australian beer

Reports from the mothership: ep 2

Posted on by Uncle Malty

‘If we’re honest, most of us would accept that a bad boss is a little bit like a bad father or a bad husband … you find that he tends to do more good than harm. He might be a bad boss but at least he’s employing someone while he is in fact a boss.’ – Tony Abbott, courtesy of ABC (http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s596135.htm)

Greetings all. This has been such a wonderful week down in Australia – our departed Prime Minister (long may he stay departed) has finally been ousted by his own party. As soon as the results of the spill motion were tabulated and announced last night, we gathered at our favourite drinking hole the very next day to toast to a return to reason and the ridding of what surely has to be the embodiment of modern hatred, intolerance and self-delusional grandeur. Or in the words of the Mild Colonial: a drunk uncle at Christmas.

It is with great pleasure that I review two wonderful beers I think is noteworthy for this special occasion.

First up, we have an amber ale in the form of the Coven from The Girfter. The Grifter has been for some time, an incredibly underrated company that deserves greater exposure. From their humble beginnings by renting just one tank at Young Henry’s premises, these guys have made leaps and bounds to produce incredibly superb beverages. If ever you see the G on any tap, I whole heartedly encourage you to order a few because you will never be disappointed. The Coven is an incredibly dry amber with just a hint of orange peel and toffee at the top.. The finishing notes had a “cola” like finish – possibly from added maltose/dextrose? in any case, the addition of other non-malt sugar added an incredbly nice finish. A really good touch and a good way to mask a 5.7% abv nicely.

Next, we have the Hopsmith by Akasha, which is a new IPA on the town. Akasha was created by Dave Padden, who started the incredibly successful Riverside brewery. For some reason untapped has this listed as an American IPA, but who am I to argue. The Hopsmith has a slightly different take. Rather than having a strong body, this IPA felt very light for a 7.2% abv and reminded me of ‘iced tea’ – think subdued caramel and black tea bitterness. To round it off, there was a nice hoppy bombing as an aftertaste. I wish I could elaborate more, but I hope the viewers out there would taste for themselves and hopefully draw similiar conclusions.

So ends the reviews and latest reporting from the mothership. I wish I could have added more beers to the list but we were involved in a strange discourse from a Dutchman who had some strange propositions in his stake: His worry about immigrants from the Syria crisis coming to Europe (but strangely staying in Germany and not his native Holland), Science being an overrated construct over nature (we stated that they are one and the same in many areas) and other strange broodings.

Whole lotta love, with a big dash o’ hate

Posted on by Uncle Malty

If your ever around the Rocks area, skip the Brugge -like curated area that is George street and head up the sandstone steps that will take you Cumberland Street, Here you’ll see a good smattering of pubs that actually serve a real beer and doesn’t need some glorious badge of dubious authenticity proclaiming to be “Sydney’s oldest pub” – Think Harts, The Australian, and the Harbour View. There’s also the Lord Nelson nearby and the Hero of Waterloo is just a stone’s throw away. BUT, there does exist a pub dead smack in the middle that Uncle Malty and the Mild Colonial find a little hot and cold – the Glenmore. Now, the Glenmore is a GREAT place during the day when the fiends aren’t out and about – and by fiends we mean ‘kids’ whose only ethos in their current mindset is to be obnoxious; mistakes being uncouth for the ennui of youth and spending their parent’s cash on substances that only elates the hippocampus rather than the soul. Take this drunken quibble that was hashed out to yours truly:

Drunk male kids: Mr. Wong! You’re going the Wong Way!

(said drunken male kids all entering the Men’s Room. Well this Mr. Wong finds that all a little less than Right).

Mild Colonial?

MC: Righto. I’m gunna have to agree here. I used to like the Glenmore for an afternoon beer mostly because it had that rooftop. It was never much chop at night time though cause it got too busy. And it’s not my kind of crowd… I can’t quite put my finger on it but I don’t like the way they carry themselves. Now they’ve got restricted smoking on the rooftop as well. That they found that to be profitable makes me dislike the crowd even more. Probably the only reason I’d go there again is if I was taking some tourists around the area and we wanted to stop for a few – you can still see Opera house and Circular Quay from the tiny smoko section on the roof. When we were last there there was a bar tab, so I’m not sure what it’s like price wise. I did end up paying for a few drinks at the end of the night but I was too charged by then to keep track of prices. I was on the Pure Blondes that night. What’d you make of the beer selection, Uncle?

UM: *Beer* at the Glenmore has always been a hit-and-miss affair, although I did remember they had some white rabbit on taps once. Now that is a glorious beer to soak in the midday sun despite being a hearty porter. But, nah, beer there is what I like to call “pretend” beer, i.e. a beverage so devoid of elan that it becomes something of a ceremony – to appear to be ‘fitting in ‘ to some kind of societal norm while clearly hating yourself and the Topshop clothes you’re dressed in. Think: Coronas, Peroni… you know, that sort of stuff to fill in time but leave you empty. Do you think you’ll be heading there again or trying somewhere else MC?

MC: yeah nah.

UM:Well, that’s a wrap. While the view of the harbour is nice, you have to share it with the ugly people.

Reports from the mothership: ep 1

Posted on by Uncle Malty

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

Yes, it’s true, Uncle Malty and the Mild Colonial do have a base from which we convene and commit… beertanic rituals!!! Nah, we’re a little too lame and lazy to commit to anything resembling routine ceremony. Instead our base is a wonderful pub somewhere in Sydney that’s a little tucked away and has a scary amount of craft beer on tap with a good rotation policy. We’re keeping this one a secret because we are getting a little tired of the ubiquitous ill fitting suits that can’t even grasp the irony of a Dilbert comic if they were to pool their collective imaginations together – and yes, they gasps at the craft beer board in astonishment but go for the Carlton Draft time and time again – and have the audacity to snob the bar they’re patronising!. Also, we’re a little tired of the brats who dress like they want to get into a GAP or Hilfiger commercial, always hogging the queue asking what a “PALE ALE” is or “Will I like it?”. Yes we know who you are, and we know you hang out in a collective group looking like this complete with token characters  who sport anachronistic turn-of-the century aliases like “Wallace”. Yes, you lot who take up prime bar real estate by jockeying the prime outdoor smoking areas but don’t smoke yourselves and getting upset that there’s smog being blown in your face.

Yes I am judgy because the last remaining alcoves where strangers are happy to strike up a conversation and have a decent beer are being invaded by people who trash what craft beer joints should be: a place that puts beer at the center fold and everyone reveling in communal joy.

Ok, now that diatribe is over, here are 4 beers that were tapped, served, drunk and reviewed:

First we have a WIPA (WHITE IPA) from BrewCult’s Outta Sight. Be warned, I do have a love-hate relationship with WIPAs (White as in in paler colouring from the addition of malted wheat, not some Nazi Ration Creation for the Aryan Nation). WIPAs tend to have an effervescent effect with the wheat overpowering the beer and this was no exception. It was incredibly crisp and light bodied with a very dry finish. Not much in turns of flavouring that I could readily identify, but for a 6.7% abv I was surprised how well this beer masked its strength.

Second, we have Merchant Brewing’s APA (American Pale Ale) called the Three Toe Ale. Merchant are a Marrickville based brewery and it’s good to see inner Sydney based players coming to the fold. In this case, the beer felt that it should have had a bit more devotion to the dry hopping stage because there wasn’t much of a fragrance, especially being an APA and all. This was one incredibly over wet-hopped monster so if your wanting something leaning towards the English Bitter side of things, give this beer a try. I couldn’t really describe much in terms of flavouring because the wet-hopping masked the malt notes. I’m seeing this beer as something as a little “Neither-here-nor-there”: it was quaffable but it didn’t have anything special to offer in terms of flavours. It felt very similiar to an old fashioned Resch’s, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Still, the Mild Colonial liked it so it must have some qualities that dry beer drinkers look to.

Third, another Marrickville (Go M’ville!) beer from Sheanigan’s Hoppy Gonzales chili beer. Chili beer is a great way to add some warmth on a cold night due to the capsaicim being added. This one was a little more subtle and seemed to complement the malty-ness of the body, which tasted more of a brown ale style of beer. A nice subtle chocolaty note, nothing too overpowering in the after taste, just a slight numbing spice kick. Think of it as a bit of chili on the stew to enhance the meaty-ness.

Fourth and the piece-de-resistance came in a double IPA from Tuatara aptly christened Double Trouble at 9% abv. Tuatara are a New Zealand based brewery that’s steadily making a name for themselves and I was itching to try some their wares. Now most IPAs tend to waver between Lemony and Grapefruit like flavours in terms of orientation. This beer just may be a game changer by having more of a peach/nectarine flavour profile. This is exciting because it goes to show that there is so much scope and range of what an IPA can achieve. The beer had a subtle hop aroma and a slightly dry/soapy finish. I’d be more than happy to recommend this bad boy but it was a little pricey at the bar. Hopefully you can find it at the Oak Barrel while stocks still last. I’m a little surprised how some of the cousins across the ditch haven’t become main line staples in Australia yet, but they are keeping the Australian brewing scene honest and a good healthy competition is always welcomed.

So a pretty good repertoire of different beers to try your hand in.

Live long and prosper,

Uncle Malty

RIDERS XPA: a quiX review

Posted on by Uncle Malty

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. – Arnold Schwarzenegger

This is a quick review of the Riders Brewing XPA. For the uninitiated in the acronym busting world that is beer, XPAs have been propping up by Australian brewers and can range in meaning from eXtra Pale Ale to eXperimental Pale Ale. Why the X you ask? Mainly because the EPA has been ingrained as English Pale Ale and, let’s face it, having an X in just about anything makes it sound bad-ass, mysterious and ripe for something special (just like your’s truly!). In this case, we have a Strong Pale Ale (?? maybe they meant Xtrong).

So enough with the fluff and we’ll get right into it: This beer pours out in a clear form; very noticeable fragrance from lots of dry hopping; has a light body followed by a light citrus after taste and a very nice dry finish, which I dare say, is almost like having a sauvignon blanc.  As a package the whole thing was very well balanced, with no one element overpowering anything else and a very nice dry beer without that disgusting soapy-mouth feeling from some ubiquitous Japanese brands.

BUT, I couldn’t help but notice that the label proclaimed it a “strong ale” despite having the obligatory 5.6% abv in tiny letters on the side. Furthermore, I bought this as as a four pack thinking that these were pocket rockets at my local bottle shop. The whole thing smacked of hubris from my part because the labelling and “paraphernalia” suggested that I was about to get some genuine strong ales (generally in the 7%-20% category). Being “strong” normally denotes an atypical trait that puts you above your average peers in certain tenets or tasks. I daresay that being *strong* by the slightest of margins is a little too hard to swallow, particularly when the Belgians only start putting out their “strong” labels past the 8% mark.

But maybe it is simply down to clever and bold marketing. I did buy this 4 pack for $15 after all. Maybe I was swayed by the silly “X” factor and the infantile glee of spending under that $20 mark that we all seem to anchor. Was I happy with my purchase? hard to say when you could get a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ales around $22 (that doesn’t even boast any “stXength” or anything Xtra in them, just modesty when packing a killer staple beer). This is bordering little feat territory here – as in not accomplishing much.

Before I get the better of myself and fall further down the slippery slope of semantics and microeconomics, I’ll just judge the actual beer on its own merit and say, yes, it is a good tipple but it just feels like it’s lacking in that little special something that is distinguishing it from it peers. All in all a very decent effort in the “smooth ride” category.

 

Would you rate this beer?

A Pelican and a Farewell to Hart’s

Posted on by Uncle Malty

“He that drinketh strong beer and goes to bed right mellow, lives as he ought to live and dies a hearty fellow.” — Anonymous

Set amongst the city Skyline lies a sanctuary in the form of a sandstone house turned pub that is adjacent to the Shangri-La hotel. With timbre floors, dim lighting and an alcove complete with a fireplace and well worn in leather couches; Hart’s is a welcome relieve to those seeking the comfort of all things cosy and grit away from the mono-chromatic concrete, glass and steel being imposed by a post-modernist world.

Importantly, Hart’s is one of the earliest progenitors of the Sydney craft and brewer-pub scene that not only puts out their own bevvies, but rotates their guest tap list with smaller players, collaborators and out-there innovators. It is one of the true bastions of what a beer loving animals would flock to and if your a guest in Sydney, this is a must visit on your travel guide app.

Smokers, there is some good news  that there is a dedicated smoking section upstairs in the courtyard. But… it is one standing table and flanked left-right-and-center with those who light up. So if anything, try to look at it as a communal turn base facility. If you are hogging it, prepare to make long winded small talk with interstate salesmen and travelers trying to Jockie around a single ashtray.
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