Update from Far North Queensland

It's a great thing that FNQ has some amazing attractions (islands, rain forests, reef, scuba diving etc) as unfortunately the region is far from a beer and wine lover's delight. We are / have spent a week at Airlie Beach and have been profoundly disappointed at the range (and quality) of beer available at both retail and on-premise.

Taps have been limited (strictly) to XXXX, Lion Nathan options, the odd VB and at least one James Squire Amber ale. Not much better in the bottle 'o, although I have seen some Coopers. Does Stella count as 'interesting'?

Anyway, when in Rome......

XXXX Bitter (7/20)
This beer embodies all the qualities that makes mainstream Australian beer such a crap performer on the world stage. Stale malt aromas dominate the nose. Same again to taste and I’ll give a small nod to the bitterness onthe back palate....otherwise a big ’pass’ rating.

XXXX Gold Lager (8/20)
I’d drink this over the XXXX Bitter any day of the week, and for a mainstream low ABV beer it’s not a total disaster. Darkish golden hue; very safe looking. Non-descript stale malts and adjunct nose. Er...not much else. Similar to taste although as expected not much malt or flavour weight. Quite crip and dry, probably a good approach given it’s mid-strength intentions, and an ok mild sliver of bitterness to finish.

Red Stripe Lager (8/20)
I have pretty much re-stated my notes from 2 years. And guess what, the beer doesn't any different (or better) now. Pale gold, very clear, almost Corona like. Mild nose, some adjunct like sweetness, doesn’t provide much interest. More adjunct character in the mouth, a little stale. Er...malt?...hops? Dry finish, somewhat redeeming, and not unlike the Asahi I had to follow.

Magners Original Irish Cider (10/20)
Very commercial style, at least to an Australian palate. Pours a bright burnt orange, not unlike a pale lager. No head. Sweetish apple cider fruits on the nose with a mineral-like zing in the aromas. Flavours and palate structure don’t add much; plenty of fizz and syrupy sweet apple, a touch of musk, finishes dry. Very hard to see the ABV impact here, and need much more punch in this regard. Good enough after an afternoon jog in the tropics.

Bright Brewery Razor Witbier (15/20)

Aromas hit the nose as soon as the beer hits the glass. A quite instense sour lemon and perhaps orange, wafted over 3 feet! And maybe a hint of lambic sourness as well. Impressive. Great to look at; yellow body with a faint orange core. Heavy weight in the mouth. Powerful, almost thick in texture. Citrus fruits not really evident, rather the corriander and spice comes into play. Big thick aniseed finish pushes a bitter edge.

Matilda Bay Alpha Pale Ale (14/20)

Dull copper (or maybe light tan?) with a very thin creamy head. Highly aromatic nose of fruity, herbal resiny hops. Slightly more pedestrian to taste; resiny hops remain and infact they are a touch aggressive, but regardless they define the palate structure well. A touch too fizzy perhaps? This beer is in the next ball park when compared to the ’just going’ stablemates Beez Neez and Redback. (BB 3/08)

Gavroche (15/20)

I really liked this beer. Rocky white head early and thne thins sown to a modest foamy residue. Tan / dull copper in colour. Powerful aromas of dark fruits, sweet cakey malts and hints of scotch whiskey. The flavours are Belgian-like with respect to big heavy malts and traces of alcohol heat. It drinks every bit its 8.5% although it lightens a fraction on the finish with an excellent sweet oak finish. Some alcohol derived bitterness comes in very late, as do some pongy / stinky notes.

tIJ Struis (11/20)

Should have been another cracking beer from what is now one of favourite producers. Visually stunning, as is common for the house. Perfectly formed medium sized head, offwhite in colour. Glowing orange with a dull red core. Served in a chablis / chardonnay wine, which by the way worked a treat. Sweet candied malts on the nose together with minerals and cinnamon. Flavours unfortunately let the beer down I suspect this one has a bad case of the ’skunks’. Some cinnamon and spice of the palate, but quite mild and disapates as the skunky notes kick in. The palate is surprisingly light for a 9% with the alcohol barely registering any presence. I’ll rate this purely for record keeping purposes but clearly a sound sample would rate near or above 4.0.