Category: Craft Beer

Beer Radar for TWTW Friday 22^nd March 2013

By John Krüger

I’m always impressed with the determination some people have to obtain decent beers. A mate of mine, Sam Petering, is also a talented cheese maker and part time barman at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton. Sam’s a fellow beer lover and home brewer and we’ve known each other long enough to know which beers really ring each other’s bells. I’ve just got off the phone from him after his return from USA. He’s spent three weeks travelling around the ‘States drinking beer like a fury. “My suitcase was overweight by about 10lbs at every airport,” he said. “I started buying all these awesome beers, especially in Portland and Denver. My suitcase was stuffed with bottles of amazing beers.” Sam decided to start throwing away unessentials like all toiletries to lighten his bag and then buying replacements in the next city. After about three cities he had to leave the majority of the beers at a relatives place in Chicago after he found out the Yanks won’t let him post any booze home. Anyone have some tips on how to get his stash home? Otherwise it’ll be over two years until he can get back to drink them.

To make things worse, he was just to cook a feed of lentils for dinner.

“Lentils? Bloody hell mate, are you broke after the trip?” I asked.

“Nah, I need to lose some weight. I’ve put on all this weight because all I’ve had for three weeks is Barley Wine, burgers and barbeque.”

It’s nice to hear a non-family man can still have a decent time out there in the world. Bring me back a beer t-shirt next time Sam.

BEER ALERT: Little Creatures new small batch beer is called Shepherd’s Delight and it’s a ripper. It’s a Red IPA, 6.4%abv and 50IBU’s. Loads of hop and malt complexity but so silky from golden oats. Stone fruit and citrus from the hops. A beautiful long finish. Get it while you can.

Beer Radar for TWTW Friday 9^th Nov 2012

By John Krüger

After attending a few different wine awards over the last few weeks, I can definitely confirm that wine people love a cold beer. The Royal Adelaide had Coopers Pale and Celebration Ale coming out amongst the wines during their awards night, and I also noticed a stash of Sparkling ale in a fridge during judging earlier in the week.

McLaren Vale Bushing King lunch was a quirky event with some of the most amazing roast lamb ever, but once the Vale IPA keg was tapped the footy MC couldn’t get the punters back into the marquee for the auction. After a few good reds, a heady plastic cup full of tasty cold beer went down a treat.

Most recently, the Clare Valley wine awards were on last Friday in the beautiful old Clare town hall. By some stroke of genius, I was set up near the bar and overheard quite a few people asking for a cold beer during the day. They kept getting knocked back until the official part was over. After everyone had their fill of amazing Rieslings, the bar staff finally let the Knappstein Lagers and Pikes Pilsners loose and they were a perfect ending to a great day.

On a different track; check out the latest Little Creatures single batch brew called Puffing Billy. It’s a 6.5% Bock with a hint of Beech wood smoked malt. It’s amazingly smooth and complex. Quite a few “Wow’s” were uttered during our tasting. If only these single batch releases were available all year.

Beer Radar for TWTW Fri 14^th May 2010-05-14

By John Krüger

It’s amazing how everyone’s drinking desires adjust during the change of seasons. We’ve slowed (slightly) on the Eden Valley Rieslings and are dusting off the big reds. We’re not just chowing slow cooked lamb shanks like there’s no tomorrow, we’re also changing our beer choices. The bright cold fizzy stuff that slakes our thirsts during the heat are almost undesirable compared to ales. Amber ales, India pale ales, porters, dark ales, stouts. We love imperial pints of portagaff or black & tans. They taste even better in a good pub next to an open fire, deep in conversation about nothing in particular.

Here’s what we hope to be drinking over the next few three months:

Coopers Stout with a dash of lemonade, the occasional Guinness stout &

Kilkenny Ale like you wouldn’t believe.

Big glasses of Mountain Goat’s Dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer) called Dunken.  They’ve only made 20 or so kegs of it so get in quick. It’s 5.5%abv and has that subtle German hop thing going on. Head Goat brewer Jayne Lewis reckons they like drinking it too so it should pop its head up from time to time. It’s on tap, it’s fresh, very nice drinking.

We’ve also discovered Brasserie Dieu do Ciel. They produce beers from a microbrewery in Montréal that seriously kick arse. The IPA called Corne du diable (Horn of the devil) is dark and rich with earthy hops in your face. Our little 341ml bottle cost us $12 so we won’t be drinking many unfortunately.

Beer Radar for TWTW for 30^th Sept 2011

By John Krüger

Hold onto your socks, with warm weather and summer on the horizon the beer industry has come out of hibernation and is revving up for big sales. Will Australia finally embrace thirst quenching wheat beers? Unlikely. Will we see yet another low-carb excuse for a beer? We hope not. Is cider taking over valuable refrigerated display-cabinet space and pushing a wide range of brands out? Yes! You wouldn’t believe how many ciders will be available this summer. More details will be released in an upcoming Beer Radar in WBM.

The marketing machine has already hit the big green go button and we’ve already seen a flurry of activity from the PR companies. Press releases and PR events are already ramping up. One corporate event junkie has been spotted at free booze events in the social pages more than five times in as many months. She’s also smart enough to smile and get her photo taken before hitting the complimentary beverages.

The McLaren Vale Beer Company‘s, Salopian Inn just out of McLaren Vale continues to amaze punters with their beer themed dinners. Some of us are still regretting the loss of the Duck & Pinot nights but their beer events are certainly attracting attention. They’re not just serving their own MV Beers and lay on an impressive range of local and imported beers with MV Beer head brewer Jeff Wright searching world wide for the perfect brew. He hinted at the lengths he goes to, to make sure the beer imbibers are kept happy and it’s quite an effort in logistics. How does a pub on the outskirts of McLaren Vale keep their dinners chock full when other regional hotels are struggling? They run their own subsidised bus from a pub in the Adelaide CBD out to the vales and back. No hassles with drink driving and everyone can have a few extra beers before getting back on the bus. Smart thinking.

FYI – the new Vale Dark is a wonderful American dark lager that’s still drinking well as the weather warms up. It’s roasty without being offensive and has an enjoyable hoppy character. We’re still itching to try their new IPA which was first released only in kegs and sold out at an impressive rate. 25 kegs went to Vic. 25 to NSW and 25 around Adelaide, with the remaining 15 kegs going to the Salopian Inn. Each venue pretty well downed a keg a day, including one venue slamming 2 kegs in one evening. The amazing thing is, this was a beer with almost no profile or hype, it almost flew past our radar. 85 more kegs are on the road right now. If Jeff’s first test batch that was revealed late one night at The Salopian was anything to go by, it’ll sell very well in bottle when it’s released late this year or early next year.

Beer Radar for TWTW May 2012

By John Krüger

A celebration tale

Coopers has just released a new ale. This happens less often than the Wiggles change  members, so it’s a big deal. Coopers are celebrating brewing beers for 150 years so they’ve introduced a tasty new beer for our pleasure. It’s actually not the easiest beer to describe. It’s a reddish brown ale with a bit more of a nudge with hops than you’d usually be used to in a Coopers. It’s still very Coopers, obviously. They’re not celebrating hops, they’re celebrating 150 years of brewing. It’s only coming out in 355ml stubbies but you can’t miss the flashy packaging. I’d like to try more to be honest. I drank three stubbies in different parts of the house and am still wondering if I like it or love it. This project needs more research.

Update:

I mentioned Cascade First Harvest in TWTW a while back and promised to update. It’s brewed and in the bottle shops. New head brewer Mike Unsworth has taken over from Max Burslem after Max had been brewing Cascade beers for 40 years. Now there’s a bloke who deserves medal. Mike’s 2012 First Harvest is pretty spicy and green. Quite resiny but not with the usual musk and Juicyfruit that American hoppy beers have. Well worth a go.

 

Beer Radar for TWTW 25^th Feb 2011

By John Krüger

You may have read a few weeks ago in TWTW about Stone & Wood’s new Red Relief Ale. A one-off brew with all proceeds going towards the Qld flood relief. Now SA beer lovers can try the beer from the big burly brewers from Byron Bay and also help raise money for the worthy cause. Red Relief, is a dark red ale brewed with a variety of German malts, including pilsner, munich and crystal, then hopped with the German noble hop Spalt, and fermented with an ale yeast.

Come down to The Wheaty (Wheatsheaf Hotel, George Street Thebarton) this arvo and enjoy a Red Relief Ale with all proceeds going to the Queensland flood appeal.

Kegs tapped from 5pm, Friday 25th Feb – on for as long as it lasts!

Direct donations to the Flood Appeal can be made through the Government of Queensland here: www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

Beer Radar for TWTW 14^th Dec 2012

By John Krüger

It’s time to hammer some good beers on tap. It’s fresher and more sociable than drinking beers at home. Have a chat with the bar staff and ignore any televisions. They’re anti-social and a stupid addition to any public bar. Check out this great invention: https://www.tvbgone.com

Have a go at McLaren Vale Beer Co’s new Lager. It’s crystal clear and well made. Vale LGR is only available on tap at the moment in select venues nationally. SA beer lovers can try it at a heap of different pubs including the home of Vale Ale, the Vale Inn (previously known as the Salopian Inn just out of McLaren Vale) and also at the Highway Hotel on Anzac Highway.

The Stockwell hotel has Barossa Brewing Co’s Victorville ale on tap and it’s going strong. Victorville is an American Pale Ale in style and surprisingly, a well kept Barossa secret. The beer’s as rare as hen’s teeth so it’s well worth paying the Stocky a visit.

Check out Stone & Wood’s special release Garden Ale. It’s a lower alcohol alternative with a hint of Juniper and a really nice dry finish. It’s made for beer gardens, beer swillers and sunny days. Available in 500ml bottles and also on tap in selected venues. Check their updated listings on the website http://stoneandwood.com.au/availability/

Beer Radar for TWTW 11^th October 2013

By John Krüger

Two new beers have popped up on the radar and they’ll certainly get a hammering over the warmer weather.

The first is a new beer from Pikes in Clare. They already have a very drinkable stout and a cracker of a floral hoppy pilsener. Now they’ve added a Sparkling Ale to their line up. It’s a nice middle of the road beer, which could be sipped on a cool night or enjoyed by the pint on a warm day. It has a nice malty dry biscuit flavour and a lingering bitterness. It’s a medium bodied, nicely balanced ale with a clean yeast profile. It’s already available at multiple venues including the Kings Hotel in Adelaide as well as Leftbank Melbourne and Vic on the Park in Sydney.

The second new beer is from Mismatch Brewing Co. Aptly named Ewan Brewerton is heading up a small proactive group of “gypsy brewers” who have released their first beer, Archie’s Red Ale. It reminds me of a Little Creatures creation, it’s very well balanced. It leans slightly on the sweeter side but chock full of citrus hop flavour, complex malt character and mouth feel. It’s quite a big beer on the flavour delivery while still weighing in at only 5%abv. Giving credit where credit is due; Ewan insists on transparency to the point of even naming where the beer was brewed and ingredients used in press-releases. Archie’s Red Ale isn’t available outside of South Australia just yet, but inside SA they’ve done a great job getting it in all the cool bars like Udaberri and beer friendly bottle shops like The Highway hotel.