Drinks

Some Long Weekend+ Beers.

A Lot of beers over the Long Weekend plus Thursday, some better and/or fresher than others, but all pretty good. Altbier is a fantastic style, very happy to have discovered it.

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Little Bang – Geezer Pleaser, ESB. 5.5% 375ml can. First beer from this brewery. Canned in Feb, but shouldn’t be an issue for an ESB. Nice colour, decent carbonation. Caramel malt and some kind of hops on the nose. Taste is nice straight bittering hops, thats where this shines, and caramel malts rounding it out. Takes a bit of warming up, obviously, to really shine. Its straight up and nice. 2.5/5

Rocky Ridge – Mel’s Gin, Sour Ale. 4% 375ml can. – Packaged in March so I was expecting this to not be great, but I do try and try all Rocky Ridge stuff I can find. Its surprisingly still minty on the first few sips. No melon, no gin. Its a kettle sour (or however they do the short and stopped sours these days), so it has that particular character of sourness. The mint is definitely there and its strange possibly unnatural, at first, but the sourness eventually removes it from being detected anymore. I would like to know what this was like fresh. 2/5.

Mash Brewing – Red Cat, Red IPA. 6.5% 375ml can. – Nice colour, very nice head that becomes real cloudy and lumpy. Smell is a big malty, sweet, super fruity, IPA. Taste, Its a big malty almost cloying IPA with that red malt bite crossed with that big piney resinous hops. All the things I dislike. Dont usually expect to encounter a IPA like this in 2022 outside of like Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Its really not that bad. Its well made, hits all the points for style and more. I just unfortunately cant handle 375ml of this style of beer anymore. Its 2.5/5 because its good, possibly very good, despite my dislike.

Black Brewing – Bad Boy BaoBao, Milk Stout. 4.5% 375ml. – I can smell the cherry, and the choc, a Cherry Ripe, theres no hops or malt in the smell. The Taste is a Cherry ripe, sweet and tart, its all on the sides of the tongue. There is dark, and black malts that slowly appear and overpower the cherry and chocolate. Its viscous and tart and sweet all around the sides, but with a dryness down the centre of the tongue. Nice, different, 2.5/5

Artisan Brewing – Great Southern, Belgian Style Table Beer. 3.5% 375ml can. – This is nice. Big fluffy head, nice zesty yeasty smell, cloudy golden almost orange colour. The taste is mild but enough, mainly yeast character; Belgian-y, spicy, peppery. A slight hop bitterness is balanced well with the yeast. There is little to no malt taste. A very soft mouthfeel. A real nice little beer. 2/5

Slow Lane Brewing – Altogether, Altbier, 5% 375ml can. – Insane thick tan head. Smells like a lager, but slightly fruity. Brown-coppery colour, rather hazy. This is nice, and I dont think I have ever had this style before. Like a British Mild but with higher carbonation, and more yeast character. Slightly more hopping, too. Its fruity yeast esters up front and a nice traditional hop bitterness. The malt character is mild, but both dark and sweet malts are detectable. Crisp and clean enough. Nice beer, great style. 2.5/5

Slow Lane Brewing – Simpicity, Helles German Lager. 5% 375ml can. – Cloudy, very light amber, golden colour. Small light head. Smell is light colour malts, slightly bready, kind of fruity? Great bitterness, very defined and clean, all bittering hops. The malt character is very light. There’s a little bit of fruitiness, too. Nice. 2/5.

Mismatch – Dark Ale. 5.5% 375ml can. – I have never seen this one before. Color is brown/dark read and clear, nice tan head. Smell is fruity dark malt, clean yeast. Taste is a very clean, rather crisp dark ale with a nice amount of bittering hops. Good. 2/5.

Drinks

Stout & Pastry Stout

Rocky Ridge – Dirty Desert Pastry Stout. 8% 375ml can. Smells like rich mudcake or brownie, kind of boozy, chocolate, obviously some dark roasty malt. The head doesn’t stick around and the carbonation is very light, but that’s no issue. This tastes like a stout just crammed with super rich dark muddy chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate icing. I cant really detect the marshmallow, and there is some lactose sweetness, but that’s all very submerged in the chocolate. Nice mouthfeel and body, fitting but not viscous. Packaged in July, I’m sure something with actual marshmallows and mudcake in it needs to be drank very fresh but this is still very tasty and big and rich and its pretty damn great. A real sipper that just grows as it warms. 3/5.

★★★

Nowhereman – Alpha Ron Stout 2022. 5.6% 375ml can. First off the can art is awesome, its embossed with metallic bits, excellent. Opaque Black. Great super brown head. Smells like a straight up stout, coffee, also burnt toast. Tastes initially like a good straight up stout but as you sip, as it warms, it focuses in on the blacker malts, the darker roasted side, pretty sure all the bitterness comes from the malts, no noticeable hops at all. This is surprisingly bigger than I was expecting. The light body/mouthfeel and carbonation are both deceptive and enhancing of its punch. Another long sipper. Nice. 3.

★★★
Brewing

A Beer!

Bach Brewing from Auckland New Zealand. A new brewery to me. And my first beer from them is a style I pretty much dislike. West Coast IPA.

Bach Brewing – Throbbing Grist, West Coast IPA. 6.6% 440ml can. Amarillo, Citra, Idaho 7 and Talus hops. Stinks like mango, passionfruit, guava etc.. but theres a bunch of other stuff going on I cant place. The earthy character balanced with the dryness from the really deep pine resin is the best bit. Its not over malty or sweet and cloying from trying to “balance” the malts with the bitterness or anything. Its a good IPA with nice modern hop weirdness, not much else to say. 2.5/5.

★★★
Drinks

The 2 Froth Town beers I missed

The Space Donut was sold out by the time I found the Rocky Ridge stand at Froth Fest (I’m sure there were maps but I’m and idiot and was stuck trying the great Artisan Brewing stuff). So I took a bus trip to a liquor store I knew had it in stock and grabbed 2 of them, then I saw the Double Dragonfruit (excellent and first “reviewed” here) and grabbed two of those. And lastly grabbed a Rosé Gose. I didn’t even want to try the Rosé Gose at Froth Fest, because its basically 2 things I’m just not a fan off, I was wrong, kind of.

Rocky Ridge – Rosé Gosé. 9%ABV 375ml can. Smells very Rosé wine, a light lacto funk, and the taste is like a big fucking punch in the mouth, Its basically Rosé grape juice, carbonated and soured, with a bit of Gose saltiness in there. But like 110% amped for all of it. Truly incredible in its just brutal fuck you-ness. Wild stuff. 3 because yes it is good, its, fantastic even and made well, and you do kind of adjust or succumb to it eventually and its actually nice, my personal dislike for Rosé wine put aside.

★★★

Rocky Ridge – Space Donuts Maple Bacon Stout. 8%ABV 500ml can. Great big tan head. Nice smoke, burnt sugar, maple syrup maybe? There’s some very roasted black malt smells. The taste is…. smoke and then… just the bottom of hell dark malt flavour’s. Fucking weird. There’s some sweetness to kind of try and level it out in the mouth, but that first sip is just a vertical drop into pure darkness. This needs to be in a bottle and aged for like at least a year or more and I would love to drink the results. Its not maple, or bacon, but its fucking awesome and bizarre. 3.5 stars. Even after it warms more and it gets a bit more sweetness its still just insane dark rich black roasted viscous insane malts. I don’t even know what the name is referencing.

Update 2/9/22: Just had this again and its a bit more boozy this time, more richer? viscous? More cloying, Still extremely dark and bitter, but it has this boozy almost sickly edge to it now.

★★★★

Rocky Ridge – Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour. 8%ABV 375ml can. The thing I missed about this the first time was the a mount of strawberry in it. In all the gaps and bits of sides of your tongue where its not the big lacto sourness, or the more big citrus side stuff, its all just strawberry. The only Dragonfruit could possibly be just the smell. Weird beer, Great beer. Really big and intense and scary drinkable. 3/5.

★★★
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Drinks

2 Beers

Blackman’s Brewing – Arthur, Smoked Porter. 6%ABV 375ml can. Smell is a good amount of smoke, some caramel malt. Taste has that slight acidity that comes with smoked beers, but also some dark beers. (Marris Otter, Beechwood smoked malt, Carafa T3, Munich). The hops are 100% Cascade, the bitterness is mild but fitting. No real mouthfeel, good carbonation. It’s a real nice porter, and the smoke just makes it better. 2.5/5.

★★★

Artisan Brewing – Waffles, Belgian Oatmeal Porter. 4.2%ABV 375ml can. Pretty standard dark roasty malts on the nose, some caramel, nice enough. Not much mouthfeel, its pretty light actually considering oatmeal is in the name. It is 4.2% but still…I let this warm up a bit and it did slightly increase in malt flavour. This is very much a straight up Porter with very light hop bitterness. It tastes fine, is clean and nice, looks lovely. I would like more Belgian and Oatmeal and Porter, though. 2/5

★★
Drinks

Aether Brewing – Earl Grey Crème Brûlée

First beer for me from Aether Brewing in Brisbane

Earl Grey Crème Brûlée’, Dark Creme Ale. 8%ABV, 375ml can. Their GABS ’22 release.
This is quite amazing. The nose is custard/custard powder, caramel, vanilla (not lactose vanilla), Bergamot, honey, other stuff? Nice smooth mouthfeel with good light carbonation. The taste is massive, and very different, initially it seems kind of like Belgian ale style malts (the grist is Pale, wheat, oat and honey malts) with vanilla cream, honey, custard, caramel, there’s a back note of the tea initially that appears a bit more as it warms, a slight citrus note as well from the hops? (Warrior and Wai-iti hops) There’s Belgian candi sugar in here so that probably adds somewhat to the depth and “sweetness” and initial Belgian thoughts. The smell just keeps bringing back all the flavours. The Bergamot is secretly everywhere after a while melding with the honey malt notes. There’s some very mild hop bitterness, a little bit medicinal, far more more citrus/lemony. It calms down a bit after your senses are overpowered and becomes more of a weird cream ale, a milk ale? with honey, Bergamot, tea and citrus/lemon. There’s a lot going on, a lot of depth. Really deserves a long time just sitting and sipping as it warms and changes to enjoy it all. A real cool oddball beer. 4/5

★★★★
I had only just drank some water out of this glass, its clean, honestly!

Aether Brewing

Drinks, Event

What I tried at Froth Town

Small or medium pours of each using the provided I guess its an IPA style beer glass (see image below).

Artisan Brewing
Legacy ’21 Farmhouse Red Saison. Rich, great mouthfeel, malty, a bit of spicyness, a bit funky, great aged saison. Farmhouse Gold ’22 Saison. A real good well balanced Saison, amazing lacing in the glass (see image below). Un Monde Á Nous # 1 Biere de coupage, sour + hoppy. Really funky, bretty, god i miss this stuff, great. Un Monde Á Nous # 3 Biere de coupage, 2 cherry beers. Opaque full of cherry, like a super funky Rodenbach with a hint of balsamic vinegar, so good.

Impi Brewers.
Imperial S’mores White Stout. Belgian-ish forward malt, theres a nice toasted marshmallow taste, great ingredient choices to make that pop.

Black Brewing Co.
Affogato Hazelnut Ice Cream Stout. Like a nice milk stout with a heap of Nuttella added to it? pretty damn good.

Campus Brewing
Happy Birthday Mr Walrus Imperial Birthday Cake Stout. A big nice stout with a lot of lactose but not enough birthday cake.

Feral Bewing Co.
Sky Rocket In Flight Turkish Delight Ale. You can taste the rosewater, its OK.

Wilson Brewing Company
Scurvy Nights Strawberry Sour Dark Ale. A real nice dark sour, really well used sourness and cherry in a well made dark ale.

Rocky Ridge Brewing
Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour. Very Dragonfruit and very sour, its a great sour, really nice final beer of the night.

As predicted and not just by number alone the star of the night was all the less common Artisan Brewing stuff. Only thing I really wanted and couldn’t get was the Rocky Ridge Space Donut. Really great well set up event, not over crowded, no lines, heaps of brewers and beer. Great event. 5/5.

Incredible lacing on the Farmhouse Gold ’22 from Artisan Brewing
Wilson Brewing Company, Scurvy Nights Strawberry Sour Dark Ale
Drinks, Event

What I want to try at Froth Town

I’ve steered away from the standards and the 85% or so beers on tap that are just straight Hops Beers because boring. There’s more vendors listed particularly from over east who may have stuff I cant regularly get here (pretty much just Moon Dog Brewing), who knows. Also getting some things in fresh kegs rather than questionable cans might be a thing. Beers listed with ^ are “official” festival only releases.

Far too many, will probably do the the Artisan Brewing stuff, then just the weirdest.

In no particular order…

Artisan Brewing -Farmhouse Gold ’22, Legacy ’21, 1721, Un Monde Á Nous #1 & #3

Black Brewing Co : Hazelnut Affogato Ice Cream Stout^

Rocky Ridge Brewing : Space Donut Vol 1 Maple Bacon Stout. Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour.

Campus Brewing : Happy Birthday Mr Walrus Imperial Birthday Cake Stout^. Long Black Lager.

Wilson Brewing : Scurvy Nights Sour Strawberry Dark Ale

Big Shed : Cherry Rhubarb Dark Lager

Wolf of the Willows : Lark Barrel Aged Whiskey Sour

Feral Brewing : Sky Rockets In Flight Turkish Delight Ale^

Impi Brewers : Imperial S’mores White Stout^

Froth Town
Artisan Brewing
Black Brewing Co
Rocky Ridge Brewing
Campus Brewing
Wilson Brewing Co
Big Shed
Wolf of the Willows
Feral Brewing
Impi Brewers

Drinks

Some beers…

Pirate Life – Raspberry Lamington Stout. 6.5% 355ml can. Smells like fake raspberry and coconut, but still has a nice dark malt scent. Tastes like a stout, then an artificial coconut and a cocoa/chocolate flavour, no real raspberry taste except maybe a kind of berry juice sourness which is probably just a dark malt thing. Its weird, its drinkable, but its too artificial for me.

★★

Pirate Life – Stout. 5.8% 355ml can. Its a stout. Really good, too. Not much else to say. 3 stars.

★★★

Rocky Ridge – You Put the Beer in the Coconut, Dry Hopped Sour with Finger Lime and Coconut. 4.0% 375ml can. I haven’t has a sour in so long, and this seems very sour. Theres sourness, maybe some lime sourness but mostly probably lactic acid. And thats about it. Sone lactic funk on the nose. Some hop bitterness is detectable. Its a nice sour drink, sure, but there’s no coconut or way to know its finger limes and not lemon juice or just lactic acid. 2 stars

★★

Rocky Ridge – Rice Crispy, Rice Lager 5.0% 375ml can. Its clean, crisp, slightly sweet malts, lager style smell and hopping/bitterness. A nice clean crisp lager. Good stuff.

★★★

Pirate Life & Eyre Roasted – Coffee Porter. 6.0% 355ml can. Really big coffee. Insane coffee. Hard to say if any of the bitterness is actually hops. Big coffee and some well balanced dark malts. Gets a bit sweeter as it warms up, a bit of cocoa and chocolate in there, gets slightly medicinal, and the hops are there in the residual bitterness.

★★★