Bluey Ultra Crisp Lager

 A newish beer has been launching that is named after a legend and has finally come my way. 

Bluey Ultra Crisp Lager, named after the ‘Aussie Legend Bluey’ a hard-working Blue Cattle Dog that became famous in Australian history is a light beer, or is it a mid strength beer? I’m not sure, the BWS, Dan Murphy’s Juggernaut that sells it under their brand Pinnacle describes it as both in the same description. 

At .9% and at 330mls, it is in between a light and a mid, and 45mls short of a standard beer. 

Its flavour profile is described as a light crisp style with a dry finish, the hallmarks of a Toohey’s Extra Dry. 

It is selling at around $40 - $45 a carton depending on where you look for it. 

If you want to try something different that isn’t too out there and easy to drink or if you are into dogs, then this beer will appeal to you. 

Cheers, 

Dave

Thunder Road Brewhouse Limited Edition Cans

A Victorian brewer I had never heard of until now is doing all kinds of crazy things with beer.

They have created a signature series, I was fortunate enough to sample a couple of them and can now share with you my thoughts. 

Dark & Creamy Boysenberry India Pale Ale 

This IPA is dark, creamy and it has boysenberries, on top of that it contains lactose. 

A 6% delight it was a gold medal winner in the Speciality Beer Category at the World Beer Awards in 2019.

Coconut Porter 

Described to be smooth and silky, this porter is brewed with cacao nibs, coconut and vanilla. Like it’s brother it also contains dairy. It is a little bit weaker at 5% but both come in big cans so there is more of it to enjoy in one go. 

The beers are labelled five and six respectively, I’ll be on the hunt for the first four if they are still in production. 

Cheers, 

Dave

Bridge Road Brewers Nitro Mountain Lager

 I must admit I was very curious when we picked this one in a mixed 6-pack.

This is not just an ordinary beer, it has been nitrogenated.

“This beer has been inspired by the maltier lagers of Europe with a new world twist of aromatic hop aroma and flavour. It has also been nitrogenated to provide an extra smooth and creamy texture.” It says on the label.

Their description is spot on, by following the instructions on the can you spin it x4 times, crack it and pour it quickly into a glass, the result is a thick creamy head, much like a Guinness but without the widget that gives it the creamy head.

This was such a pleasure to drink, its flavour profile was complemented with its creamy head.

Apparently, it goes great with ‘Neck deep powder’.

I’ve been skiing and snowboarding before and I think this would go perfect after dominating some mountains.

Nitrogenated beers seem to be popping up around the place, I’ll have to sample some more.

Cheers,

Dave

James Squire Jack of Spades Porter

Winter is almost over but I’m still in the need of something dark to warm me up.

On another recent Melbourne trip, I paid a visit to the Crafty Squire and they still have the 2019 release of the Wreck on tap, an Imperial Porter this year.

Their normal porter is good as well, using roasted barley and a longer maturation give it depth.

It was easy to drink and didn’t feel too rich.

Chocolate notes always go well in favour for me, it was also rich and creamy.

Porters originate from London and are related to stout which are stronger versions.

It’s 5% and 1.4 standard drinks.

The label design matches the brew, James Squire have a part of a story on each of their different bottles, you have to drink all of them to see all of it, the Porter has number four.

Another fine product by James Squire.

Cheers,

Dave

4 Pines Draught

I was pleased that another 4 Pines beer popped up on my to-drink list.


Knowing this was more than just a draught there would be more than meets the eye.






Let me introduce to you 4 Pines Draught or Kolsch Style Ale, a style of beer first brewed in Germany, the idea is that it’s warm fermented with ale yeast but conditioned at cold temperatures like a lager.

This hybrid has some nice fruity tones with lemon and lime in smell and taste.

The 4 Pines Yeti has been busy refining this into a fine product.

The different label design

Only 1.2 standard drinks at 4.6% this New South Wales brewed product just makes me love the brand even more.

During my research I noticed that there are x2 label designs for this beer, they both look the same except one has Kolsch on the front while the one I had was labelled draught, I will investigate whether there is a difference in the beer or if they just redesigned the label.

Cheers,

Dave

Kaiju Krush

 Kaiju to me is monster in Japanese, Godzilla being the most iconic in pop culture.

After drinking this it now also means bloody awesome beer.

I’ve known of the Kaiju brand for some time, it seems to be synonymous with craft beer in every stockist I visit.

I can’t believe it took me this long to get my hands on one.

Kaiju Krush is a Tropical Pale Ale, as the name suggests it has a prominent fruit profile.

A 4.7% masterpiece, this is ideal for summer which is fast approaching here.

The creators claim that “It comes in a can so you can ‘krush’ it afterwards”

I agree that this Kaiju is a ‘devastatingly good craft beer’.

Based in Victoria, the creators have designed a mad creature design on every beer.

Many of their other beers are award winning, I will need to try them next!

Cheers,

Dave

Me heading for my next Kaiju beer!

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA

Scotland is a place I would love to visit one day, probably for scotch more than beer in this case.

But it turns out they do good beer too.

Enter Belhaven Brewery, one of their beers ended up in a mixed 6-pack I had with my slightly large beer stash.

On first glance it had a very nice fruity aroma to it, but on first taste it hit me, it was a surprisingly rich taste that mellowed as I got through it.

This American-style IPA uses loads of different hops hence the flavour profile.

Scotch... insert 'drool'

At 5.6% it is a bit strong but overall a nice beer.

Belhaven actually means ‘beautiful harbour’, this is their 300^th year at work, making it Scotland’s oldest brewery.

There is a lot of history in Scotland

I’ll be on the lookout for more of Belhaven’s beers on my travels.

Cheers,

Dave