Cellar Notes - Orval

Vintage: November 2007
Consumed: July 2010

Not sure cellaring really worked on this occasion. Aroma is still a wonderful combination of sour fruits, pepper and old wood, but the palate has flattened somewhat leaving a base of mild pepper and slate. Quite fizzy, which perhaps suggests the beer is lively but in reality no really going anywhere.

SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS - BEER HERE!

Short & sweet this week. The addition of another world class, albeit relatively young Scandinavian brewer to our range & a last call for those wishing to attend our Mikkeller Showcase sessions next week.

FEATURE BREWERY
BEER HERE (DEN)
Its with much excitement that we welcome another excellent range of Scandinavian brews, this time from the Copenhagen based Beer Here. Much like their fellow countrymen, Mikkeller, Beer Here are gypsy brewers, in that they hop around Europe brewing at many locations, some as far as Brewdog in Scotland.

Lupulis 500ml $11.00 – Hoppy Pale Ale brewed with American & Kiwi hop varieties
Fat Cat 500ml $11.00 - Hoppy Amber Ale brewed with the increasingly popular Nelson Sauvin variety
Hop Fix 500ml $12.50 - A big & brash IPA, brewed with rye, attributing a chewy caramel palate with a cleansing, spicy bitterness
Hoptilicus 500ml $14.00 – American style Strong Ale, brewed with beet sugar, dark malt & copious amounts of Centennial & Chinook hops
Paske Ale 500ml $12.50 - Tribute to beers of a bygone era, with recipes found on tablets in modern day Iraq. Points to the use of barley, honey, dates & grapes.
Amme Stout 500ml $12.50– Traditional English style stout brewed with milk sugar & coffee

MIKKELLER WINTER WARMER SHOWCASE - NEXT WEEK!
After the success of our recent Barrel Aged tasting, I figured we’d better get cracking & decide on a theme for our next in August. With some careful consideration (of the weather) & in keeping with what we originally promised we have decided to offer the following:

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel – Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with kopi luwak, the world’s most obscure & expensive coffee (RRP $32.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition – As above + aged in Highland Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition – As above + aged in Islay Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Black – Huge, thick & rich Imperial stout fermented with champagne yeast to get to a heady 18%abv (RRP $23.00)
Black Whisky Edition – As above + aged in French Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)
Black Peated Edition – As above + aged in Peated Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)

When: BOTH Wednesday 4th August 7pm (FULL!) & Sunday 8th August 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($210 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP AS IT IS NEXT WEEK!

SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS

As you may have gathered, last week was somewhat hectic, with plenty of great new beers hitting the shelves. As usual, this week is no different. Brand new breweries, the likes of which the country has never seen, some crazy new releases from the lads at Brewdog & as always, plenty more!

FEATURE BEERS
BREWDOG (SCO)
Abstrakt AB:01 375ml $22.50
The first release under their new abstrak label, this brew is a Belgian style Quad, infused with vanilla bean. Unlike the rest of the range, the abstrakt philosophy (with regard to the label/bottle) appears to be less is more. However, in typical Brewdog fashion this doesn’t necessarily translate to the beer. Dark, rich & exceptionally complex, with the added dimension of vanilla means this brew will be an excellent candidate for cellaring.

Hardcore Imperial IPA 330ml $7.00
Centennial, columbus & simcoe in the boil as well as dry hopping ensures this 150IBU brew is not for the faint of heart. Recently awarded gold in Imperial IPA category at Beer World Cup!
NOTE: WE HAVE SINK THE BISMARCK! ARRIVING NEXT WEEK. STOCK IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

FEATURE BREWERY
ANDERSON VALLEY (USA)
New North American craft breweries gracing our shores are always met with much excitement & AVBC deserves nothing different. Hailing from California, this West Coast brewery has plenty to offer & has received many accolades. As if producing great beer wasn’t enough, theses guys run one of the few solar powered breweries in the world!

20th Anniversary Imperial IPA 650ml $21.50
Hop Ottin IPA 650ml $16.00
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout 650ml $16.00
Boon American Amber Ale 650ml $14.50
Boon Extra Special Bitter 355ml $7.50
Brother Davids Tripel 650ml $19.50
Brother Davids Dubbel 650ml $19.50
Deependers Dark Porter 650ml $14.50

NEW ARRIVALS
FROM NEW ZEALAND
Renaissance Craftsman 500ml $10.00 – Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
FROM US
Rogue Double Mocha Porter 650ml $21.00 - Super –charged version of their brilliant mocha porter
Rogue John John Dead Guy Ale 650ml $18.00 – Whisky Cask Aged Dead Guy Ale
Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout 207ml $7.00
Rogue XS Imperial Red Ale 207ml $7.00

FRESH STOCKS
FROM AUSTRALIA
Grand Ridge Supershine 330ml $9.00
FROM NEW ZEALAND
Renaissance Paradox 500ml $9.50 – A brilliant showcase of the delicious Riwaka hop variety
FROM US
Rogue Dead Guy Ale 650ml $15.00
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA 650ml $15.00
Rogue Brutal IPA 650ml $15.00
Rogue Juniper Pale 650ml $15.00
FROM BELGIUM
De Molen & Mikkeller Mikkel & Menno 330ml $10.50
FROM UK
Meantime IPA 750ml $22.00
Meantime London Porter 750ml $22.00
Meantime Chocolate 330ml $8.00
Meantime Coffee 330ml $8.00

MIKKELLER WINTER WARMER SHOWCASE
After the success of our recent Barrel Aged tasting, I figured we’d better get cracking & decide on a theme for our next in August. With some careful consideration (of the weather) & in keeping with what we originally promised we have decided to offer the following:

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel – Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with kopi luwak, the world’s most obscure & expensive coffee (RRP $32.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition – As above + aged in Highland Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition – As above + aged in Islay Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Black – Huge, thick & rich Imperial stout fermented with champagne yeast to get to a heady 18%abv (RRP $23.00)
Black Whisky Edition – As above + aged in French Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)
Black Peated Edition – As above + aged in Peated Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)

When: BOTH Wednesday 4th August 7pm & Sunday 8th August 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($210 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHICH SESSION, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS

SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS (YES MORE!)

New arrivals always means good news. Despite the fact that i wasn't expecting these until next week, it was certainly a pleasant surprise that they turned up. Only problem is that there are now boxes everywhere! Do me a favor & take some off my hands!

FEATURE BREWERY
ANDERSON VALLEY (USA)
New North American craft breweries gracing our shores are always met with much excitement & AVBC deserves nothing different. Hailing from California, this West Coast brewery has plenty to offer & has received many accolades. In addition to their great beer, they are also one of a few solar powered breweries in the world.

20th Anniversary Imperial IPA 650ml $21.50
Hop Ottin IPA 650ml $16.00
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout 650ml $16.00
Boon American Amber Ale 650ml $14.50
Boon Extra Special Bitter 355ml $7.50
Brother Davids Tripel 650ml $19.50
Brother Davids Dubbel 650ml $19.50
Deependers Dark Porter 650ml $14.50

NEW ARRIVALS
FROM NEW ZEALAND
Renaissance Craftsman 500ml $10.00 – Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
FROM US
Rogue Double Mocha Porter 650ml $21.00 - Super–charged version of their brilliant mocha porter
Rogue John John Dead Guy Ale 650ml $18.00 – Whisky Cask Aged Dead Guy Ale
Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout 207ml $7.00
Rogue XS Imperial Red Ale 207ml $7.00

FRESH STOCKS
FROM NEW ZEALAND
Renaissance Paradox 500ml $9.50 – A brilliant showcase of the delicious Riwaka hop variety
Rogue Dead Guy Ale 650ml $15.00
Rogue Yellow Snow IPA 650ml $15.00
Rogue Brutal IPA 650ml $15.00
Rogue Juniper Pale 650ml $15.00
FROM BELGIUM
De Molen & Mikkeller Mikkel & Menno 330ml $10.50
FROM UK
Meantime IPA 750ml $22.00
Meantime London Porter 750ml $22.00
Meantime Chocolate 330ml $8.00
Meantime Coffee 330ml $8.00

SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS + GROWLERS AREA GO!

A busy one this week, with endless amounts of fresh stock walking through the door, at seemingly an uncontrollable rate. Plenty of familiar brews back on the shelves & as always some great new releases, which many have never seen before! As if that wasn’t enough, we also have our slowbeer2go growlers up & running!

SLOWBEER2GO IS A GO – GROWLERS FILLING AS WE SPEAK!
Ok, so we have been pumping up our slowbeer2go growler concept for a while now but after an epic delay we are finally up & running, selling growlers! If your not familiar with the concept, it is essentially a way of taking away fresh draught beer & drinking it when/where you want. For those who want to know the history or just like a story: http://beeradvocate.com/articles/384

We currently have a keg of Mikkeller Y Pale Ale on offer & once this keg is gone we will get something completely different. Mikkeller is a cult Danish brewer & this particular beer is an American Style Pale Ale that is not available in bottles. It is very hop focused, so citrus fruit notes as well as some piney bitterness on the finish. It also has a decent amount of malt to support the hops. Its 5.9%abv so almost tending towards an IPA. It is $25 for a fill of this beer. Capacity of the bottle is 1.9L. We sell the actual growler bottles for $15. It is a one off cost as the bottle is then yours to keep.

Lastly for the beer nerds, in terms of how we do it, we fill the growler using a beer gun. This enables us to purge the bottle with co2 both before & after filling. The reason for doing it in this manner is that it stays fresh longer by eliminating o2 in the bottle (if there is o2 in the headspace of the bottle, the carbonation from the liquid will escape into that space, meaning your beer will go flat). A few local breweries that offer it fill straight from the tap, which works well but the beer is less likely to stay carbonated & fresh for as long.

As you can probably guess we are pretty chuffed to be one of the few places in Australia to be offering growlers. Even more encouraging is that fact that the only places that do are breweries. Another first for the country's only 100% dedicated craft beer store - Exciting times ahead!

NEW RELEASES
FROM AUSTRALIA
3 Ravens Ale Noir 750ml $18.00 – Dark smoke beer aged in Pinot Noir Barrels
3 Ravens The Ravenator Bock 500ml $9.00 - Rich, malty & delicious! Inspired by the classic Paulaner Salvator
FROM JAPAN
Hitachino Nest Ginger 355ml $8.50
FROM USA
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 355ml $7.50 – An IPA with a difference, hop bitterness we love from US beers but richer malt presence for cooler weather

FRESH STOCKS
FROM AUSTRALIA
Hunter Chocolate Porter 750ml $16.50 – Judged champion porter at recent AIBA
FROM GERMANY
Schneider & Brooklyn Hopfenweisse 500ml $9.00
FROM JAPAN
Hitachino Nest XH 355ml $8.50 – Belgian style strong ale aged in shochu casks
FROM UK
Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask 330ml $8.00
Innis & Gunn Triple Matured 330ml $7.50
Innis & Gunn Rum Cask 330ml $8.00
Orkney Skullsplitter 330ml $7.00
Orkney Red MacGregor 500ml $9.00
Worthington White Shield 500ml $8.00
Theakstons Old Peculiar 500ml $10.00
FROM USA
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 355ml $6.00
Sierra Nevada Porter 355ml $6.00
Sierra Nevada Stout 355ml $6.00

MIKKELLER WINTER WARMER SHOWCASE
After the success of our recent Barrel Aged tasting, I figured we’d better get cracking & decide on a theme for our next in August. With some careful consideration (of the weather) & in keeping with what we originally promised we have decided to offer the following:

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel – Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with kopi luwak, the world’s most obscure & expensive coffee (RRP $32.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition – As above + aged in Highland Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition – As above + aged in Islay Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Black – Huge, thick & rich Imperial stout fermented with champagne yeast to get to a heady 18%abv (RRP $23.00)
Black Whisky Edition – As above + aged in French Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)
Black Peated Edition – As above + aged in Peated Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)

When: BOTH Wednesday 4th August 7pm & Sunday 8th August 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($210 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHICH SESSION, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS

SLOWBEER2GO IS A GO - GROWLERS FILLING AS WE SPEAK!

Ok, so we have been pumping up our slowbeer2go growler concept for a while now but after an epic delay we are finally up & running, selling growlers!

If your not familiar with the concept, it is essentially a way of taking away fresh draught beer & drinking it when/where you want. For those who want to know the history or just like a story: http://beeradvocate.com/articles/384

We sell the actual growler bottles for $15. It is a one off cost as the bottle is then yours to keep.

We currently have a keg of Mikkeller Y Pale Ale on offer & once this keg is gone we will get something completely different. Mikkeller is a cult Danish brewer & this particular beer is an American Style Pale Ale that is not in bottles. It is very hop focused, so citrus fruit notes as well as some piney bitterness on the finish. It also has a decent amount of crystal malt to support the hops. Its 5.9%abv so almost tending towards an IPA. It is $25 for a fill of this beer. Capacity of the bottle is 1.9L.

Lastly for the beer nerds, in terms of how we do it, we fill the growler using a beer gun. This enables us to purge the bottle with co2 both before & after filling. The reason for doing it in this manner is that it stays fresh longer by eliminating o2 in the bottle (if there is o2 in the headspace of the bottle, the carbonation from the liquid will escape into that space, meaning your beer will go flat). A few local breweries that offer it fill straight from the tap, which is works well but the beer is less likely to stay carbonated & fresh for as long.

As you can probably guess we are pretty chuffed to be one of the few places in Australia to be offering growlers. Even more encouraging is that fact that the only places that do are breweries. Another first for the country's only 100% dedicated craft beer store - Exciting times ahead!

SLOWBEER'S NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS!

As always, there is plenty of news this week. Though somewhat unusually, not any great quantities of new beers, just a handful of excellent, never before seen releases!

FEATURE BEERS
LITTLE CREATURES (WA) Single Batch Brown Ale 568ml $5.50
Really pleased to see creatures continue with their single batch releases. However annoyingly for us, the allocation has once again been exceptionally small. So you will need to be quick to get your hands on this one! Styled as an American Brown Ale, this brew has masses of lightly roasted malts giving a subtle caramel sweetness with some drier nutty characters. Being a US style brown, it also has a good old whack of bitterness on the finish imparted by US cascade hops as well as local Hallertau from Tassie, Victorian Galaxy & a relatively new local variety, Topaz. Rich malt & 48IBU means this beer will be a cracker for winter but as mentioned, be quick or miss out!

RED HILL (VIC) Imperial Stout 330ml $5.50
Probably the most heavily anticipated of the Red Hill seasonals & with good reason. Tending more towards a classic imperial stout (think Samuel Smith’s) with masses of heavily roasted dark malt & also a good dose of estate grown willamette & goldings hops. Despite the elevated abv (8.1%), this comes across as silky smooth & drinks far too easily for a beer of this richness. Sure, they could have gone all out with a huge 20% abv, teeth-rottingly sweet uber imperial stout like so many other brewers but this, much like all Red Hill beers is all about finesse. Enjoy now or cellar for 3-5 years.
HAS WON SILVER IN IMPERIAL STOUT CATGORY AT AIBA LAST 4 YEARS IN A ROW!

FEATURE BREWERY
EPIC (NZ)
We’ve flogged Lukes’s beers so many times before & certainly with good reason. This time he has 2 brand spanking new releases that people have been anticipating for months!

EPIC Barrel Aged Armageddon IPA 500ml $16.50
Most of us know the history behind the India Pale Ale style. Colonial Troops in India wanted to enjoy their favorite local tipples, however the long & arduous journey often rendered the beer undrinkable. Thus IPAs were brewed with a heap of hops (traditionally used as a preservative) & higher abv to survive. They were also housed in wooden barrels, which arguably changed the character of the beer. In a bid to test this theory, Luke housed his regular Armageddon IPA in brand new American Oak barrels & sent it out on a 8 week sea voyage. The result is a brew that is certainly mellower in bitterness than its un-oaked version, however it has picked up those unmistakable American Oak characters of vanilla & coconut, as well as a subtle toasted note. However don’t be fooled, this brew still has plenty of delicious citrus & tropical fruit hop bitterness.

EPIC & Thornbridge Stout 2010 Vintage 500ml $13.50
Apparently NZ’s first collaborative release with an international brewer, being Kelly Ryan of Thornbridge in England. However, not to be fooled, Kelly is actually a Kiwi ex-pat. Coming in at 6.8% abv, this is tending towards an imperial stout. In typical epic fashion this brew is certainly very more-ish but the hops are a touch more subdued than Luke’s other offerings. As you’d expect there is plenty of dark roasted malt, bringing chocolate & mocha, while providing some bittersweet notes on the finish. Another beefed up stout that couldn’t be more appropriate for this cold winter.

MIKKELLER WINTER WARMER SHOWCASE
After the success of our recent Barrel Aged tasting, I figured we’d better get cracking & decide on a theme for our next in August. With some careful consideration (of the weather) & in keeping with what we originally promised we have decided to offer the following:

Beer Geek Brunch Weasel – Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with kopi luwak, the world’s most obscure & expensive coffee (RRP $32.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Highland Edition – As above + aged in Highland Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Islay Edition – As above + aged in Islay Whisky casks (RRP $40.00)
Black – Huge, thick & rich Imperial stout fermented with champagne yeast to get to a heady 18%abv (RRP $23.00)
Black Whisky Edition – As above + aged in French Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)
Black Peated Edition – As above + aged in Peated Whiskey casks (RRP $42.00)

When: BOTH Wednesday 4th August 7pm & Sunday 8th August 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($210 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHICH SESSION, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS