From all accounts it's going to be one hot summer across Australia and while that rising heat is pretty terrifying, we can take small comforts in the number of refreshing, summer-ready beers the country's brewers are making. Good Land Brewing's desire to level up for the season has seen them brew Game On!, a juicy summer pale they've filled with Citra and Idaho 7 hops. Sitting at the rather sessionable 4.3 percent ABV, the hazy pale produces plenty in the juice department, which comes across like a fresh blend of passionfruit, nectarine and mango. There's a slight thicnkess to be found in the palate but with quite a dry finish and no bitterness to be found, Game On! is a decidely modern approad to the summer ales that once filled our shelves with a far greater frequency.
Then, there's the Chirstmas beer, I Could Fit Down The Chimney. If you're looking for spices and rich malt flavours then you've come to the wrong place*, with this beer a double IPA brewed with six different hops out of the US of A and Australia. But it's more than just the name and design that evokes Christmas, with the creamy and juicy tones all feeling the a suitably hefty beer to share with favourite family member just after Christmas lunch when you're ready to leave the table and collapse on the grass under the weight of the afternoon spent gouging. On the hop front, it's filled with fresh mandarin, pinneaple, rockmelon and a significant enough hit of pine that it conjures the spirit of Christmas (trees).
Will Ziebell
*Actually you've just bought the wrong beer, Good Land Brewing are quite adept at making those too.
Published November 27, 2023 2023-11-27 00:00:00