockists
-
Available in limited release from WA Innate stockists
Hop Nation & Akasha East/West IPAs
Tapped October 21st, 2019
If you were to compile a list of Aussie breweries best known for their hop forward releases, Sydney's Akasha would be up there. And, while they've diversified into many more areas of beer (and wine), Footscray's Hop Nation have a fair few hoppy beers with more than a few fans, led by their Jedi Juice NEIPA in the popularity stakes. So, when the pair decided to get together to brew a collab, it was only ever likely to go one way. Except it ended up going two ways, and not necessarily as you'd have… Read more
Golden
- Style
- IPAs
- ABV
- 6.2% & 6.8%
- Stockists
-
More stockists...
Akasha
Hop Nation
Forager’s Drop
Bar Josephine
Sneaky Baron
The Tap House
House of Brews
Blind Monk
Sailors Grave Squid vs Whale Hop Maelstrom 4
Tapped October 18th, 2019
Cramming mountains of hops into a beer isn't the sort of activity you typically associate with Sailors Grave. But it's what they do with their Squid vs Whale beers – as the Hop Maelstrom subtitle tells you. It's now into its fourth iteration, with Galaxy, Idaho Gem and Citra the weapons of choice for the lightly lactosed IPA this time around. Apparently, brewer Chris Moore suggested to the team he may have gone a little too far with the hops this time. [Isn't that the whole point of the industry… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.4%
