Beer Radar for InDaily
Winter Warmers 2016
(First published by InDaily in 2016 http://indaily.com.au/eat-drink-explore/2016/08/22/dark-sa-beers-for-winter-cheer/ )
While winter is on its last legs and the mind wanders to sunny days and refreshing beers, there’s still time to embrace nourishing South Australian brewed winter warming beverages. There’s nothing better than a pint of stout next to an open fire and sometimes we forget how blessed we are to have fresh locally brewed stouts for our enjoyment. Forget Dublin, Adelaide has all you need for a hearty black brew that makes the soul sing. Some people object to the harsh acrid roast barley and roast malt that’s in some stouts but here’s some stellar examples of beers with a hint of sweetness to take the edge off the dry dusty ashtray character.
Southwark – Old Stout
Generally only available in South Australia and conjured like a miracle every winter in Thebarton. The beer nerds say it’s the best beer to come out of the West End brewery and it’s undoubtedly a beer we should be proud of. The experts also agree on its quality, awarding this rich hearty brew Champion Stout at the 2016 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards. It’s thick, slightly sweet and full bodied. Quite a mouthful. One brewer described it as “stout meets smokey Barossa Mettwurst”. There’s a hint of coffee, bitter chocolate a layer upon layer of roast barley, roast lamb and chocolate mud cake. It’s not quite the beer to drink on a Friday night on the way home from work. At 7.4%abv have a few of these at home instead of a glass of port. Unfortunately these days it’s only available in 375ml stubbies.
Food match: Oysters Kilpatrick. The bacon matches with the hint of smoke.
Source: Thirsty Camel
Fox Hat – Phat Mongrel
From the Willunga team who brought you Vale Ale, check out their new range of cans and kegs including this wonderful stout. It’s an American style oatmeal stout with a dash of nitro. In a nutshell, that means it’s got a bit more of a hop kick than our standard domestic stouts, the oatmeal adds body and a smooth silky mouthfeel and the nitrogen softens the carbonation for an even smoother finish. It smells of lightly of tar, hops, cocoa and dark rich sweet malt. The sweetness gives it a bigger body and balances against the higher hop rate to make a really enjoyable stout that’s a great after work beer in the colder weather. Definitely one to look out for on draught if you can find the perfect pub with a fireplace. 6.5%abv 375ml cans and draught.
Food match: Drink this sweeter stout with a slice of dark chocolate mud cake. The perfect dessert pairing.
Source: Highway Hotel
Lobethal Bierhaus – Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
He’s almost old enough to be called the Grandfather of South Australian Craft Beer and Alistair Turnbull has won plenty of awards for his fine range of beers. His Red Truck Porter is legendary and the Choc Oatmeal Stout is also a lesson in balance and honing a recipe until it’s perfect. The stout almost starts off with flavours of bitter sweet Chinotto before swapping over to dusty cocoa and freshly ground coffee. There’s enough coffee to consider a bottle with a Sunday bacon and egg breakfast. The oatmeal takes the harsh edge off the roast barley and smooths out a stout that could easily be a session beer as well as a single treat. 5.8%abv 330ml stubbies and draught.
Food match: Quality Barossan bacon with eggs on rye. If breakfast beer is frowned upon in your house, drink this instead of a glass of red wine with a well seasoned roast leg of lamb.
Source: Highway Hotel
Little Bang Brewing Co – (Warning) May Contain Traces of Panther
Possibly the coolest beer name to ever grace a beer. While technically more aligned with a Porter, this is definitely a dark winter warmer worth including. Great balance of sweet and bitterness, this deceptively easy drinking beer is one of the first bottled products to come from the micro-brewers based in Stepney. It’s dark but still a little light through revealing a deep dark red hue. It has some wonderful complex caramel notes but also enough roast to make it into this list. Let it warm up a little to enjoy the dark bitter chocolate and espresso coffee flavours and aromas. For brewers who love their hops, this shows nice restraint and is a joy to drink. 6.5%abv 330ml stubbies and draught.
Food match: Scallop and Chorizo skewers. Salty seafood and spice are complimented by the dark malts.
Source: Highway Hotel
John Krüger is an Adelaide based photographer and home brewer with a passion for good beer. He’s on the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards committee as well as a beer judge with the awards.
