With all that colour came a little too much burnt caramel for my liking – probably just means it’s not a summer beer. To counteract the caramel they’ve packed in a strong hops bitterness that does it’s best to balance the sweetness, but somehow gets in the way as the glass gets empty.

I last wrote about this beer back in April 2007, and I wasn’t terribly impressed then. I can only say they’ve been working on it, because I found this encounter a lot more enjoyable.

Mountain Goat Beer Pty Ltd
Corner North & Clark Streets
Richmond Victoria 3121
goatbeer.com.au

They say: The colour of burnished copper, strong with a caramely sweetness. A malt driven beer [...] blend of English Malts, some of which are dark roasted to impart the toffee and sweet flavours of this ale.

…And for once, I agree totally with their spiel. It’s a rich handsome colour in the glass and the immediate sensations of caramel and toffee are right there up front. Way too sweet for me, but there may be people who want this in a beer. The sort of drink that works well with cold weather, open fires and hearty food… I guess that’s what they want up in Scotland!

The bare facts:

Red Hill Brewery
88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South, Victoria 3071
www.redhillbrewery.com.au

They say: Pale and crisp light bodied ale, fruity with a restrained hoppy dryness…

Certainly, it looks great in the glass – a lovely colour, but you sort of expect something pretty bright and sharp on the tongue… somehow it doesn’t happen. I think this is my favourite Red Hill brew, but it still falls short for me. Not bad, just not remarkable, I think overall Red Hill need to be a bit braver with their flavours. Middle of the road drinks might be OK for the big commercial brewers, but a smaller operation needs to make it’s name somehow.

The bare facts:

Red Hill Brewery
88 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South, Victoria 3071
www.redhillbrewery.com.au

They say:

Cascade First Harvest is the only brew of any kind in Australia brewed using fresh green hops. Once a year, at the first harvest of hops in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, we hand select new hop varieties to brew a single batch of super fresh, super premium beer. Within hours of harvesting, the dew soaked, green hops are combined with new season pale malt, Cascade’s exclusive yeast and the purest Tasmanian water. The result is a limited edition handcrafted ale with a full malt character and a delightful fruity finish and prominent herbaceous aromas.

OK, the adjectives get a bit out of hand at the end, but they’re only brewers! You get the gist. I don’t disagree with the sentiments. It is a really nice beer – pours into the glass a beautiful deep amber; clear, with streams of fine bubbles and a creamy head that perhaps disappears a little too fast… got a bit of a kick at 5.5% too!

Anyway if you see it – don’t hesitate – you’re definitely worth it! In fact, push the boat out and get two!!

This is not as rich and balanced as the Little Creatures Pale Ale, but is a very refreshing drink – loaded with bitter citrus flavours, not at all cloying and sweet

They say: Rather a lot! I don’t wear glasses except for the really small stuff, but the fine print all over this label had me reaching for the specs. I can’t imagine many making the effort, but here’s some excerpts:

James Squire India Pale Ale is made with Munich and pale malt, so it brews to a rich, golden colour with a robust malty character. Its earthy, floral aromas and faint haze are a result of dry hopping with English Fuggles hops added generously to the maturation tanks.

I could go on… and on… and on – there’s plenty of reading material! Don’t let that put you off though, this is a very nice beer.

The bare facts:

Malt Shovel Brewery,
99 Pyrmont Bridge Road,
Camperdown, NSW 2050

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/