Whats the best beer you've had & why?

[leitch]

2008 Matilda Bay Sebastian Reserve. 6% abv.

This one's a lovely dark wheat beer

Really? We had this on draught at work a little while ago - I'm a BIG fan of wheat beers, and I really didn't like this at all. I thought it tasted really thin, lacking that nice full wheat beer consistency, and was distinctly bitter. I love a good Dunkel weiss, but yeah.. San Sebastian? Not for me.

 

[s73v30]

Don't no if this has been raised before but finally got round to trying some Tooheys "extra dry" last night. After much hype from my mates I am quite disappointed. To be honest I thought it was the worst beer I have had apart form the 20 year home brew that a mate I pulled from under his house when we were 12. Didn't like it to such a point that for once I found my self giving a my amber beverages. Does anyone else agree??

On another note had Pure Blondes last night as well and they went down alright. Although anything probably tasted good after the dreaded extra dries.

 

[wombat]

Ergh, I hate extra dry. I figured I was probably missing something because I just don't appreciate that sort of beer.

 

[Fatman]

Really? We had this on draught at work a little while ago - I'm a BIG fan of wheat beers, and I really didn't like this at all. I thought it tasted really thin, lacking that nice full wheat beer consistency, and was distinctly bitter. I love a good Dunkel weiss, but yeah.. San Sebastian? Not for me.

Hence why I said I got the bottles, the draught I had was pretty good but as you point out a little thin, the bottles are usually heavier and richer. I must admit I did take a big punt at $100 for the six but I've laid down a few Matilda bay reserves before and I'm quite happy with them. If they are still thin the it's a lesson learned.

 

[leitch]

Hence why I said I got the bottles, the draught I had was pretty good but as you point out a little thin, the bottles are usually heavier and richer. I must admit I did take a big punt at $100 for the six but I've laid down a few Matilda bay reserves before and I'm quite happy with them. If they are still thin the it's a lesson learned.

Touché! Well, let us know how the bottles turn out. As I said, I love a good wheat beer so if the bottles are a marked improvement over the draught then I might have to try a couple!

 

[Fatman]

Touché! Well, let us know how the bottles turn out. As I said, I love a good wheat beer so if the bottles are a marked improvement over the draught then I might have to try a couple!

I will be cracking one this weekend, strangely enough my mum loves dark wheat beers too so we'll be having one of these with lunch. I'll give a full report on it on Monday.

On a side note, you MUST try Eisenbahn Dunkelweiss and their Rauch, amazingly good stuff from Brazil.

 

[Fatman]

Okay, what I thought was wrong with Sebastian Reserve was confirmed, on draught it was far too cold and it killed much of the flavour.

I was slightly disappointed given that the body of the beer didn't improve a great deal but the flavour improved markedly.
It is a clear dark wheat beer with a soft pillowy head, it is very dark brown with a reddish hue. The aroma is acidic and fruity, similarly it has much of its flavour on the front of the palate where it is tart and dry then swells to a smooth and peppery aftertaste.
I can only describe the flavour as being similar to Rodenbach or even Chinotto without the sweetness. It's a sour and fruity beer which goes well with food.

And on the same day a friend of mine brought me a can of this stuff, SolBrew 5.7%abv from the Solomon Islands. His old man was there for business and brought one back for me, extra awesomeness points for him.

This one looked a little daunting and unfortunately it was pretty grim, the flavour was all over the place and the strong alcohol was always present too. Like Bintang or Beer Lao I'm sure people will say it was wonderful when they were there but in truth it's awful.

 

[WasabiJim]

Leo in Thailand is a nice larger, it wasnt the fact it was $au1.30 a can that made me continueously sample them one after the other, i promise.

 

[Raw Toast Man]

Had James Squire Golden and Amber ale off the tap last night. Must say I enjoyed the golden ale rather than the amber. The amber had a very heavy thick feel about it. Saying that, we did have the last jug left in the keg.
Dad bought home yesterday some James Squire Hop Thief Ale. The Limited release. Not a bad drop..

 

[bike_widow]

The pint of Carlton Draught that accompanied my Parma after I got back from 4 weeks in the states!

Not much beats a parma and pot...

 

[Misplaced]

Not much beats a parma and pot...

except a Parma and a Pint.

On topic, the Wicked elf stuff is very good, I particularly like the witbier (But I'm always a fan of wheat beers and Dunkels) but all the varieties were top notch (Pilsner and Pale ale too).

At Uncles Dans right now.

 

[bike_widow]

except a Parma and a Pint.

Touche, sir!

 

[Fatman]

Some more weekend tastings,

A bit of a stir has been going on with the arrival of some amazing Norwegian beers from Nogne O. The #100 we tried was a crazy beer, very unusual. Some US and Canadian as well as a local featured too.

Nogne-O #100 10%abv
I could liken it to being a stout crossed with a double IPA, black and very hoppy and bitter with a full 10% alcohol. Not for the feint hearted, thick, full bodied and beautiful.

Brewboys Schweinhund Hefeweizen 5.2%abv
Cloudy yellow and beautiful tropical fruit aromas, the head retention was rubbish but it was quite a nice wheat.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale 6.5%abv
These guys are quite well known fof excellent beer, this one is no exception. I did expect this one to be a little more robust but this is one of the best balanced beers I have ever had. It's got great herbaceous and floral hop aroma with delicious malt character and a dry bitter finish. It's a cracker.

Brasserie McAuslan StAmbroise Vintage 9.8%abv
This one I probably should have laid down for a while, it had a sweet malty aroma with hints of honey. Quite full and bittersweet with very complex flavours. It was a little aggressive and sharp so a little while in the cellar might have done some good.

We'll see what we can find for nwxt time, I'm very keen to try more Nogne-O.

 

[ajay]

^^ Inspiring... sure beats the Fat Yak binging thats been going on lately

 

[Labcanary]

I picked up a 6er of Monteith's Doppelbock Winter Ale on the walk home tonight. It is just as the bottle says - "smooth and rich". So nice I only have one left for a) now, b) later, c) tomorrow. Probably a) ...

 

[Fatman]

Another awaited release, 2009 James Squire Hop Thief 5%abv.

I have been awaiting this particular drop because I'm an unashamed hop head, the last few releases have been excellent so this has a great deal to live up to. It pours a honey amber with a pillowy head, the aromatics are floral with malty undertones and quite appealing.

Unfortunately though the flavour stakes are a little shy this year, I'm sure many people will love it. It's smooth and well balanced, there's some bitterness there but I must admit I expected more. Perhaps I've been drinking too much double IPA and many beers appear timid in comparison?

Seek it out if you must, it's only been out a week or two so it may take time to get around. It's worth a try. It also says Limited Release but Sundown is still all over the place so you could see this around for months, but from past experience it won't be.

My camera is charging so no pics yet sorry.

 

[emcgough]

Hey Fatman, do you know who imports Rogue Ales? I'm interested in trying that dead guy ale, and I had a look at their website and some of their other brews look really interesting. Where might I be able to find it in Adelaide?

 

[ozzy osbourne]

Last weekend purchased a slab of Blue Tongue Premium
Was looking forward to it, was left extremely disapointed.
It seemed alright until about halfway through, seemed to change taste and lose carbonation became horrible by the end.
Wasnt happy at all.

 

[Fatman]

Hey Fatman, do you know who imports Rogue Ales? I'm interested in trying that dead guy ale, and I had a look at their website and some of their other brews look really interesting. Where might I be able to find it in Adelaide?

I'm not sure about bottlo's in Adelaide but you might be able to email these guys for stockists;

www.innspire.com.au they are the importer. They are a rather pricey prospect though, they range from about $17-50 a bottle. Well worth a try though.

I just had a quick look, they don't have much info but there are two S.A. outlets, they don't list Rogue on the site though?

 

[emcgough]

I'm not sure about bottlo's in Adelaide but you might be able to email these guys for stockists;

www.innspire.com.au they are the importer. They are a rather pricey prospect though, they range from about $17-50 a bottle. Well worth a try though.

I just had a quick look, they don't have much info but there are two S.A. outlets, they don't list Rogue on the site though?

Thanks for that, the online store looks to be the goods. Might also pop into that hotel out of curiosity - I was always under the impression that they didn't have a bottleshop there, so I'm a bit intrigued now.

Yeah, I figured the price would be as much.... I'll only be getting one to have a taste.