Whats the best beer you've had & why?

[Fatman]

James Squire Malt Runner 5.2%abv. We got our hands on some of this today and I was quite keen to have a go at it, given the weather and the temperature outside a rich malty ale would do quite nicely, but then disappointment as it's a dark lager and not an ale.

It pours a clear deep golden brown with a uneven bubbly head, I was expecting something a little creamier but there you go. The aroma is of brown bread and chocolate with some fruitiness in the back somewhere. It's quite smooth when left to de-gas for a while with a lingering fizz around the edges. This is a decent autumn ale with plenty to like , the not so good for me was the thin body and it was a little timid in the flavour stakes. I still prefer Kozel dark for a dark lager.

It should be filtering in to bottle shops all over the place around now and costs around $60 a case and $17 a six pack.

One to look out for in July is Matilda Bay Long Shot, a coffee infused beer that will be released in extremely limited quantities. It is exclusive to Dan Murphy's so unless another bottlo buys it from them they won't have it. Should be in the vicinity of $16 for a 4 pack.

pics of the malt runner later.

 

[nikmcc]

Unfortunately it looks like I may have to limit my beer intake to gluten free beers
Im a massive lover of heavy yeasty dark wheaty etc.. Belgium goodnes, so the idea of this is most un-impressive!

I've seen 2 Aussie brewers online, I think O'briens was one...

Has anyone tried a gluten free beer? What are they like? Any flavour, or just like a watery hell???

Any recommendations?

Cheers

 

[mhuth1]

It's that time of year again folks, Cascade First Harvest Brewers Special No.9 2010 5.5%abv has been released. I'm yet to taste this years as I just got it home but a full report will follow, along with a back to back tasting with last years.

Okay, it's beautiful as ever, Text, Glenleith and Oakley hops in this years offering are a little fresher than last years and the bitterness is back up a notch but not too much. Great head retention and lacing around the glass and that rich sweet malt aroma tempered with the spicy green hops is as alluring as ever. The alcohol content is in line with previous years as is the little 330ml bottle, mouthfeel is a smooth with a light prickle. Just don't serve it too cold.

A case will set you back about $80 and a 6pack about $23. I'm glad I bought a case and a bit, it won't last long. Get some while you can.

Also keep an eye out for the new James Squire 'Malt Runner' which should be available very soon at a bottlo near you, from the reports I'm getting it promises to be very nice indeed.

View attachment 173630

James Squire Malt Runner 5.2%abv. We got our hands on some of this today and I was quite keen to have a go at it, given the weather and the temperature outside a rich malty ale would do quite nicely.

It pours a clear deep golden brown with a uneven bubbly head, I was expecting something a little creamier but there you go. The aroma is of brown bread and chocolate with some fruitiness in the back somewhere. It's quite smooth when left to de-gas for a while with a lingering fizz around the edges. This is a decent autumn ale with plenty to like , the not so good for me was the thin body and it was a little timid in the flavour stakes.

It should be filtering in to bottle shops all over the place around now and costs around $60 a case and $17 a six pack.

One to look out for in July is Matilda Bay Long Shot, a coffee infused beer that will be released in extremely limited quantities. It is exclusive to Dan Murphy's so unless another bottlo buys it from them they won't have it. Should be in the vicinity of $16 for a 4 pack.

pics of the malt runner later.

You obviously drink alot of beer

 

[Fatman]

Unfortunately it looks like I may have to limit my beer intake to gluten free beers
Im a massive lover of heavy yeasty dark wheaty etc.. Belgium goodnes, so the idea of this is most un-impressive!

I've seen 2 Aussie brewers online, I think O'briens was one...

Has anyone tried a gluten free beer? What are they like? Any flavour, or just like a watery hell???

Any recommendations?

Cheers

Gluten free beers that I have tried include;

Billabong Brewery

O'Briens

Glutaner

Schnitzer Brau

Silly Yaks

Most of these are pretty watery and thin in terms of body and don't really measure up against regular beers. Many are made from sorghum or millet and are quite expensive. I'm not overly fond of any of them to be honest but if you have to drink a gluten free then Schnitzer Brau premium is the way to go, there is also a lemon variety but to me it tasted like butter menthols and is a paltry 2.5%abv. Maybe they are an acquired taste?

You obviously drink alot of beer

Yes indeed.

 

[Adamski]

Hit up the Beer Expo at Fed Square today.

I'd already had Stone and Wood Draught at Little Creatures Dining Hall but damn it was in my top 3 easily today. Fantastic Galaxy passionfruit flavour. Extremely well balanced, can have one and be happy but it's a stellar session beer too.

 

[Joy]

Anyone here actually tried "Das Boot"?

 

[wespelarno]

A fundraising auction I'm helping out with wanted a wheelbarrow of beers to auction. So today I selected and purchased 45 imported beers from around the world. It was my single favourite shopping experience. Ever.

 

[nikmcc]

Gluten free beers that I have tried include;

Billabong Brewery

O'Briens

Glutaner

Schnitzer Brau

Silly Yaks

Most of these are pretty watery and thin in terms of body and don't really measure up against regular beers. Many are made from sorghum or millet and are quite expensive. I'm not overly fond of any of them to be honest but if you have to drink a gluten free then Schnitzer Brau premium is the way to go, there is also a lemon variety but to me it tasted like butter menthols and is a paltry 2.5%abv. Maybe they are an acquired taste?



.

Cheers for that mate, Ive bought a few bottles of obriens... not tasted yet

 

[Christo]

Age article

Interesting article on the craft/premiumisation of the beer market.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Interesting article on the craft/premiumisation of the beer market.

$150 bucks for a bottle of Tactical Nuclear Penguin? I ordered one from their website just recently (to be sent to my folks place in Scotland) and it was 42 pounds (approx $72) Even with postage and packaging, that's one hell of a mark-up!

The beer market over here is REALLY beginning to shit me to tears! Brewers appear to be using a mixture of excuses (some bullshit some slightly valid) to pump up the price of ale to ridiculously Scandinavian levels! "Imported lagers" such as Stella and Heineken are often found on tap priced in excess of $10 a pint. The old view was that being imported, they've got the added overheads of transport/duty etc. Which is utter bullshit as we all know they are brewed here under license.

'Premium' beer is another cracker. The brewers have actually gone as far as gloating about the fact that they are ripping you off by putting the term 'premium' in the title! Why not just start call it, 'fleecing you blind' beer, you f***ing greedy twats!? Little Creatures are one of the worst for it. I've seen pint bottles of LCPA sold in bars for $12. In the bottle-o you're looking in excess of $20 for a six-pack and it's not even that good! I've actually seen LCPA sold in the UK at bottle-shops and despite transporting it halfway across the world and being subject to all manner of import duties, it's still cheaper than it is here where it's f***ing made!? (I can't remember exactly but it was around 2 pounds a stubby - AUD$3.40)

Anyway whilst I'm on the subject, might as well review my last new ale.
I picked up My Wife's Bitter (4.5%ABV) from the Burleigh Brewing Company from my local IGA the other day. It proclaims itself to be a locally (well, QLD) made English coastal bitter and seeing as the missus had just bought me a dartboard for my birthday I thought I could do with a proper pint of bitter to go along with the inaugeral 'opening' of my balcony pub (OK, it's just a heater, table, chairs and dartboard but hey, you can smoke in it and Port Phillip council can't say anything about having drinks outside after 11pm!)
First things first, there was a small issue with the price. Now I know you get a lot of beer for 750ml but to price a bottle at $11.99 (and put a big sign saying "special" price, to boot) you really need to be dealing with something special or at the very least, apocalyptically strong! Sadly MWB is neither of these. It's weaker than bloody VB and whilst it's not quite as much of a torture on the tastebuds as the old Vaginal Backwash, it's still in the same ballpark (or in a nod to heritage - cricket oval). The massive roman orgy of flavours that you normally get with decent bitters on first taste seem to be watered down somewhat, leaving behind an aftertaste that reminds me of drinking out of the preserved specimen jars in the museum of natural history. It's awfully fizzy too and it soon became a struggle not to leave the remainder of the bottle and go seek out a palate cleanser. preferably bleach.

In short it was probably the most over-priced disappointment I've experienced outside of penis-enlargement pills, russian mail-order brides and dinner with Sarah Ferguson.

 

[Fatman]

$150 for TNP where did they get it that cheap? C'mon they even draw a penguin on the expensive brown paper wrapper.

Sorry kids, it is people like me that will pay that kind of money for beer. Actually my excursion today for 38 beers cost me $383.37 and that's with a $42 discount.

Tactical Nuclear Penguin was $172.99 and Tokyo was a paltry $17.99.

So here they are.




Never doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion.


As for LCPA, I used to pay 89p for it in Sainsbury's in Southend. PoSM I will attempt to reply to your post after a good deal of drinking......... I mean thought. But I guess it shows that regardless of what you are into (like mountain bikes for instance) that you may get the same performance from a cheap one but someone will pay for quality, real or perceived.

 

[Mattydv]

Ah Warners At The Bay, great shop. Since I've moved over here I've missed the range dearly.

Can anyone recommend a few kiwi beers worth trying while I'm over here?
The local shops stock nothing but Speight's etc. but said they're willing to order in something local. I've been unfortunate enough to not come across anyone who takes an interest in beer for reasons other than it gets you drunk.

 

[epc21]

has 2 be corona closely followed by tooheys red

 

[wespelarno]

I've actually seen LCPA sold in the UK at bottle-shops and despite transporting it halfway across the world and being subject to all manner of import duties, it's still cheaper than it is here where it's f***ing made!? (I can't remember exactly but it was around 2 pounds a stubby - AUD$3.40)
.

In the US australian wine is about 30-40% cheaper than it is over here.

 

[wespelarno]

Beer pictures

I see altenmunster in that collection!

dammit. hit reply instead of edit

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Sorry kids, it is people like me that will pay that kind of money for beer. Actually my excursion today for 38 beers cost me $383.37 and that's with a $42 discount.

...But I guess it shows that regardless of what you are into (like mountain bikes for instance) that you may get the same performance from a cheap one but someone will pay for quality, real or perceived.

I'm all for the craftsmanship you get from most micro-breweries but sometimes I feel I'm being taken for a ride. Drinking has become a very expensive hobby lately and whilst I'll still happily fork out for the good shit (ie anything by Unibroue, most trappist stuff, decent english bitters, stouts and porters etc.) I've gotta draw a line somewhere and $11.99 for a longneck that tastes like Carlton Draught that's been out left in the sun too long is just taking the piss!

As for booze prices in general, surely the recent proliferation of good quality local brewers should account for a drop in prices as opposed to a sharp rise? I get confused...

BTW, Dave. Let me know how you fare with the TNP (and the Tokyo_. I've got a bottle on the way to my folks place but I'll still have to wait for them to send it over here!

 

[Fatman]

I'm all for the craftsmanship you get from most micro-breweries but sometimes I feel I'm being taken for a ride. Drinking has become a very expensive hobby lately and whilst I'll still happily fork out for the good shit (ie anything by Unibroue, most trappist stuff, decent english bitters, stouts and porters etc.) I've gotta draw a line somewhere and $11.99 for a longneck that tastes like Carlton Draught that's been out left in the sun too long is just taking the piss!

As for booze prices in general, surely the recent proliferation of good quality local brewers should account for a drop in prices as opposed to a sharp rise? I get confused...

BTW, Dave. Let me know how you fare with the TNP (and the Tokyo_. I've got a bottle on the way to my folks place but I'll still have to wait for them to send it over here!

Agreed, some premium brews aren't much chop and you do feel cheated. There are also people who rave about the mediocre stuff as if it were the second coming, some of it is down to clever marketing and an attempt by the brewer to make something palatable for the masses that usually drink VB and like it. The hype surrounding some brews is such that they could never live up to it, but on the up side it may get more people drinking craft beer or at least trying it. On the downside it may scare them away for good.

My taste in beer is a polar opposite to a guy I drink with, I love the powerful and rich stuff and he loves the subtle and light. The ratings we give beer at a tasting will be quite different too. There are plenty of breweries to cater for each of us and our opinions are unlikely to change, of the many beers we have tried not all are great just because they cost a lot.

Micro-brewers and small brewers also don't get the same tax breaks as wineries in Australia either, there is an online petition somewhere to try and address that. The little guys have it stacked against them a bit but still they manage to put out some amazing beer.

The thing i really don't like is swill that is tarted up and sold under a pseudonym as a marketing brand and tries to claim it is craft beer, I'm not going to name names but they have a special place of hate in my heart.

I may have fallen for the hype around TNP, but I will be ordering Sink the Bismark as well though because I am a compulsive collector and my mantra of try every beer without fear or favour is well disciplined in me. These may well live up to expectations or exceed them but I'm sure many of the knockers will not have shelled out for or even tried some of these beers.

The tasting of the 38 will take some time and the TNP and Tokyo will be done on separate occasions, I will pass on my findings afterwards.

Stopping now, I sound like I'm lecturing and ranting. I need some beer.

 

[Fatman]

Ah Warners At The Bay, great shop. Since I've moved over here I've missed the range dearly.

Can anyone recommend a few kiwi beers worth trying while I'm over here?
The local shops stock nothing but Speight's etc. but said they're willing to order in something local. I've been unfortunate enough to not come across anyone who takes an interest in beer for reasons other than it gets you drunk.

A few of my favourite breweries from NZ are;

Moa, Emersons, Wigram, Tuatara and Renaissance. I'm always trying new ones though so if I come across something amazing I'll let you know.
You should be spoiled for 'choice'

 

[Mattydv]

A few of my favourite breweries from NZ are;

Moa, Emersons, Wigram, Tuatara and Renaissance. I'm always trying new ones though so if I come across something amazing I'll let you know.
You should be spoiled for 'choice'

Thanks for the suggestions Fatman, I've seen Emersons at New World but always overlooked it in favour of the locally brewed Green Man. Next time round I shall give it a go.

 

[Richo 18]

How the hell can a single bottle of beer cost $150?
Is a novelty item?

What-

just..

what?

EDIT:
Ok I did the background check. But still!