Carlton Zero

Carlton have now released not one but two new beers to their large collection.

I picked up some Carlton Zero to try.

This beer on first taste had a very distinctive bitter Carlton flavour.

It went down pretty well actually, so well that I drank the whole six-pack really quick.

But there was something different about this beer, something was off…

I had no buzz…

I thought I had built up a pretty good alcohol tolerance over the years, but it turns out the Zero part of Carlton Zero is that it contains no alcohol…

NO ALCOHOL…

What have I done?

It looked like beer, it even tasted like beer… but it wasn’t quite beer.

I can see that there are people out there who would want to drink what looks like beer and still be able to drive and walk in a straight line, but this still gives you beer breath, probably not good if you get pulled over on the way home.

The price point for this product is more than some light beers, I guess time will tell whether it takes off.

Cheers,

Dave

Coopers Session Ale

Session Ales are becoming a thing apparently.

Coopers have jumped on the bandwagon and come up with their own version, I’ve got to say, I think this is their best beer yet!

It has been 14 years since Coopers have released a new beer and staying true to their other proper brews make sure you gently stir up the contents to get the sediment at the bottom swirling around to get the full flavour back.

With a light blue colouring on the cans and stubbies it contains citrus aromas, fruity overtones, mild bitterness and a distinctive Coopers flavours using their traditional yeast.

Session beers are known to be weaker brews that can be consumed in large quantities, often around 3.5%. Coopers Session Ale is 4.2% so it will still be a pretty good session with this crafty beer.

This is one beer you should have a session on.

Cheers

Dave

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