Williams Brothers Scottish Midnight Sun Dark Porter Ale

Recently, the small group of chaps who have join in on my quest to taste as much craft beer as possible have been becoming obsessed by Porters and Stouts. Occasionally Dark Ales feature, but these are often disappointing. So far, on the top of our list has been Murray's Dark Knight Porter, and Holgate's Chocolate Temptress. 

The other day I grabbed a porter from Williams Brothers; the Scottish Midnight Sun. This inky black ale pours with a light brown/cream head that laces nicely throughout the drink. It's robust body slides smoothly down your throat and on the way, you are presented with heavy chocolate syrup flavours that pass all too quickly.

This is an exceptional porter that is definitely moreish, and at $8.50 AUD for a 500ml bottle, it's actually decently priced considering it's import and craft beer status. I would recommend this to anyone who says they don't like beer, and to anyone who says they do - it's an all round appeaser.

5 / 5 Coasters

Incidentally, there really is nothing that distinguishes between a Porter and a Stout apart from those styles that include special ingredients (like an Out Stout or Oyster Stout). They are essentially the same, although traditionally, the Stout had a higher alcohol content.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Ale, Prohibition Speakeasy beer & Anchor Summer beer

A certain fish was kind enough to bring a sample selection of beers when she returned to Oz from her USA holiday so I thought I would quickly review the ones I have tasted so far on this blog. Whilst this is a small sample - it definitely illustrates how craft beer is being dominated by the American microbreweries. All of these are sterling tipples, and whilst I feel that Australia's craft brewing scene is producing some top shelf beers (like Murray's Brewing and Holgate), I think we have a way to go to catch up with the sheer breadth of quality offerings America has.

Little Sumpin' is a very surprising beer. I hadn't heard of this little microbrewery out of Petaluma, California before and so I had no idea what to expect. It's a whopping 7.5% ABV and is 64.2 IBU, something that you usually only find when you stray into the India Pale Ale styles. What makes this even more surprising is that it's a 'Wheat-esque beer' which appears to mean they boost the body and mouth feel with the addition of wheat malt to the standard base Pale malts. As you can see, it pours a wonderful clear golden beer with a stark white frothy head that hangs around for the entire beer. Hop aromas are instantly detectable and the healthy body is just packed to the brim with hop bitterness (though not overpowering) and the passionfruit and summer fruit cocktail flavours I've come to associate with Galaxy hops. This beer finished far too quickly and I found myself craving more. It's a shame it cannot be bought in Australia yet - we really are missing out on something wonderful.

4.5 / 5 coasters

Prohibition speakeasy beer is an American Amber Ale brewed by a San Francisco Brewery that claims links to the original breweries from the Bay area. It's a hefty 6.1% ABV that pours with an off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly. The caramel sweetness of the malts are very prominent in the beer as are the fruit flavours and bitterness from the hops, which strangely make an odd combination. I feel that a lower ABV would allow the hops to take centre stage and prevent this odd dichotomy of sweetness and bitterness in the one glass. It's a nice beer, but I feel that compared with the others, it doesn't quite stack up in the quality stakes. A lingering finish that is light on bitterness rounds off the palate. It's nice, but doesn't have me wishing for more.

3.5 / 5 coasters

Anchor Summer beer is a lightly hopped wheat beer brewed out of the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco.

The Anchor Brewery has been brewing since 1896, and they are famous for their Steam Beer, a lager brewed at higher than normal temperature and characterised by a higher carbonation level.

The Summer beer is 50% wheat malt, fermented with ale yeast, and is filtered to give a clean and crisp beverage that is anything but usual. Missing are those common vanilla, banana or clove notes that one gets with traditional wheat beer. Instead we have light fruit flavours from the Golding and Glacier hops poking through a light-bodied straw-coloured beer that sits under a persistent white frothy head. It has an almost bready/biscuit like palate that finishes quickly and cleanly. It is definitely a quaffer, and could handle being downed by the pint on a hot summers afternoon accompanied by a spicy lamb burger with sweet potato wedges.

4 / 5 coasters

The Two Metre Tall Company

The Two Metre Tall Company are the sort of people you want to be making beer. They use their own locally grown products from their 600 ha property in the Derwent Valley, supplemented with other locally produced products from around Tasmania. Priding themselves on naturally grown ingredients, they use their own malt, hops, apples and pears in the brewing of 4 ales and 2 ciders. We were fortunate enough to get hold of three of their ales; the Derwent Real Ale, the Forester Real Ale and the Huon Dark Apple Ale.

I haven't tasted such well brewed beers, made from quite obviously fresh ingredients, and with all the love that a homebrewer goes through in production of a beer in quite some time. These are beers worthy to be proud of, and each is bottle conditioned, adding natural variation and a softer carbonation to the enjoyment. If I had my way, this is how all commercial beer should be produced.

The Forester Ale instantly conjures that immortal line from the Simpson's; "there is a party in my mouth and everyone's invited".
I find it difficult to write a review that does this beer justice. It was so good, I was planning to cultivate yeast from the bottle so I could try to replicate it back home (Two Metre Tall Ales being unavailable in Sydney). It's 5.3% and is made as a true British Pale Ale with a dark amber body under an off-white head. The bottle conditioning means softer carbonation which to me makes this more drinkable than your average beer.
They use Australian sourced Pride of Ringwood and Hallertau hops with Vienna,  Pale, and Crystal malts. It's well balanced for a crisp finish chased by a slight smokiness. It's unassuming yet all the while boasting a lovely medium sweet malt body with enough hop flavour to keep a decent bitterness in the mouth. I really, really, loved this beer.

5/5 Coasters

The Huon Dark Apple Ale is definitely an ale, not a cider which may be disappointing those who where thinking they were getting the latter, but it definitely stands on it's own. Whilst I may not be a fan of fruit beers, I did enjoy this ale as a cleansing drink, but found it unremarkable in it's lack of body
It's sweet malt body is accentuated with  apples and that is about all you can taste. I'm not sure if this is the style but my palate kept asking for more; more punch, more apple, and more flavour.

I probably wouldn't bother with this again, but I would recommend it to cider lovers who have a hard time with beer as I think it might be a happy medium for those trying to escape the cloying sweetness of mass produced ciders.

3.5/5 Coasters

The Derwent Ale was as spectacular as the Forester. AS you can see, it's a much lighter bodied beer with a very generous white frothy head over a light golden straw body. A combination of wheat and barley malts makes for an excellent summer beer; light in body, very little bitterness, and a refreshing finish. It has no stand out flavours, but instead of this being disappointing, it manages to deliver a session beer with character and a great mouth feel. Whilst most of the flavours are attributable to the yeast; Stella, Williamette, Fuggles and Tettnanger hops are used to bitter and flavour. Once again, bottle conditioning ensure this a smooth and refreshing drink.

5/5 Coasters

Van Dieman Brewing

Another brewery I tried whilst on holiday was Van Dieman Brewing. They produce a range of 6 beers from their brewery in Evandale, Tasmania. Very craft beer in focus, they have a decent range that includes an Imperial Stout, an Extra Special Bitter, and a Moreish Ale flavoured with sloe, rose hip and hawthron berries.

I managed to lay hands on the Ragged Jack Pale Ale (4.2%) and the Jacob's Ladder Amber Ale (4.2%).

Ragged Jack is a decent Pale Ale, pouring with the customary white frothy head over a clear golden coloured beer. It's a true Pale Ale (rather than the Australian Lagers that masquerade as such) using English Pale Malt and boasting a floral hop aroma with hints of sweet caramel. It has a full bitter mouth feel which lingers after you swallow however, it feels quite conservatively hopped. The head lingers for the full drink which is gone far too quickly. There is no wonder it boasts bronze for two years in a row in the Australian International Beer Awards as it is a well balanced and pleasant ale.
I would probably pair this with a Chicken Caesar or Chicken Mango salad. It deserve something light and fresh to accentuate it's delicate flavours.

3.5/4 Coasters

 This Amber Ale is excellent. It uses English Pale and Crystal Malts to create a dark cloudy coppered-coloured beer that boasts a generous off-white head. English Hop varieties provide the underlying bitterness but it's the malts that steal the show with a sweet malt aroma and yeast driven citrus notes. It's full flavoured and very refreshing. It's hard to describe such a decently crafted beer as it balances all it's flavours remarkably well, creating a refreshing and satisfying drinking experience.

4/5 Coasters

Mac's Brewery - selected tastings

Mac's is a 30 year old Brewery operating out of New Zealand. They produce a range of 6 lagers, two of which I tried whilst on a recent trip to Tasmania.

Now, I'm not really a stout man (apart from the occasional Guinness), but Black Mac (a dark beer) blew me out of the water. It's 4.6% and pours with a dense body under a dark cream head which does not stick around for very long. To be honest, it isn't missed because as soon as you taste it you are hit with a smooth caramel flavour that finishes with a lingering toffee bitterness, all caressed with a hint of smokiness. The low carbonation helps it to slide down and the chocolate malt aroma adds to the experience. There isn't a hint of coffee to be found, which to me seems unusual in a dark beer, but I'm quite happy with that. The bottle touts the Fuggles hops that are used to produce this astounding beer, but to be honest, they take a back seat to the toasted malts. This is a seriously smooth drink, and I daresay could be drunk quite easily in quantity.

4/5 Coasters

Next up was the Hop Rocker, a well-hopped Pilsner that sits at around 4.8%. I'm definitely a fan of hops, particularly in my lighter beers as I often find them devoid of flavour otherwise. The Hop rocker pours a healthy stark white head that sits over a clear pale straw body. In contrast to the dark beer, this head hangs around for the full pint.
Hopped with Nelson Sauvin and NZ Cascade hops, the drinker is presented with a wonderfully floral bouquet which imparts a wonderful freshness to the beer. The light body slips ever so smoothly down your throat but you experience the full hop flavour, that is balanced well to finish quickly without any lingering bitterness, making it a terribly refreshing drink. I was hoping for a bit of variety in my opinion of these beers, but unfortunately it turns out to be another beer that I would happily enjoy again, and again, and again. Even the good Doctor agreed that this was a first rate beer.

4/5 Coasters

Van Diemans Brewing - White Hills White Ale

This a bottle conditioned White Ale, produced by a Tasmanian brewery located in Evandale. Like all white ales, this is low-hopped and hazy, highlighting the flavours produced from the Belgian yeast and wheat malt. The bubbles are large and coarse which overpowers the subtle citrus flavours and I imagine it would benefit from a few months more in the bottle. Well balanced, there are no real stand-out flavours or aromas which makes this a nice, but nothing special beer. The coarse carbonation means I wouldn't choose this as a 'more than one' drinking beer.

3/5 Coasters