beer beer beer » Amber Ale

Cascade First Harvest

admin — Sat, 26 May 2007 07:38:18 +0000

This is a special beer. It comes at a special price and I’ve never seen it in my local bottle shops. My ever-loving-buddy brought it back for me specially after a short sojourn to Hobart which included a visit to the picturesque Cascade Brewery. Aint I the lucky one?

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!!

James Squire – Original Amber Ale

admin — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:55:36 +0000

Another drop from the Malt Shovel Brewery, this time the ‘Original Amber Ale’.

The neck label says:

This premium handcrafted ale is a unique blend of three Tasmanian hops added late to the kettle plus an original 125 yearl old, top fermenting ale yeast, creating an easy-drinking, deep copper -coloured ale with distinct richness, creamy head and a long, slightly nutty finish.

OK, they got the colour right – it is a beautiful colour. The head adds to the aesthetic effect, foamy and oat coloured, but it doesn’t hang around for long – clean, cold glass and all! For all the hops and yeast, however, I expected a more distinct flavour. That’s not to say it’s bad, it just tastes a bit… ‘commercial’… oops!

Overall, there’s nothing wrong with this beer. There are no vices – it smells fine and goes down easy, but there’s nothing to really distinguish it from other more common (and cheaper!) beer.

The bare facts:

Malt Shovel Brewery,
99 Pyrmont Bridge Road,
Camperdown, NSW 2050
www.maltshovel.com.au

James Squire – India Pale Ale

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 10:53:06 +0000

Very nice. Right up there with the best I’ve tasted. I’m delighted to see a pattern developing – I’ve already learned that the rich, cloudy ales are the ones I like the best, so this journey is already yielding results!

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