Chris Shanahan: Beer review — Matilda Bay and Bridge Road

Matilda Bay Beez Neez Honey Wheat Beer 345ml 6-pack $20
If there’s a bee’s knees of Aussie honey wheat beers, this is it. It’s a highly polished brew with the lightness and zesty freshness of wheat beer filled out and softened ever-so-subtly on the mid palate by the honey. It seems the honey adds a structural element rather than overt flavour.

Bridge Road Brewers Beechworth Chestnut Pilsner 330ml $4.65
Brewer Ben Kraus added locally grown chestnuts to the mash, adding another dimension to this very attractive, medium-bodied, light-golden pilsner. Galaxy hopes from the Ovens Valley add their own appealing fragrance and gentle, spicy bitterness. This is an exceptionally polished, harmonious beer without a rough edge anywhere.