Beer Radar – It’s not quite stout weather yet.
By John Krüger
(Previously published in Wine Business Magazine in 2010)
Summer is gone and with it went pilsner and hefeweizen weather. We’re not into stout and porter territory yet though. Here’s a few chewy beers that are suited to sunny days as well as cool nights.
Barons – Extra Special Bitter 4.7%abv
Chewy malt and toffee. Rich with an almost orange colour. Dry clean finish. Good hop presence but somewhat lacking in fresh Goldings hop character and aroma. Still a good gutsy beer with body, malt and hops. One of the maltiest from our selection.
James Squire – Original Amber Ale 5%abv
One of the most popular in the James Squire range. An intense dark orange colour yet clear and clean. Not as malty and chewy as the Barons ESB but complex with very subtle hints of nuts, chocolate and mocha. Light on the toffee and a good hop presence. Still slightly lacking in the fresh hop department.
Young’s – Special London Ale 6.4%abv
Hints of grass, lollies and marshmallow on the nose. Light amber colour with a slight haze. A pronounced and unusual hop flavour with a bitterness that lingers. Strong earthy and weedy hop flavours with marshmallow and light toffee. Orange zest bitterness. A gutsy flavourful English ale without the public toilet yeast aromas.
Erdinger – Dunkel 5.6%abv
Deep dark red, verging on black. Smelling malty but in no way sweet. Surprisingly refreshing and thankfully missing in the burned acrid flavours associated with roast barley. Brings well done wheat toast to mind. Restrained hops and very well balanced. Thank goodness they come in 500ml bottles, this is a beer destined for a big glass. German precision.
White Rabbit – Dark Ale 5.2%
A beautiful dark reddish brown and crystal clear. Amazing hop aromas with malt and toffee. Clean yet very hoppy and fresh while balanced and delicious. We’d almost risk getting in trouble again by mentioning pellets vs. whole hops, but we’ve seen mountains of whole hops fresh from the hop-back and the expense is definitely worth it. No snail pellets in sight. A slight cola flavour behind the hops with quite a complex aftertaste. Everything about this beer yells “fresh!” The only way to get a better version of this beer is trying it on tap in Healesville. A cracker!
