Beer Radar
By John Krüger
Alternative Beers (First published in Wine Business Magazine in 2013)
Looking for something a bit different? Check out some of these unique offerings that’ll wet your whistle and blow your mind at the same time. They’re also great beers for cooler weather.
Feral Brewing – Raging Flem
Don’t worry, the “Flem” in the title is in regards to the Flemish brewers who took the art of brewing beer and gave it a few amazing twists and turns with their northern Belgian ales. Their yeasts throw an amazing array or spice, funk, and sometimes acid. This Feral beer is an unusual combination of Belgian funk and classic ballsy American style India Pale Ale. I’ve never seen anything like it, and most beer fans take a step back when they hear about it; but wow, it works so well. There’s still a bucket load of American hop aroma but the spicy phenolic yeast merges with it amazingly well. Loads of full malty body and a good kick of spicy tropical fruit from the hops. This brewery in Western Australia really knows how to push the boundaries of “normal” beer, but still manages to make everything super tasty. Try some Raging Flem. It’s essentially a kick arse IPA full of hops and funk.
Gage Roads – Abstinence
Another Belgian style, and again, brewed in Western Australia. Belgian style beer are a little unusual because some people can find the funk and spice a little confronting, although this is also a beer with good balance and very approachable. This Gage Roads limited release is a Belgian Dubbel Chocolate Ale. Two different yeast strains have been matched perfectly to give a broad range of spicy flavours and aromas. It’s a deep mahogany coloured ale with a load of caramel, toffee and vanilla aromas and flavours. There’s also the unmistakable presence of real chocolate; Premium Ghanaian chocolate to be exact. This beer has seen the use of noble hops, which give a clean spicy finish without citrus and the tropical fruits derived from the popular American varieties. The whole lot works together amazingly well and I’m guessing that development and trial batches would have taken quite a bit of work, especially with all of the different components being quite diverse. The chocolate is pronounced but doesn’t dominate, and it’s not that cheap Easter egg chocolate flavour either. There’s an aftertaste of old fashioned creaming soda and a surprisingly dry finish. There’s a whiff of alcohol as it warms and as it’s a 7.4%abv beer, that’s no real surprise. The vanilla and alcohol aromas behind the chocolate remind me of quality rum. In fact, I think I spent more time swirling and enjoying the smells than I did drinking it. Abstinence is an unusual beer no doubt, but it’s still very enjoyable. Sip and swirl from a tulip beer glass or brandy balloon if you have one.
Young’s – Double Chocolate Stout
Staying with the chocolate theme but ditching the Belgian influence, here’s a beer from the UK designed for dedicated chocolate fans. It’s called “double chocolate”, but technically, could have been called “triple chocolate”. One of the ingredients in the grist is Chocolate Malt; a dark, kilned barley malt (or wheat malt) that’s been roasted specifically to produce a dry, powdered cocoa flavour in beer. It’s quite amazing. Another grist component is oats, which contribute a beautiful silky texture. Young’s also add real dark chocolate as well as chocolate essence to this beer. The base stout is fairly restrained in comparison to the ball buster, acrid style stouts most of us are used to, so the layers of chocolate are unmistakable, but it still has a dry, burned husk finish that is an essential character of a true stout. When it’s warmed and opens up, it’s almost chocolate overload for me but I’m certainly no chocoholic. Imagine a large glass of after-dinner chocolate stout on a cool evening with a whisky chaser and a Dominican cigar. Now that’s how to enjoy the cooler weather.
The Mash Collective – Aureus Chrysalis (Dubbel Scotch Ale)
I was in two minds about the idea of The Mash Collective. One part of me observes an individual: one person’s obsession and passion focused into a laser beam of biased creativity.
Then I remember the joke about a committee designing something. The punch line describes a watered down, useless or lowest-common-denominator result.
I’m not sure how and why the people involved in the Mash Collective are there. I’m mostly interested in the resulting beer, although Tattooist Trevor Bennett has to be mentioned for some classic psychedelic label art that’s “legendary beer t-shirt” worthy.
With the beer, once again there’s a style crossover. A classic European ale with a Belgian twist. I’ll preface by saying I’ve never really enjoyed the over the top toffee and caramel in a Scotch ale. They (sometimes) have a thick syrupy body and a load of cloying toffee sweetness with a counter bitterness offensive.
The Mash Collective have made me take a step back with a really nice Scotch ale. This still has caramel coming out of its wazoo but it’s not too sweet and the body is just right. Grippy charcoal and smoke, spicy yeast, over-ripe fruit and weedy herbal bitterness on the aftertaste leave it far from one-dimensional. It’s a really interesting beer with a lot going on. 500ml bottles that you’ll enjoy to the last drop. Tuck a few away for 12 months and compare.
