Red Hill Golden Ale
Saturday, October 6th, 2007Another one from Red Hill brewery, didn’t know what to expect from this.
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
Attractive, golden, clear and with fine bubbles - this is a nice drop. Cascade is not a ’boutique’ brewery, but this particular beer (along with two others) is only available in Tasmania, so I reckon that qualifies as a boutique brew. Nice looking bottle too, very traditional label - doesn’t pretend to be a work of literature, just says “You deserve a Cascade Draught”.
I had great expectations after their Pale Ale, not exactly disappointed, this is still a darn good beer, but I couldn’t help hoping.
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.
They say: “Fine Handcrafted Ale”, that sounds a bit too cute…
They say: “Real Live Ale”, whatever that means…