Beer Bright Brewery Vienna Lager & Lemon Myrtle & Wattleseed Imperial Pastry Sour

Well, this feels like a fitting snapshot of craft beer in October 2022. Bright Brewery’s Vienna Lager has been released in time for that big German festival everyone's celebrating in one way or another. It spent eight weeks lagering away, pours clear copper and provides a soft sweetness, touches of biscuit, a bitter and clean finish and layers of floral notes thanks to Magnum and Perle hops. In other words, it's a classic lager brewed true to tradition.

Then, some way from European brewing tradition is the Reinheitsgebot-breaking Lemon Myrtle & Wattleseed Imperial Pastry Sour. With a soft and creamy mouthfeel, the hazy imperial sour sees sweet and sour come together as one. That tartness helps bring out the citrus and perfumey characteristics of lemon myrtle, while the lush and sweet side connects with the nutty notes of the wattleseed and brings to mind homemade biscuits.

Will Ziebell