In the world of Aussie beer, this is one that can easily be tagged "luxury item". It's to craft beer aficionados what a diamond encrusted iPhone is to a yacht-hopping dolly bird in Monte Carlo: oozing, nay, flaunting excess. In previous years, the folks at Moo have used such phrases as "complex matrix of high residual sugar and bitterness" and "active alcohol vector" when describing the beer. It seems the bogans have taken back control this year, however, with the label simply declaring "John Kelly's art on the front. Bullshit on the back. Beer in the middle." Nice. They've also been calling it the Velvet Sledgehammer, a title that doesn't quite do it justice; this velvet comes dotted with the studs from a punk's collar. Because lurking within the thick, gloopy, nigh on jet black beer - underneath its deeply dark mahogany head - there's a spikiness too. Sure, there's tonnes of soft, creamy roast flavours and a lovely, smoky peatiness alongside the dark chocolate aromas, but the aging has lent complexity too: a slightly vinous tang and hints of funk. Oh, and not forgetting that seriously solid dose of sledgehammer too.
Published July 20, 2011 2011-07-20 00:00:00
