Sail and Anchor new range reviews

Righto, post #365 (and on Christmas Day no less) deserves something special - here we go with a back-to-back, side by side tasting of the new range from Sail & Anchor.

Yes - it's a pub partially owned by faux-craft-hungry Woolworths branching out into its own range. Yes, these new beers have the potential to skew the focus of said establishment and its taps moving forward. But it's also one of the best beer bars in Australia we're talking about here - a place that consistently sources absolutely top shelf craft beer from around the world up to and including sours and other confronting styles.

As such I was cautiously optimistic heading into this. If Sail (well, Gage Roads) could produce a decent sort of range here it could only be a good thing both to cement it as a Freo institution, and to help drive more and more patrons toward craft beer. To put it more clearly, I want these to be good. I want them to succeed.

First impression having seen the range is it's disappointingly uninventive in what is a booming, exciting industry. Of four beers we have three potentially very similar styles: a 'pale', an 'amber', and a 'golden' - the other being a kolsch (incidentally, all four come out at pretty much exactly the same abv too, not a great sign). They're all named after sailors' knots, and marketed, well, interestingly.

Regardless, it's with the 4.6% Cat's Shank Kolsch we start.

I poured this one right down the middle of a large Weihenstephaner glass while chanting "the power of glass compels ye!" to try to induce a real German effort here, so the excess head isn't the beer's fault. It did however disappear pretty quickly.. pretty loose and shortlived. The beer itself is so clear as to be mystifying as to how they've filtered it.. it literally looks like light yellow water. You can easily read a computer screen through the glass. Weird. I don't know, maybe the average consumer really rates clarity or something, but as a brewer it just seems really very artificial when targeted to this level. Certainly doesn't look like beer.

The aroma isn't bad, sort of wheaty German notes playing with a note of lemon. But the flavour itself is gone in an instant, a fleeting miasma of sweet macro beer notes and candied lemon. Carbonation is admirably low here (at least, if you smash it in a big glass) which provides no barrier at all to basically inhaling this.

Inoffensive but unmemorable beer. Not bad.. but hard to find any really redeeming features either. 4.0


Next up the amber. Nice hops on the nose actually, darker hue but still very transparent.

Ambers can be pretty insipid stuff when done wrong, and this too carries a character of mostly (only?) miscellaneous sweet malts. It's not too bad ice-cold first up and the blatant overcarbonation at least hides the sweetness a little.

Once it settles however this becomes a real "vodka-cruiser" sort of a 5%-er, sugary rather than malty, processed feeling, not great. Too sweet by a distance. 3.5


Next up the pale ale, chosen because I frankly couldn't handle the thought of drinking a "golden" straight after that amber.

To be frank though this is the worst thus far - insipid clear yellow pour, indistinct sweet nose, horrid sweet brewkit sort of a sticky body, no hops to speak of, utter rubbish.

There is a vague hint of woody Australian yeast in the background there but it's a slap in the face to the wider industry. Why is it sometimes brewers (or perhaps more accurately marketers) choose 'pale ale' as the slops bucket for all their junk? Couldn't finish it, undrinkable. 2.0


Finally the Golden.

Again - and expected by now - this is unnaturally clear. It's a reasonable hue though for the golden moniker, shame the fluffy white head doesn't hang around.

I complained about the 'sameness' of these beers earlier - this illustrates it nicely in actively calling itself "amber" on the label. Smells of not much at all to be honest, maybe just a hint of noble hops. Vague sweetness.

Jesus it's an unexpected taste .. slightly fizzy again but wow, what this is I really don't know. It has a sweaty, old clothing sort of aroma when you first drink it and doesn't do anything to improve from there before a fizzy tonic water finish. Really quite disturbing. What have they done here? I have no idea how I'd even go about recreating this in the brewhouse - not that you'd want to. Horrible. 0.5


Overall then this is pretty poor. Given the commercial interests in play here I wasn't expecting brilliance or anything outrageous: it was always going to be a "peoples' session beer" sort of approach, and there's nothing at all inherently wrong with that. The sceptical part of me would also expect things to degrade over time after launch once the line is established, but for the beer on day one to come out like this is a real disappointment. It reeks of cost cutting, profiteering, and either a disdain or misreading of the clientele who have made this place what it is.

Given that four taps are permanently burdened with these at the Sail now, and other signs (lack of guest tap labels / crippled beer menu etc) pointing toward pushing them out, to a craft beer fan it's really not a good sign for the pub as a whole. Here's hoping it's not the beginning of the end.

Westmalle Trappist Dubbel

Something about the colour of this label makes me happy.

It certainly evokes the colour of the beer itself pretty well: an attractive leathery brown. The nose has a little bit of port / sherry going on and for 7%, comes across as a little bit intimidating first up.

The taste is a bit less overwhelming thankfully, putting across fruity alcoholic notes for the main. Not a lot of chocolate for a dubbel, probably not a beginner's beer either, but big and complex if you like them that way. Would probably go well with roast meat or similar sorts of big heavy dishes. Good stuff. 7.5

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Yep, a beer based on a doughnut.

And not just any doughnut: a bacon maple effort. Hence the frankly awesome bottle. It's a smoked beer at heart, with maple syrup in there too. The label actually suggests there's actual bacon in there too, which puzzles me somewhat. Do they put it in the mash?

Regardless, both key elements stand out on the aroma, and in flavour - it really does smell and taste like smoke, vague bacon, and maple syrup. Which sounds like a "hurr hurr funny" sort of a beer that you can't really drink, right?

Wrong. It's actually pretty bloody drinkable too. Odd, yes. Difficult, absolutely not. Top stuff, much respect! Only real problem is the nagging feeling of loss that we can't get those donuts here as a combo.. 8.5

8 Wired Super Conductor Double IPA

Oho, what have we here.. a DIPA based on the excellent Hopwired? Count me in.

It's certainly a seductive nose, with the hopwired heritage very much evident. I've said before I don't think NZ hops alone can generally carry a good IPA / DIPA, so it's mouthwatering to pick out the green lushness of NZ here mixed in with the sharper citric notes of their USA cousins. It's the perfect combination as far as I'm concerned.

Taste-wise this is just as bitter as you'd hope, but it's rounded thanks to the above and evolves through the mouthful to stay exciting and delicious throughout. Malts are just right - not lacking in any way, but not too obtrusive either, just a backing canvas to slash hop juice all over.

This one's obviously that bit bigger than its IPA counterpart, but still exudes that brilliant balance key to the style. Looks great, smells great, tastes great. Truly excellent - just need to try it side by side with Hopwired to see which one is better. Buy it. 9.0

Boon Oude Geuze

Back to lambic land for a vintage effort from Boon.

This is traditional geuze, ie a blend between old and young lambics to create a referment and that harsh sour + clean fizz effect you get with these. It's somewhere between Fonteinen and the reigning champion 100% Bio in terms of sourness I think, so you get a fair bit of wheaty grain character, but also a burst of genuinely sour stuff to refresh you also.

It's good stuff but still makes me think wistfully of Cantillon (it's not the only thing of course. Everything up to and including frogs, bedsheets, and christmas carols make me want it). Still - this one retails for around $15 for the big bottle where I am at the moment, which is comparatively not bad. Well worth a go at that price, may be a nice intro gueze for people to have a try of at your end of year functions too. 7.5

Rogue Brutal IPA

BRUTAL IPA! From a well-known, hop-connected, US brewery!! Are your nerves jangling for their hit of lupulus goodness yet?

Sorry to disappoint you then for this is no more brutal than a swat from a dehydrated kitten in the world of IPAs. It's a good looking pour with a nose that like a 5am crack fiend initially babbles all manner of fevered claims about grapefruit and lush grasslands, but soon subsides into a coma. With just 68 IBU on the tally, perhaps most of the hops here are added late?

The beer to taste is like a reasonably flat sort of basic IPA. There is a bit of bitterness but it's all high-end front of the mouth stuff with no backing juiciness to back it up. It reminds me distinctly of our very first homebrew using proper hops and the brew-in-a-bag method. That beer was good enough to make us start a brewery, yes.. but I wouldn't sell it, least of all under the moniker "Brutal" in the modern USA marketplace.

Speaking of which, it's true this beer has been around some time by the looks - but that isn't to say it hasn't been updated. Indeed, it used to be called Brutal Bitter, which makes significantly more sense given the UK-centric grain bill and overall lack of balls. So what's the reason to change the name? If I was a cynic, I'd -- oh wait, I am a cynic. They've changed the name because IPAs are far more popular.

This is not brutal, is borderline IPA, but isn't a bitter either. Buy something else. 5.5

Chimay Blanche / Tripel Yellow Label

The classic Tripel.

The photo's not done it justice in low light but it's a relatively high carbonated pour for an 8% abv but good looking. The nose is oh so sweet, notes of candied sugar and fairy floss, one of the most sugary smelling beers I can remember, and if you're like me this spells trouble.

Pleasingly however it's cloudlike on drinking: light, fluffy, and altogether very agreeable beer. There's a vinous sort of quality there somewhere in amongst the sweet malt, maybe just a faint edge of pineapple, good stuff whatever it is. Classic and would be lovely with something similarly light like chicken or fish. 8.5

Hitachino Sunday Cup Festival (range review)

Having previously enjoyed the XH and the Espresso Stout, it was time for a range review on some of the other beers currently purchasable locally from Hitachino in Japan.

First up the white ale, whose label confirms the traditional approach with additions of coriander, orange peel and nutmeg. It's a nice pour, though the beer itself is quite yellow. It's bright and not out of style, just different to some others. Nose is of candied orange, not as pithy as orange peel, bit sweeter and fresher but less bitey. As such the whole thing calls to mind a chewy orange lolly.

Taste-wise happily it manages to stay quite light with medium-high carbonation to back it up. The taste profile is pretty light and delicate but all the right flavours are there, before a burst of that sweet orange before the end. Strikes me as pretty sessionable stuff here on a hot day, with nothing really objectionable in the slightest. The perfect soft-spoken Japanese gent. 7.0

Wasn't quite sure what to expect from this "Real Ginger Ale" - was it a beer with ginger, or a ginger beer? Turns out to be the former, marked as happoushu because of the additions. This beer is marked at 7.0% on one label, and 7.5% on the other .. just like XH, this is something you wouldn't get away with in Australia.

It's a dark pour with a fair amount of particulate sediment and rye-like hue. The nose is curiously reticent, delivering not much above and beyond a suggestion of malt sweetness, but the taste doesn't hold back. Bang - dat ginger. It's a good soft mouthfeel here and kind of evokes Olde Stoney ginger beer meeting a spiced heavy ale of some description. All of which is nice, but it becomes harder and harder to deal with over time. Maybe better in the snow? 5.5

"Japanese Classic Ale" seemed somewhat of a misnomer first up given the nature of the beer scene in modern times. A closer look at the label however shows it's a replica of Edo period ales, matured in cedar as per old style English IPAs. Nice pour again with a good looking creamy head. I get peppery notes on the nose here along with a bit of warming alcohol.

That spicy character carries through into the ale itself - perhaps it's the barrel? - but it's a nice combination. The hops are evident if not dominant and it all comes together quite nicely at a professed 7.5%. I drank this happily the whole way through and found it interesting, well-made and compelling. 7.0

Continuing the theme with another solid seven percenter is the red rice ale. This one's a bit more reticent with the ingredients list which is a shame, as to me at least it feels a lot like it's had berries, cherries, or something similar added here which dominate everything else. The rice isn't very evident, but it is at least quite red, I guess.

I'm not really sure about this one - it didn't really do what you'd think it would and felt a bit out of place the whole time. I didn't dislike it, but neither would I seek it out again. 5.5

Onward then to the commemorative new year celebration ale, at 8% (at least, knowing these guys). This is the 2011 edition and understandably speaks of forgetting the troubles of the year past. It's spiced with coriander and cinnamon among other things - one could expect it to be a big heavy in line with the Japanese (winter) new year.

This drop is sour up front then quite spicy and complex. Not as malty as expected, but thought provoking nonetheless. I wonder if the sour edge is from age, or if they have again used their access to sake barrels and the like to give it a bit of something special - whichever it is, it lifts this beer a little and makes it quite compelling to drink. Slight nectarine / apricot nectar notes. Interesting if not delicious. 6.5

Finally to the sweet stout. I'd been recommended away from this one by a stout-drinking of some repute, but  after drinking this one I was quite happy with it. It's just 4% and clearly designed along the lines of the typical dry / sweet stout. Good colour in the pour, lovely nose of raw choc malt also. It's sweet in that it has definitely had lactose introduced, but not overly sweet in terms of flavour balance. Instead there's a nice roasty character for the main combined with an edge of coffee.

It's light beer yes but I'd argue not watery (ie, not unintentional). Lasting roasty aftertaste is pleasant. Good beer. 7.0

All in all an interesting selection and enough to confirm my wish to visit when next in Nippon.

Burleigh Brewing HEF

HEF, the label boldly proclaims. I've got to say I like the moustache on there too. Subtle but persuasive, like a well practiced pool boy.

Hef here also won gold at the world beer cup in 2012 - quite the achievement in what is a class filled with competition both new and ye olde. I'm not one to place too much store in these awards overall but drinking this, it's easy to see how it's done so well.

Perfectly on style it seems with all of the elements you'd expect from a hefeweizen, the beer also manages a lovely mouthfeel to ensure you experience it all as you drink. Typical banana, cloves, sweet yeasty notes, creamy head. Nothing radical, just a bloody good hef. Trust in the mo.

Good stuff, needs a retry, looking forward to slamming back a 6-pack over the summer sometime.. 8.0

Lindemans Pecheresse

Two pictures. One's where it started (with evocative label on show) - the other's where it went shortly after tasting.

For you see, this beer is SWEET - not in the bogan suburban sort of way, but in the horrific-visions-of-corrective-dental-surgery sort of way. I couldn't handle it at the fridge-cold temperature it initially occupied, opting instead to try to get it right down to near-freezing. It didn't help much.

This beer is just 2.5% so should be lightweight, but lacks the backing sourness to keep up with the mountains of sweetness it delivers. Were it balanced properly, I think it would be quite nice. As it is though.. it's kind of like an even stickier Japanese plum wine umeshu. Pretty hard to get through if I'm honest.

I'm not against fruit lambics - far from it. But this has little use I think for anyone. It's neither beer, nor a gateway to beer.. more a crazy low alc liqueur. If you have the choice, go for Lindemans Apple instead as it is worlds better (and may help convince vapid slack-jawed cider addicts to give up their sugar-water too!). 2.0

Rogue Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale

Not too amber in the darkness but in the flesh it's definitively red - good to see.

It's an 'amber ale' this by most accounts, and that's a style with which we've struggled a bit in the past. There's a tendency for these to come through tasting a bit like sweet wort with not a lot else on the table. Dry hopping is a good plan to help counter the cloying nature of the style though - at least in theory?

Drinking this beer you feel comfortable for the express reason that you know what's coming. It's a red ale. And it's dry hopped. There's no surprises, and no disappointment. Your expectations have been managed. And on top of that, it turns out to be a lovely sessionable drop at a paltry 5.2%.

There's not a lot here that's complicated - sweet golden / amber start meanders toward a mid-bitter end - but it's refreshing and makes you wonder how much of it you could drink, in a gulp or over the course of an evening. Solid, reliable beer. 7.5

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Cadbury-esque colours here on what is a pretty easy to find double chocolate stout.

It's a pretty standard sort of setup here - fluffy head, light black colour, nose of dry cocoa, taste pretty much likewise. It's maybe a bit watery, perhaps a bit less lush than you might expect from the moniker 'double'. Indeed there's only really one chocolate I taste in it.

Overall this is kind of like a watered down Choc Hops - or more to the point I suppose Choc Hops is like a geared up, better quality version of this. Still, could be a lot worse. 6.5

To Øl Reparationsbajer

Newly crowned favourite brewers To Øl back with an interesting concept: a hangover beer.

Yes indeed, we've all been there and this beer is specifically engineered to help you out of your self-inflicted predicament. I can read a couple of words from the Danish label: 'burger' makes sense, 'pizza' yes indeed, and 'rottebazooka' just seems to sum up the situation beautifully.

The beer itself is an APA and delivers itself with poise. It's a balanced, soft complex malted nose that I'm surprised to see tips only 5.7% - though this still may be more than you are after in the circumstances I guess.  The mouthfeel on the other hand is light fruity and lovely. It's balanced and while flavoursome in both malt and hops, doesn't get all up in your face about it. This makes it comforting and compelling at the same time, and while it's billed as the hair of the dog I would happily drink it to get drunk.

I haven't yet tried this with a hangover but while it's no oily-french-toast-and-iced-coffee wonder cure breakfast in itself, I would endorse it to do the job beautifully. A true friend in times of need. 8.5

Epic Double Stout

Epic take on another highly contested field of war: that of the double stout.

It's labeled as a 'vintage ale' too.. I mean, it's hard to argue.. but still a strange way to put it in the circumstances.

The rest of the label tries to tell us of their brew day. It's that same old story: "let's put in double malt, double hops, double everything!". It seems lucky then to arrive at the advertised abv of 7.77%. It's also a bit of a shame that their prominent website link www.epicbeer.com/doubletrouble also leads to a page error (or at least it has every time I've tried it over the last few weeks). Double fail?

The nose on this is unifaceted and bitter, with a sticky head. Tastewise it's far too hoppy to be honest, a real assault on the senses that comes back to you after the mouthful. It delivers a treacly foreign extra stout sort of flavour behind that which nevertheless comes off a little empty and pale with the bitterness, far from the typical lush pillowy landscape you expect when you buy a double stout.

It does improve slightly as it warms, but we started these two glasses at what is normally a good stout temperature around 12C. I'd say it may be better when aged a bit longer too to mute the hops a little and expose the malts - but then, it's quite low abv for one of these too.

In the end I'd have preferred them to just double the water too and make a balanced, drinkable stout. As it is this is neither enlightening nor a good example of a stout, double or otherwise. It does however shed a little light on why the brew day website link doesn't work - "what happened on brew day was .. oh. An error." 4.5

Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout

Another Rogue, another delivery of their patented Pacman yeast strain.

This one needed to be sampled again on tap as the original photo was lost, however according to the bottle pictographs I had determined this one goes with "cows' heads" and/or "pies and wine". The container also informs us this is the 'world stout champion', though I'm not sure when or in which competition.

It's a really deep reddish brown pour, not quite on solid black, good for a six percenter. Aroma here is predominately chocolates .. wonder if it's chocolate malts driven, or some sort of addition? In any case it's pretty much the driving force here for both the aroma and flavour profile.

The beer itself definitely sits squarely in the chocolate stout camp but has a lovely round body to it that belies the comparatively low percent. Full flavoured through stages of chocolate, hops, and a burnt dry roastiness that keeps you coming back for more.

This is not a groundbreaking sort of a beer, but at the same time it's hard to complain when you can't think of much they could have done better. Excellent. 8.5

Epic Barrel Aged IPA

Another one of 'those labels' from Epic, but this one's got some presence in that 'big glowing clipart' sort of style they have going on.

It's also spent 8 weeks in the oak barrel which augers well for a complex IPA here. After a flattish pour the main aromas are pretty citrusy, I get tangerine, lemon flesh, maybe even lime just ahead of that woody barrel scent.

Rather than smack you with the bourbon (or rum, or whatever) hammer as a spirit aged beer might, this is a barrel-aged drop that takes on substantial funk and sourness ahead of the heft. The brett character up front is assertive and takes most of the hops out of the equation, so what you're left with is a pretty spiky experience rather than the warming alcohol hug you might have anticipated.

It's probably not the beer I was expecting, but not bad nevertheless. 7.5

Mikkeller Dry Stout

A hitherto unencountered combination I think - Mikkeller, doing a stout, that's light and sessionable, with no chili or herbs or buffalo or anything added. Curious?

Indeed this is a 4.1% dry stout in the mould of Murphy's or similar. If you're a dark beer nut like I am you might get obsessed with the bigger ones from time to time (phwoar eh) but this style is a tool in the dark arsenal and can be a rather pleasant session drink.

Mikkeller's effort is pretty much right on target - nose of predominately chocolate malt is on the light side, but appealing. The taste too is restrained from being too sweet, speaking more of dry cocoa than melted chocolate, but with a smooth dry lasting finish. Good stuff indeed when you want something to throw back with a bit of chocolate character and no heft whatsoever. Pick it up in growler / squealer format if you can, unless the Mikkeller moniker has ruined the price out of range for the abv.

It's all very light, sure, and you might normally call foul on its watery presence. The difference - this time it's by design. Respect. 7.5

Uncommon Brewers Golden State Ale

Another tallboy can from these guys - this time, it spends some length telling us that it's 'organic', whatever that means.

There's no head on the pour, which sticks true to the name with a very golden patina. The nose delivers far more lemon and wheat-beer aromas than expected. I'd been gearing up for some sweetness and depth given the belgian yeast used, and roast poppy seeds thrown into the mash but it's mysteriously dry.

So you start off drinking this and coming across witbier-esque notes from the start, a product of the yeast of course. Then someone in your drinking party says "Orange and Poppyseed Muffin" and you're done for - it's all you can taste thereafter. A belgian baker's muffin, and in a glass no less.

I found this far from 'quaffable' despite the claims. At 6.4% abv it probably needed to be right on the money to be a session beer in any case but it's a little sweet and sticky. I'd like to try it without the belgian yeast (ie with a cleaner ale strain) to be honest as the poppy notes are nice, but overall it's not something you'll ever really go back to. 5.0

Brewfist Burocracy IPA

Have to admit looking back on this I was convinced it was "brewrocracy", such is my pun loving nature.

I'll make a good dad.

Regardless this is an IPA from those finest-named of Italian brewers, they of the Brewfist. The photo's not far off the truth here - it comes through pretty damn dark for its 6%. Indeed if you poured it unknown, you'd be forgiven for calling it a DIPA or perhaps a brown based on looks alone. Nose is squarely in hoppy territory however, orange pretty dominant with a bit of spice and pine backing it up.

That spicy sort of character extends to the mouthfeel leaving it quite nice and dry despite the malt & fruit combo. It makes a big difference to drinkability in the end and lets you settle down to punch into what is an easy drinking but flavoursome IPA.

I'm not sure if they were aiming for such depth of colour - the extra malt does give it an almost bitter sort of edge - but not a bad drop if you can find it. 7.5

Cantillon Gueze 100% Lambic Bio

A latecomer to the record as such - I've had this several times now and loved it on each occasion.

This is a bit of a classic in the world of lambic Gueze and with good reason. It's a beer-like pour alright, grainy light amber delivery with a snow white top. Still, you won't be in any doubt as to what's coming if you have any sort of olfactory capacity whatsoever: the sour nose really fills the room, sharp and vinous.

Make no mistake, this beer is sour, above and beyond the usual Flemish tartness. It is more crisp than others in this field, more sharp, less grainy and more extreme. All of this is delivered via a slightly fizzy carbonation, but that again works well with the beer itself.

The clean sour notes are maybe closer to vinegar than white wine and drive through any and all things that came before as the ultimate palate cleanser. Beyond that though I find it a compelling beer in its own right, hitting a crisp clear note of sourness that becomes a real obsession. "The Champagne of Belgium" indeed.

A delicious and eye-opening drinking experience. Highly recommended to all who can finance the crippling addiction drinking it will surely bring. 9.5

Moon Dog Black Lung II

Another spirit aged stout - this time a revisit of a past brew with new edits and improvements.

My critique of the first one drew comment from other bloggers at the time, haha. But that's what's great about beer - it's alive, and is affected not only by palate and personal preference, but also by age within batches, and various things between batches too.

I found this second swing to be a bit more successful than the first - whisky more evident initially on the nose along with slight peat, and again that big chocolate. It's sweet up front, but moulds into peaty whisky barrels, and wooden dry spirit notes.

There's a bit more of a roasty edge here this time that I didn't really pick up on in the first, and it helps it to be a bit more easy going and less cloying over time. Evolution, you might say. 7.0

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 16 Year

Been a while since we ventured to Scotland for anything non-Brewdog.

Harviestoun however have put together a range to date that belies their small stature, beers of strong flavour and character throughout. This is a stout based on the excellent Old Engine Oil (apparently the name even translates to 'black oil') aged in 16 year old whiskey barrels from an award winning local distillery. There's a whole range of these at varying ages .. would be very interesting to do a vertical tasting on the range one day.

As it is this is indeed oily but at the same time very approachable. It's got a balanced mocha sort of nose with dark chocolate and coffee competing at equal measure, plus that hazy undefinable barrel complexity you get from extended exposure to the wooden residuals. Very flat delivery is on target for the style and allows you to really enjoy the slick alcohol back notes. It's smooth this and feels like it has lost some of the biting bitterness that Old Engine Oil leaves you with.

A mellow, settled and reassuring beer deep with complexity but also restrained in terms of booze and spirit notes. Very good indeed. 8.5

Peter Piper's Pickled Pepper Purple Peated Pale Ale

Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the lads from Moon Dog are back again and writing big cheques.

This time, they've teamed up with Yeastie Boys - themselves not known for introversion - and come out with something that starts with 'ambitious' and takes it up a couple notches for good measure. Beer with peat, and (capsicum) peppers, and god knows what else in it.

It's a pretty fruity nose that builds around a middle core of peat. Xerrex this ain't but it's definitely present. Big sticky head looks good though the body itself is a dark bruised shade of brown amber. Kind of purple, I guess?

The first mouthful is obtrusively carbonated which is a shame, as it fights against the peat and the wider complexity of the beer. Having said that it isn't really as berserk as expected - more like a really nice peat ale than what the label might suggest, and probably far more sessionable than you'd think. The carbonation is the only real downer.. I can see why they'd do it to combat the natural oiliness of peat, but in practice it's a bit overwhelming.

So yes, session peat beer with chillies. Wait, it's 9%? 8.0

Victory Storm King Stout

Great nose, burnt sort of double FES awesomeness going on from the first instant.

And indeed a rather nice progression of flavours, including a bunch of good choc / coffee / roast notes that work well in the style. What's different about this beer is the way they're presented - it feels like it's maybe backwards in a way, providing the comforting chocolate stout presence first up, before bitey aggressive roast smokiness second. The whole thing leaves you with a pretty powerful dry roasty mouth presence which is not unpleasant, but a bit different to the norm.

Good stuff here - perhaps not quite the traditional 'imperial stout' for mine tastewise, though it does slip through at an unobtrusive but substantial 9.1%. It's not that the taste or body is lacking - it just comes across as more like a hyper awesome full roasty FES party monarch than the sweeter and heavier, benevolent imperial king you were expecting.

Fun times to be a royal. 8.0

Moon Dog / Beer Here Freaks & Geeks

I've had this twice now (first review was sadly lost) and both times for some reason I expect it to come out a red sort of colour - instead it's pretty dark brown / black almost, a hue that means business at a substantial 7.6%.

Also having managed to miss the photo the first time I lined it up with the subtle backing notes of an old crappy microwave this time around. Beer photography awards here we come.

This is a mash-up brew between Moon Dog and Beer Here with all the craziness that entails. There's dark wheat, peat, rye, and oats on the label for just a start, all tied together with farmhouse yeast which makes its presence felt immediately on the aroma along with a slight berry sort of note. It's pretty funky and complex. Pleasing.

Taste wise too this is good stuff - layers of flavour, and I find the peat malt a nice accent to the other notes. I quite like the way it interacts with that funky yeasty character.. you get the feeling it's settled, deliberate and somehow balanced, in a pretty out there sort of way.

Overall not something I'd go out of my way for - but another interesting, flavoursome drop that's well worth a bash. Or two. 7.5

He'Brew Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale

Got to say, it's a good name right off the bat - you know just what you're in for with this one.

And who doesn't like a dry hopped session ale? The racking does wonders for a lot of beers, producing that hop character we all love without the potential of alienating newcomers with monstrous IBUs.

This delivers a nice amber body with a sedate but nonconfronting aroma. It's good looking and would easily fit in atop a hardwood counter outside on a summer's day.

Taste is what matters in the end though so it's pleasing to confirm this one hits the mark there too. It's quite malty for a hopforward beer, delivering a bit of biscuity caramel in there in line with the hue it's got going on. The effect is kind of like a hoppy Australian ESB or similar and it's certainly a combination that works to produce a beer that's interesting and non-fatiguing: in other words, exactly what they seem to have been going for.

Nothing revolutionary here but a solid concept well executed. Good stuff. 7.5

Kooinda Milk Porter

Back to Kooi for a new arrival, their milk porter with lactose.

This is a slightly lighter than expected pour, with a loose uncommitted head that's soon gone. The wateriness comes through a little on the smell too which is a wavering cross between a foreign extra stout and a choc porter.

Hmm. It's not bad this, a milk porter very much in style, with the silky sweetness coming through nicely. Nothing revolutionary here but competent and on target.

While milk porters are never a massive beer, I felt this could have been a bit fuller malt-wise to take full benefit from the mellow lactose. As it is it's just a little too light on - pleasant but not compelling. 6.5

Mikkeller Hop Burn High

Had this before with its cousin Hop Burn Low down the pub, but now for review in bottle format.

This is one of a duo of beers, and another of Mikkeller's education lexicon of beer varietals. In this case, the Hop Burn High is fermented using ale yeast, while the Low uses bottom fermenting lager yeast instead. It's also pushing out 300 IBU, which explains the hop head on the label and his leather-eyed stare of dazed contusion.

It's a nice looking beer and sings of mandarin out of the glass - oddly enough, didn't get that drinking it on tap. There's some sediment here but probably to be expected given the weightiness of hops and malt in this 10% monster. That heaviness does carry through on the mouthfeel which is big bold and heavy. It's kind of oily pine and sticky without delivering quite as much hop character as you might expect - this could be the result of the distance travelled, though it's a relatively young bottle nevertheless.

I found the alcohol in this becomes really apparent as soon as it warms even slightly. Not bad, but you get the feeling if it wasn't Mikkeller it'd be nothing near what it's rated. Hard going at times, this is bold, brave and interesting but ultimately outshone by a distance by other efforts. 6.0

To Øl Goliat Imperial Coffee Stout

Back for another gunning run on the To Øl coffee cache, fresh from a pretty successful campaign debut.

It's a good looking pour again, and at a solid 10.1% these guys are serious. Big coffee again delivers beguilingly on the nose - draws you in for a taste. The body and palate both back it up beautifully but it's important to note it is not just about the coffee .. it's a beautifully rounded, heavy, satisfying cudgel of a stout this with all the creamy complexity this style deserves.

I love it when these sorts of beers have a development of flavours, and it's no wonder these guys learned the dark magics of Mister Mikkeller in sampling this one. If I had to nitpick I'd say maybe just ever so slightly too sweet - but that's really drawing flaws in what is another excellent beer. 8.5

Coney Island Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager

Sword swallower? How risqué.

In any case this produces a flattish amber pour and promises an IPA styled beer produced with lager yeast. It's surprisingly high abv for the style too at 6.8%.

This beer smells malty, sort of amber ale territory almost, with vague indistinct hops. The palate is comprised mostly of mid level malts, with backing hops and a clear lager finish.

I can sort of see what they're going for here but to be honest, feel like the aim is a bit arse-about. If you hop up a pilsner, you can produce something that's easy drinking yet with a bit of character to it too. If you take a perfectly good ale and use lager yeast .. well, you lose a lot more than you gain in my opinion. The lower fermentation temp and dryer finish take a lot out of the malt complexity and you're left with something that's just not that memorable. I certainly wouldn't session this, nor drink it for fun or interest.

Ok as an experiment I guess. But again, who is this for? 5.0

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

A quick shared snifter of gueze mid session always clears out the tasting valves, or whatever they are.

It's a corked effort this one, always nice to see. Nice bottle all round in fact and pours with a low patina of crisp white head.

Definitive gueze delivery here: bitey nose and bitey taste, with slight alc and wheat present on the finish. It is sour - not as much as some other lambics but still enough for people to make faces when they drink it.

Good reliable stuff, balanced and dry. I like the look, and I like the nose - but I want more and more sourness from these! It's a growing addiction.. 7.5

Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet 1.5 Double Black IPA

This one glowers amber in the light .. looks a bit light possibly for a double black, but right on the money at 10% abv.

I can't say i was overly looking forward to this one, maybe it's something about the branding leading me to not take these guys too seriously. One whiff of the nose though and any misgivings are soon addressed:  this is a serious complex malt bandit tending toward imperial stout character. Coffee is evident there along with other roasty notes - good stuff.

Taste wise for 75% of the mouthful you're thinking 'lovely light-bodied imperial stout' but then you're assaulted by a late burst of big pungent hops courtesy of a double dry-hopping of reliable trio Columbus, Cascade and Amarillo. It's definitely justified as a Black IPA despite the body, which is a pretty fair achievement for mine. They have managed to produce distinct elements of each beer while also tying it all in together with a tasty roast driven finish. Nice!

The appearance could perhaps be slighly better, but apart from that colour me impressed. 8.5

To Øl / Mikkeller Sleep Over Coffee IIPA

A mouthwatering combination brew here between young start-up To Øl and their past master Mr Mikkeller himself.

As mentioned previously, coffee plus IPA just sounds like a brilliant combo to me, though I'm yet to be wowed by one. This of course ups the stakes - at a remarkable 10.5% it's well and truly in imperial territory.

It's good looking too, heavy amber colour and strong lasting head. Aroma is just what you'd want here, malt driven, hops not evident to allow the coffee character to shine through. It's double percolated coffee castoff style aromas here rather than fresh beans but it works in nicely with that malt backbone.

Delicious malty imperial flavours up front, which meld into a lovely coffee finish. Despite its mighty heft, there is no alcoholic bang to it - instead it is smooth as you like, and delicious. It's hard to call it a definitive IIPA as such as the hops are bit-part players, but the label does acknowledge that it is the hybrid spawn of a strong ale / barleywine / IIPA and to me, I'd prefer to see boundaries broken for the sake of the beer experience rather than slavish adherence to styles.

All in all great beer: a concept proven. Any beer that has me looking forward to trying it again like this one has to be highly recommended. 9.0

Moon Dog Billy Ray Citrus

Woo, first impression is pretty sour aroma wise off the back of a light clear pour.

Sure enough there's Bavarian wheat yeast & lactobacillus doing the hard yards here, supported by some  citrus peel dry conditioning. I had wondered if it'd be a Japanese Sorachi Ace base off the nose, but it's the American all-rounder Simcoe.

My wife was part of the esteemed tasting panel for this one and immediately pronounced it to taste of, well, sausages - oddly enough after brief bemusement I can sort of see where she's coming from.

It's weird beer this (in a good way of course) .. not really as expected. I feel it smells like the beer it should be, but the taste is maybe only halfway there. Kind of doesn't quite know what it's doing - citrus peel is there yes but also wit / bready notes that hide the citric uniqueness this aims for. Can't say it's very tasty, refreshing or illuminating.. but it is interesting.

I'm not too down on this despite the score - love to try these experiments - just this one's not their best. 4.5

Lindemans Faro Lambic

A new type of lambic to try - this one's a Faro, which I gather are generally sweetened and diluted versions of the proper sort.

I'm not sure what if anything was used to season this one but the caramel input's certainly come through to change the typical lambic development. The aroma is still sour with berry notes, but it also smells a bit more like a beer than normal.

Taste too is restrained, somewhat sweeter than the norm and somehow artificial because of it. The sourness takes a back seat in this and there's a sense you're drinking something a bit more like a cordial cocktail than anything else. It's sticky, and a bit artificial.

I suppose you could make a case for this as a sort of training wheels assisted pathway beer to the world of sours - but I'm not sure you're giving the right message.

It's probably more to do with the style than the creation of this beer but I didn't much enjoy it. Go the whole unadulterated thing or don't do it at all. 4.0

Green Flash Le Freak

Wow this is a massive beer.

9.2% of Belgian Tripel forcibly crashed into a US-hopped Imperial IPA. It does not lack presence.

Bright pink label an inspired choice and I actually think the beer itself may carry just a hint of strawberry itself too? Beautiful head is frothy and solid; creamy.

The aroma here was always going to be a battleground and you do get both styles in there. Maybe the hops just edge it, if you had to pick a winner? I find the alcohol pretty evident in terms of bitey front of mouth flavours, but it's not bulky or heavy as such - just sticky and full bodied. It all comes together pretty well without becoming too tacky. I like.

I'm not sure I'd want to drink this style too often, but for what it is, it's good. I'm maybe not a fan just yet but you have to acknowledge the showcase nonetheless. 8.0

La Sirène Saison

Great bottle and label.

I was quite surprised to see it was Australian actually - no disrespect to domestic producers, but this is a quite different approach to any other I have seen. Perhaps it's a good thing to help raise beer in the public consciousness to its rightful artsy state - but the beer will need to deliver too of course.

This is quite strongly carbonated and fizzes dramatically despite a sedate upbringing and weeks in the fridge. The nose is predominately lemon citrus and backing spice, not much funky yeast character as such.

Taste-wise it feels a bit faint on the whole, nice farmhouse bite first up, but a little watery, and lacking real funk that would push it closer to greatness. I feel like this is pretty smashable quaffing or session-wise as it finishes quite dry, but there's other beers that do that and they may give you a bit more delight along the way too.

Good try, not quite there yet. 5.5

Bear Republic Black Racer Black IPA

Bear Republic have been pretty solid so far, clearly a good brewery doing good things.

This is a variant of the popular Racer 5 but blackened up considerably. I found it a bit maltier than usual for this style, quite chocolatey but tasty overall. There's the barest hint of chili here if you stare at it in the right way.. maybe just miscategorised spice. Hop bite is present but as it warms, gets a little jagged.

I can't really put my finger on it but there's something about this that's just a bit less compelling than a lot of the other things Bear Republic do. It's a Black IPA certainly and quality beer, but just missing the mark somewhere with the overall feel and balance of flavours. Reasonable if there's nothing else going. 6.0

Nøgne Ø Imperial Brown Ale

You don't often see Imperial Brown ales, which is a bit of a shame in my book.

Then again, this one tips in at 7.5% which is not really that much higher than others you'd call a standard brown. In this case, it's more a style guide than a marker of potency.

It's certainly darker than normal - I have seen (admittedly disappointing) porters lighter than this. Nice tan bonce on it too. Taste and aroma are more or less what you'd expect I suppose .. or what you'd hope for. It's got a lasting coffee character throughout the mouthful, and delivers toasty roasty fun all over the place. There is a sense of porter in the taste as well to be honest, just in the way the mouthfeel, carb and alcohol are delivered but I think it's squarely in style.

In the space this occupies, it competes with a bunch of imperial stouts and the like as well but this holds its own as something unique and pleasant, if not revolutionary. Recommended. 7.5

Holgate Double Trouble

Just when you think you've tried all of Holgate's beers .. they pull you back in.

This one's a Dubbel by designation - admittedly a fair bit less complex than a lot of true Belgian efforts - but easy drinking, chewy and flavoursome. I get a lot of chocolate in this but melded with caramel / toffee and just a faint edge of rum. Add in a complex malty nose and a nice balanced, meshed character from a bit of time in the bottle and you've got a pleasant beer indeed.

I only noticed it was 8% deep into the bottle. Say what you like about it being an 'abbey ale', but I think it best to judge it on what it is than what it isn't. Great work again, grab a bottle and check it out even if you're not generally a Belgian beer freak.  8.0