Of all the beers that Red Duck put out in 2012, few caused as many ripples of excitement in the beer nerd world as the Gnaume, one of his collaborations with Anders Kissmeyer. It was a Belgian farmhouse style ale, a little fruity, spicy and tart and made with all manner of yeasts and sugars. It's back in a seriously limited and altered version, with Wood Gnaume having spent time in a small oak barrel for six months (hence why there's only 13 cases in existence. We're told it's fermented with more than 10 different yeast strains too; should probably get a doctor to look at that (Badum-tisssssh).
Also heading out before Christmas is the first of Red Duck's seasonals to appear in a 500ml bottle, but not the last as we're told this is how everything outside the Ballarat brewery's core range will appear from now on. Bobcat is an American style IPA that tips the scales at 7.5 per cent ABV and uses the much-loved Simcoe hop variety to deliver "assertive hop aromas and balanced bitterness" in the shape (or should that be aroma and flavour) of peach and passionfruit.
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