It's a collaboration – an international one, no less – that's been brewed especially for one of the country's biggest beer festivals, was launched at one of Melbourne's wildest bars, and comes with a great name referencing a curveball book and film adaptation. So, clearly Even Cowgirls Get The Blues is going to be something pretty outrageous. Right?
Not so, as this is Sailors Grave we're dealing with here, who created the beer in cahoots with XhAle from Calgary for Pint of Origin Canada at Heartbreaker. There's maple syrup in the mix (natch) and some foraged wattleseed (also natch) and yet both those elements, the first of which can be pretty dominating by nature, have been harnessed to give the golden ale subtle adornments rather than stealing the show. Their role seems to have been to add a richer, sweetened creaminess to the distinctive cereal malts at the beer's core, leaving you with something that's more pancake than maple, albeit with a little glaze.
Magic Pudding is back too; we first came across it as their Christmas 2021 release. This one is brewed with plum puddings from Blackhearts & Sparrows and serves up blackcurrants, plums and rhubarb with a drying, cinnamon-led spiciness woven through its sticky toffee-treacle body. Add in a citrus rind bitterness and you've got layers and layers to pick apart. As Uma Thurman might say for those seeking dessert in a can: two enormous thumbs up.
James Smith
Published May 25, 2024 2024-05-25 00:00:00
