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

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

He'Brew Hop Manna IPA

A bottle with presence, and the by-now almost common promise of hops - but just 6.8% and 65IBU.

I like the label design / presentation from these guys - it's strong, and distinct. Pleasingly, the beer itself delivers on that front too in terms of appearance and presentation - great nose, likely the product of a strong dry hopping regime consisting of centennial, cascade and citra as prominently displayed on label space A1.

From the first sip this is genuinely tasty stuff - not the overwhelming IPA that's become almost the norm in America, but a more balanced suite of flavours including a number of peppery spicy notes in the middle. When you're at this midstage it's almost leaning one almost toward hoppy APA territory, but then a lovely late wash of hops push it pleasingly into IPA territory.

Yum.. this is a truly well balanced brew, really compelling stuff all around. It's not berserk by any means but well judged clearly to style.. shows a great understanding of beer and brewing ability. There's a plethora of hop additions here and a really nicely tipped malt platform that leaves me thinking 'nah this doesn't actually need to be bigger' while still providing a solid body that doesn't overwhelm the starring hops.

For what it's trying to do - ie not just "MOAR OF EVERYTHING" - this is a purposeful, deliberate beer that is just a massive success, and there's not a lot I'd improve. Very impressive indeed. 9.0

Anchor Steam Beer

Made in San Fran since 1896, this beer is a bit of a classic.

It also "is virtually handmade" according to the bottle. Not sure if a computer makes it by hand, or if they're treading a line here with mechanisation, or if it's a copout. The label also informs me that no-one knows what a steam beer is.. kind of arrogant. And then it says Anchor is "one of the smallest and most traditional breweries in the world". Seriously? I think plenty of breweries would argue with both of those points.. not a fan of the hyperbole.

Regardless, slightly darker pour than expected maybe, flat, pilslike nose but with something more there too.. a bit more body in line with (defining?) the California Common style. First impression actually involves a bit of nutty character both on aroma and taste. Aroma not great overall, but flavour profile actually rather good for a session beer. It has taste, and a light watery body that makes you want to scull it. All good says I, and I put it away forthwith.

So - writing a lot of fucking cheques there Anchor. Good thing for you that the beer cashes at least some of them. 7.5

Eagle Bay Pale Ale

This one's finally getting a full review courtesy of it finally turning up on tap (and more to the point, growler) in the city.

Happy days indeed, for this is a very solid entrant in the crowded APA field. Nice dark amber pour, perhaps erring on the side of dim but nevertheless putting out a good strong nose of juicy pineapple, slight spice, and underlying biscuity malts.

It's those slightly roasty barley tea malts that drive the flavour profile here too, giving it a sort of bready character that lends itself to long term and session enjoyment. Mouthfeel is perhaps just a tad spiky but not disruptive by any stretch. Taste perhaps not as fruity as expected, leaning ever so slightly toward Bitter territory in places.

It's not a confrontational beer by any stretch but delivers enough flavour to be consistently enjoyable throughout. Following on from the Brown Ale it's another highly drinkable / sessionable drop, and a worthy addition to WA's pale ale forces. 7.5

Brewfist & Beer Here Caterpillar Pale Ale

BREW FIST! Oh, and Beer Here. And they've made a beer, together as it turns out.

It's a slightly lackluster pour out of the bottle, but settled with a good light hue and quite a delicious complex smell despite the lack of head. It's certainly an APA from the nose, but one with a bit of added fairy floss and spice notes going on there also. Things are looking good.

Things remain pretty pleasing when you have a sip too - this is up there with the best APAs on record as it is both true to style, and compelling throughout. Malt, hops and spice are working here in concert to produce a lovely rounded mouthful that smacks of depth and complexity in a class where sometimes it can be a bit lacking. 5.8% is a good mark for a beer like this too. It's a beer that wants to be your friend and make you happy.

This smacks of being an excellent sessionable yet interesting beer, and that in itself leads me to my only regret - a carton of this stuff would set you back far too much in this country to be practicable. Perhaps Italy is nice this time of year? 8.0

Eagle Bay Single Batch American Brown Ale

Woohoo, finally Eagle Bay beer to take home and enjoy (without the drive to Dunsborough).

Everybody's happy. And why wouldn't you be with 2L of highly drinkable, if not earth-shattering, American Brown Ale?

This beer is Eagle Bay's most recent in an ongoing line of single batches, and is probably up there with their best so far (save for the stout.. man, that stout was awesome).

It looks good in the glass, nice hue on the body and head, and emanates a pretty simple smell of dry coffee, slight hops, and dry caramel. Taste delivers a similar palate of flavours, along with lingering biscuit, all of which comes across quite light and with restrained sweetness.

Again, this was not a beer for those hoping to spend an evening with one glass, an interrogation spotlight, and a chair by the fire. As a quaffer though along with some food and good friends? Wonderful. 7.5

Holgate Mt Macedon Ale

Sometimes you have the beer for an occasion and not the food, or vice versa.

Happily, matched tentatively with home cooked yakiniku complete with the spicy miso and lettuce leaves, this proved a very good fit and alas evaporated quickly when shared with the wife.

The initial pour here is almost oily, quite heavy and inert for the style, producing a low head and deep amber colour. Not bad, but at this stage not really building any high expectations.

The aroma is where that starts to happen - nice APA strains, fruity, on the sweet side but bitterness also foretold and proclaimed. Yum.

It's immediately clear upon tasting that inspiration here has been hung drawn and quartered from the Little Creatures Pale Ale school of beering, but it's another thing entirely to execute, and this beer delivers an impressively balanced and massively drinkable drop that ticks all the right boxes for this style. Deep lasting malt with nuts and caramel support a spicy, bitter bite of lasting hops, very refreshing stuff. My immediate thoughts are a strong lament I can't buy this by the carton. Top stuff. 8.0

Bintang Pilsener

Any trip to Bali seems punctuated with these bottles.

Regardless of age, gender, or social class you'll be putting these away at some point. And to be honest there are far worse beers. It's a wet Asian lager that puts across a sweet and initially slightly sickly sort of malt and very little hops / bitterness to speak of.

Bintang shares a theme here with several other lagers from around the region, most notably Tsingtao in my recent memory. That beer has a bit more character though while this is pretty one dimensional.

Still, it's hard to complain. It's not metallic, stuffed with pride of ringwood or overly carbonated and as a result does the job it's designed to do. Not bad. 3.0

Feral & 2 Brothers Collaborator 2012

I must admit I bought this one almost entirely based on the Feral reputation but happily the gambit payed off.

It's a brown ale but not typical to the style, delivering if anything a brown version of the stalwart hop hog. This is a pretty interesting experience with its lush green herbal notes first up, then more typical caramel brown ale performance in the back half with nice nuttiness. It's in some ways a clash of styles as the grassiness doesn't really meld with that dark finish, but there's not a great deal of jarring in the experience - it's more an pleasingly docile, intellectual manticore than a misguided attempt at a frankenstein.

My feeling is if you were really after a brown ale, this might not scratch your itch. Taken on its own merits though it seems a massively drinkable beer and another interesting take on a style. 8.0

Mountain Goat Steam Ale

Time to revisit an old classic.

In all honesty I wasn't sure how this would fare.. been drinking some good solid beers since first encountering this one early in my craft career. Pleasingly however it holds up quite well indeed for what it is, with a nice snowy head and light body, pleasant wheat malt nose, and fizzy .

At this point on first encounter you're likely expecting (fearing) lager town. But it moves above that with a nice english malt and barley tea like character, rounded flavours.

Not world changing but a fine entry beer into craft, and a perennially drinkable light session beer in the style. 7.5

Mornington Pale Ale

Nearly pocketed all these monsters now, just the wheat to go if I'm not mistaken.

This one pours light, ultra light, with a thin head that nevertheless holds quite tenaciously. And to its credit it's not too watery in the mouth either. Instead you get pineapple flavours, mild malt, and light fruit salad in a pretty quenching summer mix.

Good stuff and highly sessionable if a bit sweet - but at least it tastes genuine. 7.0

Brewdog Trashy Blonde

I knew a Scottish blonde once. But she wasn't a lot like this.

Indeed, her body was strengthier than this rather cooperative drop and she lacked the sort of lemon honey flavours this thing has going on. But then she wasn't as artificial either. This tastes a little of manufactured sugar.

Still, in both cases, you could do a lot worse. 6.5

Gage Roads Atomic Pale Ale

Ashamed to admit the main reason for choosing a carton of this was that it was on special at Woolies - who seem to have a stake in Gage Roads now and are likely looking to establish a fan base.

Expectations weren't very high. Well, until opening the first bottle - greeted with a lovely floral hoppy American Pale Ale nose to the tune of LC Pale Ale. Suddenly things were looking up. A little fizzy perhaps but nice and clear, bright white head.

And indeed the taste is faithful too - this is a real crowdpleaser, it's just like LC lite. At 4.7% and 1.2 drinks to the bottle it's a little lightweight - but that also means it's highly sessionable. Could put these away pretty much endlessly I believe, and they fare well out of the bottle too. I think this is pretty much the perfect beer for a summer BBQ.

At the price of $38 for the carton this was a steal. But even at full price this is a good drop for the money. Surprising - but recommended!7.5

Brewdog Punk IPA

It's an IPA. And a good one.

And it comes in a can. Which is odd. But pretty cool.

Nothing special here perhaps but it's a fine emissary from the people we know and love. Like a diplomat from the land of cheese and pickles.

Clear body, enjoyable white head. Mouthfeel is light. Been drinking some impressive IPAs of late and this doesn't hit the same heights of valour as say Stone's efforts. But maybe it doesn't need to. I reckon I could put away a stack of these bad boys, crunching the aluminium housing as I go. 7.5

Billabong Nelson Sauvin Ale

Starting a place to at least keep track of what beers we're all drinking and post reviews! Nothing fancy, nothin sus.

This one's brewed just down the road in Perth at Billabong. It's notable mostly for the hop use and puts me immediately in mind of Knappstein Reserve Lager, though that drop has a bit more vanilla and a cleaner finish.. and is certainly higher quality overall. Alcohol's standard at 5.1%.

The oddest thing about this beer is the nose on it .. while there's a fresh head when first uncapped it all gets a bit malty (think home brew) as you proceed through.

Thankfully that doesn't influence the taste and it's nicely rounded and refreshingly gooseberry / passionfruit throughout. Be a good session beer this one for summer I believe. And it gets the thumbs-up from the missus as well as easy drinking and fruity. I give it a 7.0.