Rocks Brewing have collaborated with Seven Miles for the suitably wintry limited release, Breakfast. And note the "s" in the latter's name: this isn't the Ballina brewers but the longstanding Sydney coffee roasters, who have contributed single origin Brazilian coffee to this pastry coffee brown ale.
Appearing and smelling like a batch-brewed coffee with a modest dulce de leche head, Breakfast steams with aromas of coffee and banana, a precisely crafty tribute to head brewer Adreac “Ady” Fitter‘s favourite breakfast: banana bread. Somewhat surprisingly, the combination of cacao nibs, coffee, Tahitian vanilla, cinnamon, banana essence and lactose is as subtle as it is harmonious, while choosing to put all of that into a brown ale rather than a stout allows the coffee to show off its intricacies.
As for the banana – a controversial addition to beer – it tastes so natural you could almost peel it, and sits alongside the Sabro hops, specialty malts and 6 percent ABV like they’re posing for a photo. If ever you’re in a position where you can have a beer first thing in the morning, Breakfast is calling.
Rocks turned 16 earlier in the year, and marked the milestone with Sixteen, a nitro double Irish red ale that comes in a tall tartan tin. While it has been out a while (but took a while to reach my hands), we feel a beer marking such an occasion – and which you're obliged to shake vigorously and pour as a close-to-full pint – was worthy of a belated post.
After witnessing the luxurious cascade of caramel fizz, Sixteen stands a dark shade of midnight Berocca with sweet and malty aromas of afternoon tea biscuits and Fantales. On top of all the familiar red ale flavours (biscuit, caramel, chocolate), the beers sips with the warm and well-worn smoothness of a beloved velvet scarf. The 6.5 percent ABV is pronounced, adding an extra lingering punch to this smokey and resinous tongue scratcher.
I had no problem finishing my pint, so much so that I went back for another. And for a beer celebrating 16 years of brewing, isn’t that exactly what you want?
Benedict Kennedy-Cox
Published July 9, 2024 2024-07-09 00:00:00
