SLOWBEER NEWS & TASTINGS

3 RAVENS TASTING
Tomorrow, Friday 6/11 we will be hosting a 3 Ravens tasting from 5-7pm. We will be accompanied by one of the brewers, either Marcus or Ben. The full range will be on tasting as well as the possibility of a sneak peek at their new release!

Beers on tasting include:
3 Ravens Blonde – german style altbier
3 Ravens Bronze – english style bitter
3 Ravens White – belgian style witbier
3 Ravens 55 – american style pale ale
3 Ravens Dark – german style rauchbier (smoke beer)
3 Ravens Black – oatmeal stout

EPIC TASTING
Our weekly tastings have become somewhat of a routine, however next week will be something a little special. Those in the loop would be well aware that Luke Nicholas, founder & head brewer of New Zealand's world renowned Epic brewery will be in Melbourne next week. In conjunction with Luke’s visit, Slowbeer will be hosting a tasting of the Epic range on Friday 13/11 in which Luke will be present. Very exciting indeed!

ARCTIC FOX TASTING
In what will be a double header tasting weekend, Saturday 14/11 will see Slowbeer host the boys from Arctic Fox. The Dandenong based brewery is one of the States newest, producing a modern, aromatically hopped lager & traditional english style pale ale. Both beers will be on tasting with the possibility of their new american pale ale being ready in time as well!

RATE OUR STORE!
Are you a ratebeerian or beeradvocate? If so, show us your support by telling us what you think of our new store!

Ratebeer: http://ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=14204
Beeradvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21131

DO YOU TWEET?
For those inclined, you can also follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/Slowbeer

With the warm weather upon us, what better way to spend it than drinking & chatting about great beer? Remember that Slowbeer tastings are very informal, so don’t be shy. Swing by between 5-7pm, you wont be disappointed.

Unexpected Cellaring Surprise

Two 'old' beers caught me by complete surprise recently; Mountain Goat's 'Old Surefoot' Stout and Young's venerable Double Chocolate Stout. The MG was a 2003 vintage, released after 12 months bottle age in a 660ml bottle, whilst the Young's was simple out of date stock I picked off the shelf to make way for new stock.

Mountain Goat 'Old Surefoot' Stout
Vintage: 2003
Consumed: Oct 2009

Flat out impressive. This is now 6 years old and shows much more appeal when compared to release as a 1 year old. Soft structure and carbination gives the age away a little but a very well defined milk chocolate shines though very strong and gives heaps if immediate appeal. Must have exceeded all expectations, even those of the brewer.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Best Before: June 2008
Consumed: Oct 2009

Nothing lost on fresh bottles to my tastes. Plenty of roast and chocolate on the nose; remarkably fresh. More settled and dry in the palate as the mildly tannic roast takes hold. Good presence and length. Not particularly chocolately but the fresh bottles aren't either.

BRIDGE RD BREWERS TASTING @ SLOWBEER FRI 30/10

In typical fashion Slowbeer will be hosting a tasting this Friday evening from 5-7pm. Last weeks was a huge success & we think this week will be even bigger!

Unfortunately brewer Ben can't make the night, however John will be present to walk us through a number of beers in the range.

Bridge Rd Brewers beers on tasting include:

- Aussie Ale

- Beechworth Pale Ale

- Celtic Red Ale

- Bling IPA

- Chevalier Saison

- Limited Edition Anniversary Oak Aged Imperial Porter

As is the norm, Slowbeer tastings are rather informal so swing by for beer/s & a chat. You won't be disappointed!

New jamieson raspberry ale ad campaign too risque?

Came across this the other day:
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,26213053-5006343,00.html

I've been a huge fan of their Beast IPA label for some time & was wondering when the rest of the range would come in line with some interesting new labeling, though perhaps this is a little to far?

With the ever increasing goverment restrictions on alcohol consumption/advertisng etc i can't see how they didnt predict a backlash. Poor taste or exceptionally clever marketing?

Regardless, i'm a big fan of what Jamieson have to offer & admit i did have a chuckle when I first heard/saw it. Finally aussie craft beer has some attitude!

SLOWBEER ARRIVALS - BELG/NED & US

Its been a huge few days at Slowbeer with the new arrivals coming through the door thick & fast!

Since opening a few weeks ago the response has been great & the beer is literally flying off the shelves. So much so that we have stocked up on some old favorites as well as a heap of new releases.

RECENT ARRIVALS

FROM USA
Great Divide Hercules DIPA $10.00 (355ml)
Great Divide Belgica Belgian IPA $7.00 (355ml)

FROM NETHERLANDS
De Molen Rasputin Imperial Stout $29.00 (750ml)
De Molen Bommen & Granaten Barley Wine $41.00 (750ml)
Christoffel Blond $7.00 (330ml)
Christoffel Nobel Belgian IPA $9.50 (330ml)

FROM BELGIUM
Cantillon St Lamvinus - Oak aged lambic fermented with merlot grapes $28.00 (750ml)
Catillon Lou Pepe Framboise $28.00 (750ml)
Rochefort 8 $8.50 (330ml)
Rochefort 10 $9.50 (330ml)
St Bernardus Abt12 $8.50 (330ml)
St Bernardus Kerst Christmas Ale 18.00 (750ml)
De Ranke XX Bitter $7.00 (330ml)
De Ranke Guldenberg $7.50 (330ml)
Boon Gueze Mariage Parfait $11.00 (375ml)
La Chouffe Nice $19.00 (750ml)
Floreffe Dubbel $6.00 (330ml)
Floreffe Tripel $7.50 (330ml)
Floreffe Prima Meilleure $7.50 (330ml)
De Proef Slaapmutske Tripel $7.50 (330ml)
Lindemans Kriek Cuve Rene $13.00 (750ml)
Lindemans Faro $7.00 (375ml)

All of the above beers are from world renowned breweries & we expect stock of the above beers to disappear rather quickly. To save disappointment pop in-store over the weekend or alternatively place an order online or with sales@slowbeer.com.au

HUGE SLOWBEER TASTING THIS FRI 2/10

A friendly reminder that this Friday 2/10 Slowbeer will be hosting a tasting of epic proportions!

The theme is barley wines, strong ales & anniversary ales with the lineup including:

*Mikkeller Festival Special Stella O
*Orkney Dark Island Reserve
*Fullers 2008 Vintage Ale
*Mikkeller & Three Floyds Hvedegoop
*Mikkeller & Three Floyds Oatgoop
*McAuslan St Ambroise Vintage Ale 2009
*Murray’s Anniversary Ale 3
*Crown Ambassador 2008 Vintage

All offerings are extremely limited brews, many of which no longer available!!

Tasting will run from about 5-8pm address: 63 Burwood Rd Hawthorn.

Fri 25/9 Slowbeer Imperial Stout Tasting Notes

Couldn't make it to our Imperial Stout tasting on Friday night? Well here are our thoughts:

Moo Brew Vintage 2008 Oak Aged Imperial Stout

Black pour with thin tan head that falls away rather quickly. Nose is very fragrant with quite a bit of dark fruit, also some vanilla and dark roast. Not as brooding as some but certainly ticks all the boxes. Palate is medium bodied with a decent amount of carb (too much?). Tangy roast dominates with raisins as well. Finish is quite restrained & balanced. No doubt this is a good beer (not just presentation but contents above all), however the price $30 for 330ml is pretty ridiculous.

Murray's Wild Thing Imperial Stout

I'd been sitting on the last few bottles of my stash of this for about 9 months now, so hoping to see some development in the bottle and i was not disappointed! Dont get me wrong, fresh this beer was great. If i had to nitpick, i'd say it was a touch astringent. Now the palate has become much fuller to round out the robust hops & dark bitter roasted malt. Certainly showed much more complexity than the previous beer despite its lack of oak ageing (and being 1/3 of the price!)

Nogne O Dark Horizon #2

Pretty pleased to have tried this & certainly don’t regret having it at such a young age. Pours black with not much of a head. Nose has a heap of coffee, dark liquered fruits & roasted malt with the high abv attributing a slight spirity character, also a touch of smoke. Palate is pretty thick and mouthcoating as you would expect from the 16%abv. Coffee is integrated with the dark malt really well & while dominating it certainly doesnt stick out of place. Finishes quite prickly and slightly numbing on the tip of the tongue, aside from that abv is handled really well. Suprised this isnt a whole lot sweeter, which is definately a pleasant surprise showing great balance. Highly recommend, despite hefty price!

SLOWBEER GRAND OPENING & TASTINGS

As promised this Friday 25th we will be having a little tasting to celebrate our opening. It will run from 5-8pm and all are welcome. Given that it will be Grand Final eve, what better reason to swing by for a celebratory beer & a chat!

Our shop is located at 63 Burwood Rd Hawthorn.

Imperial Stouts is the theme, beers on tasting include:
*Nogne O Dark Horizon #2
*Murays Wild Thing Imperial Stout
*Moo Brew 2008 Vintage Imperial Stout
+ some other surprises


The following Friday 3rd October, we will be having another tasting, this one much larger than the first!


Strong Ales, Barley Wines & Anniversary Ales is the theme, beers on tasting include:
*Mikkeller Festival Special Stella O
*Orkney Dark Island Reserve
*Fullers 2008 Vintage Ale
*Mikkeller & Three Floyds Hvedegoop
*Mikkeller & Three Floyds Oatgoop
*McAuslan St Ambroise Vintage Ale 2009
*Murray’s Anniversary Ale 3
*Crown Ambassador 2008 Vintage

For us, these tastings are a celebration of all our hard work so we’re bringing out some great beer & hope to see some familiar faces as well as make some new beer loving friends!


*Note that Slowbeer's operating hours are as follows:
Thursday 2pm-8pm
Friday 2pm-8pm
Saturday 12pm-8pm
Sunday 2pm-7pm

SLOWBEER OPENING + KIW-INVASION

Well, as always we’ve been flat out endeavoring to bring you the best craft beers around at the best prices. While we have a heap of new arrivals & fresh stocks the purpose of this email is to let everyone know that SLOWBEER IS FINALLY OPENING.

Yes, after a couple of months of hard work the store is now looking great & ready to go! We’ve decided to avoid fanfare and allow time to iron out any operational kinks by opening the doors for the first time on Sunday afternoon! All are welcome to pop by and see what we’ve been up to for the past 2 months!

Now, as promised next Friday 25th we will be having a little tasting to celebrate our opening. It will run from 5-8pm and all are welcome. Given that it will be Grand Final eve, what better reason to swing by for a celebratory beer & a chat!

Beers on tasting include:
Nogne O Dark Horizon #2
Murays Wild Thing Imperial Stout
Moo Brew 2008 Vintage Imperial Stout

While, you may be thinking that we’ve gone back on our promise of a grand opening & tasting, not so. The following Friday 3rd October, we will be having another tasting, this one much larger than the first!

Beers on tasting include:
Mikkeller Festival Special Stella O
Orkney Dark Island Reserve
Fullers 2008 Vintage Ale
Mikkeller & Three Floyds Hvedegoop
Mikkeller & Three Floyds Oatgoop
McAuslan St Ambroise Vintage Ale 2009
Murray’s Anniversary Ale 3

For us, these tastings are a celebration of all our hard work so we’re bringing out some great beer & hope to see some familiar faces as well as make some new beer loving friends!

However, for our many interstate customers I suppose its business as usual. While we’ve already had a scand-invasion, its time for a KIW-INVASION! The below breweries are being added to our ever growing range of world-class Kiwi craft breweries.

Renaissance (NZ) Perfection Pale Ale 500ml $9.50
Discovery American Pale Ale 500ml $9.50
Paradox Blonde Ale 500ml $9.50
Elemental Porter 500ml $9.50
Stonecutter Scotch Ale 500ml $10.50
3 Boys (NZ) IPA 500ml $9.50
Wheat 500ml $9.50
Pilsner 500ml $9.50
Golden Ale 500ml $9.50
Oyster Stout 500ml $9.50
Harringtons (NZ) Ngahere Gold 330ml $4.50
Rogue Hop Pilsner 330ml $4.50
Razorback 330ml $4.50
Clydesdale Stout 330ml $5.50
Tuatara (NZ) Bohemian Pilsner 330ml $5.50
Munich Helles 330ml $5.50
Bavarian Hefeweizen 330ml $5.50
English IPA 330ml $5.50
London Porter 330ml $5.50
Ardennes Strong Golden Ale 330ml $6.00

Additionally, we have some new releases (& fresh stocks – see web) from some of our most popular breweries.

Brewdog (SCO) Dogma 660ml $6.50
Trashy Blonde 330ml $4.00
Punk IPA case of 24 $65.00 (GREAT DEAL!)
Orkney (SCO) Dark Island 500ml $9.00
Red McGregor 500ml $9.00
Flying Dog (US) Wild Dog Series Dog Schwarz 750ml (TBA)
Horndog Barley Wine 207ml
Double Dog Double Pale Ale 207ml
Kerberos Tripel 207ml
Dogtoberfest Marzen 355ml
Rogue (US) Sesquicentennial Ale 650ml $15.00
Maierfest Lager 650ml $15.00
Smoke Ale 650ml $15.00
Eugene City Tracktown 200m IPA 650ml $15.00
Eugene City Tracktown Triple Jump Pale Ale 650ml $15.00

Please note that all Slowbeer matters will now be handled exclusively by Slowbeer. For all questions & queries please email sales@slowbeer.com.au or hop online to place your order.

One Week to Opening (promise!)

I know we keep saying '2 weeks' but this time I feel completely comfortable saying 'this weekend'!

As you can see from the photo we are nearly ready to roll and Chris has done a great job of getting some cracking beers on the shelf. Once we iron oout any operating 'kinks' we'll be focussed on a few celebratory opening nights for the Melbourne beer geek community. Stay tuned!

GET YOUR GEEK ON! ... (preferably in about 2 weeks or so)

Ok, so we've been a little quiet lately, gearing up for our Slowbeer store opening so no doubt all is forgiven. 

We are officially only a fortnight or less away from a Grand Opening/Unveiling, so its all pretty exciting! Rest assured, we will inform everyone of the time/date of our opening so as to ensure that nobody misses out. We have a heap of awesome beers on the shelves as well as some great specials (as if our prices weren't already the best!) & a smorgasbord of delightful (old & rare) beers on tasting!

So to whet your appetite, try this on for size! 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast 500ml $16.00

As the name states this is a breakfast beer...of sorts. Oats & coffee in an imperial stout, it makes sense to me! Though I wouldn't be having this one at breakfast, for obvious reasons. 

Pours deep dark black with a hint of brown around the rim, huge fluffy tan coloured head. Nose has a heap of dark roasted malt, but not appearing astringent as some coffee beers do. The malt is perfectly rounded, some sweetness, some honeycomb, a touch of smoke & of course the coffee, oh the coffee! Palate has surprisingly lively carbonation, not over the top but a touch more than i expected. Much like the nose, the malt is so well rounded. Has a bit of everything with the coffee standing out, but not overpowering. Finishes with rich coffee notes, but in no way astringent. Lively carbonation dries it up a touch as well. Hops are there, but play second fiddle to the well controlled yet dominant coffee notes. Awesome beer! Clearly alot of thought has gone into the malt selection (pils, cara-munich, smoked, brown, pale chocolate & chocolate) and it has paid off. 

I cant wait to try the weasel, though i hear it tastes like poo...and by poo i do actually mean poo, albeit super expensive, super rare coffee laden poo...or is it poo laden coffee? Still, i cant say i'm going to shy away!  

SLOWBEER'S MIKKELLER ARRIVALS - 4 NEW BEERS + FRESH STOCKS

Well we didn’t lie when we said that stock is arriving thick & fast! This time we have fresh stocks of Mikkeller complete with 4 new beers, which we suspect you’ll go nuts for!!

NEW ARRIVALS

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel - 500ml $30.00 (approx)
One of the rarest beers in the world, reason being that it is made with one of the rarest coffees in the world. Vietnamese ca phe chon coffee, made from droppings (did I say poo?!) of the vietnamese palm civet.
Hold your repulsion! Read more here, its actually quite interesting: http://www.mikkeller.dk/index.php?id=41&blog_id=71&land=1

Mikkeller Festival Special Edition 2009 Stella O – 1.5L (magnum) $115.00 (approx)
Small batch American Barley Wine brewed for debut at the Copenhagen beer festival.
Only 1300 bottles available worldwide & can be cellared to 2019!!

Mikkeller / Brewdog Divine Rebel – 330ml $16.00 (approx)
A mouthwatering collaboration from two of Europe’s most progressive craft breweries.
A barley wine aged in Speyside whisky casks

Mikkeller Single Hop Nugget IPA – 330ml $10.00 (approx)
The next release in the series of single hop IPAs.

FRESH STOCKS

Mikkeller Stateside IPA 500ml $16.00

Mikkeller Jackie Brown 500ml $16.00

Mikkeller Fra Til 750ml $32.00

Mikkeller Black 375ml $23.00

Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA 330ml $10.00

Mikkeller / De Struise Elliot Brew 330ml $15.00

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast 500ml $16.00

Mikkeller Black Hole 375ml $20.00

Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine 375ml $19.00

Mikkeller Monk’s Elixir 750ml $34.00

Mikkeller USAlive! 750ml $32.00

Mikkeller / Three Floyds Oatgoop 650ml $42.00

As usual, stocks will be limited so to save disappointment email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au to place your pre-order or for any other inquiries.

SLOWBEER ARRIVALS - OLD & NEW WORLD

Given that our Slowbeer is store is set to be up & running in a few weeks, the stock is arriving thick and fast!

FEATURE BEER
Bridge Rd Anniversary Ale – Celebrating their 4th Anniversary in style, with a limited release Imperial Porter, dry hopped to the hilt and aged in Giaconda barrels! The smartly presented 750ml bottles are individually numbered, with only 1,000 being brewed.  

Stock is due to arrive later this week but is rather limited. Email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au to place a pre-order. If you currently have an order with us & wish to add this great beer, let us know!

NEW WORLD

ARRIVALS
Epic Armageddon IPA  $12.50
Epic Pale Ale  $9.50
Nogne O Tiger Tripel  $16.00
Nogne O Brun  $13.00
Brewdog Paradox Isle of Arran  $11.50
Brewdog Riptide Imperial Stout  $7.00
Brewdog Zeitgeist  $6.00
Brewdog 77 Lager  $4.00
Baladin Isaac  $29.00
Baladin Super  $30.00
Emersons JP Belgian Ale 2009  $9.00

FRESH STOCKS
Nogne O #100  $16.00
Nogne O Imperial Stout  $16.00
Nogne O IPA  $14.50
Nogne O Imperial Brown  $14.50
Nogne O Porter  $14.50
Nogne O Brown  $12.50
Nogne O Havre Stout  $12.50
Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter  $10.00
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA  $7.00
Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale  $6.50
Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine  $38.00
Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout  $38.00
Rogue XS Imperial Porter  $38.00
Brewdog Punk IPA  $5.50
Eggenberg Urbock 23  $7.00
Eggenberg Macqueens Nessie  $5.00

OLD WORLD

ARRIVALS
Schneider & Brooklyn Hopfenweisse  $7.50
Eggenberg Samiclaus  $10.00
Eggenberg Birra Magalotti  $6.50
Fullers 1845 Strong Ale  $8.50
Dupont Bier de Beloiel  $14.00
St Peters Best Bitter  $7.00
Maredsous 6  $6.50
Maredsous 8  $8.50
Piraat $10.00

FRESH STOCKS
Dupont Saison   $11.00
Dupont Bons Vouex   $15.00
Lindemans Faro $7.50
Lindemans Gueze Cuve Rene $8.00
St Peters Cream Stout $8.00
Boucanier Dark $8.50
Boucanier Golden $8.50
Grimbergen Blonde $8.00
Grimbergen Dubbel $8.00
Sam Smith Imperial Stout $6.50
Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale $8.00
Sam Smith Taddy Porter $8.00
Sam Smith India Pale Ale $8.00
Sam Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale $8.00
Sam Smith Orgainc Best Bitter $8.00

If you haven't had a chance to try any of these brilliant brews, I suggest you give them a go.

If you wish to place orders for any of the above beers hop online: www.slowbeer.com.au, or alternatively email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au

We will keep you updated on how our Slowbeer store is progressing (not long now!).

Recent Tasting Notes

Schneider & Brooklyn Hopfen-weisse
Interesting collaboration for an interesting result. Pours hazy golden orange with a huge off white head, certainly darker than most hefes. Nose has masses of citrus with undertones of clove, banana & hop spice. Palate translates well, a hint of malt sweetness, not so much in the traditional hefe way, more US - derived from caramel or munich malts maybe. Citrus notes dominate palate. Finishes with medium floral hop bitterness and trademark hefe spicy phenolics. Wow! This is a cracking beer, something I’d love to see more of. Do yourself a favour and get some while its around.

Emersons JP Belgian Ale 2009
Great looking beer, not unlike other emersons beer. Quite dark for the style, almost porter/stout like. Dark, dark brown body with nice, creamy tan head. Nose has big yeast spice notes with alcohol evident but funnily enough disguised by the aniseed notes. Palate has dark malt, chocolate bordering on coffee notes. Some dark figgy fruit notes thrown in aswell. Finish has big spice notes, aniseed obviously most dominant. Overall a great beer,it’s near impossible to find non Belgians of this style with as much complexity. Star anise adds alot, without dominating too much. Emersons can do no wrong, seriously a world class brewery!

Eisenbahn Lust
I've been sitting on this bottle for a while & decided to open it with non-beer drinking friends. Pours hazy golden orange with a fizzy head that dissapears. Nose has confectionary fruit: citrus with a bit of strawberry. Palate is medium bodied with high carbonation. There is some sweetness but carbo dries it up quite well. Finishes with a good hit of alcohol and spice, whether yeast or hop driven I’m not sure. Overall a great beer. You can certainly see the base (belg tripel) coming through. Probably pulls it off better than Deus Brut de Flanders, the only other I’ve had of this style. Was a bit too sweet, whereas this was spot on. Would definately have again.

SLOWBEER STORE UPDATE + NEW RELEASES & FRESH STOCKS

Well, it's been two weeks since our last newsletter and much progress has been made with our bricks & mortar Slowbeer store. Walls have been knocked down, numerous coats of paint applied and the shelving has finally arrived, albeit in pieces! Its been a busy few weeks but things are finally starting to take shape! 

Despite all of this commotion we have still managed to bring you fresh stocks of Nogne O among others, complete with their 2 NEW releases! 

NEW RELEASES: 

Nogne O Tiger Tripel $16.00

Nogne O Brun $13.00 

Emersons JP Belgian Ale 2009 $9.00 (Belgian Dubbel made using Chimay yeast and star anise) 

Brewdog Paradox Isle of Arran $13.00 

Red Hill Weizenbock $5.50

FRESH STOCKS: 

Nogne O #100 $16.00 

Nogne O Imperial Stout $16.00 

Nogne O IPA $14.50 

Nogne O Imperial Brown $14.50 

Nogne O Porter $14.50 

Nogne O Brown $12.50 

Nogne O Havre Stout $12.50 

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA $7.00 

Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale $6.50 

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter $10.00 

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine $38.00 

Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout $38.00 

Rogue XS Imperial Porter $38.00 

Brewdog Punk IPA $5.50 

Brewdog Physics Amber $5.00 

Brewdog 77 Lager $5.00

SOON TO COME! 

Epic Armegeddon IPA 

Epic Pale Ale 

Brewdog Dogma (Strong ale brewed with heather honey, kola nut, poppy seeds and guarana)

Brewdog Zephyr (extremely limited! Imperial IPA aged on Strawberries in a Whisky cask)

Brewdog Trashy Blonde

If you haven't had a chance to try any of these brilliant brews, I suggest you give them a go this time around. With winter upon us these rich & robust ales are just the tonic for the cold! 

If you wish to place orders for any of the above beers email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au 

We will keep you updated on how our Slowbeer store is progressing and if your lucky we may even post some photos!!

Slowbeer Comes Alive!

Now, Slowbeer is usually buzzing with fresh stock and new arrivals but while it may seem like we haven't been up to much, I can assure you we have been very busy! On Monday we are set to enter our new shop. Whats that you say? "Cloudwine recently closed their Camberwell store, so why are they opening a new one?"

Well, there is a twist. Stewart & myself are embarking on a new venture independant of Cloudwine. As you know Slowbeer has been functioning as the beer retail arm of Cloudwine for the past year. In that time we have seen interest & enthusiasm in craft/specialty beer grow exponentially. Hence the need for a dedicated retail destination, with which beer takes pride of place.

Slowbeer will continue the philosophy of stocking hand-crafted brews from home and abroad at the best prices in the country. Our website and blog will remain with Slowbeer and operate independant of Cloudwine. The benefit of this is that Slowbeer's range will expand drastically (more than 600 beers in store!), resulting in beers being more readily available & faster order turnaround. We will run regular tastings with brewers as well as delving into our own cellars for rare & unique brews.

The new shop is located in Hawthorn, with fitout commencing on Monday. We expect to be operational in about 3 weeks. So this should be good news for our former camberwell beer lovers and provide Melbourne with the best beer destination in the country!

Stay tuned for more Slowbeer store updates in the coming weeks. Until then, business as usual!

Old World Classics - Belgium

Rochefort 10

Bottle dated 2014, so pretty fresh. Pours murky dark brown with a nice beige colored head. Nose has great balance, raisin esters supported by choc/caramel malt with some spicy phenolics as well. Palate is full and creamy. Raisin, choc & caramel malt all have great synergy. Nothing sticks out of place to dominate. Finishes with significant belgian yeast spice. Brilliant balance and mouthfeel despite big abv! Hops and alcohol an afterthought. The yeast character actually reminded me a bit of the Unibroue beers, which is certainly a compliment to the Quebecoise! This sample was quite fresh and in top nick. Easy to see why this is a classic, but to be honest i think i prefer the 8. Regardless, awesome beer! Should probably get a stack of this batch for the cellar!

St Bernardus Abt 12

Bottle dated 2014 so pretty fresh. Upon opening this was a gusher! Had to leave for a good 10 mins before i was able to get a decent pour. No matter, i was more than happy to wait! Eventually poured a murky red/brown with mahogany highlights and a substantial tan coloured head. Aromas of rum & raisin seem most evident with figs, nuts and big yeast spice. Palate is brilliantly balanced as well as being smooth and creamy, despite drinking at room temp. The mid palate brought some sweetness with honey, caramel and dark fruits. The finish displays a heap of both abv & yeast spice. The rather high ABV never crossed my mind, impeccable balance! It is said that this brew is the closest to the prized Westvleteren 12. Having had both i can see the similarities.

Bush Noel

Special Christmas brew from this Belgian brewing stalwart. Pours red with a quickly dissipating beige head. Nose has detectable sweetness, most likely from candy sugar and perhaps some munich malt. Also has dark fruits and spice. Palate has a touch of sweetness with yeast spice & abv dominating, maybe a hint of oak detectable...(oak aged? i know some of their other beers are) Finishes long and slightly sweet with abv popping up again. Perhaps the abv (12%) is a little to high/evident, at about 10% i think the palate would really shine. I tried the St Feuillien Noel @10%abv just prior and was a little less robust and more subtle. Regardless, great beer!

Brouwerij 't IJ Tasting Notes

New arrivals from one of the Netherland's best craft brewers, 't IJ produce belgian style ales.

't IJ Columbus
Pours red/brown with a small fizzy white head. Very odd nose, not at all what i expected. Relatively tart & woody, reminds me of rodenbach and the like: tangy red fruits. Palate is alot more uniform for the style. Some caramel malt with quite a considerable amount of yeast spice. High carbonation serves to dry up the palate and compliment the yeast spice. Pretty interesting, if your a fan of orval the 't IJ range might be right up your alley!

't IJ Zatte
Pours hazy golden orange with a decent, fizzy off white head. Nose is typical of 't IJ beers. Mildly tart fruits: apple/pear in this case, with some belgian yeast spice present too. Palate is more in line with what one would expect from a tripel. Lively carbonation that dries up the palate along with significant yeast spice and some relatively mild citrus fruit notes. Another pleasant albeit peculiar 't IJ beer. Might have to do some research on the type of fermentation/yeast they use as house style is clearly evident on the nose moreso than anywhere else.

't IJ Stuis
Pours hazy, dark brown with a nice tan coloured head. Nose is multilayered, caramel/toffee malt, figs, raisins and yeast spice. Palate is a little more one dimensional with yeast spice and abv dominating the finish. Good beer, actually would have prefered a touch of the slight tartness that the rest of the range have ala orval. Still pretty impressive beer.

US Independance Day IPA Tasting!!

From what i gathered the Spectapular at The Local was a huge success. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it but decided to get stuck into Mikkeller's great range of US inspired IPAs.

Mikkeller Drikkeriget DIPA

Poured hazy orange with a huge off white head. Nose showed the simcoe and amarillo: masses of juicy citrus fruits. Palate has some definite sweetness, grapefruit, orange & even some apricot supported by some honey/caramel from the munich malt. Finishes long with high grassy/herbally hop bitterness. The high abv is nowhere to be seen. Overall great hop impact, in both aroma and palate. definitely my kind of 2IPA!

Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

Pours red/amber with a nice off white head. Nose has masses of citrus: orange, tangerine & grapefruit. Palate is light/med in body but full of flavour and hop impact. Orange & grapefruit dominate with a hint of caramel malt giving a very slight marmalade like character. Finish has medium resin/pine hop bitterness. Overall a great beer, seems quite complete despite using a sole hop variety. Easy to see why simcoe is highly regarded in US ipas.

Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA

Pretty familiar with nelson sauvin, given exposure to kiwi beers. But certainly a unique hop variety, regardless of where your from. Pours orange/amber with a huge off white head. Lighter than both simcoe & warrior i’d had prior. Nose has masses of tropical fruit: mango, passionfruit & lychee dominate, with herbacious/grassy hop undertones. Palate follows suite, huge tropical fruit notes that border on sweet. Mouthfeel is a little light compared to the other single hop ipas. Finishes with grassy/herbacious & slightly spicy hop bitterness. Overall, great display of the variety, but probably not ideally suited to an IPA.

Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA

Pours deeper than the simcoe i sampled prior, amber/copper with a big off white head. Nose has a lot of citrus & pine but more pith & rind than bright, vibrant juice of the simcoe. Palate is quite robust, bitter citrus pith dominates with some caramel malt supporting. Finishes with long med/high pine hop bitterness. Defintely higher alpha than simcoe. I love the idea behind single hops beers & this contrasts the simcoe really well.

Latest Crafty Locals

Red Hill Imperial Stout '09
Probably their most anticipated seasonal release & with good reason. Pours quite dark, more or less jet black and builds a nice tan coloured head. Nose is quite expressive, as you would expect from an Imprial Stout. Rich mocha, molasses and hints of raisins and vanilla. Palate translates well and has excellent balance, if anything is a little under powered for the style. Oddly enough, almost like a session Imperial Stout, if such a thing exists. I've hidden away a few of the 08 vintage, so am very interested to see how it develops!

Murray's Best Extra Porter '09
A welcomed release after many were really impressed with last years version. Pours a dark, muddy brown with a nicely packed tan head. Nose displays great complexity. Dusty dark chocolate mocha notes present with Madeira cake and some dark fruits in there as well. Palate translates well, displaying some nice brandied characters. Supported well by roast coffee, dusty chocolate and some mild hop notes. I'm becomming a big fan of Imperial Porters and this is a great example!

Red Duck Bengal IPA
Newest addition to their regular range. Pours murky amber with a small head. Nose has a lot of orange with some mild apricot/peach as well. Palate is surprisingly tame given the high abv and that it is an IPA. Caramel/toffee malt & over-ripe stone-fruit seem a little mashed together. Finish has mild hop bitterness and abv rears its head toward the end. Not bad, but expected it to be a little more robust in the hop department (cascade & centennial). Lacks a bit of impact for me.

American Independance Day Beerfest!

Now I'm certainly not an American patriot, so you might feel it irrellevant that we celebrate such an occasion. Relevant or not, all I know is that it gives us an excuse to enjoy some of the best brews the US have to offer!

Somehow, those cheeky lads at The Local Taphouse (Darlinghurst & St Kilda) have gotten their hands on KEGS (thats right, kegs) of some Rogue brews.

http://thelocaltaphouse.blogspot.com/2009/06/4th-july.html

To celebrate the occasion Cloudwine have just received a number of new Rogues, to add to our already impressive line-up of Yankie Brews:

Double Dead Guy Ale 650ml $23.00

Yellow Snow IPA 650ml $15.00

Captain Sigs Deadliest Ale $15.00

Red Fox (American Amber) 355ml $7.50

White Crane (Dead Guy) 355ml $7.50

St Rogue Dry Hopped Red 355ml $7.50

Brutal Bitter 355ml $7.50

So if your feeling patriotic hop online this week & complete an order for any Rogue or Flying Dog beers for your chance to WIN A GROWLER OF ROGUE AMERICAN AMBER ALE!!! (Competition closes 6/7/09)

Mikkeller Tasting Notes

Mikkeller Black Hole

Pours with an oily black body and no head to speak of. Nose has smoke, coffee roast, dark chocolate and vanilla with residual sweetness detectable. Palate has huge depth and power but maintains great balance. Rich choc makes way for honey sweetness before coffee roast comes into play. The sweetness masks the power of the dark malt quite well and stops it from being overly bitter/sweet or astringent, but still has plenty of power & presence. Finishes with a combination of dark choc fudge, coffee, vanilla and lingering honey sweetness. Absolutely awesome beer, great complexity & impeccable balance despite big abv and general robust profile.

De Struise / Mikeller (Elliot Brew)

Pours golden amber with a nice off white head that persists for the duration of the glass & leaves chunky lacing. Nose has masses of spicy(slightly piney?) hops with some sweetness and citrus/apricot esters. Not unlike a traditional belg tripel but ramped up considerably. Palate has honey-like malt & candy sugar sweetness before the significant hop bitterness takes charge delivering a long bitter finish. Great alternative to caramel malt laden US-style IPAs. Awesome balance despite robust nature.

Mikkeller Jackie Brown

More robust than the nogne o i’d sampled prior. Pours dark brown with a nice off white head. Nose has a good mix of roasted malt, choc.coffee as well as some us hops in there. Palate is more robust than i expected having not looked at the abv. Choc/coffee malt early supported by slightly citrussy hops, sounds odd but the citrus is rather mild but hop presence definately there. Finish is long with lingering hop bitterness and roasted malt. Overall a great, robust brown ale.

Exciting New Arrivals!

Australia:

Red Duck Bengal IPA 330ml: $4.00/$21.60(6pk)

Sweetwater Pale Ale 330ml: $3.50/19.00(6pk)

Sweetwater Bitter 330ml: $3.50/19.00(6pk)

Belgium:

Rochefort 10 330ml: $9.50

St Bernardus Abt 12 330ml: $8.50

Achel Extra 750ml: $19.00

Bush Noel 250ml: $7.50

Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor 330ml: $7.50

Liefmans Goudenband 375ml: $9.50

St Feuillen Blond 330ml: $7.00

St Feuillen Brune 330ml: $7.00

St Feuillen Tripel 330ml: $8.00

St Feuillen Noel 330ml: $8.00

Netherlands:
t'IJ Plzen 330ml: $6.50
t'IJ Natte 330ml: $6.50
t'IJ Zatte 330ml: $6.50
t'IJ Wit 330ml: $6.50
t'IJ Vlo Speciale 330ml: $6.50

t'IJ Struis 330ml: $7.00

t'IJ Columbus 330ml: $7.00

UK:

Brewdog Rip Tide 330ml: $7.00

Brewdog Zeitgeist 330ml: $6.00

Marston's Old Empire IPA 500ml: $7.00

Marston's Strong Pale Ale 500ml: $7.00

Winter Warmers fit for a Vi-King

Its getting cold out, so i figured i'd focus on some great imperials from our new Norwegian friends at Nogne O. Their whole range is nothing short of exceptional, with all beers beautifully presented. Something that can sometimes be an unfortunate rarity in craft beer. 

Nogne O/Norrebro Imperial Brown Ale

Interesting concept, that we dont see much of in Oz. Pours hazy brown with a huge tan coloured head that leaves chunky lacing. Nose has massess of roasted nuts with caramel toffee malt in support as well as a surprising degree of US piney/citrus hops. Palate translates well, some fudgy chocolate adds palate weight before the US hops and elevated abv kicks in, the later a little dominating. Great beer, but the pronounced abv on finish is a bit of a kick in the nuts. You've been warned! :)

Nogne O imperial Stout

Pours oil black with a choc-orange coloured head. Nose has masses of dark choc/coffee malt as well as some sweeter molasses notes. Palate has full blown dark, bittersweet roast. There are undertones of choc fudge and sweeter caramel/mollasses but the dark malt provails. Finish is long with lingering bittersweet malt notes, almost bringing a slight tang. There is some residual sweetness that lingers also. Carbonation is low and mouthfeel is quite full, but nothing too excessive. Would probably benefit from some time in the cellar. Regardless, a great imperial stout and can't wait to get into the Dark Horizon #2 in a year or so!

Nogne O/Yoho 2IPA

Pours murky copper/orange with a huge off white head that leaves chunky lacing. Nose is exceptionally well balanced much like the Nogne O regular IPA, except this seems much drier with more bitter grapefruit. Nose has toffee malt (not much sweet caramel for a change!) with layers of citrus fruit. Finishes with high piney hop bitterness. Carbonation is relatively lively which adds to the dry profile. Great alternative to the sometimes over caramelised US-style IPA’s. Brilliant balance and hop impact! 

PS. Believe it or not, Yoho is a Japanse craft brewer!

Mixed Shipment of Euro Goodies!

Hi folks, Well business as usual!

We are expecting delivery of a number of great European beers, mainly Dutch & Belgian but there are a few others in there to grab your attention also:

T'ij Brouwerij (Ned)
Plzn
Natte
Struise
Columbus
Zatte
Wit
Vlo Speciale

St Feuillien (Belg)
Blonde
Brune
Tripel
Noel

Brewdog (Scot)
Riptide
Zeitgeist

Some other classics:
Rochefort 10
St Bernardus 12
Achel Extra
Bush Noel
Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor
Liefmans Goudenband

We are expecting them to be pretty popular so if you wish to pre-order any email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au

Slow Beer News - Camberwell Store Now Closed

Work - life balance go the better of us on this occasion. A combination of 3 shops, 2 web sites (3rd on the way!), a 16 month old and another baby on the way proved to be too much in the end. Factoring in a surprisingly strong market demand for wine stores, the decision to sell proved not to be a difficult one in the end.

Thanks very much to our loyal Camberwell customers over the past 5 years - your support is greatly appreciated.

Of course the Brighton and South Melbourne stores aren't going anywhere and you can still access our full beer and wine ranges through www.cloudwine.com.au and www.slowbeer.com.au. We have another beer project in the works and will provide further details in due course as things develop.

Beer geeks will be happy to know that we are expanding our shelving capacity in South Melbourne and most of the new space will be allocated to beer. We expect to be able to stock ~300 different beers at any one time.

Hope to see you all in the shops soon,

Cheers

Mikkeller BACK & BETTER than ever!

Well, seemingly a week can't pass without some form of HUGE release.

This time we have news of shipment #2 of Mikkeller beers direct from Denmark. The exciting thing is that this shipment will include no less than 10 NEW BEERS!

Pricing & quantities are yet to be confirmed, however we suspect that they will be in line with the first shipment.

Stocks will be limited! So, if you wish to pre-order any of the below beers, email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au

Mikkels Monster (13%, 600ml)
Collaboration with Norrebro (Denmark) - Barleywine coming in at 160IBU! Brewed with maple syrup & aged in Bordeaux and Port barrels.

Struise/Mikkeller (9%, 330ml)
Collaboration with De Struise (Belgium) - Belgian-style DIPA, brewed with belgian ale yeast and a number of spices.

Beer Geek Breakfast (7.5%, 500ml)
Oats & Coffee = breakfast beer, it makes sense to me!

Oatgoop (10.5%, 650ml)
Collaboration with Three Floyds, brewed in USA - Oat(barley)wine, brother of the Hvedegoop wheat(barley)wine

Drikkeriget DIPA (10%, 330ml)
Pilsner, cara-munich & munich malt as well as Simcoe, Amarillo & Tomahawk hops.

Its Alive! (8%, 750ml)
It's Alight's bigger brother - a tribute to the trappist classic orval. Belgian strong ale with brett yeast strain

USAlive! (8%, 750ml)
Belgian strong ale brewed with US hops and brett yeast strain

Funky E-star (9.5%, 750ml)
Special easter brew - Belgian strong ale with brett yeast strain

Single Hop Warrior IPA (7%, 330ml)

Single Hop Nelson Sauvin IPA (7%, 330ml)

Christmas in May/June/July?

HOLGATE CHRISTMAS ALE 8.5%abv

Over the past week or so i've had this brew a couple of times and i have to say that im in love! We had it over Christmas and it came in and dissapeared off the shelves without any real fanfare. But this time i've decided to make a big fuss!

From the brewery: “This release is brewed as a “wee heavy” at 8.5% ABV. We aged it on French oak for three months and infused it with a touch of spice. It’s a Christmas pudding in a bottle! Best enjoyed at 12 degrees Celsius from a brandy snifter or red wine glass to fully enjoy its heady bouquet. This beer will age well for several years if kept in a cool, dark place.”

From Slowbeer: Have I gone crazy? Not exactly, I’m well aware it isn’t Christmas, however this beer should certainly make it into your cold weather favourites rotation. Definitely a sipper though!

Pours dark ruby tending to amber with a small cream coloured head. Aromas of fruit and spice are in abundance with support from sweet caramel malt. Palate delivers a great degree of stewed red and dark fruits with caramel upfront, before darker malt carries some sweet toffee. Finishes with significant spice (cinnamon, clove, ginger) and fruity esters, sweet malt lingers. Alcohol is present but handled perfectly for the style.

While on paper it sounds far too sweet to work, the spice presence really brings it up to a whole new level. I would imagine that this isnt too dissimilar to alot of US bourbon barell aged barley wines. Big call i know, but this is really something special!

Cool Weather Warmers

Holgate Christmas Ale - 8.5%abv
Odd choice you say? Well try it now and thank me later! Some more of this great brew has just become available once more. Christmas in July anyone?

Pours dark ruby tending to amber with a small cream coloured head. Aromas of fruit and spice are in abundance with support from sweet caramel malt. Palate delivers a great degree of stewed red and dark fruits with caramel upfront, before darker malt carries some sweet toffee. Finishes with significant spice (cinnamon, clove, ginger) and fruity esters, sweet malt lingers. Alcohol is present but handled perfectly for the style. While on paper it sounds too sweet to work, the spice presence really brings it to life!

Red Hill Hop Harvest - 6%abv
The cold weather beckons and you know what that means? Hop Harvest release followed by Imperial Stout release!

Pours a murky amber with nice beige collar of foam. Aromas are quite bold, with caramel/toffee malt supported by apricot and marmalade notes and resinous hops. Palate lets the darker malt come through early before some fruity esters pop up. Finish is driven by fresh, resinous hops. This is definitely Red Hill’s bread & butter, and they continue to impress with it year in, year out. Great robust example of the style!

Emerson's Taieri George - 6.8%abv
Every year, this is probably one of slowbeer’s most anticipated releases. The punters just never seem to get enough of it. And with good reason, there is little doubt that this is among the most unique brews produced in Australia & New Zealand.

Pours dark red/brown with a nice tan coloured head. Nose is quite peculiar. Very overt spice notes, surely additions and not yeast driven. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & perhaps some cardamom. Also some fruit cake-like dark malt. Palate tones down the spice notes a touch, allowing the chocolate malt & dark fruit notes to come through. Finishes with lingering spice notes, but not in the traditional phenolic sense. Really interesting, I’m definitely hiding a few of these away for the winter months!

Slowbeer on Twitter

Keep up to date with the latest from Slowbeer on Twitter!

We will be constantly updating with news, arrivals and tasting notes. Follow us now!

http://twitter.com/Slowbeer

New Releases & Fresh Stocks

Australia:
Alpha Queen - $3.00/$16.00 6pk
Beard & Brau Golden Paw - $4.00
Beard & Brau Red Tail - $4.00
Bridge Rd Harvest Pale Ale - $4.70/$25.00 6pk
Bridge Rd Beechworth Pale - $4.00/$21.50 6pk
Bridge Rd Bling IPA - $4.30/$23.00 6pk
Holgate Christmas Ale - $6.50
Holgate Nut Brown Ale - $4.00
Holgate Hopinator - $4.70
Holgate Temptress - $4.30
Red Hill Hop Harvest - $5.50

Canada:
St Ambroise 2009 Vintage Ale - $10.00
St Ambroise Pale Ale - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
St Ambroise Apricot Wheat - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
Unibroue Don De Dieu - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue Maudite - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue Trois Pistoles - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde - $7.50 (17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue 17 - $22.50 (750ml)
Unibroue Terrible - 22.50 (750ml)

Norway:
Nogne O IPA - $14.50
Nogne O Saison - $14.00
Nogne O Wit - $12.00
Nogne O Amber - $13.00
Nogne O #100 - $16.00
Nogne O God Paske - $14.50
Nogne O - Dark Horizon #2 - $64.00

(YES, THATS ALL THATS LEFT FROM OUR HUGE ALLOCATION!!)

UK:
Brewdog Punk Lager $65.00 per case! (Normal RRP $120)
Meantime Winter Time - $9.00
Meantime IPA - $22.00
Meantime London Porter - $22.00

US:
Rogue Brutal Bitter $15.00
Rogue Jazz Guy Ale - $15.00
Rogue 100m Track Town Ale - $15.00
Rogue Shakespear Stout - $15.00
Rogue St Rogue Red - $15.00
Rogue Choclate Stout - $15.00