Category Archives: Beer

Grape versus grain in Margaret River

7 July 2010Beer, PeopleChris Shanahan

For the most part brewers and winemakers happily co-exist. Indeed, there’s been considerable cross-over within the industries in Australia, with winemakers becoming brewers, brewing companies acquiring wineries, and wine companies acquiring interests in breweries. The list of connections is long.

And having judged at both wine and beer shows, I’ve joined beer judges over a rich, warming red after long, freezing tasting sessions in the depth of a Ballarat winter; and winemakers over a refreshing ale after a mouth-blackening run of burly Australian reds.

But the peace was disturbed earlier this year when Murray Burton proposed a cellar door, restaurant and brewery adjacent to Cullens winery in Western Australia’s Margaret River region.

Winemaker Vanya Cullen opposed the development on the grounds that yeasts escaping from the brewery could contaminate the yeasts in her biodynamic vineyards and adversely affect wine quality.

While most wine is made from cultured yeasts, Cullen is one of an increasing number of winemakers adopting a riskier approach – letting nature take its course in wine ferments. It’s part and parcel of the quest for regional identity.

On the strength of Cullen’s objection, Busselton Shire rejected Burton’s proposal in March. But after later attempts at mediation, the matter seems set to go through the courts.

Canberra’s winter stouts

30 June 2010BeerChris Shanahan

On 20 June, Zierholz Premium Beers, Fyshwick released an oat malt stout on tap at its Kembla Street Fyshwick outlet. Brewer Christoph Zierholz calls the new stout a German take on an old English-Irish beer style. These traditional styles use a proportion of unmalted oatmeal, added during the brewing process, to create a rich, creamy smoothness to the palate.

But as Zierholz brews to Germany’s purity laws (using only water, malted grain, yeast and hops), he used malted oats, not oatmeal, to create the same effect.

The oats – along with roasted, malted barley and English-grown Kent Goldings and Brambling Cross hops – produced a 4.8 per cent alcohol stout. Zierholz describes it as having rich, roasted coffee flavours and a smooth, rounded texture, courtesy of the oat malt. We’ll review it in Food and Wine next week.

Canberra’s other brewery, the Wig and Pen, will shortly release its gold medal winning The Judges Are Old Codgers Russian Imperial Stout. Brewer Richard Watkins says it’s been maturing in tank for nine months. This year’s version is down to 8.5 per cent alcohol, a significant drop on the ten per cent we’ve seen in recent years.

Coke ups the ante in beer battle

16 June 2010Beer, PeopleChris Shanahan

What’s Coke got to do with beer? In Australia it’s made and distributed by Coca Cola Amatil (CCA), owner, as well, of the new 50-million litre capacity Blue Tongue Brewery due to open on the NSW central coast this week.

The brewery is vastly bigger than the original, located in the Hunter Valley. And it’s part of a larger joint venture with SAB Miller one of the world’s largest brewers. CCA already distributes the Blue Tongue beers and SAB Miller’s international brands, Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Peroni Leggera, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell, Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Chill.

Industry sources say CCA already has ten per cent of the fast-growing premium beer market. And the new brewery gives it the capacity to expand production of the local brands and to brew the international brands under licence – just as its major competitors Lion Nathan and Fosters already do with brands like Beck’s and Stella Artois.

There’s already speculation that CCA, through SAB Miller, might bid for Carlton United next year when Foster’s splits its wine and beer divisions. But CCA boss, Terry Davis, who cut his business teeth in the wine industry at Cellarmaster Wines then Foster’s, says not at the current share price.

Wig and Pen shines at Australian International Beer Awards

9 June 2010BeerChris Shanahan

Judges at this year’s Australian International Beer Awards sipped 1,112 brews from across the world. The catalogue of results makes mouth-watering reading as it lists all of the medal winners across the show’s 19 categories.

Some might be hard to track drown in Australia. But the long honours list includes plenty of readily available beers from breweries of all sizes.

Canberra’s Wig and Pen Brewery covered itself in glory as it has consistently for more than a decade. It won three gold, four silver and four bronze medals across an impressive range of styles. The brewery won golds for its Lambic style Tarty Blonde, Belgian-style Staggered and monumental Russian imperial stout, The Judges Are Old Codgers (but good judges, nevertheless).

But brewer Richard Watkins showed even more versatility. His other medal winning styles included barley wine, Kriek fruit beer, two intense hop-season ales, and a range of pale and dark ales in the Australian, British, American and Irish styles.

The judges’ champions from each of the major categories came from Oregon USA, Dunedin New Zealand, Colorado USA, Western Australia, Copenhagen Denmark, Hunter Valley New South Wales, Sydney New South Wales, Boston USA and Kansas City USA.

The catalogue is available at www.beerawards.com

Asahi Super Dry a masterpiece of brewing

2 June 2010Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

The late and great authority on beer, Michael Jackson, devoted just one paragraph to Asahi Super Dry in his 1989 The New World Guide to Beer. The beer had been released in 1987. But when Jackson wrote the text, probably in 1988, he couldn’t have foreseen the scale of beer war provoked in Japan by Asahi’s new brew, nor that it would create a new genre of beer, imitated by all other brewers.

Dry or ‘Karuchi’ beer became the rage and still is today, thanks probably to its unique fresh and delicate but intense flavour. The manufacturing specifications on Asahi’s website are reminiscent, in some respects, of the protective techniques winemakers use on delicate whites like riesling.

In particular, the site talks of special, gentle malt-handling systems designed to keep out unwanted flavours – much as top riesling makers separate free-run juice quickly from grapes, minimising skin contact.

There’s more to it in beer, though, as hops add spice and crispness, where natural acids, present in the grape, do the same for wine.

Occasional encounters with Asahi are reminders of what a brewing masterpiece it is – a beer you can drink by the bucket; but also one to note and savour to the last drop.

Asahi Super Dry 330ml 6-pack $18.99
It’s probably not the beer for a Canberra winter. But Asahi combines delicacy, flavour and lingering hops bitterness in a style that suits both delicate and spiced food – the beer equivalent of dry young riesling. It’s imported by Fosters and current stock is ultra fresh – a must for this style of beer.

Fine real ale at St Albans

19 May 2010BeerChris Shanahan

A trusted scout recently sniffed out a delicious cask-conditioned real ale at St Albans in the back blocks of the Hawkesbury estuary, north of Sydney.

Established in 1836 the Settlers Arms Inn was a stopover for Cobb and Co’s arduous Sydney to Newcastle trip on the Great North Road. It’s now a popular watering hole in its own right and still attracts visitors taking the scenic route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley.

Owner Ian Burns-Wood has Settlers Arms Real Ale made to his specification by Matt Donnellan at St Peters, Sydney. Burns-Wood says the ale’s hand pumped from the cellar to the bar and served at around seven degrees – allowing the aroma and flavour to flourish. He says he’d serve it slightly warmer, but probably wouldn’t get away with it in Australia as we’re too used to icy cold lager.

Our scout loved the beer and wrote, “This tasted and felt like a real ale –malty and estery [fruity], balanced with floral hops. Gas was pretty much non existent, but this is not a criticism in this case – the light bubbles are part of the style, and the beer still had a trace of head”. We’ll review it for Quaffers on our next Hunter trip.

Belgian bargain set to shake beer market

12 May 2010BeerChris Shanahan

88 Balls lager – it’s new, wet, alcoholic, fresh, imported from Belgium and cheap as chips at $33 to $35 a slab. Good on Barons brewing for bring it in. But I’m guessing there’ll be more publicity than money in the venture. How much can be left over after fees for the Belgian brewer, packaging, shipping 20-thousand kilometres, distribution, retailer margins, excise and GST? A slip in the exchange rate might bring it all undone.

While it lasts, though, it’ll help keep a lid on prices, having lobbed straight into mainstream retailing. On the Anzac Day long weekend, for example, Coles-owned 1st Choice outlets advertised two slabs for $66, alongside Australia’s VB, Melbourne Bitter and Maxx Blonde at the same price. In the same ad, they offered the Australian-brewed, Belgian brand, Stella Artois, at $41.90.

Faced with real Belgian beer priced $9 below faux Belgian, some Stella drinkers might make the change – though I suspect buyers will, in the main, be brand-agnostic bargain hunters.

Coles and Woolworths, too, buy opportunistically. In this case they may simply be meeting market prices without dragging their own direct imports into the price fray. Next week or next year they might move on. Barons had better keep their eye on the ball.

Judges thousand-beer taste off

5 May 2010BeerChris Shanahan

Beer judges this year gave up their Anzac Day holiday to taste draught brews in the eighteenth Australian International Beer Awards. The annual event, organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and the University of Ballarat, attracts entries from brewers all over the world.

This year’s Awards received 1,107 entries – 622 from Australia and 485 from other countries, including Czech Republic, Belgium, Chile, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Germany, UK and the U.S.A.

Organisers say the competition reflects the trend towards craft beers, with about half the entries now coming from small brewers. The trophy winners will be announced at the Crown Palladium Ballroom, Melbourne, on Thursday 20 May 2010, and the full results published at www.beerawards.com

The website features a useful link to the style guidelines followed by judges at the awards (click the “competition” button, then scroll to “style guidelines”). The link leads initially to a terrific American reference site, written in plain English and broken into easily-digested chunks – an overview; English, Irish and Scottish ales; American ales; Belgian and French ales; other ales and hybrids; classic lagers; and specialty beers.

For a more complete and technical style guide click through to the “brewers association” site and see “publications”.

Foam surfing — Longboard rides wave of popularity

21 April 2010Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Heard of Longboard? It’s a new brew, created by Illawarra coast surfing mates, Brendan Bate, Nathan McEwan and Jonathon Crowe.

It’s currently available on tap along the Illawarra Coast, at the Friendly Inn, Kangaroo Valley, and at a couple of Sydney outlets. But Brendan Bate says, “Although we’ve stuck to the area we know so far, we have aspirations for a national brand”.

The three partners developed Longboard with Andrew Gow – chief brewer at Five Islands Brewery, North Wollongong. Bates said they borrowed features from their two favourite ales, Cooper’s and Little Creatures, aiming for a brisk, full-bodied ale with citrus-like hops high notes and clean, lingering bitterness. – something with character plus easy drinkability.

We test drove it over lunch at the Scarborough Hotel (383 Lawrence Hargrave Drive) – distracted by sweeping coastal views, south towards Wollongong and north to the Royal National Park, with the steep escarpment looming to the west.

Our mixed group of men, women, Germans and Australians gave Longboard the thumbs up. We liked its dazzling freshness, aromatic hops, clean bitterness and even the slight sweetness that came with the mid-palate malt richness. It’s a long way in style from our standard lagers, but easy to love. See www.longboardbeer.com for stockists.

Longboard Pale Ale 425ml schooner $5.00
Thank the Scarborough Hotel’s stunning ocean views for one star of our rating for Longboard – a full-flavoured, naturally conditioned beer made in the Australian pale ale style. The late addition of Cascade hops gives the beer its distinctive, citrusy flavour and tangy fresh finish. It’s available at various outlets on the Illawarra Coast.

Czech craft brewers on the rise

24 March 2010Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

In the New York Times recently, Evan Rail reported on the Czech Republic’s growing craft beer industry and its support by a number of pubs disappointed by the limited beer choices in Prague’s bars. Rail writes “many bars are locked into exclusive agreements with large breweries, which often install and control the taps”.

Prague’s not unique in that respect. But given Bohemia’s long and diverse brewing history, Prague’s beer tourists could be short changed should their tippling choice be limited to Gambrinus, Staropramen, Urquell and Budejovicky Budvar – the big local and global brands from the region.

If you’re travelling to Prague, you can Google Rail’s article for his list of recommended pubs. But us Canberra-bound drinkers face a more limited choice of Bohemian brews. I found five on the shelves at Plonk, Fyshwick, all except one in the robust, golden, bitter lager style pioneered by Urquell in the town of Plzen in 1842.

Urquell scrubbed up well in the tasting. It’s richly malty and has the signature fragrance, flavour and bitterness of the local Saaz hops, albeit slightly toned down to how I remember it in the past.
Budvar disappointed, however; but Krusovice and the beautifully fresh, lively Kozel hit the mark, as did the amber, sweet, malty, alcoholic Primator in its own idiosyncratic style.

Pilsner Urquell 330ml $3.50
Perhaps it’s not as bitter as it used to be – but Urquell remains in the classic Bohemian Pilsner mould – richly malty but dry, with the appealing pungency of Saaz hops and a lingering, refreshing hops bitterness. It’s distributed by Coca Cola Amatil in a joint venture with Uquell’s owner, SABMiller.

Velkopopovicky Kozel Premium 500ml $4.00
Kozel, also from Plzen, is slightly more alcoholic and fuller bodied than Urquell and the hops less pungent and spicy. The hops provide a deep bitterness on the palate, offsetting the opulent maltiness, then linger on in the aftertaste. It’s a complex beer, thankfully in a decent sized bottle.