Slow Beer

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

New Releases & Fresh Stocks - Mid November

Australia
Barons Witbier $3.00 / $17.50
Bress Cider Brut $19.00
Redoak Belgian Chocolate Stout $4.50

Belgium
King Cobra 750ml $15.00
Lindemans Kriek $6.50

Canada
Moosehead $3.50
Unibroue Blanche de Chambly $4.40
Unibroue Cerezo $6.40
Unibroue Chambly Noire 750ml $14.00
Unibroue Raftman $5.00
Unibroue Seigneuriale 750ml $14.00
Unibroue Terrible 750ml $18.90
Unibroue 8 Pack Gift Box $47.00

Germany
Reissdorf Kolsch $4.00
Schneider Aventinus $6.50
Schneider Aventinus Eisbock (2006 Bottling) $7.00

Indonesia
Bintang $3.20

Japan
Yebisu $4.00

Spain
Estrella De Galicia $3.00

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Top 20 Australian Beers

The momentum of positive press for decent beers in the mainstream media continues. The Weekend Australia 'magazine' published a number of articles by Peter Lalor (anyone got any background on this guy?) as part of the James Halliday Top 100 Wine special. It was great to see Murray's getting some coverage, as well as a decent overview of the local micro scene.

A top 20 list was also published...not a bad list but not perfect (in my humble opinion), and perhaps lacked a little 'cutting edge'? Anyway, in alphabetical order:

Barons Brewing Black Wattle
Barons Extra Special Bitter
Cascade Premium Light (token light ABV vote perhaps?)
Cooper's Sparkling Ale
Grand Ridge Hatlifter Stout
Grand Ridge Natural Blond
Grand Ridge Yarra Valley Gold
James Squire Golden Ale
James Squire Pilsner
Little Creatures Pale Ale
Matilda Bay Alpha Pale Ale
Matilda Bay Grayston Reserve 2007
Matilda Bay Redback (eh? this is a shocker!)
Matilda Bay Rooftop Red Lager
Murray's Sassy Blonde
Redoak Christmas Cheer
Redoak Organic Hefeweizen
Redoak Organic Pale Ale
Southwark Old Stout
St Peters Green Star Lager

Ok, I've had a few Oz beers in my time so I figured I'd have a crack as well......

1. Redoak Special Reserve
2. Redoak Baltic Porter
3. Red Hill Imperial Stout
4. Murray's Anniversay Ale
5. Murray's Nirvana Pale Ale
6. Red Hill Hop Harvest
7. Coopers Vintage Ale
8. Red Hill Temptation
9. Bright Brewery Razor Wit
10. Red Oak Holly Porter
11. Red Duck Golden Dragon
12. Three Ravens White
13. Bridge Road Bling IPA
14. Jamieson The Beast IPA
15. Wig & Pen Velvet Cream Stout
16. Bootleg Raging Bull
17. Bright Brewery Blowhard
18. Red Hill Weizenbock
19. Southwark Old Stout
20. Murray's Grand Cru

Love to hear any other opinions, disagreements etc....happy to be taken to task on my bias towards 'big' beers.............

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Friday, November 16, 2007

Cellar Notes - Boon Oude Geuze

2002 - 2003 Blend / Tasted October 2007 (13/20)
Thin fizzy head; good retention and very uniform. Colour is fairly typical; orange / very light brown, almost a touch murky. Classic nose of sour fruits, fermenting wine - good lift. Flavours are by no means bold and are similar to the aromas. No bracing acidity or sourness (as I had expected). It's all rather elegant, but perhaps to a fault. The tasting 12 months previously wasn't super impressive - perhaps this beer is better consumed younger?

2003 - 2004 Blend / Tasted October 2006 (16/20)
The real deal. Dry, sour, almost painfully so, a little smokey. Sour grape notes on the bouquet are striking and remind of visit to a winery during fermentation. Dirty sulphur-like notes appear on the palate early - a slight distraction. Finishes sour and hard. Very young despite the fact there’s a little ageing on this sample.

(Drank October 2006, e4.60 @ Kaffe de HopDuvel in Gent).

2002 - 2003 Blend / Tasted October 2006 (13/20)
I drank the 2002 - 2003 blend recently as well. Amber in colour, thin head. Sour notes, quite soft, good drive. Soft again to drink, sour fruits, some slightly dirty grapey notes. A good example of gueze but not a great one. Hmm...bad bottle? 13/20.

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Monday, November 12, 2007

New Releases & Fresh Stocks - Late October


Australia
Pepperjack Ale $3.00 / $17.50
Snowy Mountains Charlotte Hefeweizen $3.00 / $17.50

Belgium
MC Chouffe $12.00
Orval $6.00
Rochefort 10 $8.50

England / Scotland
Belhaven Wee Heavy $7.00
Belhaven Fruit Beer $7.00
John Bull Premium Lager $6.50
Marston's Old Empire $6.50
Ruddles Country Ale $6.50
Spitfire $6.50
Wells Bombardier $6.50
Young's Double Chocolate Stout $6.50 (price drop!!)
Young's Oatmeal Stout $6.50
Young's Bitter $6.50
Young's Special London Ale $6.50

Germany
Weihenstephan Festbier $4.70

New Zealand
Emerson's Organic Pilsner $7.50 (price drop!!)
Emerson's 1812 IPA $7.50 (price drop!!)
Emerson's Old 95 $8.00 (now $1.00 cheaper per bottle!!)
Monteith's Winter ale $3.50 / $20.00

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Recent Tasting Notes


Jamieson Raspberry (10/20)
This has got to be a better beer than the 8% overall rating on http://www.ratebeer.com/ suggests. Dull, dirty blood red, looks serious. Mildly fruited and flavoured nose of raspberry fruits. Subtle flavours to taste, not helped but a fair chunk of fizz. Palate is quite dry through with a hint of bitterness. I can see why people think it’s a crap beer but I really liked the understated and dry structure.

Scheldebrouwerij Witheer (13/20)
I reckon this is pretty good. Murky dull orange, giving the impression it has been subject to low levels of filtering. Nose holds interest; sweet talcum powder and minerals, spice and citrus fruits. Flavours broadly in line with the nose, although the sweet confectionary note gets stronger and is a little off-putting for me.

Anchor Libery Ale (15/20)
Nice ’glowing’ brown with a decent creamy thin head. Hops show through strongly on the nose; resiny, green & sweet herbal fruits, a smokey and almost minerally edge as well. Pretty attractive actually. Palate continues with the hop theme with a slightly hard and bitter finish, and the fainest hint of a fruity malt character you might see in an English bitter. Plenty of fizz, not too much, and a good resiny hop drive on the finish.

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Recent Tasting Notes

Erdinger Champ (6/20)
Amazingly bland wheat beer. Mildy flavoured in every facet and only offers a mildy sticky and sweet corn syrup-like finish. Quite a surprise given most of the other beers from this house are decent.

Zatec Blue Label Pilsner (11/20)
Different take on the text book standard for the style. Fruity, aromatic style on both the nose and palate. Almost like a fruity pale ale of English ale in this respect. Pilsner malts kick in late with very mild bitterness.

Hahn Pale Ale (11/20)
Looks quite good for a beer from this producer; glowing orange with lemon coloured edges and a nice thin creamy head. I think it does have a Coopers-esque nose; sweet citrus and faint estery notes. Palate is ok, more citrus fruity notes (albeit mild) but the sweet syrupy adjunction, corn syrup flavours do detract. Fizz at a good level. Easily the best LN beer I’ve had in recent times.

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