Murray’s Whale Ale
Company info:
Murray’s Craft Brewing Co
Bobs Farm, N.S.W
[www.murraysbrewingco.com.au]
Alcohol: 4.5%
Standard drinks: 1.3
Cap type: Non-twist
Cost: I picked this up for $3.99AU
Label info: ‘Handcrafted by Murray’s in celebration of our relocation to Port Stephens, this crisp and refreshing American Wheat Beer has been named in honour of the majestic creatures that grace our beautiful shores each year. We feel our beer, like the whale, encompasses nature at its finest – and is a splendour to behold. Have a you-know-what of a time!’
What the label really means: An excellent way to get your new local community on board is by creating a beer that talks directly to the people – and this sure does. I tip my hat to Murray’s for their fine marketing and hope the respect is reciprocated by the locals.
The Hell-Cat review starts here
Label: This is extremely close to beer label perfection. I love the simplicity of this label that is an instant stand-out hit that leaps off the shelves. The fact that the label isn’t crowded, sticking only to a sketch of a whale, and the large print ‘Murray’s Whale Ale’ amazes me. Crowded labels need to take some lessons from these guys about how it should be done. Even the fact that the blue used is like a grey-blue, and the whale and text a kind of ivory colour is just pure beauty. It works so well. Awesome stuff.
I give it a label rating of 9 out of 10.
AROMA: A delicious melon, fruit tinged aroma. Very intriguing.
Taste: GLASS – Murray’s Whale Ale is bitey. By this I mean it hits with an up-front hit of bitterness, followed by an earthy citrus tinged swirl. It’s an all-mouth taste that is good, refreshing and clean. But, it doesn’t quite hit the heights I had hoped upon sniffing this. I can’t put my finger on it but it’s missing something and the ale falls a tad short of its mark.
I give it a beer from glass rating of 7 out of 10.
Taste: BOTTLE – It becomes a little more earthy in taste when drinking this from the bottle, but I can’t past a really bad metallic, bottle-cap taste from around the rim. Try as I might, it’s really changing the taste of the brew and it’s becoming very disappointing.
I give it a taste from bottle rating of 6 out of 10.
Song of choice: Try this alongside Vampire Weekend’s ‘White Sky‘
Accompanying food: Red meat (not whale meat) would really sit well with this brew. I’m suggesting a steak with a delicious pepper-corn sauce.
Best season to appreciate: More of a Summer brew it’s crisp, it’s refreshing, it’s destined for drinking in the great outdoors.
All-nighter beer? I totally can see myself drinking this all night (from the glass).
NEXT WEEK: Monteith’s Single Source
Hell-Cat's beer blog 
Superb nose this beer. Exquisite nose. I would describe its bouquet as sophisticated Juicy Fruit with notes of Hubba Bubba. In fact, I enjoyed sniffing it more than I did slurping it. If ever a brew could make the leap from stubbie to cologne bottle, Muzza’s What Ale is that brew. Nine out of ten.
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Ooh, I almost forgot. Because it’s so easy on the nostrils, Muzza’s would be a perfect olfactory counterweight for a lump of Limburger and a pair of Baldrick’s trousers.
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For beer to cologne suggestions, Snivins, might I also refer you to my comment from the Endeavour Pale Ale drop from a few weeks ago: ‘If this came in a male fragrance I’d be squirting it down the trousers often’.
Try it and see.
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If I have to drink a wheat beer, it has to have a decent hop flavour for me to enjoy it, and this beer is a rare example of a wheat beer I really like. It would be a great summer refresher.
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