Mash Brewing New Norcia Abbey Ale – Nice rich and boozy taste, as expoected from things labelled Abbey, its 7.3 percent. Malty and rich-sweet but also a little dark…almost a light savoury/bready character. This is made by Mash Brewing, some how collaboratively brewed with the New Norcia Benedictine monks. Its good.
Oskar Blues Passion Fruit Pinner IPA – PASSIONFRUIT. This smells intensely of passionfruit, This has actual passionfruit and blood orange added to it. This is Citra, Mosaic hops? Theres a dry hoppy bitterness at the end of the sip. There not really any maltyness I can detect, maybe in the bitterness somewhere…This is good, though I would like to know how old this is and try a very fresh batch, Not magic really, except for the intense fruit hit in the smell, a very nice IPA though.
Petrus Ages Red – Not a fan of these labels, but they do have good info about the beer on them. Big cherries as soon as its opened, and a fizzy carbonation. Cherries, this tastes like cherries, and its slightly tart. This tastes like a Kriek. This is 15% of their aged Pale Ale (aged 2 years in oak foeders, and reviewed elsewhere and its very good by itself) and 85% of a Dubbel Bruin with cherries. It well blended and unlike most krieks has a depth of flavour to it. Getting a lot of cherries, a tartness from the aged pale, and a light boozyness almost aftertaste from the dubbel?This is good, but like a kriek only in small doses, very intense after a while. Also 8.5%.
Aegir Anker Gose – Ægir Bryggeri, Norwegian. I love Gose so much. What a great style. This has a good saltyness to it, which is lacking often now. Its very very nice. Briney smell, a good tartness, almost puckering. A good Gose on the good side of briney tart.
Otherside Brewing. Harvest Red Ale. Problematic, but not a bad beer, just very average and a red ale as well….thats popular now it seems. These guys are a pretty new , but also pretty big already, as they are an event company (Sunset Events; of Laneway Fest fame) in conjunction with The Beer Farm (A cannery/Young Henrys), and some very experienced brewing and brewing business guys. More info on why this is a BRAND first and craft beer second here. “The idea with Otherside was to capture the spirit of their events in a booze brand.” …Yeah, nah. I think as soon as a beer label starts on about “Its a philosophy and an embodiment of core values,…” And theres more CAN ARTWORK info on the can than about the content, It feels like a bunch of wankers making a brand, not so much a beer or a brewery making beer from the heart.
This is a Red Ale. Very popular right now. This one has a fruity hop character and a red ale maltyness. Its in a big size can as well. Its not bad, but its not great or amazing. Maybe they will be ok, who knows, I just hate this way of going about it, I guess. Rant over.