SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS
As you may have noticed its been a relatively quiet few weeks on the slowbeer front, reason being that I have been traveling the east coast of oz & visiting the odd brewery or two...or three! With this in mind I thought it fitting that our newsletter focus on a number of aspects of our local craft beer industry as a whole & not just the retail side of things.
I recently came across two excellent craft beer related articles & certainly recommend having a read of them. Wednesday’s Age Epicure had a really interesting article by resident beer writer & slowbeer friend James Smith explaining the rise in popularity of barrel ageing beers. The other was in the new edition of Beer & Brewer magazine discussing how organic & slow food concepts are now being utilized by local breweries. Funnily enough, the term “slow beer“ has now been applied to the production of beers that promote slow food principles. We even managed to get a nice mention in the article, for obvious reasons!
SLOW BEERS TO TRY
ROGUE (US) Wet Hop Ale 650ml $15.00
The first release in the chatoe rogue range, abiding by the true concept of slow beer. Using fresh, first growth hops from their own estate as well as barley & their trademark pacman yeast means this certainly ticks all the boxes. Here an emphasis was placed on balance & subtlety, letting the unique character of the hops shine. Unlike many other beers in their range, this is not drowned in malt sweetness & wont blow you away with hop bitterness. This is a true craft beer.
ROGUE (US) Dirtoir Black Lager 650ml $15.00
Second release in the range & I have to say was pretty surprised they went for a German inspired black lager. Again, here they have used their own estate made hops, malt & yeast. Perhaps a little more robust than the previous chatoe release & certainly more so for the style. Malt is very well rounded with nuts, caramel & chocolate, while the hops come across as quite robust.
+ BE SURE TO TRY THE 2M TALL RANGE: Cleansing Ale, Forester Pale Ale, Derwent Clear Ale & Huon Dark Ale. This Tassie brewery make all their beers using estate grown or local produce.
BARRELL AGED BEERS TO TRY
As previously mentioned, this practice is becoming very popular with local producers who are opting to use former oak wine barrels. In the US they tend to use bourbon barrels & in much of Europe whisky barrels are used. As you can probably guess, these beers aren't cheap. Good quality barrels can be hard to come by & rather expensive & add to this the sometimes lengthy maturation periods. However, such beers can be an excellent investment. Given their sheer depth of flavour & complexity, said beers can be cellared for extended periods & will certainly evolve over time.
FROM MIKKELLER (DEN)
Mikkel’s Monster 600ml $50.00
American style barley wine that has been aged in both port & bordeaux barrels. Both impart a fraction of grape sweetness & tannin. Seems to have a great synergy with the malt, resulting in a rich prune like character. A big beer in every way & probably my favorite from mikkeller!
Black Whisky Edition 375ml $32.00
Be warned, this beer is huge! At 17.5% abv the original version (black) was certainly a handful. Team the spirit-like whisky notes picked up from barrel ageing with the base beer & you are in for a treat! If ever there were a beer to cellar, this is it.
Black Peated Edition 375ml $42.00
Similar to above, except this one trumps it! Possessing masses of smoke & peat, this is one for the islay single malt lovers.
Beer Geek Breakfast Speyside Edition 500ml $32.00
It was always going to be hard making any form of improvement on the regular breakfast, as it is an excellent beer. I’m not sure whether this does the job, it certainly doesn’t improve but it changes it quite considerably (in a good way). Rich & quite low in carbonation, allowing the more delicate speyside whisky notes to come through.
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition 500ml $40.00
Similar to above, the base beer is unbelievable & hard to fathom any form of improvement. That said, I think this may pull it off. Again, not necessarily improving it but certainly adding a whole new layer of complexity. Good move using highland casks as they are more subtle & don’t overpower the already robust weasel coffee notes.
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition 500ml $40.00
Well, this is certainly an assault on the senses. We all know islay attributes some big old smoke & peat characters, while the weasel coffee is robust in its own right. But does it actually work? Surprisingly it does! The smoke characters seem to have a great synergy with the dry & bitter weasel coffee notes. Another perfect candidate for the cellar.
FROM NOGNE O (NOR)
Imperial Stout Highland Edition 500ml $22.00
I was starting to get a little jaded with all the whisky barrel ageing. Whether many examples had been transformed for the better was debatable but this restored my faith & quite fitting it was from one of my favorite breweries! The highland whisky notes compliment the base beer beautifully without overpowering. Excellent beer & very complex.
God Jul Islay Edition 500ml $22.00
Starting out as a US style robust porter & aged in islay whisky casks for 3 months results in beer that is not for the feint of heart. If you are a fan of islay single malts, then you will love this as it possesses those truly unique peat & smoke characters. The base beer offers some support but this is all about the islay!
+ SOME OTHERS
ORKNEY Dark Island Reserve (SCO) 750ml $45.00
In terms of style, this beer is almost a hybrid of a porter & barley wine but perhaps more fittingly named a strong ale. Aged in old Dalmore whisky casks for 3 months enables this ale to develop excellent depth & complexity. Rich & viscous in body displaying smoke & peated malt characters as well as rich coffee & chocolate notes from the roasted malt. Raisin & prune like fruity esters add to the already multifaceted palate.
INNIS & GUNN Original (SCO) 330ml $6.50
I suppose you could say this was somewhat of a frontier beer as it was one of the first available oak aged beers in Oz. This pretty much opened my eyes to the merits of ageing beers & bringing about a second layer of complexity beyond the malt, hops & yeast. Pretty tame in comparison to most others but serves as a great gateway to the wonderful world of oak ageing!
SOUTHERN TIER Cuvee 2 (US) 650ml $19.50
Starting out as a strong ale, this is then aged on american oak where it picks up subtle vanilla, coconut & toasty oak notes. A good one to cellar, as it is showing a bit of roughness at this early stage.
BRIDGE RD Imperial Oak Aged Porter (VIC) 750ml $30.00
Aged in former giaconda winery barrels adds some very subtle toasty oak notes as well as a bit of acidity & tannin. Works well with the base beer. Also dry hopped with kiwi hop nelson sauvin, imparting some more acidity by way of subtle citrus fruit hop notes.
MURRAYS Anniversary Ale 4 (NSW) 750ml
Only available direct at the brewery once a year, usually December. Every years release is slightly different from the last, though always styled as a barley wine. This one has been aged in former hunter valley shiraz barrels & as a result has picked up some peppery, spicy shiraz characters. Slowbeer purchased a doz with the intention to cellar & keep for ourselves but if interested, please let us know.
I recently came across two excellent craft beer related articles & certainly recommend having a read of them. Wednesday’s Age Epicure had a really interesting article by resident beer writer & slowbeer friend James Smith explaining the rise in popularity of barrel ageing beers. The other was in the new edition of Beer & Brewer magazine discussing how organic & slow food concepts are now being utilized by local breweries. Funnily enough, the term “slow beer“ has now been applied to the production of beers that promote slow food principles. We even managed to get a nice mention in the article, for obvious reasons!
SLOW BEERS TO TRY
ROGUE (US) Wet Hop Ale 650ml $15.00
The first release in the chatoe rogue range, abiding by the true concept of slow beer. Using fresh, first growth hops from their own estate as well as barley & their trademark pacman yeast means this certainly ticks all the boxes. Here an emphasis was placed on balance & subtlety, letting the unique character of the hops shine. Unlike many other beers in their range, this is not drowned in malt sweetness & wont blow you away with hop bitterness. This is a true craft beer.
ROGUE (US) Dirtoir Black Lager 650ml $15.00
Second release in the range & I have to say was pretty surprised they went for a German inspired black lager. Again, here they have used their own estate made hops, malt & yeast. Perhaps a little more robust than the previous chatoe release & certainly more so for the style. Malt is very well rounded with nuts, caramel & chocolate, while the hops come across as quite robust.
+ BE SURE TO TRY THE 2M TALL RANGE: Cleansing Ale, Forester Pale Ale, Derwent Clear Ale & Huon Dark Ale. This Tassie brewery make all their beers using estate grown or local produce.
BARRELL AGED BEERS TO TRY
As previously mentioned, this practice is becoming very popular with local producers who are opting to use former oak wine barrels. In the US they tend to use bourbon barrels & in much of Europe whisky barrels are used. As you can probably guess, these beers aren't cheap. Good quality barrels can be hard to come by & rather expensive & add to this the sometimes lengthy maturation periods. However, such beers can be an excellent investment. Given their sheer depth of flavour & complexity, said beers can be cellared for extended periods & will certainly evolve over time.
FROM MIKKELLER (DEN)
Mikkel’s Monster 600ml $50.00
American style barley wine that has been aged in both port & bordeaux barrels. Both impart a fraction of grape sweetness & tannin. Seems to have a great synergy with the malt, resulting in a rich prune like character. A big beer in every way & probably my favorite from mikkeller!
Black Whisky Edition 375ml $32.00
Be warned, this beer is huge! At 17.5% abv the original version (black) was certainly a handful. Team the spirit-like whisky notes picked up from barrel ageing with the base beer & you are in for a treat! If ever there were a beer to cellar, this is it.
Black Peated Edition 375ml $42.00
Similar to above, except this one trumps it! Possessing masses of smoke & peat, this is one for the islay single malt lovers.
Beer Geek Breakfast Speyside Edition 500ml $32.00
It was always going to be hard making any form of improvement on the regular breakfast, as it is an excellent beer. I’m not sure whether this does the job, it certainly doesn’t improve but it changes it quite considerably (in a good way). Rich & quite low in carbonation, allowing the more delicate speyside whisky notes to come through.
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition 500ml $40.00
Similar to above, the base beer is unbelievable & hard to fathom any form of improvement. That said, I think this may pull it off. Again, not necessarily improving it but certainly adding a whole new layer of complexity. Good move using highland casks as they are more subtle & don’t overpower the already robust weasel coffee notes.
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition 500ml $40.00
Well, this is certainly an assault on the senses. We all know islay attributes some big old smoke & peat characters, while the weasel coffee is robust in its own right. But does it actually work? Surprisingly it does! The smoke characters seem to have a great synergy with the dry & bitter weasel coffee notes. Another perfect candidate for the cellar.
FROM NOGNE O (NOR)
Imperial Stout Highland Edition 500ml $22.00
I was starting to get a little jaded with all the whisky barrel ageing. Whether many examples had been transformed for the better was debatable but this restored my faith & quite fitting it was from one of my favorite breweries! The highland whisky notes compliment the base beer beautifully without overpowering. Excellent beer & very complex.
God Jul Islay Edition 500ml $22.00
Starting out as a US style robust porter & aged in islay whisky casks for 3 months results in beer that is not for the feint of heart. If you are a fan of islay single malts, then you will love this as it possesses those truly unique peat & smoke characters. The base beer offers some support but this is all about the islay!
+ SOME OTHERS
ORKNEY Dark Island Reserve (SCO) 750ml $45.00
In terms of style, this beer is almost a hybrid of a porter & barley wine but perhaps more fittingly named a strong ale. Aged in old Dalmore whisky casks for 3 months enables this ale to develop excellent depth & complexity. Rich & viscous in body displaying smoke & peated malt characters as well as rich coffee & chocolate notes from the roasted malt. Raisin & prune like fruity esters add to the already multifaceted palate.
INNIS & GUNN Original (SCO) 330ml $6.50
I suppose you could say this was somewhat of a frontier beer as it was one of the first available oak aged beers in Oz. This pretty much opened my eyes to the merits of ageing beers & bringing about a second layer of complexity beyond the malt, hops & yeast. Pretty tame in comparison to most others but serves as a great gateway to the wonderful world of oak ageing!
SOUTHERN TIER Cuvee 2 (US) 650ml $19.50
Starting out as a strong ale, this is then aged on american oak where it picks up subtle vanilla, coconut & toasty oak notes. A good one to cellar, as it is showing a bit of roughness at this early stage.
BRIDGE RD Imperial Oak Aged Porter (VIC) 750ml $30.00
Aged in former giaconda winery barrels adds some very subtle toasty oak notes as well as a bit of acidity & tannin. Works well with the base beer. Also dry hopped with kiwi hop nelson sauvin, imparting some more acidity by way of subtle citrus fruit hop notes.
MURRAYS Anniversary Ale 4 (NSW) 750ml
Only available direct at the brewery once a year, usually December. Every years release is slightly different from the last, though always styled as a barley wine. This one has been aged in former hunter valley shiraz barrels & as a result has picked up some peppery, spicy shiraz characters. Slowbeer purchased a doz with the intention to cellar & keep for ourselves but if interested, please let us know.
Labels: Beer News, New Releases, Recent Tasting Notes
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