SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS - TNP EDITION!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this week is another HUGE one for new arrivals. We truly couldn't be more excited with the sheer range of exciting beers that continue to walk through our door & hit the shelves on a weekly basis. It really speaks volumes of how rapidly craft beer is being accepted into Australian epicurean culture & certainly validates what us as a retailer are all about! The highlights this week are some very extreme, never before seen beers from those cheeky lads at Brewdog & as usual, plenty more.
FEATURE BEERS
Certainly with the abundance of craft beer around its hard to know how to distinguish what's great & what's not so great. Sure, we'd love to say that all craft beer is great beer, though unfortunately this isn't always the case. So with this in mind we will look at a few standouts & medal winners from the recent Beer World Cup.
Brewdog Hardcore IPA 330ml $7.00
To take out a medal in one of the most coveted categories is certainly no mean feat. Battling it out against the huge variety of US IPAs & the Brewdog boys came out on top! This imperial IPA is brewed with the high alpha US centennial & columbus hop varieties. It is also dry hopped to the hilt, resulting in a hop lovers delight that is big on bitterness. WON GOLD IN IMPERIAL IPA CATEGORY
New Norcia Abbey Ale 330ml $5.50
One of the few local medal winners & certainly a fine effort from the Malt Shovel Brewery. An abbey ale it what sense I’m not too sure. From memory this beer is brewed by malt shovel & cellared within the walls on the Benedictine New Norcia Abbey. True abbey ale? You make the call. Though it is undeniable that this is a nice beer. It has all the hallmarks of the style, rich honey-like malt with some citrus fruit & spicy esters on the finish. WON GOLD IN OTHER BELGIAN STYLE ALE CATEGORY
FEATURE BREWERIES
BREWDOG (SCO)
Those in the know would be well aware of the press (both positive & negative) received by Scotland's Brewdog brewery. Over the past few years they have gotten themselves into hot water on a number of issues, from innapropriate labeling/naming to promoting alcoholism. To be fair, the lads definately dont shy away from the spotlight & in some cases are willing to fuel the fire. While some see their approach as arrogant & roguish, i personally believe they are very astute marketers & have found an extremely effective point of difference, enabling them to set themselves apart from the very traditional UK brewing industry.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin 330ml $150.00
There are two things that need to be said straight off the bat. Firstly, this beer is NOT cheap. Secondly, this beer is NOT a traditional beer. Upon its release late last year, TNP was the worlds strongest beer. Weighing in at a whopping 32%abv, the result of this experiment is certainly more akin to a scotch whisky than a beer. Additionally, there has been much debate as to whether it is even a beer at all (due to its production method).
TNP starts life as a 10% abv imperial stout, it is then aged in both Isle of Arran whisky casks & Islay whisky casks for 8 months. This is somewhat of an achievement in itself, being Brewdogs first ever double cask aged beer. Now if your a beer purist, here is where things get a little hazy. TNP then undergoes an extended maturation period in sub zero temperatures. Given alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, this process results in the vast majority of water freezing (this process is known as freeze distillation). This leaves us with a more alcoholic, more concentrated beer. The process was repeated a number of times until the final result was TNP, a 32% abv, double cask aged, freeze distilled uber-imperial stout.
As mentioned, this is no ordinary beer. Given its extremely high abv it must be treated with reverence. We advise this be consumed in spirit like measures & ideally be shared with a number of people. I suppose the great thing about this not being a beer per-se, is that given its very low, near non-existent carbonation you could very easily re-seal the bottle with a cork & enjoy it over an extended period. Without having to worry too much about degradation of flavour or oxidation.
PLEASE NOT THAT STOCKS ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED, SO BE QUICK OR MISS OUT!
Tokyo* 330ml $15.00
Is there a theme here? Clearly the lads are partial to an imperial stout or two! This is the second annual release of the Tokyo & in typical brewdog fashion they have upped the stakes on their previous effort. This years Tokyo* is an 18% french oak aged imperial stout, brewed with vanilla, cranberry & jasmine. Obviously this is a pretty robust stout, however the use of extra elements in the brewing process make this a really well rounded brew.
Paradox Springbank 330ml $11.50
The latest release in the paradox range & perhaps the most outstanding thus far. This is an imperial stout that is aged in Springbank whisky casks for 6 months. Reason I think this is the best of the lot is that it has great complexity & balance. There have been a number of paradox releases that are either too over the top (smokehead/islay) & some that have been a little dull. This one just works on every level, huge roast from the malt brining coffee/choc but also some berry/raisin tang, wood/vanilla notes & also a touch of smoke/peat. Just great!
5AM Saint 330ml $4.00
Its pretty easy to get caught up in all the hoopla surrounding Brewdog & their crazy, experimental beers but at the end of the day you still need to be able to produce a nice, easy drinking beer. This is it. Stylistically, this is a malty amber ale but with a heap of hop impact for good measure. The use of simcoe, chinook, nelson sauvin & centennial ensures this beer has a tonne of appeal.
COLLESI (ITA)
I was pretty excited when I got word that we would be able to stock another Italian craft brewery to sit alongside the great Baladin range. Much like Baladin, collesi have opted for quite unique (for beer at least) looking bottles. One would easily be mistaken for thinking this was an Italian wine. Given the sheer obscurity of this brewery, they are a relative unknown among online beer geeks. Luckily, my years of studying italian have finally come in handy & has enabled me to translate tasting notes etc from the website!
Alter Bionda 750ml $19.00
Belgian style blonde ale. Distinguished by its use of munich malt & floral hops, providing notes of vanilla, bread crust & honey.
Ego Bionda 750ml $19.00
Another Belgian style blonde ale, however the use of pilsner malt sets this apart from the previous offering. Quite a rich, malty palate is balanced by interesting tropical fruit notes on the finish.
Fiat Lux Ambrata 750ml $21.00
Complex Belgian style amber ale. Radiant in colour & intensely perfumed. Has significant hop notes that are mellowed by cereal-like wheat & oatmeal characters. Finishes with some rich autumnal fruit notes.
Ubi Rossa 750ml $22.00
A nice degree of sweetness & intensely aromatic with rich malt notes of caramel & hazelnuts. An excellent dessert accompaniment.
Maior Nera 750ml $22.00
Black beer with a velvety cappuccino coloured head. Rich in colour & taste with roasted barley, coffee, licorice & rhubarb notes most dominant.
SLOWBEER TASTINGS
In addition to our regular Friday night free tastings, we are looking at running themed tastings. They will run every second month & focus on a style or theme. We will be looking at rare & limited release beers (expensive too!), thus attendance will require a small fee ($10-20) to try the full range on offer (about 10 beers). Given we will be trying & discussing quite a few beers (with high abv!), samples will be 100ml, which we feel is enough to enjoy the beer but not too much to get you drunk & forget the beer altogether!
To give you an idea of what to expect, we are thinking of locking in the following for our first themed tasting night:
SINGLE HOP IPAs
Cost: $15.00 to try ALL beers
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase of beers on tasting that night
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING PLEASE EMAIL US, INFORMING WHICH DAY SUITS
FEATURE BEERS
Certainly with the abundance of craft beer around its hard to know how to distinguish what's great & what's not so great. Sure, we'd love to say that all craft beer is great beer, though unfortunately this isn't always the case. So with this in mind we will look at a few standouts & medal winners from the recent Beer World Cup.
Brewdog Hardcore IPA 330ml $7.00
To take out a medal in one of the most coveted categories is certainly no mean feat. Battling it out against the huge variety of US IPAs & the Brewdog boys came out on top! This imperial IPA is brewed with the high alpha US centennial & columbus hop varieties. It is also dry hopped to the hilt, resulting in a hop lovers delight that is big on bitterness. WON GOLD IN IMPERIAL IPA CATEGORY
New Norcia Abbey Ale 330ml $5.50
One of the few local medal winners & certainly a fine effort from the Malt Shovel Brewery. An abbey ale it what sense I’m not too sure. From memory this beer is brewed by malt shovel & cellared within the walls on the Benedictine New Norcia Abbey. True abbey ale? You make the call. Though it is undeniable that this is a nice beer. It has all the hallmarks of the style, rich honey-like malt with some citrus fruit & spicy esters on the finish. WON GOLD IN OTHER BELGIAN STYLE ALE CATEGORY
FEATURE BREWERIES
BREWDOG (SCO)
Those in the know would be well aware of the press (both positive & negative) received by Scotland's Brewdog brewery. Over the past few years they have gotten themselves into hot water on a number of issues, from innapropriate labeling/naming to promoting alcoholism. To be fair, the lads definately dont shy away from the spotlight & in some cases are willing to fuel the fire. While some see their approach as arrogant & roguish, i personally believe they are very astute marketers & have found an extremely effective point of difference, enabling them to set themselves apart from the very traditional UK brewing industry.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin 330ml $150.00
There are two things that need to be said straight off the bat. Firstly, this beer is NOT cheap. Secondly, this beer is NOT a traditional beer. Upon its release late last year, TNP was the worlds strongest beer. Weighing in at a whopping 32%abv, the result of this experiment is certainly more akin to a scotch whisky than a beer. Additionally, there has been much debate as to whether it is even a beer at all (due to its production method).
TNP starts life as a 10% abv imperial stout, it is then aged in both Isle of Arran whisky casks & Islay whisky casks for 8 months. This is somewhat of an achievement in itself, being Brewdogs first ever double cask aged beer. Now if your a beer purist, here is where things get a little hazy. TNP then undergoes an extended maturation period in sub zero temperatures. Given alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, this process results in the vast majority of water freezing (this process is known as freeze distillation). This leaves us with a more alcoholic, more concentrated beer. The process was repeated a number of times until the final result was TNP, a 32% abv, double cask aged, freeze distilled uber-imperial stout.
As mentioned, this is no ordinary beer. Given its extremely high abv it must be treated with reverence. We advise this be consumed in spirit like measures & ideally be shared with a number of people. I suppose the great thing about this not being a beer per-se, is that given its very low, near non-existent carbonation you could very easily re-seal the bottle with a cork & enjoy it over an extended period. Without having to worry too much about degradation of flavour or oxidation.
PLEASE NOT THAT STOCKS ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED, SO BE QUICK OR MISS OUT!
Tokyo* 330ml $15.00
Is there a theme here? Clearly the lads are partial to an imperial stout or two! This is the second annual release of the Tokyo & in typical brewdog fashion they have upped the stakes on their previous effort. This years Tokyo* is an 18% french oak aged imperial stout, brewed with vanilla, cranberry & jasmine. Obviously this is a pretty robust stout, however the use of extra elements in the brewing process make this a really well rounded brew.
Paradox Springbank 330ml $11.50
The latest release in the paradox range & perhaps the most outstanding thus far. This is an imperial stout that is aged in Springbank whisky casks for 6 months. Reason I think this is the best of the lot is that it has great complexity & balance. There have been a number of paradox releases that are either too over the top (smokehead/islay) & some that have been a little dull. This one just works on every level, huge roast from the malt brining coffee/choc but also some berry/raisin tang, wood/vanilla notes & also a touch of smoke/peat. Just great!
5AM Saint 330ml $4.00
Its pretty easy to get caught up in all the hoopla surrounding Brewdog & their crazy, experimental beers but at the end of the day you still need to be able to produce a nice, easy drinking beer. This is it. Stylistically, this is a malty amber ale but with a heap of hop impact for good measure. The use of simcoe, chinook, nelson sauvin & centennial ensures this beer has a tonne of appeal.
COLLESI (ITA)
I was pretty excited when I got word that we would be able to stock another Italian craft brewery to sit alongside the great Baladin range. Much like Baladin, collesi have opted for quite unique (for beer at least) looking bottles. One would easily be mistaken for thinking this was an Italian wine. Given the sheer obscurity of this brewery, they are a relative unknown among online beer geeks. Luckily, my years of studying italian have finally come in handy & has enabled me to translate tasting notes etc from the website!
Alter Bionda 750ml $19.00
Belgian style blonde ale. Distinguished by its use of munich malt & floral hops, providing notes of vanilla, bread crust & honey.
Ego Bionda 750ml $19.00
Another Belgian style blonde ale, however the use of pilsner malt sets this apart from the previous offering. Quite a rich, malty palate is balanced by interesting tropical fruit notes on the finish.
Fiat Lux Ambrata 750ml $21.00
Complex Belgian style amber ale. Radiant in colour & intensely perfumed. Has significant hop notes that are mellowed by cereal-like wheat & oatmeal characters. Finishes with some rich autumnal fruit notes.
Ubi Rossa 750ml $22.00
A nice degree of sweetness & intensely aromatic with rich malt notes of caramel & hazelnuts. An excellent dessert accompaniment.
Maior Nera 750ml $22.00
Black beer with a velvety cappuccino coloured head. Rich in colour & taste with roasted barley, coffee, licorice & rhubarb notes most dominant.
SLOWBEER TASTINGS
In addition to our regular Friday night free tastings, we are looking at running themed tastings. They will run every second month & focus on a style or theme. We will be looking at rare & limited release beers (expensive too!), thus attendance will require a small fee ($10-20) to try the full range on offer (about 10 beers). Given we will be trying & discussing quite a few beers (with high abv!), samples will be 100ml, which we feel is enough to enjoy the beer but not too much to get you drunk & forget the beer altogether!
To give you an idea of what to expect, we are thinking of locking in the following for our first themed tasting night:
SINGLE HOP IPAs
- Galaxy (AUS)
- Nelson Sauvin (NZ)
- East Kent Goldings (ENG)
- Cascade (US)
- Amarillo (US)
- Simcoe (US)
- Chinook (US)
Cost: $15.00 to try ALL beers
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase of beers on tasting that night
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING PLEASE EMAIL US, INFORMING WHICH DAY SUITS
Labels: Beer News, New Releases, Recent Tasting Notes
posted by Chris Menichelli at
4:04 pm
1 Comments:
Alcohol businesses should also provide alcohol trainings to employees in order to provide outstanding and responsible service when you sell or serve alcohol.
By
RSA, at 10:38 am
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