New Beers
Barely a day goes by without another seasonal or one-off special flying out of an Australian brewery (if not ten). Here and in our weekly newsletter, we'll bring you news and, if we've sampled them, our take on as many of them as possible. Happy hunting!
Sailors Grave My Little Juicy Farmhouse
Tapped February 15th, 2019
When someone uses the phrase, "You can't judge a book by its cover" it's usually to suggest you'll find more depth and complexity once you dig beneath the surface. But what about a cover that speaks of a "big creamy citrus hit", "mild funkiness", "a cocktail of yeasts", "local Chardonnay lees", homegrown grapefruit and "foraged wild plums"? What could possibly be lurking within such a mélange of ingredients, for it is they that make up… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Farmhouse Ale
- ABV
- 5.4%
Modus Operandi Future Factory IIIPA 2019
Tapped February 15th, 2019
Even before the second (not third as we originally wrote) instalment in Modus Operandi's Future Factory series reached shelves, corners of the beer internet were closely watching to see where the cans would land. It’s little wonder: the Mona Vale brewery has done a marvellous job carving a place for its hop forward beers in the hearts of many a craft beer fan – not to mention beer judges – and a hazy triple IPA seems a surefire way to stoke excitement levels all the way up to ten. And that… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Imperial IPA
- ABV
- 10.0%
- Stockists
-
Modus Operandi Brewery
Heartbreaker, VIC
Royal Albert Hotel, NSW
Franklin Hotel, SA
Then nationwide
More stockists...
Boatrocker Jeepers Creepers TDH SNEIPA
Tapped February 14th, 2019
If you wanted to put out a beer that ticked as many boxes as possible when it comes to current trends in the craftier parts of the beer world, you'd struggle to come up with one that outdoes this. It's not just an IPA, but a New England style hazy IPA. Not just that, it's sour too. And, completing the picture is a hefty dose of dry-hopping complete with attendant acronym TDH (triple dry-hopped). So far, so on point. But what of the resultant beer? Thankfully, it's a cracker, with the composite parts… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Sour NEIPA
- ABV
- 6.1%
Stomping Ground & Heartbreaker Piney Dancer IPA
Tapped February 14th, 2019
The local beer world's naming game is strong at the minute, with this beer created by Stomping Ground and Melbourne good time joint Heartbreaker bearing one of the best puns around – one that anyone who's spent time enjoying the DJs and jukebox at the CBD bar will appreciate works on many levels. Focusing on the Piney of the title, the beer is a pineapple IPA. Like the Collingwood brewery's recent collab with BentSpoke – the Bentstomper citrus IPA – it drinks far more easily than you'd expect… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Pineapple IPA
- ABV
- 6.1%
Exit Brewing #018 HIPA Juice
Tapped February 11th, 2019
Exit Brewing have put out many a hoppy beer in their time, from the Pale and IPA in their core range to all manner of limited releases: West Coast IPA, imperial IPAs, a red IPA, a gluten reduced pale... you get the message. And it's to that realm they return for their first packaged limited release of 2019, but with added haze. HIPA Juice (the H standing for Hazy) is a "very highly/ late hopped beer", according to brewer Grum, and one assumes it's the work of all those late hop additions… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Stockists
Balter Brewing Hazy IPA
Tapped February 11th, 2019
If it ain't broke, don't fix it... It's fair to say hop forward beers have done pretty well for Balter to date (gold medals, the odd trophy, back-to-back top spots in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers and three hoppy beers in the top seven). So, when it comes to releasing a first nationwide limited release for 2019, it's back into hoppy territory that Scotty Hargrave and his team have headed. In doing so, they've joined the merry masses going crazy for the hazy with the aptly named Hazy. And,… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Hazy IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
- Stockists
-
Available nationwide from February 2019 on tap and in 500ml cans
Two Birds Brewing Peachy Steen
Tapped February 10th, 2019
Announcing you've designed a new beer on the back of a trip to Bali opens up a few possibilities. While the beer scene there is changing – as we discovered last year – you may still wonder if the Two Birds crew has decided it's time for Australia to have its own Bintang (Birdtang, perhaps) or want to create a beachside cocktail in beer form. However, it turns out the inspiration came in the form of an ingredient, as the most recent trip there was during the height of mangosteen season. Not only… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Fruit Sour
- ABV
- 4.6%
- Stockists
-
Grape and Grain Liquor Cellars
More stockists...VIC:
Two Birds Nest
Thornbury Local
The Park Werribee
Bar Josephine
Big Ears
Prince Wine Store
Hudsons Road Wine & Beer
Chas Cole Cellars
Cheapa Wines Seddon
Newport Cellars
NSW:
Carlisle Castle Hotel
Church Bar
High St Social
Leura Cellars
Liquor On Oxford
Brewhouse Margaret River Saison
Tapped February 8th, 2019
As Ryan Ashworth stepped into the head brewer’s role at Brewhouse Margaret River an expanding range of possibilities opened up not only for himself but also the brewery. While the temptation to go a little crazy was ripe, the desire to craft something seasonal and refreshing was also front of mind. Enter: the saison, a creative middle ground for brewers. Here the classic Dupont style is explored with elements of peppery spice and lemon rind as well as a little funk derived through partial fermentation… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Saison
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
This summer 2018/19 seasonal is available from the brewery on tap and in takeaway bottles
Brewhouse Margaret River In The Pines NEIPA
Tapped February 8th, 2019
The recent creative run from Brewhouse Margaret River brewery has brought them to one of the styles of the moment, the NEIPA. That said, the brewery has taken some licence with their expression in creating a beer that leans a little closer to a classic IPA than the trubby examples that threaten to hold cutlery upright, Uri Geller-style, in the glass. This is more a fruit bomb than a juice bomb as evidenced by the big tropical aromas of melon, mango, pineapple and more derived from Citra and Mosaic… Read more
Golden
- Style
- NEIPA
- ABV
- 6.8%
- Stockists
-
Available from the brewery on tap and via takeaway bottles.
Blasta Brewing Cat's Whiskers
Tapped February 8th, 2019
First up, we should probably express our gratitude that Steve Russell didn't opt for the canine slang equivalent when coming up with a name for this beer; the cat's whiskers is a far better image to have in mind when bring a beer to your lips... For Blasta, the name is a reference to the smug cat who got the cream – or lactose addition in this case – something that’s digitally rendered on the can as the brewery's tinnie lineup expands. Originally released in support of the 2018 strawberry tampering… Read more
Red
- Style
- Fruit Cream Pale Ale
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Following Blasta signing with Northdown, expect to see the brewery's beers appearing across Australia.
Bulli Brewing Pauline
Tapped February 8th, 2019
Brewer's notes: Not as red as a red wine, but in beer terms this is a red ale. Well hopped but not quite enough alcohol to make it an IPA, Pauline sits between a few typical descriptive beer categories. While it's not a heavy ale, this is a full flavoured ale. Slightly malty with hints of toffee, burnt fig and caramel to balance the hops. Pauline is not a sweet ale, as we have been generous with the hops, adding them at various stages in the kettle as well as dry-hopping in the fermenter. Hop bitterness… Read more
Red
- Style
- Red Ale
- ABV
- 5.25%
Nowhereman Gin & Juicy Botanical NEIPA
Tapped February 7th, 2019
Twenty-five years ago, nearly to the day, Snoop Dogg released a slinky, G-Funk defining single from his debut album, Doggystyle. The paean to teenage partying and excess may not have been the inspiration for Nowhereman’s Gin & Juicy, however, given recent releases, somehow, some way, they keep coming up with fruity-ass beers at a rate that seems to be one every single week. With such a clear concept it’s interesting that there was no juice addition to Gin & Juicy. All the fruit character… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- NEIPA with Botanicals
- ABV
- 5.9%
Young Henrys Brut IPA
Tapped February 7th, 2019
Since Brut IPAs entered the Australian scene (and subsequently visited almost every brewery in this fair country), there’s been a broad spectrum of what they look, taste, and feel like. Some are so champagne-esque that you could christen a boat with them, while others are I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-a-regular-IPA. The most recent entry in Young Henrys’ “Brewers B-Sides” series, where the brewers get to play around with new or weird flavours, is their take on a Brut IPA. On the spectrum,… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Bitterness
- 25 IBU
Rocky Ridge Ryes Against
Tapped February 6th, 2019
I suppose we asked for this. Quips in previous reviews that hinted at an unintentional Rocky Ridge "Classic Rock" series now appear to have manifested in another, more contemporary edition, Ryes Against. The similarly named Chicago punk band is a favourite of incoming head brewer Ross Terlick and, although the predominantly straight edge members may not appreciate the accolade from the Jindong brewery, it is further evidence of loud, ringing solos melding with water, malt, yeast and hops. An… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Rye IPA
- ABV
- 6.66%
- Stockists
-
Available in limited release from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
Rocky Ridge Karl's Date Turns Sour
Tapped February 6th, 2019
Poor Karl. You’ve gotta feel for him. Moving on from his nondescript but possibly 9 percent ABV DIPA-fuelled request for help, his current attempt to find love has been sadly derailed. Indeed, it’s even been infused with misfortune but, if we're honest, selecting a piece of fruit as a potential mate may have been ill conceived from the off. One can only hope that, in his future adventures, Karl has the resilience and considered judgement to find good in the world. Go Karl, you got this! The aroma… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Lemon Sherbet Berliner Weisse infused with Misfortune
- ABV
- 3.2%
- Stockists
-
The continuing misfortunes of Karl can be found in limited release from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
Rocky Ridge Out Of The Blue
Tapped February 6th, 2019
Rocky Ridge owner and head brewer Hamish Coates describes Out of the Blue as the second in a “series of charity beers started with the idea that we should be giving back to the community wherever possible, given the support we receive from our locals.” As with last year’s Sarcoma fundraising beer, 100 percent of profits are donated to charity, in this case Darren’s Ride, which supports those suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and research into the debilitating disease. Darren’s… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Summer Ale
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Out of the Blue is available from Darleen's Busselton and select WA retailers.
4 Pines Keller Door: Kiwi Brut IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
OK. We need to start with the name and the design because, as with many of 4 Pines’ Keller Door beers, they’ve done an epic job. The name is kept simple: Kiwi Brut IPA, for a brut IPA with all New Zealand hops and kiwifruit. The design? So much New Zealand (real and fantasy) packed into one label: Gandalf playing cricket; a hobbit hole; a kiwi bird floating through the air; a couple of figures who look like sheep at a glance, but are actually orcs(!); and a whale wearing an All Blacks jersey… Read more
Golden
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
- Bitterness
- 20 IBU
Green Beacon POG Milkshake IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
It would appear the article we ran at the start of the year looking at the use of lactose in beer – its history and why brewers are so in love with it right now – came not a moment too soon. In the past week, we've had two land at Crafty Towers and spoken to another brewery owner where they're planning to release a mixed four-pack of different flavoured ones later in the year. As for POG from Green Beacon, it's the beer created to mark the Brisbane brewery's sixth birthday. The POG of the title… Read more
Golden Yellow
- Style
- Tropical Milkshake IPA
- ABV
- 7.0%
Smiling Samoyed The Bold & The Brut-iful IPA
Tapped February 5th, 2019
For longer than time itself has existed, The Bold and the Beautiful television show has been aired to millions across the globe. If you've ever managed to last through an entire episode, you would know the acting is questionable and the humour very dry. This limited release from Smiling Samoyed can relate to the show in some, if not all, ways, not least as their first crack at a Brut IPA bears the name The Bold and the Brut-iful. Possessing the lightest shade of yellow imaginable (go on, try to imagine… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Brut IPA
- ABV
- 6.0%
Beerland Brewing Saltwater Croc
Tapped February 5th, 2019
Beerland’s opening limited release for 2019 focuses on delivering maximum seasonal refreshment in the form of a grapefruit gose. The peel from 150 hand-peeled grapefruit was added to the beer at the same time hops would be added if the brewers were dry-hopping with the intention to replace the traditional citrus character more commonly derived from coriander seeds. The peel's embellishment of the beer is subtler and more balanced than expected. In contrast, the salt is more pronounced than recent… Read more
Pale Yellow
- Style
- Grapefruit Gose
- ABV
- 4.8%
- Stockists
-
Plus select WA venues and growler stations
More stockists...
