Coconut Porter (USA)

www.mauibrewingco.com
Coconut Porter
Maui Brewing Co.
5.7% ABV

Another in North America's long line of craft breweries doing some great forward thinking.  This one is from the Maui Brewing Co.

Roasted coconut is added to the dark porter during the brew process.  Initially this would seem like a marketing thing but the subtlety of the coconut does add a welcomed extra element to the final product.

Apart from the kegged variety, they distribute this beer in cans which staying true to their environmentally conscious ethos - allows the cans to be recycled thus doing their bit for the environment.

Review

On the nose you get rich dark malt.  Once poured it has a tan foamy head sitting upon an almost black liquid.  On tasting you get the rich dark coffee with bitterness as well as the coconut accompaniment on the back of the palate that helps balance the beer.  The beer has a medium body and overall is pretty good.  The richness of the coffee does seem to go hand in hand with the dash of coconut.

Try it if you can find it.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 6/10
Palate 3/5
Overall 16/20

Total 67%

St Peters Cream Stout (England)

www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk
St Peters Cream Stout
St Peters Brewery
6.5% ABV

The second beer that I have tried by Suffolk, UK based St Peters.

The Cream Stout is smoother and less bitter than a traditional dry stout. Fuggle and Challenger hops are used with a blend of four locally grown floor-malted barleys.

Review

The beer is a dark ebony liquid with an off-white head. The nose has burnt toast with a hint of rich coffee quality. Again the coffee is there in the mouth but quite light in flavour. The beer itself has a light to medium body but with some good bitterness. A very smooth palate combined with a higher percentage in alcohol makes for a "not too bad" winter beer.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 3/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 14/20

Total 62%

Macs Brewery - Hop Rocker (New Zealand)

www.macs.co.nz
Macs Brewery Hop Rocker Pilsner
Macs Brewery
4.8% ABV

Review

A highly hopped Pilsner from New Zealand using Crystal Malt, Nelson Sauvin and New Zealand Cascade hops.

Review

Immediately beautiful summer aromatics are present with a gone off funky smell.  The beer is a pale golden liquid with a very fast disappearing white head.  It has a peculiar flavour - couldn't quite place it, possibly biscuit or off chocolate biscuit.  I wasn't a fan.  The beer has a light body with a grassy aftertaste.  This is a very different tasting pilsner, quite unique - but this one is not for me.

Scores: -

Aroma 6.5/10
Appearance 3/5
Taste 4/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 11/20

Total 58%

Delirium Tremens (Belgium)

www.delirium.be
Delirium Tremens
Delirium Brewing
8.5% ABV

This Belgian brewery was established in 1654.

Delirium Tremens was first brewed on Boxing day 1989.  Three different kinds of yeast are used in the brew to provide a distinct appearance and character.

The beer is brewed using a triple fermentation technique that they have been using for hundreds of years.

Review

On the nose this beer has grassy hop aromas with some good yeast characters.  The beer itself is filled with lots of spent yeast.  It is light golden in colour with a very foamy white head.  The beer has a nice balance of malt with the alcohol lingering on the palate.  The beer has a perfect light to medium body.

This is a very, very good lager.  Really refreshing and with great warmth from the alcohol.  A perfect Saturday night lager but too strong for a session on a tuesday.

Scores: -

Aroma 6/10
Appearance 2.5/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 17/20

Total 69%

Murrays Dark Knight (Australia)

www.murraysbrewingbrewingco.com.au
Murrays Dark Knight
Murrays Brewing Co
4.5% ABV

One of the many excellent beers from this Port Stephens boutique brewery.  The brewery is now maintained by a former home brewing enthusiast Shawn Sherlock.  He actually gave up a PhD in Australian History to make his love of beer his career.  The brewery itself was set up by Murray Howe who was inspired during a trip to the U.S in 2004 when he discovered countless craft brewings and decided to come back to Australia and establish a brewery.

Murrays Brewery is definitely worth a visit (if you are ever in the area) and certainly worth the trip up from Sydney to sample some of their many interesting brews.

The Dark Knight is brewed with 6 different malts to create this porter style beer.

Review

A massive roasted coffee malt hit is immediate on the nose.  The beer pours with a dark ruby opaque liquid with a quickly disappearing tan head.  The beer has a bitter black coffee flavour is first noted with dark chocolate and tobacco.  The beer itself is quite flat with a medium body.

The beer is let down slightly by the lack of the life in the bottle although the flavours are great.

Scores: -

Aroma 7.5/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 8/10
Palate 3/5
Overall 15/20

Total 75%

Blue Tongue Pilsener (Australia)

www.bluetongue.com.au
Blue Tongue Traditional Pilsener
Blue Tongue Brewery
4.5% ABV

The now deleted Blue Tongue Pilsener is one of the best beers to have come out of the New South Wales' Central Coast.  The Blue Tongue Brewery now based in Warnervale (NSW) brews various beers under license and since the brewery has been bought by SAB the brewery has started to pull some of it's smaller brews off the shelves to replace with bigger names such as Peroni and Stella.  This is one of their victims...

Review

On the nose this beer has a little yeast, some attractive slightly floral tones from the traditional pilsner Chech Saaz hops.  The beer is a clear golden effervescent liquid with a white head.  There really wasn't much flavour going on though, the tiniest amount of sweetness and bitterness, almost not enough to comment though.  The beer has a creamy mouth feel with a light body.  A very refreshing Pilsner - very clean tasting.  A great session lager perfect for a summers day but let down with the lack of flavour.

Scores: -

Aroma 7/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 4/10
Palate 4.5/5
Overall 12/20

Total 63%

Estrella Damm Inedit (Spain)

www.estrelladamminedit.com
Estrella Damm Inedit
Estrella Brewing Company
4.8% ABV

 The Spanish beer that has been made with the intention of being the perfect beer to consume with food.  Not only that but it has been made with the assistance of Ferran Adria of El Bulli - one of the world's best chef.  The marketing behind the beer is good, it is well packaged and even comes in a wine bottle style that would look the place on any high end restaurant table.

The commercial description is as follows : -

"Aromatized with coriander, orange peel and liquorice.

Inedit means "Never been done before". In cooperation with the brew master of Estrella Damm, Inedit was crafted by the globally acclaimed chef Ferran Andria, Juli Soler and sommeliers Ferran Centelles and David Seijas from El Bulli Restaurant."



Review

The beer is a blend of a lager and a wheat beer - it has the usual characteristics of a wheat beer but quite subtle.  On the nose you have floral hops with the added aroma of cloves, orange peel with a little malt.  The beer is cloudy with a pale golden hue with an attractive foamy white head.  The flavours on the tongue  are of typical wheat beer characters but taste almost watered down.  The beer itself has a creamy mouthfeel with a light body.

Overall I was a little disappointed by the lack of flavour of the beer.  Although the bottle, the branding and the packaging is certainly a bit of a show stopper.  I do agree that this would pair many different foods successfully but to drink on it's own there is just not enough flavour on the tongue, the aromas are good infact the nose gets it over the line.

Scores: -

Aroma 7/10
Appearance 3/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 3/5
Overall 14/20

Total 64%

Black Sheep Monty Python Holy Grail (England)

www.blacksheepbrewery.com
Monty Python's Holy Grail
Black Sheep Brewery
4.7% ABV

Black Sheep developed this brew in 1999 to commemorate 30 years of Monty Python.  Because of it's success in the UK and with a limited run in the US market proving very successful the brewery increased production and exporting to the US became a permanent fixture.

Ten years later on the 40^th anniversary Holy Grail is still going strong. With more hops than a killer rabbit, it's a full-flavoured golden ale with a distinctively fruity flavour followed by the Black Sheep signature dry finish.

Marris Otter Malt is used in the brew along with buckets of specially grown hops.

Review

The beer pours with a clear golden liquid with a slight carbonation and a white head.  On the nose you have citrus and floral hop aromas.  The beer has a little warmth from the alcohol hints of the Marris Otter malt.   The beer has good bitterness.  The beer has a light to medium body.  

Not a bad drop but not mind blowing.

Scores: -

Aroma 6/10

Appearance 4/5

Taste 5/10

Palate 4/5

Overall 15.5/20

Total 69%

Marstons Pedigree Classic English Pale Ale (England)

www.marstonspedigree.co.uk
Marstons Pedigree English Pale Ale
Marstons Brewery
5% ABV

Pedigree is brewed in Burton upon Trent, home of the traditional English Pale Ale.  Established in 1834 Marstons is steeped in history.  Marstons has only ever been made using pure ingredients dedicated to preserving the integrity of it's brewing heritage.  The water here is a key factor in the production, Marstons only using pure Burton spring water.

Review

Once poured a clear golden brown liquid is presented with a light white foamy head.  The beer has bitter coffee malt notes on the nose.  Once tasted a slightly toasted malt flavour is there with some good bitterness.  The beer is medium bodied.  Overall this is a good beer with just enough qualities to ensure repeat consumption.

Scores: -

Aroma 5.5/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 15/20

Total 66%

Fullers London Pride (England)

www.fullers.co.uk
Fullers London Pride
Fullers Brewery
4.7% ABV

Fullers London Pride is one of the UK's better known beers and the leading premium ale.  This is the beer Fuller's is most famous for.  It's popularity has grown over recent years to have made it Britain's leading premium ale.

Taken from their website:-


Fuller’s London Pride is an award-winning classic. A rich, smooth and wonderfully balanced beer, its distinctive malty base is complemented by well developed hop character, from adding Target, Challenger and Northdown varieties to the brew.

Described by leading beer writer Roger Protz as “an astonishingly complex ale for its strength”, its flavour has been likened by Stephen Cox, beer writer and former campaigns director at CAMRA, to “the sensation of angels dancing on the tongue...”!

In the UK, draught London Pride is brewed to 4.1% ABV (cask and keg), while in bottles and cans it has a strength of 4.7% ABV, making it an ideal session-strength premium ale. In most of our overseas markets, a keg version at 4.7% ABV is available.

London Pride has twice been awarded Champion Best Bitter at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival in 1979 and 1995, and achieved the ultimate accolade of Champion Beer of Britain in 1979. It has won a host of awards around the world, including being crowned Supreme Champion at the 2000 International Beer and Cider competition.


Review

London Pride contains a nice selection of hop varieties: - Target, Challanger and Northdown hops that contribute to it's slight nutty, malt tones.  The beer is a clear amber liquid with a white head.  On tasting there is a nice level of caramel malt driven flavour coming through.  The beer has good weight but a little flat compared to the majority of Australian beers.

This is a good beer- nothing outstanding but a good all rounder.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 5.5/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 16/20

Total 68%

Lord Nelson Three Sheets Pale Ale (Australia)

www.lordnelsonbrewery.com
Lord Nelson Three Sheets Pale Ale
Lord Nelson Brewery
4.9% ABV


The Lord Nelson Brewery is Australia’s oldest pub brewery brewing 100% natural ales since 1985.

Over this time they have become famous throughout the globe for fine, award winning natural ales. They brew with 100% natural malt, hops yeast and water with no added sugars, preservatives or additives.

The brewing process begins in the mash tun in the hotel's cellar and is fermented in the brewery in the rear bar level, before being conditioned in the cellar and served through the taps.
The Lord Nelson brew six mainstay ales and a number of seasonal’s throughout the year and also bottle two of these - the Three Sheets pale ale and Old Admiral dark ale which are available throughout Australia in good Restaurants, bars and independent retailers.

I haven't yet been down to the Lord Nelson but it would seem like one of the few places in Sydney where you can drink beer as it is meant to be drunk.

Review

The beer is poured and you get honey, citrus and a little yeast on the nose.  The beer is a light golden, slightly cloudy liquid with a white head with a little remaining yeast present.  The beer has the familiar pale ale characters on the tongue the bready yeasty characters like most good Australian pale ales, this one though maybe slightly milder.  The beer however only has little bitterness.  It has perfect weight and a great body.

A great beer, perfect for a session.  The weight of the beer is near perfection, the aromas are great but the slightly mild flavours drop the score a little.

Scores: -

Aroma 7.5/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 5.5/10
Palate 4.5/5
Overall 15/20

Total 72%

Sierra Nevada 2012 Southern Hemisphere First Harvest (USA)

www.sierranevada.com
Sierra Nevada 2012 Southern Hemisphere First Harvest Fresh Hop Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewery
6.7% ABV

This is Sierra Nevada's version of a first harvest or a fresh hop ale.  The hops in question are from New Zealand and are  shipped to California within a week of being picked.  Sierra Nevada are a hugely popular brewery in the United States and as the brewery has grown it seems more and more of their beers are making their way over to Australia and other countries too.

Being a fan of their pale ale I was quite excited to try this one.

Review

 Immediately once the beer had been poured - a knock-out of hop aromas were present.  Exotic fruit and banana were sitting on a back bone of malt.  The beer was a slightly opaque golden liquid with an off-white head.  You could get the banana more on tasting along with a ridiculous amount of bitterness.  The beer had a good medium body but the bitterness was intense.  Overall the beer was okay but it seems like Sierra Nevada have gone overboard on the bittering hops on this one.

Scores: -

Aroma 6/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 4.5/5
Overall 14.5/20

Total 67%

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale 2012 (Australia)

www.coopers.com.au
Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale 2012
Coopers Brewery
7.5% ABV

The 2012 version of a very firm favourite amongst long time Australian ale drinkers.  The beer sells for a lot more than your standard beer but the high alcohol and the strong malt characters are normally worth the price tag.

Review

The beer was poured and the aromatics of the hops firstly belted me on the nose.  Some wonderful mid floral hop notes complimented the malt undertones.  The beer itself was cloudy with a light brown colour with the yeast still remaining.  The off-white head sat firmly on top of the beer.  On tasting you got liquorice and toffee characters with a little bitterness and considering the beer is 7.5% the alcohol was masked just right.  The beer had a light to medium body with a creamy mouthfeel.

This is a really good beer now and it that could also sit for a few more years with the high alcohol.  I will have to cellar a few of these and watch it develop.  Recommended.

Scores

Aroma 7/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 7/10
Palate 4.5/5
Overall 16.5/20

Total 78%

Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale 2010 (Aged) (Australia)

www.coopers.com.au
Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale 2010
Coopers Brewery
7.5% ABV

I guess you could call this a little experiment to compare the 2010 Vintage Ale (that had been cellared for two years) to the 2012.

Coopers have an Extra Strong Vintage Ale range and they issue a slightly tweaked version every year.  It recommends short term cellaring to improve the beer.

Review

After removing the cap and pouring, you immediately notice black treacle notes on the nose along with the mellowed malt and alcohol.  The beer has an almost clear dark golden brown hue with a very thin just-off-white head.  On tasting the alcohol is still there and the dark treacle was apparent.   The beer had a medium body with a creamy texture.  On the whole it was a great beer with some really nicely developed flavours complimenting the warmth of the alcohol.

Scores: -

Aroma 6.5/10
Appearance 3.5/5
Taste 7.5/10
Palate 4/5
Overall 16/20

Total 75%

Old Golden Hen (England)

www.oldspeckledhen.co.uk
Old Golden Hen
Morland Breweries
4.1% ABV

The Summer Ale from the producers of Old Speckled Hen.  This is a lighter brew that uses lighter malt tones to create a lighter brother to the world famous Old Speckled Hen.  The brewery has been established since 1711.

Review

As soon as the beer is poured the skunky, fruity aromas from the Galaxy hops are apparent.  The beer is a clear golden liquid, with a slight fizz and a quickly disappearing white head.  The skunk flavour continues down on to the tongue without a great deal of depth.  The beer has a light to medium body.  Overall this beer is a good beer that is really refreshing.

Scores: -

Aroma 5/10
Appearance 4/5
Taste 5/10
Palate 3.5/5
Overall 16/20

Total 67%