beer, beer, beer

Definitely beer weather today: 35° and a north wind. Almost any cold beer would have tasted good today. Though I am a little biased against anything with an American flag on it, I wasn’t tempted by alternatives, and my resolve was rewarded.

Poured into the glass it had a beautiful dark amber colour, slightly cloudy with an even white head. I was already feeling good about this. Getting closer now, a pleasant, clean aroma and on the tongue there was a powerful citrus bitterness - mmmm!

More careful inspection failed to reveal much in the way of floral tones, but there’s a good hard hit of liquorice malt to balance it out. I have always associated American styles with too much sugar and not enough character, so this is either out of character or out of the box. Well worth a try.

They say:

Pale golden appearance, Floral piney aromatics, Five hop flavours, Five species malt blend

The bare facts:

The Three Ravens Brewing Company
1 Theobold Street, Thornbury, Victoria 3071
www.3ravens.com.au

Temple Pale Ale comes in a very nice looking bottle. Unashamedly inspired by Japanese artwork, it makes a stylish change from the usual ‘traditional’ theme that defines so many beer labels.

The beer is good too. I was recommended it by a guy at Swords in Vic Market after mentioning that my favourite drop was Little Creatures Pale Ale. Well, he knew his stuff, because this is a nice drop - similar to Little Creatures, but with a bit more body in the hops. There’s citrus flavours, but they’re not as flowery. Perhaps not as immediately accessible, but well worth getting acquainted with.

They say:

Temple Brewing Company is dedicated to brewing distinctive handcrafted beers from the finest ingredients. Temple Pale Ale is full flavoured with a clean bitterness and a rich malt character balanced by a unique blend of spicy floral citrus hops.

Temple Brewing Company
Level 8, 124 Exhibition Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia
www.templebrewing.com.au

Sweetwater Pale ale - a gift from a friend who’d just returned from a Kiewa Valley getaway over easter.

They say:

Our Pale Ale is formulated in the American style. With well balanced malt flavour and hop bitterness. It is an easy drinking ale with the fresh, crisp citrus flavours and aromas of the hop varieties featuring.

I’d pretty much have to agree with this, though I don’t know what the ‘American style’ is supposed to mean. This looked like a lager - lovely rich amber colour with a fine, creamy, wheat coloured head. The initial flavour was of burnt caramel, followed closely by that citrus hit and an aftertaste of fragrant hops.

If I had a criticism, it would be that the balance was a bit on the safe side… maybe that’s the American bit. It was just a little too sweet and uncomplicated to be a drink you’d look forward to again and again. On the other hand, it was a fine drink - thoroughly enjoyed it and would rate it as one of my favourites - close to the top. I’d say any visitor to Mount Beauty would be well advised to take home a few souvenirs. Not sure if it’s available down here in the city, but it’s apparently well liked up in the Kiewa Valley. Lucky them!

Sweetwater Brewing Company
http://www.sweetwaterbrewing.com.au/
13 Wallace Street, Mount Beauty

Superb! I think I like this even better than their Pale Ale. There is still a hint of citrus, but it quickly transforms in the mouth to a satisfying blend of malt and hops with a fine bubble that doesn’t get in the way. The colour is a brilliant gold and clear as Russian amber - looks great in the glass, but the head did vanish rather quickly. Still, I’ll certainly forgive it that - and I’ll certainly buy this one again!

The bare facts:

Little Creatures Brewing Pty. Ltd.
Mews Road, Fremantle, WA
www.littlecreatures.com.au/bright

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!!

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
www.maltshovel.com.au

They say: not much actually, just the name and address of the brewery and the usual statutory stuff. They do say one thing of interest that is worthy of mention; tucked away very small on the neck label “To best enjoy this beer, drink it from a glass”. Great advice!

I say: There is a lot to like about this beer. It pours into the glass with a lovely golden colour, just cloudy enough to remind you that this isn’t your average consumer drop and a creamy head that hangs around.

The flavours run the gamut from a sweet, welcome beginning through to a clean, citrus peel after taste. Smells good too, though perhaps a little too flowery for a ‘blokes’ drink. That’s a very minor criticism though. This is a beer worth buying.

The bare facts:

Little Creatures Brewing Pty. Ltd.
Mews Road, Fremantle, WA
www.littlecreatures.com.au/paleale