Carlton Dry Hard Lager

Carlton have gone hard, they have a new version of Carlton Dry, this one stands tall over all their beers.

At 6.5% this beer is two standard drinks, in cans it has hit bottleshops hard and has wowed Carlton fans.

The price increase matches the alcohol content of the beer, at first taste I had forgotten how long it had been since I had drank a ‘dry’ beer, the taste is unlike any other. By the time I had dominated the can I was feeling it. I could only imagine that if you go for a whole 6-pack this will make your day!

Toohey's tried something similar a while back with Toohey's Extra Dry Platinum, a revolution at the time its initial sales were positive and was different in that it was selling in eight packs. After a while and an alcohol percentage drop it disappeared, I wonder how long Carlton Dry Hard will last?

Dry beers are different because the carbs or sugars have been fully broken down during the brewing process, removing any sweet flavours, a unique taste but one that has its own following.

Go hard or go home, be like Carlton and go hard!

Cheers,

Dave

Birra Moretti

Premium Lager Imported from Italy

I knew Italians made beer too, but this is the first one I know I’ve had so far.

A distinctive European feel I was first amazed by the strong beer whiff I got when I popped the lid off.

You can see the globalisation behind the beer industry with the label stating it was imported by Heineken Lion Australia, ties to Holland, Japan and beyond.

I wonder what other treasures Italy has in store?

It’s because of this though that we can get access to gems like this and without there wouldn’t be a Dave’s Beers of the World.

At 4.6% it was a real beer from a company that has been around since 1859.

It has a nice colour and feel to it.

One story behind the moustached man on the label is that the owners saw a man with a moustache sitting at a bar and asked if he could get a picture, the man allowed him on the condition he would be rewarded with beer – a good idea.

It boasts positive reviews online, if you want to sample a real Italian Beer with a proud history of supplying the masses then look for this.

Cheers,

Dave

Feral Brewing Co. Warhog American IPA

It’s time to fix bayonets and jump out of the foxholes!

I wish R Lee Ermey was still around because he would make this sound much more exciting…

Brewed out of Western Australia, this 7.5% American style IPA kicks more than an M16 at full auto.

I especially love the thought put into the beers description on the can:

“Prepare to be tagged and bagged as this Full Metal Jacket of an IPA rains an apocalyptic, resinous hellfire of clustered hops and passionfruit aromas upon the senses. There’s nowhere to hide so gear up, sound off, and blast “Ride of the Valkyries” at full volume, because soldier, you’re at war. We love the taste of IPA in the morning.”

I'm salivating at the thought of having more of these!

Next time you feel in the mood to put a war movie on I highly recommend you have some of these cold ready to go.

Unfortunately its only a batch release so it won’t be around forever.

Check the Drill Sergeant at his best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZYlXEUo-Lo

Cheers,

Dave

Monteith's The Barber Lager

I’ve known of the Monteith’s for a while but for their cider, a good quality product.

When I saw that they made beer too I jumped at the chance to have one.

New Zealand beer is hard to come by, I haven’t had too many before, so I was curious about what this craft beer had to offer.

A late-hopped West Coast lager which has been made with an interesting choice of NZ, German and US hops.

This is the Dan Murphy’s review for it “Monteith''s Barber Lager is a smooth crafted lager producing citrus hop notes with hints of orange zest and grapefruit with a crisp bitterness. Brewed with selected lager malts, this has a rounded mouthfeel with a refreshing finish.”

It hasn’t been reviewed too nicely online, Rate Beer reviewers have mostly been disappointed, untapped reviewers have been a little kinder.

I did like drinking this one, it went down well, in a craft beer world of Pale Ales, IPA’s, IIPA’s and the like I haven’t come across many lagers.

If you want to taste a good New Zealand craft beer, then get onto this.

Cheers,

Dave

NZ looks like a good place to visit

4 Pines Pale Ale

Here is a fine example of what a love for beer and the environment can produce, based in NSW, 4 

Pines Brewing Company was born from a lack of good local beer.

A father and son after surfing one day got the idea to make their own beer.

The Pale Ale is the first of their beers that I have had the pleasure of sampling, an American style pale ale, it has hop-driven aromas of citrus, pine and grapefruit.

Made with a variety of ‘fruity’ hops, including simcoe, cascade, amarillo and citra it has a lot of flavour.

The four pine trees that are their logo are beside the water according to a picture on their site about the origin story, a picturesque view. They also have an interesting mascot who is creeping around their site, a furry yeti who also features on some of their merchandise.

Their aim is to look after the environment, the pine trees, so that they are around for future generations, they have a Save the Pines campaign to make their production as environmentally safe as possible – through recycling left over biproducts of the brewing process.

Get around this good-natured brewery, I’ll let you know about their other ones when I find them.

Cheers,

Dave

James Boag's Wild Rivers

It has been about eighteen months since we were graced with a new Boag’s Beer, Oscar’s Run, at the Esk Beerfest in 2017.

Oscar didn’t run very far though and wasn’t seen past one of my favourite events of the year.

Boag’s identified a gap in the market so spent seven months coming up with something new, they did have a few gaps fillers a few years ago but went with something completely new.

I present to you Wild Rivers, a new refreshing lager inspired by the wild rivers and waterfalls of Tasmania.

It pours well and has a nice colour

For now, only available at the Centre for Beer Lovers across the road from the brewery before it hits the bottleshops.

Before getting in to sample this I had heard people’s thoughts, is it a remake of Boag’s Pure?

Here’s what I’ve found out:

It does taste like Boag’s Pure but has more of a malt profile.

It has been made with aromatic hops, including cascade.

Only available in stubbies for now, popularity will determine whether it goes to kegs or not.

It will go Australia wide.

It has a very distinctive lager feel to it.

After being one of the first to try it I picked up a six-pack to take home.

Ready for sale

There was a launch yesterday to promote Wild Rivers, my invite must have been lost in the mail.

This is a nice, new, amazing product by Boag’s, I’ll be sure to support it and I hope you like it as I do.

Cheers,

Dave

Hound Dog Lager

A fun trend for venues is to have their own beer, this is something I’m very fond of.

Recently I visited Cataract on Paterson in Launceston because I wanted to sample their own beer and cooking my own steak on a hot stone.

I also wanted to have one of their mega desserts, but I didn’t get that far this time.

Hound Dog Lager is Cataract’s exclusive beer, available on tap and in a stubby.

Brewed by Little Rivers, a well-known Tasmanian Craft Brewer they have produced a fun new beer that is a compliment to the intriguing restaurant.

It has a “straw like colour and a light body that finishes with a delicate bitterness”

If you dine there and enjoy it you can even get takeaways.

I recommend you head to Cataract on Paterson and try some of their unique experiences yourself, including the beer.

Cook your own steak on a hot stone

Cheers,

Dave