beer, beer, beer

On my last visit to the purveyor of fine brews, I came away with two each of three different Red Hill varieties. Added to an earlier review of their Wheat Beer, I think this completes the ’set’. Some good, some not so convincing.

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

Another 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

I’m not really a stout drinker, (or a drinker of stout, for that matter!) but I wanted to complete the ‘Red Hill’ set, so in for a penny…

They say: Jet Black and one to be savoured. The mouth feel is silky smooth, the nose has roasted malt and a touch of caramel.

The website goes on to say a lot of things - some make sense, others ring less true.

It’s rich, dark and tasty. Possibly a bit sweeter and easier to drink than that well known Irish brand of stout. Pungent molasses flavours and a smooth finish make it a quite drinkable drop. The website goes on about a lasting and beautiful white head’, but poured from the bottle, I found it less than aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps sensing my disappointment, the head vanished quite quickly.

The website also says: “This fine ale is only available from the brewery”, but I got mine in a stubby from Vic Market, so there’s obviously going to be some discrepancy between the beverage poured from the bottle and that from the brewery tap.

As, I said, Stout is not my usual choice, so I’m probably never going to rave about one. I suspect this one wouldn’t please many regulars though - somehow it seemed clumsy and unfinished.

The bare facts:

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