Swell are finishing off their year with a flurry of new releases leaving their McLaren Vale home. Chilly Bin is, as the name suggests, a New Zealand-hopped session ale featuring a hefty load of Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, Motueka and Waimea upon a simple malt base. Those hop varieties are showcased to perfection in a beer that doesn't drink like a 4 percenter. Familiar crushed white grapes, some gooseberry and rockmelon star, while bitterness is restrained. It’s choice as, bro.
If the Southport Sunset series sounds familiar, that's because the first version of this beer was released at this time last year. Instead of that release's blood orange, in 2022 Swell have opted for raspberry and lemon myrtle. The name is a nod to a little stretch of beach where the Onkaparinga River meets the Fleurieu coastline, a place that requires a fair hike to reach but with sunsets that make it worth the effort. If you're fan of quite sour sours, then this one is for you. The raspberries intensify the already sour base, creating quite the citric bite, while also dominating the colour and the flavour profile. The lemon myrtle chimes in briefly, while initial sweetness soon washes away leaving with a tart finish.
Reef Break rounds out the three: a 6.3 percent ABV hazy IPA that showcases two favoured Aussie hops, Vic Secret and Galaxy. A reef break allows for a consistent barrel of waves that roll through in perfect sets, and keeping to its namesake the beer fits the brief for style, pouring with a thick haze and bringing waves of grassiness meets stone fruit, peach, apricot and a little pineapple. Reef Break is neither thin or heavy but just sits in the middle. There is a little sweetness involved, balanced by a moderate bitterness to finish.
Matt King
Published December 21, 2022 2022-12-21 00:00:00
