Beers – 2014 to 31/12/2017
Colonial – Kolsch Ale, 2017, 4.8%ABV, 375ml can.
Drank on 8/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Light golden, slightly cloudy. Nice big soft head on pouring, light lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Light, funky lager-like smell. Slightly metallic smell.
Taste: 2.5 – Light, slightly malty, very slight bitterness, minerally. A little funky.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Very lightly dry with a light fizz.
Overall: 2.5 – This is a good sessional beer.
Nail – MVP Session Ale, 2017, 3.4%ABV, 375ml can.
Drank on 8/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2 – Surprisingly cloudy. Orangy-yellow
Smell/Aroma: 2 – Bready malt, has a wheaty maybe yeasty smell. Galaxy hops, sweet, slightly juicy.
Taste: 2 – Hop bitterness is the main thing, slight bready malt, wheaty maybe slightly yeasty, a bit steely/minerally after..
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Minerally, a tight bitter fizz, probably because this is was canned yesterday.
Overall: 2 – This is moderate.
NOTES: I got a 4 pack of this, so later in the night had a second go, not much changed, numbers became lower, but I added more notes to the above.
Black Brewing – XXXPA Imperial IPA, 2017, 9.8%, 330ml bottle.
Drank on 3/12/2017, from Bottle-O, Vic Park.
Appearance: 2.5 – Orange amber, clear, nice white head on pouring, not much carbonation.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Sweet malts, passionfruit, mango, pineapple. Denali hops were used.
Taste: 2.5 – Sweet maltyness accentuated by the big alcohol, the hops cover the alcohol well, but its obviously noticeable. Piney bitterness. Fruity. Almost cloying really, and a little hot.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Slick, resiny, not much noticeable carbonation. The alcohol and the hop merge well.
Overall: 2.5 – This is good, but its not really a sipping style, and you cant drink a nearly 10% beer too fast. Interesting hop style, would love to try it in a lighter beer. This is really getting into Barleywine territory,
Mad River Brewery – Uniontown Porter, 2017, 6.5%ABV, 355ml bottle
Drank on 3/12/2017, from Bottle-O, Vic Park.
Appearance: 2.5 – Dark brown, almost black, opaque, decent head on pouring.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Sweet roasty malts, smoky peat, this uses peated malt, cocoa powder, bitter chcocolate. vegemite.
Taste: 3 – Bitter chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted malt.Peat, smoke, Nice lasting hop bitterness. Very slight medicinal almost licorice aftertaste.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Smooth, bitter. The smoked peat adds a dryness that I think accentuates the bitterness.
Overall: 3 – Very good. Great combination of aromas and tastes, well balanced. Very enjoyable.
https://www.madriverbrewing.com/
Kaiju Beer – Cthulhu on the Moon Black IPA, 2017, 6.5%ABV, 375ml can.
Drank on 3/12/2017, from Bottle-O, Vic Park.
Appearance: 2.5 – Dark black, opaque. A big thick tan head on pouring that shrinks down to a light ring with lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Black and brown malts, coffee grounds, cocoa. Cant tell if I can smell hops or not.
Taste: 3 – This is an old style porter-like beer. Burnt coffee, dark roasted malts, cocoa bitterness with good hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Bitter, not very carbonated, a very dry lingering bitterness.
Overall: 2.5 – This is nice. Could do with more carbonation.
Behemoth/Chur Brewing – Lid Ripper Hazy IPA, 2017, 6.9&ABV, 500ml can.
NOTE: These guys are New Zealanders. Known as Behemoth in NZ, and Chur in Australia.
Drank on 1/12/2017, from Re Store, Leederville.
Appearance: 2.5 – Cloudy opaque golden orange juice.Not musch head, if any, a lot of lacing. Cool can as per all their beers.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Hoppy fruits, a bit malty/bready, juicy smells, peaches, mango.
Taste: 3 – Fruity, peachy, mango, with a little malt. Mineral on the tongue with a big hop bitterness as it fades.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 3 – Fizzy, a hop zing/bite on the tongue and lips. A tight fizz that zings and fades leaving the before mentioned hoppy bite.
Overall: 3 – Like it, its nice, all these guys beers have been good.
To Ol – Sur Sorachi Ace Brett IPA, 2017, 6%ABV, 500ml can.
Drank on 1/12/2017, from Re Store, Leederville.
Appearance: 2.5 – BIG THICK HEAD, stays around and is creamy as hell. Beer is a nice a golden amber, not very clear. Nice can.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Bretty, funky acid, crushed ants, lemon zest, lactic pukey. Maybe theres some hops? but unsure.
Taste: 3 – Lemony Sorachi and Blue cheese/crushed ants Brett thing. Brett bitter, lemon juice, some pith, grapefruit pith and a light brett weirdness linger. Gets more lemony and sour per sip. Not sure where the malts are.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 3 – Fast and sharp, not too fizzy and its over.
Overall: 3 – This is good, its not conventional obviously but for a Brett IPA Im not sure how it could be.
https://www.facebook.com/ReStoreOxford/
Wolf of the Willows – Acidulus II New England Sour, 2017, 5.7%ABV, 375ml can.
Drank on 1/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Light orange, golden, hazy, minimal head, little to no lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Fruity, yeasty, candy sugar, fruit punch cordial, very little lactic funk. as it warms there a bit more funk smell and the other smells subside and disappear.
Taste: 2.5 – No noticeable malt. Yeasty and Hoppy, some sourness, with a lot of hop fruity juicyness initially. Continued sipping leads to a dry mineral aftertaste with a very hoppy bitterness. A yeasty spice hangs around. Some funky flavours too.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Its fizzy, a little acid bite on the tongue.
Overall: 2.5 – Its not bad. 2nd hazy style, after the Lemon Juicy, that seems to have leaned toward yeastyness for some reason.
8 Wired – Cosmic Chaos, Sour Black IPA, 2017, 7.5%ABV, 500ml bottle.
Drank on 30/11/2017 from I.B.S
Appearance: 3 – Black, coffee black, good head on pour that sinks to a nice ring with light lacing. Nice label.
Smell: 3 – Coffee and brown malt, roasty, woody, a hint of some kind of dark funk.
Taste: 3.5 – Sour, tart, citrus, grapefruit, hopping, all that is well balanced and resolves into a burnt wood, dark malts, coffee-like bitterness, with a musty finish. A lot of interesting range.
Mouthfeel: 2.5 – An initial fizz that coast the tongue on sipping creates a good rounded body that fills the mouth.
Overall: 3 – I like this, its sour, its dark, its an IPA without being too IPA, and it lets the other characters shine.