SLOWBEER'S XMAS NEWS, REVIEWS & ARRIVALS!
Getting in earlier than usual, as we are gearing up for a big few weeks in the lead up to Christmas! Our festive tasting sessions are almost completely full, so get in quick if you are still keen. Additionally, the shelves are chock-full of brilliant beers, a few of my favorites being featured below. Lastly, we will be extending our trading days the next 2 weeks leading up to the big day. Starting Tues 14th we will be open every day until Christmas for all your beery needs!
XMAS TRADING
TUE 14/12: 2pm-7pm
WED 15/12: 2pm-7pm
THU 16/12: 12pm-8pm
FRI 17/12: 12pm-8pm
SAT 18/12: 12pm-8pm
SUN 19/12: 2pm-7pm
MON 20/12: 2pm-7pm
TUE 21/12: 2pm-7pm
WED 22/12: 2pm-7pm
THU 23/12: 12pm-8pm
FRI 24/12: 10am-8pm
FEATURE BEERS
Chouffe Houblon IPA Tripel 750ml $17.00
What is the world coming to when a classic Belgian brewery decides to produce their own interpretation of an American interpretation of a Belgian IPA...confused?! Regardless of its origins or rationale, this is a cracker of a beer! As you can imagine it is big in hop bitterness, however as a departure from normal US IPAs, this utilizes more traditional hop varieties, resulting in a big earthy, spicy hop aroma & bitterness. Keeping with the Belgian style, that trademark yeast comes into play, accentuating the earthy, spicy character while adding a touch of citrus fruit. Absolute classic of a beer & perhaps one of my all time favs!
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer Blue 750ml $18.00
Yet another one of my favorite brews, that can be exceptionally hard to get a hold of, purely for the fact that it is only brewed once a year. Describing this as big & rich would be a supreme understatement! Layers of rich caramel & toffee sweetness, with raisins, figs & a lovely fruit spice character on the finish. A meal & dessert beer rolled into one, that could easily rival any tokay or dessert wine. Enjoy it over Christmas or cellar well into the next few years.
NEW ARRIVALS
Red Duck Burton Strong Bitter 330ml $5.50
Its been a few years since we last saw this seasonal brew & it really speaks volumes of the brewery’s stylistic influence & approach. Very much a tribute to the home of pale ales, the water used in the brew is adjusted to match that of burton-on-trent, with a sulfate like mineral tang. Specialty malts are selected as the backbone of the brew, while the bitterness is actually relatively subdued (despite the name). A classic, classy brew indeed.
Red Duck Red Admiral 330ml $6.00
Based on the celtic red ales, this brew is all about the malt. Rich in colour & flavour profile with notes of treacle, as well as plums, raisins & stewed fruits. Interestingly, the use of a relatively new US hop variety (glacier) provides plenty of aroma, however unlike most other US hops, is low in alpha acids (bitterness), which overall serves this beer very well.
Red Duck White Garden 330ml $6.00
Super excited about this one, purely for the fact that it sounds like such an interesting brew. Apparently a hybrid of Belgian Witbier & Berliner Weisse styles with the addition of raspberry & rhubarb! The guys wanted to pay homage to the Berliner Weisse style, however produce an example that is a little more approachable & less sour, hence the Belgian witbier base. However, unlike a witbier, there are no spices or orange peel added, instead raspberry & rhubarb, of which the natural sugars & sweetness, disappear during fermentation. What we are left with is an appealing pinky-white ale, with vibrant fruit aroma & flavour but no sweetness, while there is a lightly tart acidity on the finish to cleanse the palate.
FILLING ON GROWLERS
BREWDOG (SCO) Hardcore Imperial IPA
This one has been hotly anticipated the past few weeks & is being at tapped at seemingly a perfect time. This being a reincarnation of the previous hardcore, having won best Imperial IPA at the Beer World Cup earlier this year. Certainly no mean feat given the stiff competition in that particular category. As you’d expect this brew is brimming with high alpha US hop varieties, namely centennial, columbus & simcoe, both in the boil & to dry hop. Some lighter malts are employed to provide the slightest touch of counter balance, however this one is all about the hops! Big citrus & pine is the order of the day with a robust, bordering on aggressive hop bitterness. You’ve been warned!
Filling from tomorrow & continuing until the keg is dry! $35 for the fill.
Also, given the sheer demand for growler fills & the fact that we currently have no supply of actual growler bottles, we are working on offering temporary 2L PET bottles, enabling everyone to get fills of the tasty beers we offer! Temporary ones will hopefully be about 1 week away but we will keep you posted.
JOLLY CHRISTMAS TASTING – ALMOST FULL, LAST CHANCE!
Something that isn't so heavily practiced here, however breweries the world over, tend to produce some very interesting & festive brews for the period & as such we will have a number of them on offer.
Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper – This Belgian style strong ale has all the bells & whistles, spiced with orange & coriander.
Delirium Noel – One of the highly elusive brews from this crazy producer, its enjoyable for the bottle/label alone!
St Feuillien Noel – Clearly Xmas beers are a Belgian thing, this abbey example has a touch of sweetness with dark fruit & spice.
St Bernardus Kert – Their regular Abt 12 gets plenty plaudits & this is the Christmas version, yummy pudding in a glass!
Chouffe N’ice – Apparently the wintery little gnome on the label is responsible for this delicious festive brew.
Baladin Noel – Festive brew from this unique & at times peculiar producer. Chocolate & fruit spice goodness in liquid form!
Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus – This exceedingly rich & malty lager, known as the cognac of beers, weighing in at a hefty 14% abv!
Red Hill Christmas Ale – One of the few local breweries to get into the Christmas spirit, styled as a Belgian strong ale.
Hunter Christmas Beer – Another local hopefully following the trend for dark spiced, festive brews.
When: BOTH Wednesday 15th December 7pm & Sunday 19th December 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($160 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any beer purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHICH SESSION, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS ASAP!
XMAS TRADING
TUE 14/12: 2pm-7pm
WED 15/12: 2pm-7pm
THU 16/12: 12pm-8pm
FRI 17/12: 12pm-8pm
SAT 18/12: 12pm-8pm
SUN 19/12: 2pm-7pm
MON 20/12: 2pm-7pm
TUE 21/12: 2pm-7pm
WED 22/12: 2pm-7pm
THU 23/12: 12pm-8pm
FRI 24/12: 10am-8pm
FEATURE BEERS
Chouffe Houblon IPA Tripel 750ml $17.00
What is the world coming to when a classic Belgian brewery decides to produce their own interpretation of an American interpretation of a Belgian IPA...confused?! Regardless of its origins or rationale, this is a cracker of a beer! As you can imagine it is big in hop bitterness, however as a departure from normal US IPAs, this utilizes more traditional hop varieties, resulting in a big earthy, spicy hop aroma & bitterness. Keeping with the Belgian style, that trademark yeast comes into play, accentuating the earthy, spicy character while adding a touch of citrus fruit. Absolute classic of a beer & perhaps one of my all time favs!
Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Keizer Blue 750ml $18.00
Yet another one of my favorite brews, that can be exceptionally hard to get a hold of, purely for the fact that it is only brewed once a year. Describing this as big & rich would be a supreme understatement! Layers of rich caramel & toffee sweetness, with raisins, figs & a lovely fruit spice character on the finish. A meal & dessert beer rolled into one, that could easily rival any tokay or dessert wine. Enjoy it over Christmas or cellar well into the next few years.
NEW ARRIVALS
Red Duck Burton Strong Bitter 330ml $5.50
Its been a few years since we last saw this seasonal brew & it really speaks volumes of the brewery’s stylistic influence & approach. Very much a tribute to the home of pale ales, the water used in the brew is adjusted to match that of burton-on-trent, with a sulfate like mineral tang. Specialty malts are selected as the backbone of the brew, while the bitterness is actually relatively subdued (despite the name). A classic, classy brew indeed.
Red Duck Red Admiral 330ml $6.00
Based on the celtic red ales, this brew is all about the malt. Rich in colour & flavour profile with notes of treacle, as well as plums, raisins & stewed fruits. Interestingly, the use of a relatively new US hop variety (glacier) provides plenty of aroma, however unlike most other US hops, is low in alpha acids (bitterness), which overall serves this beer very well.
Red Duck White Garden 330ml $6.00
Super excited about this one, purely for the fact that it sounds like such an interesting brew. Apparently a hybrid of Belgian Witbier & Berliner Weisse styles with the addition of raspberry & rhubarb! The guys wanted to pay homage to the Berliner Weisse style, however produce an example that is a little more approachable & less sour, hence the Belgian witbier base. However, unlike a witbier, there are no spices or orange peel added, instead raspberry & rhubarb, of which the natural sugars & sweetness, disappear during fermentation. What we are left with is an appealing pinky-white ale, with vibrant fruit aroma & flavour but no sweetness, while there is a lightly tart acidity on the finish to cleanse the palate.
FILLING ON GROWLERS
BREWDOG (SCO) Hardcore Imperial IPA
This one has been hotly anticipated the past few weeks & is being at tapped at seemingly a perfect time. This being a reincarnation of the previous hardcore, having won best Imperial IPA at the Beer World Cup earlier this year. Certainly no mean feat given the stiff competition in that particular category. As you’d expect this brew is brimming with high alpha US hop varieties, namely centennial, columbus & simcoe, both in the boil & to dry hop. Some lighter malts are employed to provide the slightest touch of counter balance, however this one is all about the hops! Big citrus & pine is the order of the day with a robust, bordering on aggressive hop bitterness. You’ve been warned!
Filling from tomorrow & continuing until the keg is dry! $35 for the fill.
Also, given the sheer demand for growler fills & the fact that we currently have no supply of actual growler bottles, we are working on offering temporary 2L PET bottles, enabling everyone to get fills of the tasty beers we offer! Temporary ones will hopefully be about 1 week away but we will keep you posted.
JOLLY CHRISTMAS TASTING – ALMOST FULL, LAST CHANCE!
Something that isn't so heavily practiced here, however breweries the world over, tend to produce some very interesting & festive brews for the period & as such we will have a number of them on offer.
Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper – This Belgian style strong ale has all the bells & whistles, spiced with orange & coriander.
Delirium Noel – One of the highly elusive brews from this crazy producer, its enjoyable for the bottle/label alone!
St Feuillien Noel – Clearly Xmas beers are a Belgian thing, this abbey example has a touch of sweetness with dark fruit & spice.
St Bernardus Kert – Their regular Abt 12 gets plenty plaudits & this is the Christmas version, yummy pudding in a glass!
Chouffe N’ice – Apparently the wintery little gnome on the label is responsible for this delicious festive brew.
Baladin Noel – Festive brew from this unique & at times peculiar producer. Chocolate & fruit spice goodness in liquid form!
Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus – This exceedingly rich & malty lager, known as the cognac of beers, weighing in at a hefty 14% abv!
Red Hill Christmas Ale – One of the few local breweries to get into the Christmas spirit, styled as a Belgian strong ale.
Hunter Christmas Beer – Another local hopefully following the trend for dark spiced, festive brews.
When: BOTH Wednesday 15th December 7pm & Sunday 19th December 7pm
Cost: $30.00 to try ALL beers ($160 value!)
+ Attendees receive 10% DISCOUNT on any beer purchase that night
IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHICH SESSION, SO THAT WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS ASAP!
Labels: Beer News, In-Store Tastings, New Releases, Recent Tasting Notes
posted by Chris Menichelli at
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