Bowden Brewing hit the festive season running with four limited release beers. Starting with the smallest in terms of ABV you have Quick Maths: a 3.3 percent light ale, which pours a very light straw yellow colour with a good hit of pineapple and citrus aromas. The malt base comes in the form of biscuit, wheat and a little bread as passionfruit makes an appearance on the palate too. The beer finishes dry and refreshing and registers exactly one standard drink per can… adding up drinks over the Christmas period has never been easier.
Their Seasonal Sour series continues as they pair in-season strawberries with fresh basil leaves: the former contributes a little sweetness upfront and a juicy finish, the latter makes itself known quite strongly, while complementing the two adjuncts is a gentle sourness. ? Joining it in the realm of refreshing sours is Super Soaker, a watermelon and cucumber gose that takes your taste buds on a real rollercoaster ride. It starts with the watermelon, from the juice all the way to the rind. Then comes the cucumber, with its activating freshness, almost cleansing the palate before the salt washes over with a touch of coriander right at the end. Like its fellow release, there’s a gentle sourness at play here, but with a real dry finish.
The fourth beer comes with a suitably festive theme. Santa’s Rave Cave IIPA is a hop monster brewed with a combination of hops that spells out CHRISTMAS: Citra, Herkules, Raku, Idaho 7, Simcoe, Talus, Mosaic, Amarillo and Simcoe Cryo.
It makes for one Christmas cracker that’s really gone off: an old school hop bomb of a double IPA that demonstrates great balance. A decent whack of earthy pine, resin and orange citrus comes through initially, heralding a malt base with a sticky, candied orange vibe and a touch of crystal sweetness. This sweetness carries through to a distinct, but balanced bitterness to finish, and rounds off a fine year of beers for the Adelaide crew.
Matt King
Published December 12, 2022 2022-12-12 00:00:00
