Big, big fan of Capital Brewing’s Evil Eye Red IPA…
Big, big fan of Capital Brewing’s Evil Eye Red IPA…
Also, if you’re up around Port Stephens / Newcastle, make an afternoon/day of the Murray’s Brewery… great location, fun beers!
went to the Coastal Brewing Company in Forster, gotta say, very disappointed with their beers. The Milk Stout was the only decent one out of everything we tried. Best thing going was how cheap the tasters were!
Yeah that’s a great beer. I’m yet to have a beer from there I don’t like. They did a peach sour once that I had in their tap room which was amazing.
I quite like smoked beers. There’s bunch from Bamberg in Germany that have been brewing smoked beers for centuries. Definitely weird the first time, but it quickly grows on you.
The style is known as Rauchbier. Aecht Schlenkerla (red and gold bottle) do one that tastes like smoked bacon and is one of my all time favourite beers. Highly recommend if you can find it here.
Yep, that’s them. Ruachbier literally translates to smoke beer. My father in law introduced me to them a few years back when I was over there. When he suggested I try a smoked beer I was a bit apprehensive, but once I tried it and got about half way through the glass I was blown away.
Had the Stockade 16-bit Double IPA over the weekend, surprisingly light for a 9% beer, still has decent fruit notes.
If anyone flies in to or out of Ballina, right next to the airport is 8 Mile brewing. I’ve never had one of their beers so don’t know the quality but next time I fly I’m definitely going to be giving them a go.
Also, looks as though the 4 Pines shenanigans has already started. I thought that the 6 pack I bought tasted a bit different (Fat Yakky) & noticed that the label on the Pale Ale had changed to say “Citra & Selected US Hops” from “Citra, Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe” so checked the packaging and this is what I found.
Old Logo v New Logo
Booooooo!
I don’t get it. Do you think they’re changing the composition to satisfy what they think the average consumer wants (i.e. more in like with Fat Yak), or do you think it has to do with cost of materials or distribution or something? Why change a good thing?
Might have to stock up on some before it all turns to shit. I remember buying a couple of cases of JS Hop Thief #7 before they moved to #8 because I really liked it and wasn’t as big on #8.
Cost is the big one. They’d be using Citra & Cascade mostly as they’re the most widely available and they use Cascade across the Yak range. Buying even more volume would lower the cost further. No way they’re using Amarillo anymore (cost & availability), substituting it and Simcoe with Centennial.
I can’t find an updated recipe for 4 Pines Pale Ale, their website still has the old one, but looking at the Fat Yak recipe they better not be putting Australian (Pride of Ringwood, CUB’s go to) & NZ (Nelson Sauvin) hops in it. I don’t know how they’re still calling Fat Yak an American Pale Ale when 2/3rds of the hops aren’t even from the USA.
Keep an eye out for the same changes with Pirate Life as well.
To be fair, I already think their pale ale is a massively overrated beer.
The IPA and IIPA weren’t though. As a first foray into the market they really made a splash. I’d always look forward to a new release by them, not now
Any recommendations on good Australian Pilseners? I quite like the James Squires Four Wives, although while bursting with flavour, doesn’t really taste that much like a traditional Pilsener, apart from apparent abundance of Saaz hops.
I’m thinking something with similar flavours to Budvar, Pilsener Urkel, Trumer Pils.
I had a thing for the little creatures Pilsner, although haven’t had it in a few years now. Remember it was quite nice and felt quite traditional. Problem with Pilsners is you need the temperature to be quite low for proper fermentation to occur, which is always hard in Australia.
You are going to have real trouble finding an Aussie craft Pilsner like that as they are completely out of fashion. New world pilsners are all the rage which are a lot hoppier than your traditional German or Czech old world pils. Off the top of my head, wayward, sauce and grifter all do a new world Pilsner at the moment and if none of those do it for you you might just need to stick to the classics.
Yeah, I’ve tried a couple of new world pilseners, they’re not bad, but not what I crave sometimes. I think you guys are right about them being out of fashion. Pity, I really like them.
You should get yourself down to Tommy’s beer cafe in Glebe then. They’re an Austro Hungarian styled pub and have an array of old world pilsners on tap and in bottles. They also do an absolutely cracking schnitty.