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!
Endeavour Brewing Stacked IPA (Cans)
Tapped June 20th, 2019
When Endeavour first found their Tap Rooms home in The Rocks, the first new beer to be brewed as a regular was the IPA. Space is a premium in the cosy brewery, and so the stainless steel tanks are stacked on top of each other. In tribute to this, the IPA became known as Stacked IPA. Fast forward to the present, and Stacked IPA has been released in tinnies for the benefit of those who can’t make their way to the Endeavour’s charming venue in the historic Sydney suburb. For a beer born in the midst… Read more
Golden
- Style
- IPA
- ABV
- 6.3%
Hargreaves Hill R.I.S. 2018
Tapped June 20th, 2019
The previous vintage of Hargreaves Hill's R.I.S. was a favourite at Crafty Towers – a highlight of 2018, in fact, with Will Ziebell pretty much buying the entire allocation from his local indie retailer. While we'd enjoyed the beer in years past, we figured last year's had its corset discarded to allow it room to expand. So, what of the 2018 vintage (released for winter 2019 after being given months to condition)? Again, it's fulsome: soft and full-bodied, comforting rather than fierce, and with… Read more
Black
- Style
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV
- 11.2%
- Bitterness
- 70 IBU
- Stockists
-
Bottles heading to all states plus ACT
Bright Brewery Sayonara Yuzu Sour
Tapped June 20th, 2019
Bright Brewery join the ranks of the local brewers to have fallen for the bright and zesty charms of Japanese citrus fruit yuzu. They've opted to showcase it within a sour beer, which might not be the most obvious move heading into winter (especially winter in Bright) but they tell us it's because the Japanese like to bathe in yuzu baths on the winter solstice. Now, you'd need to buy a lot of Sayonara to be able to bathe in it, but will you want to? Unless you're yet to be won over by the charms… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Yuzu Sour
- ABV
- 4.3%
- Stockists
-
Bright Brewery
More stockists...Pixel Bar
Mash Brewing Locky Road Nitro Milk Stout
Tapped June 20th, 2019
Mash Brewing have launched the first beer in their Brewers Series, letting brewer Locky Kirkwood take the reins to create a beer inspired by winter nights and log fires. Locky Road is also a bit of a tribute to the Rocky Road chocolate treat and comes with the addition of cacao nibs, marshmallows, candy syrup and lactose. The final tweak sees the beer supercharged with the use of nitrogen in the cans. To get the desired rocket boost start in the glass, the can requires some serious shaking and a… Read more
Black
- Style
- Sweet Nitro Stout
- ABV
- 6.2%
- Stockists
-
Available for a limited time from both Mash Brewing venues and leading liquor stores.
Rocky Ridge Front Rower Kiwi IIIPA
Tapped June 18th, 2019
Ordinarily, the Rocky Ridge brewers like to champion local and celebrate homegrown but, occasionally they'll devote some time in the brewery to celebrate beer from a far off land, or at least from our neighbours across the Tasman Sea. Front Rower is one of a stack of beers from Rocky Ridge as part of their End of Beer Year en masse release and pays tribute to New Zealand's diverse hop industry. Coming in at a whopping 10.5 percent ABV and a potentially tongue-shredding 77 IBU, the brewing team clearly… Read more
Golden
- Style
- NZ IIIPA
- ABV
- 10.5%
- Bitterness
- 77 IBU
Rocky Ridge Choc-Coconut Porter
Tapped June 18th, 2019
The Rocky Ridge team show no signs of slowing down as they move into the cold, wet winter months. And, among the beers they keep pumping out of their South West brewery doors are more with a slightly warming edge – beers like the experimental Choc-Coconut Porter, designed to hit shelves and warm cockles as the drizzle sets in. Brewed with 20kg of shredded and roasted coconut, the strong porter base has been brewed to a moderate 22 IBU and a generous 6.8 percent ABV. There's no question this thick,… Read more
Black
- Style
- Chocolate Coconut Porter
- ABV
- 6.8%
- Bitterness
- 22 IBU
Rocky Ridge Dank Side Of The Moon
Tapped June 18th, 2019
The black IPA might not be enjoying as much of the spotlight these days as many of the recent IPA variants doing the rounds, but it's a style that the past two or three weeks suggest remains in the mind of many a brewer who appreciates the place for robust, maltier IPAs in the dank, dark backstage of brewing. Rocky Ridge's 2019 BIPA has been released as a sister beer to the Pink Floyd-referencing Pine On You Crazy Diamond, although Dank Side Of The Moon is the darker, more twisted of the siblings.… Read more
Black
- Style
- Black IPA
- ABV
- 8.85%
- Bitterness
- 75 IBU
Sailors Grave Fields V2 & Harvest Ale & Sake Kasu Persimmon
Tapped June 17th, 2019
You likely know to expect the unexpected when it comes to Sailors Grave by now. But, even so, would you have expected them to put out one of the better locally-brewed hazy, juicy releases? Maybe, if you'd tucked into their Squid vs Whale IPAs, but more likely not. Yet, with Fields V2 – the second in their "Hoppy Hazy Juicy Farmhouse" series, they're up there. Bringing an intensity that wasn't there in V1, it's as if someone has pierced an overripe Navel orange and squeezed it right under… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Various styles
- ABV
- 5.7% & 5.0% & 4.7%
Rocky Ridge Blueberry Sour
Tapped June 17th, 2019
Rocky Ridge undoubtedly have their eye in when it comes to sours. And, with this release, they're pushing their sour game to the next level with a large format bottle and a label with a more "adult" edge than their typical can designs. Within each elegant 750ml bottle will still be the same blend of of local ingredients and microflora. The debut release in the new look packaging is a spritzy barrel-aged sour packed to the rafters with fresh, locally grown blueberries. As per Rocky Ridge's… Read more
Red
- Style
- Blueberry Sour
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Bitterness
- 5 IBU
Rocky Ridge Karl Joins The Mafia
Tapped June 17th, 2019
A 9 percent ABV imperial white stout brewed with coffee from a boutique coffee roastery in Margaret River in collaboration with a tiny craft beer bar in a Singaporean Chinatown complex... That's a lot to digest but, then again, this was initially brewed for GABS, and is another Rocky Ridge beer worth savouring. Karl Joins the Mafia is the latest release in a series of beers adorned with the "Karl" persona, an unlucky character who always seems to land in worrying predicaments. Thankfully,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Imperial White Stout
- ABV
- 9.0%
- Bitterness
- 30 IBU
Rocky Ridge Alfie's Lager
Tapped June 17th, 2019
Afie's Lager – a doppelbock – was brewed in honour of a Rocky Ridge family pup. Alfie is the trusty brewpup of head brewer Ross Terlick and spends his days helping on the Rocky Ridge brewery and farm. The beer itself is pretty self explanatory: a gutsy doppelbock brewed to a generous 7.6 percent ABV and 22 IBU. Don't let the big numbers worry you, though, this lager is well balanced and oozes drinkability. Pronounced malt and sweetness are key players on the nose and palate alike, with generous… Read more
Rich Brown
- Style
- Doppelbock
- ABV
- 7.6%
- Bitterness
- 22 IBU
Blackman's Brewery Coffee Lager
Tapped June 17th, 2019
Coffee has been used in beer in many different ways over the years. Sometimes brewers want to add its roasty qualities to a beer, on occasion it's more about extracting the perfume like characteristics of the beans instead. And many methods have been explored in terms of how the coffee is prepared, and when and how it's added. So what of Blackman's collab with Geelong's Coffee Cartel? Well, let's just say they kept the approach simple. My tasting notes refer to a distinct and very coffee like roasted… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Coffee Lager
- ABV
- 4.8%
Barrel Farm By Blackman's Quince & Honey Saison
Tapped June 17th, 2019
The third release from Blackman's offshoot dedicated to beers of a more funky and farmhouse nature sees the Torquay team move from sour to saison. It's no straightforward saison, however, with locally sourced quince and honey added to the mix. As you might expect, the resultant beer sits at the fuller, sweeter end of the saison spectrum, a fair way from some of the wilder, tart affairs on the market. Richly fruity and malty upfront – and full of body too – with just a little perfume like fragrance… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Quince & Honey Saison
- ABV
- 6.5%
Wayward Brewing Coffee & Donuts
Tapped June 16th, 2019
Wayward went through more than four kegs of their 2019 GABS beer in Sydney alone, so it’s no surprise they’ve decided to rebrew it, stick it in cans, and release it nationwide. Although an early version appeared in Dan Murphys’ Festival Variety Pack – one that led them to issue this statement, this is a refined version, with a touch of hops to alter the flavour ever so slightly. Inspiration for the beer came from ice hockey teammates Jason Adair and Lachlan Berger, who play in Wayward-sponsored… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Milk Stout
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Stockists
-
Available in NSW, VIC, QLD & ACT.
Batch Brewing Co The Big Kahuna
Tapped June 16th, 2019
One of Batch’s earliest releases and now a regular winter seasonal, The Big Kahuna, returns for the year, making its way into cans for the very first time. Inspired by founders Chris and Andrew’s Hawaiian travels, this brown ale is packed with malty goodness from no less than six different malts. But, the real stunner is a massive addition of toasted coconut at all stages of the process – mash, boil and fermenter. That coconut carries through in all aspects of the beer too, from aroma and flavour… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Coconut Brown Ale
- ABV
- 4.8%
Batch Brewing Co Campos Milk Stout
Tapped June 16th, 2019
Sydney coffee institution Campos is a household name in the Inner West, with their Newtown outpost having helped thousands of bleary-eyed students of the University of Sydney survive their studies (or maybe that’s just me.) Similarly, Batch share a similar level of fame when it comes to beer, so it’s only natural for these two to collaborate to create a delicious yet simple milk stout. Using a variant of Elsie the Milk Stout as the base, the beer is brewed with whole coffee beans from Campos… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Nitro Coffee Milk Stout
- ABV
- 4.4%
Six String Triple Dark Red IPA
Tapped June 15th, 2019
For many of us, Six String’s Dark Red IPA was the first red IPA we could consistently get our hands on. It’s a beautiful, balanced drop, with the hops and malt intertwining masterfully and with intensity. When Six String brought out the double, they amped it up, put a tiger on the label, and we all raced to try it. The increase in malt was more prominent than the increase in hops, which was a little surprising, considering they’d doubled the malt but tripled the hops. The result was a little… Read more
Red
- Style
- Triple Dark Red IPA
- ABV
- 12.0%
Cheeky Monkey Long Mac Topped Up
Tapped June 15th, 2019
This is a beer that could only be made by a Western Australian brewery. Anyone from WA, or who has spent time there, knows this coffee order. Furthermore, any Sandgroper that’s tried to order it outside of state lines knows they'll usually be met by a confused barista and the sharp retort: "You’re from WA, aren’t you?" While this may be taken as a cultural slight or, at best, a café faux pas, the collaborators here have made no apologies for the regional interpretation of what’s… Read more
Dark Brown
- Style
- Sweet Stout
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Stockists
-
Available exclusively from West Australian Liquor Barons outlets
Bright Tank & Brew U Snob Bait
Tapped June 15th, 2019
Bright Tank’s zeitgeist dabbling continues to see the urban brewery move further away from owner Matt Moore’s beloved saisons. Here the East Perth operation have partnered with the brew on premise, craft home brew team Brew U. With commercial brewing aspirations themselves, Snob Bait’s concept was built around an old school lime ice cream in honour of the ascendant amateur John Stocky’s birthday, while the name is a pithy play on – and at – a WA based beer group. As Matt says, laughing:… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Milkshake IPA
- ABV
- 6.8%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery and select WA retailers
Moon Dog Jacket's & Vinnie's IPAs
Tapped June 14th, 2019
Their association with the canine world has long gone beyond the brewery name and roaming brewery dog. There's been sponsorship of various dog-related events and now both a series of IPAs named after dogs with a connection to the brewery and Doggy Adoption Day at the brewery on June 16. The day will also see the launch of two more Doggo IPAs, both brewed with Norwegian "super yeast" kveik, which saw the beers fermented in just 48 hours (in layman's terms: insanely fast). Jacket's is a West… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Kveik IPAs
- ABV
- 6.5%
