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

Little Creatures Day of the Long Shadow

Hooray, another single batch effort from Mitsubishi err hang on Kirin oops I mean Lion Nathan ahm Little Creatures.

Another bush shack logo adorns another single batch - but this one promises to be quite different again as a spiced winter ale weighing in at a more than respectable 8.9%.


This pours a lovely scorched amber, becoming lighter in direct light, one of the few beers to elucidate words of approval from my normally reticent (when it comes to beer visuals at least) wife. Aeration seems spot on right away, it's flat with just enough oomph to power a thick and defined head, but doesn't need to be left alone to settle before you plow right in.


An aroma of initially earthy UK hops, and a burst of cinnamon and fivespice assails the nostrils pre the first bite. The taste initially shows slight bitterness and a ripe fruity yeast, which is soon overtaken by a sneaking suspicion the 8.9% alc is going to burst in and ruin everything but - rejoice - spices arrive on cue to save the day. Indeed, cinnamon and friends ensure this is pretty mellow through the midsection and onwards. It feels like you're just relaxing in that fivespice armchair waiting for the crash that never comes.

Finish is quite nutty, bit of biscuit and dry caramel, well suited to style, quick to depart save a warming but unobtrusive throat alc note.. truly a winter fireside warmer. Sweetness is restrained throughout and to me, this is key to maintaining drinkability here. Fine work.

Overall this is perhaps not quite as complex as one may have expected but smooth and comforting nevertheless. Quite the swansong, if indeed that's what it is. 


Let's hope not. 8.0

Victory Golden Monkey

Right. I have to say I had no idea what was lurking in this bottle what with the label, name, and walloping 9.5% ABV.

And yet I was still pretty surprised by the lightness of this: the head, the body, and strangely the taste itself.

Given this in isolation I think I'd call it some sort of Belgian witbier, primarily lemon and wheat based flavours, slight candy, not a lot else. The label bangs on about this being spiced; but I didn't get too much of that. The strangest thing is there's very little indication of the alcohol here - just a slightly sweet finish.

In this then it's a pretty impressive effort. But given the relatively uninspired flavours around it, it's just not that enjoyable. 7.0