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!
Bulli Brewing Pauline
Tapped February 8th, 2019
Brewer's notes: Not as red as a red wine, but in beer terms this is a red ale. Well hopped but not quite enough alcohol to make it an IPA, Pauline sits between a few typical descriptive beer categories. While it's not a heavy ale, this is a full flavoured ale. Slightly malty with hints of toffee, burnt fig and caramel to balance the hops. Pauline is not a sweet ale, as we have been generous with the hops, adding them at various stages in the kettle as well as dry-hopping in the fermenter. Hop bitterness… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Ale
- ABV
- 5.25%
Nowhereman Gin & Juicy Botanical NEIPA
Tapped February 7th, 2019
Twenty-five years ago, nearly to the day, Snoop Dogg released a slinky, G-Funk defining single from his debut album, Doggystyle. The paean to teenage partying and excess may not have been the inspiration for Nowhereman’s Gin & Juicy, however, given recent releases, somehow, some way, they keep coming up with fruity-ass beers at a rate that seems to be one every single week. With such a clear concept it’s interesting that there was no juice addition to Gin & Juicy. All the fruit character… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- NEIPA with Botanicals
- ABV
- 5.9%
Young Henrys Brut IPA
Tapped February 7th, 2019
Since Brut IPAs entered the Australian scene (and subsequently visited almost every brewery in this fair country), there’s been a broad spectrum of what they look, taste, and feel like. Some are so champagne-esque that you could christen a boat with them, while others are I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-a-regular-IPA. The most recent entry in Young Henrys’ “Brewers B-Sides” series, where the brewers get to play around with new or weird flavours, is their take on a Brut IPA. On the spectrum,… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Bitterness
- 25 IBU
Rocky Ridge Ryes Against
Tapped February 6th, 2019
I suppose we asked for this. Quips in previous reviews that hinted at an unintentional Rocky Ridge "Classic Rock" series now appear to have manifested in another, more contemporary edition, Ryes Against. The similarly named Chicago punk band is a favourite of incoming head brewer Ross Terlick and, although the predominantly straight edge members may not appreciate the accolade from the Jindong brewery, it is further evidence of loud, ringing solos melding with water, malt, yeast and hops. An… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Rye IPA
- ABV
- 6.66%
- Stockists
-
Available in limited release from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
Rocky Ridge Karl's Date Turns Sour
Tapped February 6th, 2019
Poor Karl. You’ve gotta feel for him. Moving on from his nondescript but possibly 9 percent ABV DIPA-fuelled request for help, his current attempt to find love has been sadly derailed. Indeed, it’s even been infused with misfortune but, if we're honest, selecting a piece of fruit as a potential mate may have been ill conceived from the off. One can only hope that, in his future adventures, Karl has the resilience and considered judgement to find good in the world. Go Karl, you got this! The aroma… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Lemon Sherbet Berliner Weisse infused with Misfortune
- ABV
- 3.2%
- Stockists
-
The continuing misfortunes of Karl can be found in limited release from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
Rocky Ridge Out Of The Blue
Tapped February 6th, 2019
Rocky Ridge owner and head brewer Hamish Coates describes Out of the Blue as the second in a “series of charity beers started with the idea that we should be giving back to the community wherever possible, given the support we receive from our locals.” As with last year’s Sarcoma fundraising beer, 100 percent of profits are donated to charity, in this case Darren’s Ride, which supports those suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and research into the debilitating disease. Darren’s… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Summer Ale
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Out of the Blue is available from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
4 Pines Keller Door: Kiwi Brut IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
OK. We need to start with the name and the design because, as with many of 4 Pines’ Keller Door beers, they’ve done an epic job. The name is kept simple: Kiwi Brut IPA, for a brut IPA with all New Zealand hops and kiwifruit. The design? So much New Zealand (real and fantasy) packed into one label: Gandalf playing cricket; a hobbit hole; a kiwi bird floating through the air; a couple of figures who look like sheep at a glance, but are actually orcs(!); and a whale wearing an All Blacks jersey… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU
Green Beacon POG Milkshake IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
It would appear the article we ran at the start of the year looking at the use of lactose in beer – its history and why brewers are so in love with it right now – came not a moment too soon. In the past week, we've had two land at Crafty Towers and spoken to another brewery owner where they're planning to release a mixed four-pack of different flavoured ones later in the year. As for POG from Green Beacon, it's the beer created to mark the Brisbane brewery's sixth birthday. The POG of the title… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Tropical Milkshake IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
Smiling Samoyed The Bold & The Brut-iful IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
For longer than time itself has existed, The Bold and the Beautiful television show has been aired to millions across the globe. If you've ever managed to last through an entire episode, you would know the acting is questionable and the humour very dry. This limited release from Smiling Samoyed can relate to the show in some, if not all, ways, not least as their first crack at a Brut IPA bears the name The Bold and the Brut-iful. Possessing the lightest shade of yellow imaginable (go on, try to imagine… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
Beerland Brewing Saltwater Croc
Tapped February 5th, 2019
Beerland’s opening limited release for 2019 focuses on delivering maximum seasonal refreshment in the form of a grapefruit gose. The peel from 150 hand-peeled grapefruit was added to the beer at the same time hops would be added if the brewers were dry-hopping with the intention to replace the traditional citrus character more commonly derived from coriander seeds. The peel's embellishment of the beer is subtler and more balanced than expected. In contrast, the salt is more pronounced than recent… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Grapefruit Gose
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Plus select WA venues and growler stations
More stockists...
Bad Shepherd Strawberry Milkshake IPA
Tapped February 4th, 2019
Bad Shepherd's IPA series has headed in a fair few directions already although, arguably, the first for 2019 is the one veering furthest from where the ever-expanding IPA style category started out. Indeed, if 2018 was the year in which Australian brewers and drinkers went crazy for the hazy, it looks like we're in for plenty of fruity and creamy this time around. There's plenty that's gone into this beer: flaked oats, apple puree, wheat, 100kg of lactose, whirlpool hops in the shape of Citra and… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Strawberry Milkshake IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Bitterness
- 25 IBU
CoConspirators Sour Matriarch
Tapped February 4th, 2019
Of all the characters associated with CoConspirator’s beers, The Matriarch has surely become the best known. It’s scored the brewing company a spot in the GABS Hottest 100 two years in a row and the beer has found plenty of supporters among those who love their IPAs hazy and juicy. First brewed for Hop Quest 2019 at Beer DeLuxe, The Sour Matriarch – as the name suggests – is a sour twist on the hazy IPA (welcome to 2019, craft beer traditionalists), that shares its base with The Matriarch… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Sour NEIPA
- ABV
- 6.5%
Your Mates Pineapple XPA
Tapped February 2nd, 2019
This beer’s got Queensland written all over it. With the Big Pineapple providing the inspiration, and Tropico Fruits in Yandina providing the fresh Australian pineapple concentrate, it’ll be hard for you not to taste the Sunshine Coast in every sip. The acid from the pineapple brings a whisper of sour to the aroma. But, even though this beer’s full of pineapple and dry-hopped with two pineapple-y hops (El Dorado and Chinook), pineapple isn’t the only flavour you'll pick up: it also offers… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Pineapple XPA
- ABV
- 4.8%
Otherside Brewing Co Experimental Series: Golden Ale
Tapped February 1st, 2019
At the turn of this decade, the lupulin drenched proceedings that were to come were but whispers between a small group of drinkers. For the most part, the most exciting development of the early 2000s was the rise of an easy-drinking ale with a lighter hue – the golden ale. Indeed, this may well have been the style of beer that launched many now craftier drinkers towards more adventurous realms. This Experimental Series release from Otherside, however, is not that beer. It is rather a Belgian strong… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Belgian Strong Golden Ale
- ABV
- 8.0%
Newstead Brewing Brave New World
Tapped February 1st, 2019
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is one of those books that, if you've not already read it, you really should – it’s like Black Mirror in book form, only written in 1931. If you haven't, you may well be confused by the descriptors that come with Newstead’s latest kettle sour: conformity and hypnopedia and synthesis aren’t exactly common in the beer world. But the psychedelic artwork hints at the meaning: soma is the name of a drug that can cure any kind of unhappiness, bringing euphoria… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Fruit Sour
- ABV
- 4.0%
- Bitterness
- 10 IBU
Nail Brewing Red (Cans)
Tapped February 1st, 2019
Originally released in late winter 2014, the benefit of hindsight now sees Nail Red as something of a watershed moment for John Stallwood and co at Nail. The Bassendean brewery’s trophy cabinet was already bulging with accolades from its first near fifteen years of operation but the market had by that stage shifted beyond the sort of beer's upon which that success was built. Lupulin fever was now gripping brewers and drinkers alike, pushing the threshold of what was considered a hoppy beer, while… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Ale
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Stockists
-
Launched first in WA then heading across Australia from early 2019
Your Mates Mango Saison & Lychee Saison
Tapped February 1st, 2019
Who doesn’t love a split batch beer? Your Mates brewed a batch of saison, divided it in half, then added different fruit to the two halves: one half was blended with mango puree, while the other half features lychee puree. In the mango version, there are two aromas vying for your nose, as the ripe mango sweetness and banana esters take turns stealing your attention. The liquid is almost opaque in appearance, and you can feel that thick texture in your mouth as you drink. This saison is a big,… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Fruit Saisons
- ABV
- 5.0%
Your Mates Apple Cider
Tapped February 1st, 2019
Their catch-cry may be "good beer", but they make a crackin’ cider as well. It made sense to Your Mates to use the best apples they could get their hands on, so they looked no further than Stanthorpe, which is famous for growing top quality apples. They used 800 litres of juice in the ferment, plus 200 litres to blend back and return some of the sweetness and flavour to the mix. The resulting cider is a light lemon colour, with a touch of cloudiness. It’s not sugary, like those alcopop… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Apple Cider
- ABV
- 5.0%
Aether Brewing Roughneck Strong Pale Ale
Tapped January 31st, 2019
Aether brought out an earlier version of Roughneck at the start of 2018 as a maltier and floral counterpart to their core range Pit Stop Pale Ale. Now it’s back with a vengeance: with the alcohol content upped to 5.8 percent ABV and the tag "strong pale ale"; they've put it into tinnies too. This isn’t a beer to add to the many bright, tropical pale ales around at the moment. Instead, it carries almost amber ale characteristics (though it’s still the shining gold of a pale ale), with… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Strong Pale Ale
- ABV
- 5.8%
Aether Brewing Written In The Stars Sour Boysenberry DIPA
Tapped January 31st, 2019
When it comes to special releases from Aether, the phrase: "Expect the unexpected" comes to mind. In the past, they’ve served up a smoked cherry double choc brownie stout, a Tom Yum gose, and even a bone marrow double Irish red ale to keep us on our toes. So, when it came time to christen their new brewhouse in Nundah, it’s no surprise their first brew was something experimental. But, if you think you can predict what the first sip of a sour boysenberry double IPA will taste like, you’re… Read more
Red
- Style
- Sour Boysenberry Double IPA
- ABV
- 8.8%
