Recent Tasting Notes

Red Hill Temptation (15/20)
If first impressions count for much then this beer is a clear winner. Massive white head on the pour that soon settled. Colour is very attractive; glowing orange with some tan notes. Fruity note with a decent level of intensity, spices as well, and perhaps a mild piney hop character. All works well together. A little less refined to taste with plenty of powerful malts and some dessert wine-like apricot but I pick up a fair slab of ABV heat....not quite at the disjointed stage but nevertheless slightly off-putting. But...still a very good beer from a very good brewery.


Mash Brewing Mex (6/20)
Gawd....how many times have I written ’why bother’ in my notes? Particularly when a fledgling Oz mirco cranks out a macro / adjunct laden pale lager. Or in this case, a pale lager of the worst kind - the Corona wannabe! Light golden hue with a thin, pure white head. Corny, syrupy nose, no ’exciting hop aroma’ here. Subdued flavours to taste, again the corn-like characters pop up, but not much else. I could imagine it would be very easy to drink 10 of these babies on a hot summer’s day.


Redoak Marzen (12/20)
Kinda weird but works ok. Palate showed good balance with the malts, medium weight, but also combined with a cheesy, pongy note. Fault maybe? I’ve marked it down as ’complexity’. Otherwise this beer reads well to the que card; toasty malt, moderate levels of bitterness and a firmness from the 6.2%. Almost like a bitter from the UK, putting the ABV to one side.

New Releases & Fresh Stocks - February

Australia
Coopers Vintage Ale 2007 $3.90 / $23.00
Feral Brewing White $2.90 / $17.00
Wicked Elf Pilsner $3.90 / $15.00 (4)
Wicked Elf Pale ale $3.90 / $15.00 (4)
Wicked Elf Witbier $3.90 / $15.00 (4)

Belgium
Abbaye de Forest $5.00
Deus Brut Flanders $43.00
Karmeliet Tripel $7.50
Rodenbach Grand Cru $7.00
Silly Saison $4.20
Stella Artois 500m cans $4.00

France
Eric Bordelet Sydre Argelette $27
Eric Bordelet Sydre Brut Tendre $18
Eric Bordelet Poire Ganit $32

Japan
Sapporo $3.80

India
Sinha Stout $4.20

New Zealand
Steinlager $3.00 / $17.50

UK
Adnams Broadside Ale $6.50
Bishops Finger $6.50

USA
Sam Adams Boston Lager $4.00

Recent Tasting Notes

Murray's Grand Cru (14/20)
The cork removal process was an absolute bugger - just like the Anniversay Ale!! The head on my bottle was very thin. Very expressive and perfumed nose; fruity esters, sweet grapefruit, soft floral characters, and perhaps a faint sugary note. The flavours are a bit more straight forward and the palate, in the early stages, is driven by a sweet malt that transforms into fruity flavours that progressively thicken. Finishes with a touch of heat and bitterness that appears alcohol driven, but that said the near 9% weight is well managed. To my tastes has more in common with the recent double IPA style releases from fellow Oz micros, rather than a abbey tripel. Whatever, I think this beer is interesting and well worth a try.

Amager Hr. Frederiksen (16/20)
2007 Bottling. Very similar in appearance to the Pink Elephant IS we sampled just prior. Chocolate and coffee nose, powerful, burnt roast, with an underlying sweetness. Much dry in the mouth than I expected; some chocolate, strong coffee, some heat. Shows a bunch of class and tastes very young.

Narke Kaggen Stormaktsporter (15/20)
I wasn’t fully appreciative of the status this beer enjoys but perhaps a good thing when sampling 'blind'. A dead ringer in appearance to the Hr Frederiksen Amager. Nose is subdued with coffee, mild chocolate. Soft palate structure, actually quite seamless, with a woody, spirity note that’s not really adding to the beer. The fruitcake, zinfandel-like flavour is ok but the disjointed flavours from the spirity note mess with my head.

Cellar Notes - Cantillon Rose De Gambrinus

Bottled: June 2006
Sampled: October 2007 (17/20)

Blood orange in colour; very illuminated and lively. Big nose of musty fruits and very sour raspberry fruits (and perhaps a touch of strawberry). A good lick of attractive confectionary-like aromas as well. Plenty of tight, zingy and intense acidic fruits; almost citrus like. Really quite a serious style that will age very well.

Cellar Notes - Oud Beersel Oude Geuze

Bottled: January 2005
Sampled: October 2007 (15/20)

Another beer very well suited to drinking from a wine glass. Body is murky pale gold with a dull orange core. Big winey, vinegar, stinky aromas with sweet and sour notes. Good depth. Sharp, prickly palate with high-fizz, sour wine fruits, some bitterness. Good driving length and sour finish.

Beer News - New Red Hill Release

Red Hill has just released its Belgian Blonde. Newletter can be found here.

I had a glass at the The Local Taphouse last week and its clear this beer continues the long run of excellent seasonals from the brewer.

Beer News - Super Super Premium Beer

I'm a bit late on this one but makes for decent reading.......................