This came highly recommended by a friend who apparently knew the manager of the brewery. For me, it promised a lot, but didn’t quite deliver. Not that this is a bad beer – it’s all there: the smells, flavours and colours; just not in quantities enough to break clear of the humdrum. It comes across with a whimper, not a bang – just a bit too clean.
I wish I could tell you exactly what they said on the bottle, but it’s already in the recycling bin, it’s dark and I’m not going out to get it, so this is from their website. From memory, it’s much the same…
The Hightail Ale is a traditional English style “real ale”. It’s deep amber in colour with a rich malt body and floral hop aroma…
…We handcraft our ales with the utmost care and avoid all preservatives, additives and pasteurisation.
There was also a line on the bottle about ‘seeing the yeast’ in the bottle, as though this was proof of something. I did see the yeast sediment and it made me wonder how so much yeast could lead to so little oomph.
If you ever have to wean a friend off the commercial beers, this might be a good start. It’s all there, but not in enough quantities to frighten them.
The bare facts:
Mountain Goat Beer Pty Ltd
Corner North & Clark Streets
Richmond Victoria 3121
http://www.goatbeer.com.au/