130. Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen

Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen

Company info:
Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company Pty Ltd
Yarra Glen, V.I.C

[www.hargreaveshill.com.au]

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 4.9%
Standard drinks: 1.3

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: $3.99

Label info: ’A traditional German style wheat ale, this beer is brewed in the Yarra Valley with 50% wheat and 50% barley. It is lightly bittered with noble hops grown in the Hallertau region of Bavaria. Conditioning occurs in the bottle, and provides some prominent estery notes of cloves and vanilla’

What the label really means: Sounds great – especially those ‘noble hops’. I’m already picturing hops getting about on neatly primped stallions, perusing their property, a monocle in one eye, and a large cravat billowing out from ‘neath a red hunter’s jacket. Tally forth dear hops, tally forth.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: For what I think is the first time in Hell-Cat’s Beer Blog history, I see blue on a beer label and am not immediately inclined to prank-call Tracey Curro. It’s a very mellow, peaceful blue depicting a hill amidst a sky of washed blue. It calms me, relaxes me, makes me put on a pair of tight jeggings and prance about the kitchen. What has it done to me? I am inspired, I am entranced by the raised lettering, I am eating a gummy bear I found down the back of the couch.

I give it a label rating of 7.5 out of 10.

AROMA: Smells good…it’s hoppy and a tad citrus tinged.

Taste: GLASS – A deliciously earthy brew with citrus undertones and a whole swag of hop-busting wheaty goodness. It’s considerably dry in consistency but very, very drinkable. Good stuff.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 8 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - It becomes even more hop-heavy, a tad more bitter, and, I’m afraid to say, not quite as good. It’s difficult to explain but the more I drink of this from the bottle, the more I am hit by pangs of bloatiness. Still good, just not great.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 7 out of 10.

Accompanying food: Drinking Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen, I have a real hankering for Lebanese food. Bring on the hommous, the tabouli, the sweet caressing lady fingers.

Best season to appreciate: A genuine Summer beer-garden, barbie brew.

All-nighter beer? It’s a little too dry for me to say I could comfortably sit on this brew all evening. I also note the more I drink of this, a growing tangy propensity, lingering as an aftertaste. I’d have to have more to see if this sticks around long.

Other: Happy 2012 everyone! My apologies to all my readers for being AWOL for so long. Between now and my last post, my wife and I welcomed a little baby girl born on Elvis’ birthday with a pre-prepared quiff. Stay tuned in the coming months for the launch of my new section on this site ‘A word from the kid…’.

NEXT WEEK: South Pacific Lager Beer (our first beer from Papua New Guinea)

129. My Wife’s Bitter

My Wife’s Bitter

Company info:
Burleigh Brewing Co
Burleigh Heads, Q.L.D

[mywifesbitter.com.au]
[www.burleighbrewing.com]

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 4.8%
Standard drinks: 1.3

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: $3.99

Label info: ’English Bitter, Burleigh Style’
‘Some marriages drive people to drink. Some drinks drive people to marriage.
Find out why our coastal version of a classic English bitter is a brew worth committing to at mywifesbitter.com.au’

What the label really means: I love the whole play on words here. I love the humour, I love the tongue-in-cheek cheekiness and the sense of fun this label gives. Even if the beer isn’t great, Burleigh Brewing are presenting this brew as something light-hearted, a beer not to be taken too seriously.

Building on their brilliant pun use, I am longing for the release of the following suggestions I have for Burleigh Brewing: ‘My Wife’s Pale’ and ‘My Wife’s Dry’.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: Look, I love the addition of the bikini glad dame on the front of this label. It plays beautifully on the whole wife bitterness thing, without going overboard into pornography. She sits there on a beach holding the English flag in one hand and a good sprig of wheat in the other, glancing at us with a coy look on her face. All well and good. But I guess I have a bit of a design issue in that it looks very cheaply made/printed. Is this another play on the whole scenario? I’m not sure but it looks like it’s been photocopied, with certain elements drawn a bit darker, as though an after thought to the whole project (check out the broad’s head, and wheat). But how can I be harsh on a label that brings a smile to the dial of even the staunchest drinker?

I give it a label rating of 7 out of 10.

AROMA: A strong wheaty, caramelised aroma. It smells just grand.

Taste: GLASS – Upon initial sup I am hit with a very malty taste. As I swirl it round the mouth, I notice it’s particularly smooth with a sweet, chocolate infused flavour. It has a real toffee tang to it, is not overly bitter, and is actually quite refreshing. But, all these flavours aren’t really creating something mind-blowing. It’s a bit middle of the road for my liking and I had hoped for a stronger sense of bitterness. Don’t put this sucker out to pasture without sampling it, but do remember this one’s with you for life.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 7 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Drink this from the bottle and you’ll see it’s just as smooth without losing any of the genuine undertones of malt, toffee, chocolatey goodness. Plus you get the added bonus of holding the cheeky li’l dame on the bottle. Not bad.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 7 out of 10.

Accompanying food: I’d like to take this one out for a nice ante-pasta platter of roast vegies, chorizo and olives. I feel salt would maybe open old wounds of bitterness.

Best season to appreciate: A good drop to snuggle up with by a fire place on a faux-bear skin rug during the throws of Winter.

All-nighter beer? Like a Best and Less catalogue model, I just don’t think it has the substance to keep me interested for too long.

Other: To all my readers both near and far, thanks for sticking with this site throughout 2011. I have appreciated all your input and feedback and look forward to another round of drinks in 2012. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Cheers, Mason Hell-Cat.

NEXT WEEK: TBC – Next review due the first week of January 2012

128. Crown Lager

Crown Lager

Company info:
The Crown Company
Southbank, V.I.C

[thecrowncompany.com]

Bottle size sampled: 375 mL

Alcohol: 4.9%
Standard drinks: 1.4

Cap type: Twist

Cost: $3.80

Label info: ’Recognised as Australia’s Finest premium lager, since it was first commissioned to honour visiting dignitaries in 1919′

What the label really means: Being recognised as Australia’s finest premium lager in 1919 is hardly an achievement is it? After all, those were simpler times back then. A time when child slavery was the in thing, where cock fights happened in the middle of the main street in town, and people went nuts for cravats. Back then, boot polish was probably recognised as Australia’s finest breakfast spread. Get with the times, Crown Lager.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: As a staunch, long-time protester of ‘real estate agent gold’ adorning beer bottle labels, Crown Lager takes this hatred and boots it into another stratosphere. This label makes me want to curl up in the fetal position, suck my thumb, and just count down till rapture day. I felt dirty picking this up from my bottlo. It’s like a pack of Benson and Hedges cigarettes wrapped around a bottle and molded into shape by a dirty old bloke with yellow fingernails and motley overgrown eyebrows. It’s like the dodgy uncle that everyone suspects has an unhealthy attraction to guinea pigs as he sits there sipping away on a glass of sherry. Old fashioned, cheesy, lame.

I give it a label rating of 0.5 out of 10.

AROMA: A citrus infused wheaty aroma. It smells a bit generic but I am willing to give this a chance.

Taste: GLASS – It’s very plain, citrus-inspired, watery and dull. There’s a dry and bitter lingering after taste that very quickly develops into what I can only imagine resembles sucking on an old, dirty, sweaty, gym sock. I also note it feels a little bloaty and normally I am not one to notice this in brews. Sadly, I have nothing positive to mention.

 

I give it a beer from glass rating of 4 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - What I really don’t like about this Crownie is its distinctive bloatiness. Drinking this from the bottle, the bloat seems to be magnified. Two sips and it feels like I’ve just had a steak and fries with a glass of chocolate thickshake poured over the top. I also notice just how sour this beer is…almost like off-fruit mixed in with dirty brown dishwater. This is getting more and more horrid with each mouthful.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 3.5 out of 10.

Accompanying food: Something intense in flavour to mask the horrible taste of this fetid brew. Perhaps a chicken curry.

Best season to appreciate: I guess a Summer brew if I had to choose.

All-nighter beer? No thanks – aside from being a very unpleasant, dull beer, it’s way too bloaty.

NEXT WEEK: My Wife’s Bitter

127. Mountain Goat Hightail Ale

Hightail Ale

Company info:
Mountain Goat Beer
RICHMOND, V.I.C

[goatbeer.com.au]

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 4.5%
Standard drinks: 1.2

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: I picked this up for AU$3.50

Label info: ‘You are holding a quality, small-batch brewed amber ale. Its rich toffee tones and floral aromas come from an all-natural process using only malt, hops, yeast and water. Thanks for supporting independent, craft beer. Dave and Cam‘

What the label really means: I like the sound of this brew, and as I wrote when I did my review for Mountain Goat’s Organic Steam Ale ’…what makes this beer seem attractive…is the final sentence letting us know Dave and Cam were involved. This makes the beer assuredly a friendly label, non-pretentious and very welcoming. I am ready to crack the top off this sucker immediately’.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: The labels for Mountain Goat brews differ only in colour. So I’ll reuse my Steam Ale label review here: ‘I love the simplicity of this label that conveys strength, class, and the power of goats. The font [for Hightail Ale] is perfect and gives an olde worlde charm suggesting traditional methods, and plenty of history. It’s a single band, matte label and just seems to work. No gold, no shiny bits, no pretentiousness. I love it.’

I will however minus half a point for unoriginality. Sorry boys.

I give it a label rating of 7 out of 10.

AROMA: A subtle caramel, chocolate aroma with a tinge of melon fruitiness. Interesting, exotic, enticing.

Taste: GLASS – This is a very smooth drop – carbonation here is barely noticeable. It’s very delicious with a chocolately finish and a tinge ofbitterness that pushes this ale into genuine meaty, all-mouth territory. Possibly the best Mountain Goat drop I’ve tried…it’s really quite delicious.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 8 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Just as delicious, just as smooth, just as flavoursome. This is one fine drop that just gets better and better with each sip.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 8 out of 10.

Accompanying food: A good lamb accompaniment for sure. It’s like the gravy you wish you had.

Best season to appreciate: More of a Winter brew.

All-nighter beer? How could I possibly turn this down? It’s an absolute classic in flavour and smoothness and would easily rock me in its gentle hooves.

NEXT WEEK: Crown Lager

126. St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale

St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale


Company info:
St Peters Brewery
Suffolk, UNITED KINGDOM

[www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk]

Bottle size sampled: 500 mL

Alcohol: 4.3%
Standard drinks: 1.7

Cap type: Non-screw

Cost: I picked this up for $7.99AU

Label info: ‘A rich, red ale with subtle malt undertones and a distinctive spicy hop aroma from Styrian Goldings. Brewed with skill and patience in one of Britain’s finest small breweries.

Historical notes – St Peter’s Brewery is located in a medieval hall in a remote and beautiful corner of Suffolk. There our beers begin their lives deep below the brewery with water drawn from a pure source – as it has been for over 700 years, essential for the full flavour and pure character of all St Peter’s beers.
Our beautiful flask-shaped oval bottle is a faithful copy of one produced c.1770 for Thomas Gerrard of Gibbstown, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. The original is now kept at St Peter’s Hall and is a rare example of an oval Eighteenth Century beer bottle’.

What the label really means: If this brewery hasn’t put Suffolk on the map, it sure has been well and truly placed on my mind-map of ‘must see’ places. I gotta see that medieval hall. I gotta see that magical mystical well from which the water is drawn. It’s created an ethereal-like vision for me that I just can’t shake.
I also love knowing that this bottle is a tried and true shape, and has been for such a long time.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: …And speaking of that beautiful flask-shaped bottle….wow. This is the most beautifully designed bottle I have ever seen in my entire life and I simply can’t ignore it when reviewing this bottle’s label. Just holding this bottle makes you bow down and worship St Peter’s Ruby Red Ale as the most awe-inspiring beer of all time before the lid is even cracked. It is…just…wow. I can’t explain this. It fits neatly in the hand and just seems so right. It’s like watching a butterfly emerge from a pool of baby vomit, or a small Chinese man massaging your scalp – it’s just beautiful.
The label, in all its minutely displayed goodness supports this bottle with great enthusiasm. Its sits aloof, staring out to sea without the faintest hint of concern for the approaching ship sure to run aground on those jagged rocks dead ahead. There’s a little bird on the label, possibly a black-bird, a golden key enthroned in its chest. It chirps with a beauty that rocks me awake like church bells in a cemetery. There’s a ring of gold around the label but I don’t even notice it and I go back to holding this bottle in my hand, caressing its sweet, sweet neck ever so gently, rocking it to sleep and mouthing the words to ‘Islands in the Stream’ to an absent crowd.

I give it a label rating of 9 out of 10.

AROMA: More chocolatey than any other beer I have ever sniffed. This is very enticing.

Taste: GLASS – Very chocolate-like in texture and mouth-feel with an ever so subtle coffee bitterness that arrives as an after-taste like the postman who forgot to deliver that Lowes catalogue on the first route. It’s very enjoyable, very flavoursome, very hearty, and very full-bodied. It’s reminding me a little of Kilkenny in taste, without the creamy thickness.

I give it a beer from glass rating of  8 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - That distinct chocolate taste is there, minus the delicious aroma. It’s good but it’s not quite the whole experience. But, this is completely forgotten when you’re reminded that you are holding the coolest damn bottle in the whole damn world. This beer needs to be consumed from the bottle, I don’t care if I am missing any damn aroma. Hold, drink, caress, sigh. Repeat. 

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 8.5 out of 10.

Accompanying food: Definitely beef…perhaps a gently marinated steak.

Best season to appreciate: A genuine Winter-Warmer. The only difficulty I had reviewing this beer was that the room temp was 25 degrees +. It just didn’t seem right.

All-nighter beer? While I could hold this bottle all night, drinking it all night would be a little more difficult. I think it’s a bit too heavy…but the first couple would be amazing.

Other: My apologies for being MIA last week. I had an ulcer on my tongue that prevented any true tastings taking place. But I am back now and tonguey good.

NEXT WEEK: TBC

125. Endeavour Amber Ale (2010 Reserve)

Endeavour Amber Ale (2010 Reserve)


Company info:
Endeavour Beverages Pty Ltd
Sydney, N.S.W

[www.endeavourbeer.com]

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 5.2%
Standard drinks: 1.4

Cap type: Non-screw

Cost: I picked this up for $TBC

Label info: ‘Great Beer is not only determined on where its ingredients come from, but how you enjoy it.
Premium Pride of Ringwood hops were used as bittering and finishing hops to deliver herbal, spicy resinous aromas.
Fresh rainwater was purified to exacting mineral levels to support flavour development and cellaring stability.
Dark crystal and chocolate malted barley were added to the base malts to produce rich complex flavours.
Our own top-secret, top-fermenting yeast was added to the mash with a touch more to the bottle to ensure cellaring potential’.

What the label really means: I love the label descriptions that Endeavour put on their beer. It’s very detailed and re-assures me that this is a quality product. As I said during my review of Endeavour’s Pale Ale: ‘I also like the ingredient descriptions backing up your reasons to like this beer, knowing what goes in it (helped by little diagrams).’

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: Again, as per my previous review of Endeavour’s Pale Ale : ‘The label is predominantly a dark brown colour with yellow to orange text and diagrams. It looks good but the object on the front makes me think of the malt shovel on the Malt Shovel Brewery label and feel it’s a little cliched. It’s a classy, well designed label, sure. And as much as I do appreciate the ingredient diagrams it does tend to make the label look a little busy. Not bad, but room for improvement’.

I give it a label rating of 6.5 out of 10.

AROMA: A delicious chocolate infused aroma wafts out from this little beauty.

Taste: GLASS – When I previously reviewed this beer for Charter magazine (my review can still be found here), I didn’t go into as much detail as I would have liked to on the taste of this brew, so it was time for a revisit. Sipping the Amber Ale from the glass I am tasting delicious toasted, malty,

caramel flavours. It’s rich, it has a tantalising insinuation of dryness and is a real all-mouth experience from go to wo-ha-oh. I detect a slight Scotch bitterness and an all-might slap to the taste buds. Brilliance.

I give it a beer from glass rating of  8 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Drinking this from the bottle I am struck more by the delicious caramel reinforcement as the predominant taste. The dryness is now gone, replaced by an interesting refreshing feel. I am loving every sip. This really is the embodiment of pure geniusness in craft brewing. 

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 8 out of 10.

Accompanying food: I am thinking lamb shanks, or lamb off the bone. Lamb is definitely required at this point in time.

Best season to appreciate: Because of its darker tones, I suggest this beer would be a good Winter Warmer.

All-nighter beer? Yes please! I love this sucker

NEXT WEEK: TBC

124. Victoria Bitter (VB)

Victoria Bitter

Company info:
Carlton & United Breweries
Southbank, VIC

[vb.com.au]

Can size sampled: 375 mL

Alcohol: 4.6%
Standard drinks: 1.4

Cap type: Ring-pull

Cost: $TBC

Label info: ’Heritage Series – Classic 1958 can design – Today’s Best Cold Beer

As soon as we realised that metal chills faster than glass we started selling VB in it. In fact, in 1958 we were the first Australian brewery to sell beer in a can. Back then our cans were 13 1/3 fluid ounces of pure steel, meaning you didn’t get far without a church key and a bit of muscle’

What the label really means: Good stuff. I’m all for beer labels giving a bit of a history lesson on their brew, or their company. I really do appreciate being armed with the alleged knowledge that VB was the first Australian beer sold in a can.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: Ok so this week I’ve specifically gone for VB in a can, and not the bottles that I normally seek. Does this change anything? No, I don’t think so. The brew is still being put under the same level of scrutiny that I review all beers with. What drew me to this can was the awesome 1958 design. I love it. It makes me think of boiling Summers, watching cricket on a rickety old black and white television. It makes me think of sprinklers on lawns, and crickets in trees. It just has a certain degree of strength, of nostalgia, of warmth. I probably would have breezed straight past VB, and still not reviewed it, were it not for this heritage series can. I love it.

I give it a label rating of 7.5 out of 10.

AROMA: Quite pleasant….it’s citrussy subtle with a lingering wheat musk.

Taste: GLASS – I, like any Australian drinker, has tasted VB on many occasions. But, I’ve never stopped to smell the roses and to see what this beer is all about. My initial comment upon tasting is that it hits with an initial citrus, hoppy hit. It’s actually quite pleasant – and it almost pains me to say this because I’m supposed to hate this beer aren’t I? Isn’t this supposed to be the epitome of evil in Aussie beer? What the hell is happening to me? 
It’s a tad dry, not overly bitter, and rather drinkable. VB’s main issue is that there is no lingering mouth flavour that sticks with you. It seems to dissipate all too quickly. Look, I’ll defend my review by saying it’s an inoffensive lager that is easy to drink, but oh so generic. It’s not going to win any unique taste awards any time soon but it’ll do the job if you’re after a throw-back beer.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 6.5 out of 10.

Taste: Can - There’s a bit more of a hoppy punch that takes hold when drinking this from the can, wiping out the citrus tones. I’m drinking this from the can and I am instantly transported to outdoor music festivals, sporting events, and concerts that I’ve attended in the past and VB has been the beer of choice for the venue. It’s taking me on a magical head-journey and I’m enjoying the ride. However, I also note that it becomes a bit drier when drinking from the can, and ever so slightly not as enjoyable.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 6 out of 10.

Song of choice: Try this along side Bob Dylan’s ‘It Aint me Babe’

Accompanying food: Chicken. I’m thinking chicken satay skewers.

Best season to appreciate: A good Summer brew to watch the cricket with.

All-nighter beer? It’s so dry that I wouldn’t like to drink this all night. But…I could if I had no other choice.

NEXT WEEK: Endeavour Amber Ale (2010 Reserve)

123. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Company info:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
California, U.S.A

[No website listed on bottle]

Bottle size sampled: 355 mL

Alcohol: 7.2%
Standard drinks: 2

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: I picked this up for $4.75 AU

Label info: ’Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA, perfectly balanced yet full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops’.

What the label really means: Fair call, guys….fair call.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: The label for Torpedo Ale is very similar to that of  the previously reviewed Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Only the background colour is different, acting as a good identifier between the brews. Here’s what I said last time, that still applies now: ‘I love this label. It has a certain story-book / fairy tale feel to it and it speaks of greatness. It looks traditional, it looks inviting, it serves as a good reminder of the brew’s au naturale intent’.

I’ll take off half a point for lack of originality.

I give it a label rating of 7 out of 10.

AROMA:  There is a delicious caramel infused, floral aroma, wafting up from the glass. It smells very inviting.

Taste: GLASS – Take a swig of this ol beggar and you’ll hit be hit with a genuine smack to the mouth bitter punch. There is a noticeably high alcoholic taste to this brew – attributed, I then realised, to the 7.2% alc/vol. Torpedo Ale (also listed as Extra IPA on the bottle) is distinctly IPA in being heavily hopped, and herbalised, tinged with a caramel, burnt, smokiness. It’s smoothly finished, exceptionally dry, and perhaps a little too bitter intense for my liking.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 6 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Torpedo Ale is actually a little better from the bottle. It doesn’t hit with the same smack-to-the-chop bitterness as that experienced from the glass. And that’s a good thing. But, it’s still not a beer I can drink a huge amount of.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 6 out of 10.

Accompanying food: Due to the flavour intensity of this brew, I’d like to suggest that this may suit something mildly flavoured such as chicken.

Best season to appreciate: This may just work as a Winter Warmer / apres-ski kind of beer. 

All-nighter beer? No, not for me. Too flavour intense, but most of all it’s just too dry.

NEXT WEEK: Victoria Bitter

122. One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale

One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale

Company info:
Malt Shovel Brewery Pty Ltd
Camperdown, N.S.W

[www.james-squire.com.au]

Bottle size sampled: 345 mL

Alcohol: 4.2%
Standard drinks: 1.1

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: $TBC

Label info: ’The story goes that when James Squire was discovered stealing ingredients from the stores to make the colony’s first batch of beer, the Judge ordered 150 lashes… plus 2 barrels of ale. Thankfully for us, James Squire was a far better brewer than he was a thief.

A clean-finishing, Australian-style cloudy pale ale for cracking refreshment. Malted wheat adds to its refreshing character and a concoction of hops creates fruity aromas with hints of passionfruit, grapefruit & citrus’

What the label really means: I’ve always loved the stories about James Squire that are recounted on their labels. He’s always been portrayed as a bit of a legend, championing drinker’s love of fine beer since the very early days of Australian white-settlement. The more I read about Squire, the more I love him, and the more I love the legacy he has left behind.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: Malt Shovel Brewery have had a bit of a relaunch of their labels over the past 12 months or so, and I really feel they have only gotten better. I love the fact that each brew now has a different theme to accompany it. It just creates a more solid, steeped in history feel to the whole deal. With the label for One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale, I love the booger green and I love the small picture of the cat-o-nine-tails.

I give it a label rating of 7 out of 10.

AROMA: Very wheaty, citrussy…it’s weird, it smells like a very generic lager. It’s actually kind of boring.

Taste: GLASS – Have a swig of the One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale and yes there’s the citrus, wheat lager tones so prevalent in many generic lagers on the market, but this has the pleasure of a delicious ale smoothness that elevates this brew into greatness. There’s a kind of earthy goodness that flows through the ale, sitting nicely with its refreshing, cleansing goodness.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 7.5 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Drink this from the bottle and it loses a bit of its flavour and complexity and becomes a bit too carbonated. Thankfully it’s just as refreshing and crisp but it just doesn’t quite get there…

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 7 out of 10.

Accompanying food: I would love to sup on this beer while eating a deliciously hearty meatloaf.

Best season to appreciate: Definitely a Summer refresher. It’ll put a sparkle in your step.

All-nighter beer? Definitely! It’s going down so well I can’t see myself getting sick of this.

NEXT WEEK: Sierra Nevada Torpedo

121. Duke Premium Lager

Duke Premium Lager

Company info:
Burleigh Brewing Company
Burleigh Heads, Q.L.D

[www.burleighbrewing.com.au]

Bottle size sampled: 330 mL

Alcohol: 4.8%
Standard drinks: 1.3

Cap type: Non-twist

Cost: $TBC

Label info: ’Ever loved a place so much you wish you could bottle it? That’s how we feel about Burleigh Heads. And it’s the reason we created Duke beer. Why Duke? Find out at dukebeer.com.au’

What the label really means: I do admire the guy’s from Burleigh Brewing and their love for Burleigh Heads. They seem to prattle on about the damn place on every label – and it works.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: I’ve said time and time again that I cannot stand the colour blue on a beer label. When I say that, I am particularly referring to this shade of blue. It’s a blue that is put to use on so many different beers (eg. Quilmes) and to detrimental effect, as opposed to the sweetly subtle and nostalgic blue of Burleigh’s ’28 Pale Ale’. It just doesn’t work. What’s also wrong with this label for me is look behind Duke and you can make out a faint star image. It conjures up images of bogans with Southern Cross tattoos. Sorry guys, you’ve lost me with this one.

I give it a label rating of 4.5 out of 10.

AROMA: A heavy citrus, earthy aroma. Unfortunately it’s already making me think of those same old, generic lagers that every brewery seems to trot out.

Taste: GLASS – Following the sniff, I totally expected this would taste just like many other generic lagers on the market. But, thankfully, and surprisingly, this one has a bit more heart, a bit more depth. It has earthy pilsner hints that swirl through an undercurrent of enjoyable citrusness. It’s finely carbonated making the brew quite smooth. It rolls off the tongue with the sweetest of ease. It won’t win any awards for complexity of flavour but it is enjoyable none the less.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 7 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE - Sample this baby from the bottle and it becomes a tad bland, lacks the all-mouth feel and becomes a little carbonation heavy and boring. Stick to the glass I say!

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 5 out of 10.

Song of choice: Try this alongside The Lyrical Madmen’s track ‘Hungover‘

Accompanying food: Spicy Asian dishes may just make this beer come out of its shell.

Best season to appreciate: More of a Summer brew.

All-nighter beer? Look, the brew is so easy to drink I have to say yes it is an all-nighter, session beer. Perhaps my only issue would be that it’s a little dry and sticking to this all night may in fact be a challenge.

NEXT WEEK: One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale