“What’s with the name? Well I promised my 6 year old nephew that I would name a beer after him and he prefers Max Power to Mad Max (who am I to argue) and this beer is pretty powerful, in the flavour stakes, so it seems fitting. This beer is a collaboration with our friends at Garlicious Black Garlic, yep you heard right – garlic! Black garlic! So what goes with garlic? I reckon one of my slow smoked beef brisket rubs. This baby has Black Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper and Chilli. It’s a beef rub in an amber ale! Smells like a bbq, tastes like a brisket and has a subtle burn on the finish leaving you looking for another one.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Deep amber pour with a soft red tint when held to the light. It only managed a short tan head which collapsed pretty quickly. Scarce lacing as it subsides.

Aroma: Holy moly! This is literally for all of you low and slow meat smokers out there…you need to get on this. Let’s just say the next time you have your brisket ready to go forget your spice rub and use this beer! When we first read that black garlic, cayenne, cumin and chilli was used in this beer we knew we had to have it. Maybe it’s the love for southern BBQ in us but they all smell fantastic!

Flavour: It’s fair to say that the cayenne and chilli pepper adds some serious heat to this bad boy and when we say a shitload we mean a shitload of pepper, garlic, cumin, onion powder and even a touch of mustard for good measure. Loving the soft smoky notes as well…really rams home what they’re trying to do here.

Mouthfeel: Pretty nondescript – smooth, sticky, medium bodied with mild-moderate Co2. Lots of warmth from the chilli instead of the 5.9% ABV.

Overall: Not sure if this will come off as rude or not but this beer is better off being a marinade. Don’t get us wrong, it was really fun and quite tasty but my God this is the perfect marinade for a pulled pork or a brisket. Digging the creativity.

“Our new American Amber was made with a single malt, Voodoo, from our mates at Voyager Craft Malt. If someone makes a fantastic malt in your region with an awesome name why not just run with it?”

Glassware: American Pint.

Appearance: Now this pours like a real Amber Ale! It’s deep with a ruby red tint which really is a sight for sore eyes. It forms a two finger head which gradually recedes and weaves a healthy lace down the glass.

Aroma: This is all class so far. Super rich and sweet caramel, toffee apple, butterscotch and maple-coated cashews greet the olfactories. Really well supported by a distinct juicy orange citrus character which adds not only another angle of sweetness but also a bit of tartness as well. There’s a hint of tang, some florals and boiled candy to tie it all off.

Flavour: This was the big one. Could it keep on the trajectory it was on…hell yes it can! It all transitions from the nose; burnt caramel, toffee, subtle butterscotch, orange peel, blood orange and paw paw. There’s an evident bitterness that kicks up around the mid palate which adds a crucial counter balance to the sweetness as well. Nice and sweet, nutty and bitter finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Sticky, gelatinous and very well rounded. Medium body and Co2. The 5% is on par for the style.

Overall: This was a very pleasant surprise. TRBC can be inconsistent at the best of times but on this occasion they’ve absolutely nailed it. By far their best beer we’ve tried. It reminds us of the really hearty Amber Ales of the late 90’s and early Noughties. Very impressive.

“This medium bodied hoppy American amber ale balances a solid hop profile with a rich caramel and toasty malt character. Expect notes of sweet citrus, pine resin and a touch of peach on the nose with complex maltiness and a firm bitterness in the finish.”

Glassware: American Pint.

Appearance: Deep amber pour with shades of pink and candy red. Full transparency. It forms a thumb of light khaki foam which maintains its shape. Healthy lace clings to the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: Pow! The dank and resinous hops lift out of the glass immediately. It’s straight up grapefruit and blood orange with truck loads of pine resin, dank herbals, rotting leaves, strong floral perfumes and rind. And that’s just the hop profile! The malt bill also offers a hefty marriage of toffee and caramel, toast and blood plum and then there’s nuanced hints of earthy apricot, sage and stewed fruits filling it out further. Very well layered aroma.

Flavour: We’re really impressed at how they’ve managed to draw out this aggressive West Coast quality but still keep it mostly sweet and malty. Pine resins, florals, pithy citrus and dank herbals are rife and the rich malts with its toffee, earthy caramel and toast tack on and balance everything out. It all surges into a rather sharp and bitter finish which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Kind of a sticky and chewy texture with a dry bitterness in the swallow. Medium body and Co2. The 7% ABV does have a slight burn to it.

Overall: We’re a little undecided to be honest. We like that it crosses over a few styles plus it’s really well layered and intense but it gets a little hard to finish off. Definitely enjoyable but in small doses.

“Our first Bona Fide release for winter – Ember, an Amber Ale spiced with Maple Syrup, Cinnamon and Vanilla to warm your spirit on these cold winter nights.  Time to get just a little serious.
The Bona fide limited release series is our chance to focus on quality limited release beers without the need for a story, pun or pop culture reference. They’re just good beer for beers sake.
These brews are more frequent than our other series and once they are sold out they are gone.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Reasonably clear mild amber with soft red hues. It forms a thumb of khaki head which quickly peels off and settles at the rim. A wet lace is dragged down as we imbibe.

Aroma: She’s certainly sweet. The vanilla and maple syrup components rush the olfactories but as we say that the cinnamon and nutmeg counteract it. The hallmark nutty malts, honeysuckle and subtle cola then marry up with this somewhat fruity apple pie quality which is an absolute pleasure to take in. Lightly toasted malts on the flank. It literally smells like a baby version of some of The Bruery’s pastry beers.

Flavour: It’s a lot more carbonated than we were expecting. Being a “spiced winter ale” as they’ve named it doesn’t really suit the narrative so far. The other downside to it is that it really takes the edge off the lovely sweet and spicy maple, vanilla and cinnamon. What we’re left with is a watered down version which slips through too quickly but at least manages to hold on for a little while on the back end.

Mouthfeel: Too over carbonated, watery and thin. This part of the beer has totally ruined what could have been something pretty decent.

Overall: It was all shaping up to be a stunner but the mouthfeel and flavour profile (or lack thereof) let them down in our opinion. This was our first crack at Bonehead too so it’s a shame it couldn’t follow through.

“Wakey, wakey, sleepy head! It’s time to Break Yo’ Fast with this smoky sweet amber ale and a side of sticky maple bacon pancakes. We don’t always have beer for brekkie but this is a special occasion. It’s our 5th Birthday Limited Edition brew so go on, treat yo’ self!”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Pours an attractive deep amber with a thumb of off white head. It gradually peels off and settles at the rim. Reasonable lace as we go.

Aroma: Holy moly it actually smells like it’s been barrel aged so you could imagine our surprise to find out it hasn’t. We’re getting a dank and musty sauna room quality but as we keep taking it in we realise it’s the smoky bacon that’s providing it. The maple and buttery caramel sweetness is a master stroke…not only for balance but also for outright decadence. Yummo!

Flavour: The smoky bacon is a tad more restrained here. Definitely getting more of the traditional Amber characters like honeysuckle, burnt toffee, nutty malts and floral hops. They marry up beautifully with the subtle maple as well. There’s also a slight dryness to it which provides a good balance. Nice and sweet nutty and slightly smoky finish with good length.

Mouthfeel: Balance is the key here…there’s a nice chewy density but the light fizz and hop bitterness counteracts well. Only 5% too so it’s all about that equilibrium.

Overall: Solid stuff. We’ve been super impressed with what Bad Shepherd have been putting out lately. What are we saying we’ve been super impressed with this brewery for a long time now!! Keep em coming!

Glassware: American pint.

Appearance: Kinda muddy rusted amber with a rapidly vanishing head. Looks like there could be Co2 issues here. We sincerely hope not.

Aroma: Smells like it has life so that’s a good sign. Lovely wafts of sweet malts encapsulating toffee, caramel and nutty grains. Fleeting hints of Asian herbs like lemongrass and coriander, a touch of peppercorn, fleshy stonefruit like paw paw and rock melon, apricot, kumquat and marmalade are all tied up in a neat little package. Quite a nice aroma in the end.

Flavour: Ok the Co2 worries we had at the beginning are all but gone…it just simply didn’t retain its head. It opens with a fruity kick and a solid support from semi sweet toffee and caramelised malts. Subtle jabs of citrus, peppery spice and herbs are thrown the whole way through until it punctuates on a dry yet malty sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: A little sticky, gelatinous and well rounded. There’s a nice line of hop bitterness, a slightly flat-ish Co2 and the 6% ABV is well behaved.

Overall: That’s 3/3 for this respectable, new-ish brewery. We wouldn’t go as far as saying this is an American style Amber Ale but there’s definitely a lifted hop presence and a higher ABV to boot. We likey!

“Düsseldorf Altbier style. ‘Alt’ means ‘old’ in German but in this case does not refer to an aged beer, it simply reflects that in Germany, ale brewing is considered the old way of fermenting as opposed to lager beers which are (relatively) newer. Big on flavour yet retaining the drinkability of a session ale as it the way of the brewpubs and beer taverns in Duesseldorf.Like it’s ‘hybrid’ cousin the Koelschbier (German Ale), the extra fruitiness created by the use of warmer temperatures during primary fermentation customary for an ale is smoothed out an extended cold conditioning similar to a lager.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Deep amber with candy red highlights. Only manages a short head which quickly peels back to the rim. Laced reasonably well considering the lack of retention.

Aroma: Very traditional Amber Ale here – kinda earthy, gritty and a little yeasty but still dominated by the gorgeous toffee, burnt caramel, fig, mixed nuts, toasty malt and baker’s chocolate. Some tart dark berries and fruits i.e cherry and plum also coming through. Subtle straw and wheat grains as well. Good depth and complexity.

Flavour: Nice transition from the nose. That same gritty earthy-ness offsets all the sweet malt characters perfectly. Some classic German yeast esters peeking through with the doughy/toasty malts coming out the other side and delivering a slightly dry and earthy finish with delicate dark fruits on the rear.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and a little creamy. Nice frothy Co2, medium body. 4.7% ABV spot on for the style.

Overall: It’s always good to break the cycle of edgy new world beers with a traditional old favourite. If there’s any Aussie brewery (apart from Jindy Brewing) that can brew a German beer as good as the Germans it’s Zierholz. Solid.

“Woolshed Brewery AAAMber Ale has been named after the AAAM brand which is given only to the finest Merino wool once a sheep is shorn. So, having selected what Woodshed believe to be the best Australian hops, and combine this with the rain water collected from a sheep shearing shed roof, the brewers at Woolshed figured that it’d be an appropriate name for their Australian amber ale.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: Deep amber with faint strawberry highlights. It constructs a big and rocky three finger head and takes an age to reduce. Not a great deal sticking to the glass though.

Aroma: Not your typical Amber Ale aroma’s for one. It has this weird earthy-ness which we can’t get past. Also picking up old floral hops and a slight chemical-like note. Yikes! Bad start. Tried to find a bottling date but to no avail. This is why cans are so much better!

Flavour: Slightly over carbonated. Very little in the way of flavour initially but some semi sweet malts bring out hints of nutty toffee, honey and very subtle maple. The hops don’t do it any justice…they have this earthy and floral character that kind of clashes with the malt sweetness. The finish is just dirty and earthy.

Mouthfeel: As touched on before it’s slightly over carbonated. Somewhat thin with little body. The 5.4% ABV is well hidden but then again it is only 5.4%.

Overall: We’re thinking this is either really old or it’s infected. It just doesn’t smell or taste right. The over carbonation points to age and poor storage. We won’t name the bottle shop but we’re certainly a little peeved.

“A sturdy but sprightly malt base provides a firm foundation for fresh fruit and spice notes to show off a little.”

Glassware: English Pint.

Appearance: deep amber with two fingers of fluffy foam atop. Good retention and healthy lace clinging to the glass as we go.

Aroma: Tantalisingly sweet and caramelised…yet well balanced we must add. Tonnes of nutty malt, caramel, toffee, butterscotch and honey with hints of lemon, pine needle, dark fruits i.e raisin, fig, dates and earthy spice. Some mild herbaceous notes coming through as well. All Inn all (pun intended) a very pleasant aroma.

Flavour: Very similar to the nose but with a slightly more lifted hop profile and bitterness. Delicious waves of caramelised malt suggests toffee, caramel and butterscotch which meet with a slightly piney and citrusy middle. Delightfully nutty and toasty malts pick up and move in to well balanced finish of caramelised malt, piney hops and moderate dryness.

Mouthfeel: So well balanced…like a beer on a barrel. Mild stickiness, medium body and Co2. 4.7% ABV. Absolutely in session territory here.

Overall: We haven’t graced our palates with an All Inn beer since we visited the brewery all those years ago. This is quite a good amber ale – sweet, nutty, well balanced. Definitely doing all the right things. Solid drop.

“This American style amber ale is crammed full of a propriety blend of American hops called Falconers Flight. The aroma and flavour is an explosion of tropical fruit and citrus. The rich malt backbone balances the hop intensity perfectly.”

Served in an English pint. Pouring a relatively clear crimson hue that dons a thumb of loosely packed bubble over the top. The head is retained quite well as it works a webbed lace pattern down the walls of the glass.
That nose is oh so sweet! Don’t know how he does it but Ross (head brewer) somehow brews beer that we just want to indulge in. This moreish sweetness that is leaping out of the glass is a blend of butterscotch, caramelized malt, toffee and golden syrup. Yep, you could literally pour this over your pancakes! We like how the feature hop (Falconers Flight) is used wisely with its subtle tropical fruit characters peeking through to balance out the malts.
The American character represents with its moderate hop bitterness. The texture is creamy with medium body. Slightly lifted Co2.
Definitely a much more balanced flavour profile. We get that caramelized malty sweetness coming though with this fruity and somewhat dry line of bitterness from the hops. It’s a little obscure but there is a faint hint of grapefruit that reveals itself midway. There’s a bit of a tussle between the hops and malts as it eventually finishes on a dry bitterness with a hint of nutty malt in the tail.
Definitely hitting its mark as it displays this kind of amber IPA character to it. We hate to admit this but as we’ve grown accustomed to such a high level of quality from Bacchus that when we come across a beer that doesn’t completely blow us away we get a bit complacent. It’s actually not a bad beer, it’s just no snickers ale, barosski or PBJT. Not bad.

“Darker doesn’t always mean stronger. Amber beers usually carry a maltiness that you don’t find with paler styles. The malt character can range from a light caramel to full on rich toffee and toast. Our Hoppy Amber is verging on an IPA, but there is punchy malty body that pushed us to call it an Amber. It has a wonderful fruit, pine and spice balance that develops on the palate. It has a firm bitterness, but the caramel sweetness rounds it out to ensure your senses aren’t overwhelmed.”

Served in an English pint. Rusted amber complexion that reveals a candy red hue when held to the light. A thumb of loosely packed bubble forms the crown before it reduces to a film with some patchy lace working its way down.
We remember this beer as the pick of the range when we visited the brewery last year and it’s great to see it hasn’t changed. It still has all of those superb red IPA qualities with its gorgeous caramel malt base providing the formwork for the fruity hops to work off of. Everything from sticky toffee, caramel and butterscotch to pine, grassy hops and passion fruit. Picking up a subtle hint of toasty malt in here too. Excellent aroma.
Lovely balance of smooth malts and bitter hops on the tongue. Just the right amount of carbonation with a little tickle from the 6.5% ABV around the edges. Medium body. 50 IBU.
Again, balance is the key in flavour. Sweet and somewhat chewy caramels wash over the front palate. All the while that subtle bitterness plays 2nd fiddle until it comes alive in the mid bringing with it fruity and piney notes that reach well in to the long and dry finish. Good length as this tussle between the pine/herbal hops and the sweet toasty malts duke it out on the back end.
It’s actually really hard to fault this beer. The balance is spot on, the ABV gives it a boost and the delicate toasty note adds that extra complexity. Really classy drop from this brewery.

“Fire Within is characterised by a rich copper colour and caramel sweetness, balanced with the floral and citrus flavours from a healthy dose of classic American hops. The result is a rich smooth brew that will ignite the taste buds. ”

Served in an English pint. The attractive copper appearance is topped off with a finger of off white foam that actually holds together pretty well. A healthy lace is strewn down the glass as we imbibe.
The nose is one of the best we’ve smelt from an amber ale in a long time. Akasha are known for their hop-forward and American inspired beers, which this also is, but for us it’s the big, sweet and toasty malts the are winning us over. Caramel, toffee, earthy figs, maple syrup and nuts come through with a piney and slightly resinous hop profile in support. The two together actually have a black IPA-like complexity to it. Excellent stuff.
The texture of the beer is much more willing to reveal the hops than the nose. The 45 IBU provides an assertive hop bite while the moderate Co2 adds the active bubbles. Nicely centred body. Drinks well.
Good continuation from the nose. Toasty malts dominate upfront with toffee, earthy notes and eventually a dank sweetness that bridges on to a piney and resinous mid palate. Another tussle between the two plays out as it finishes with a bitter dryness and a toasty, almost nutty character on the back end.
This amber ale is a good example of why Akasha just keep going from strength to strength. It has everything here! The robust malt base, the dank and resinous hops, a lifted ABV (5.8% ABV) and an overall balance that makes this one solid quaffer. A classy drop.

We have a special affinity for the goat army since we first tasted the hightale ale back in 1999. This brew is the bigger, maltier, hoppier brother of the hightale. We like the informative label also, a feature of the In Breed series of beers of late.

Poured into a pint glass to extract the full goodness from this 740ml bottle, we see a lovely deep Amber body. There is a good 10mm off white head of compact little bubbles which retains beautifully. Nice amount of carbonation in the glass too. First whiff is Marmalade jam, citrus and sweet malt. Reminds us of a Ballast a Point grapefruit sculpin which is frickin impressive. First sip yields solid bitterness in the mouth but not overpowering. It lingers right the way past the back palate until you have the next sip. Almost sits on your tonsils with a tingle. We imagine the IBU is 65+. Bit of spice here like they have used rye malt. We not sure but we like it. Grapefruit bitterness, mixed with lemon rind, sweet caramel malts, and an almost roasted almond like flavour which again must be the malts. Good Alc vol here of 7%, you can’t even tell. As we imbibe there is a wall of lacing opposite from where we sip. Body is medium with good length. There is mild carbonation in the mouth. You almost get confused with the spice bubbling away. This is a really tasty beer. It’s smooth as on the back palate, no offending booze burn, beautiful marriage of citrus and spicy hops with roasted and sweet malts. This is a winner. Well done lads.

Created from Nomad Brewing, Pallet Magazine and Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head. This bad boy is brewed in Sydney using Vic Secret and Melba, along with wattle seed and finger limes. Sam added American maple sugar and mesquite (smoked) malts, with Birra Del Borgo yeast from Italy.

Wow, what a collaboration. Dogfish Head for us is one of the premier craft breweries. We salivate with anticipation. Poured into a schooner, lovely mahogany greets us with no head. Very much an amber ale appearance. On the nose, we get subdued sweet malts, very mild pine, and mild booze. First sip is interesting. Definite sharpness or tartness which must be the finger limes. The IBU here is 20 by the way. This upfront tartness fades leaving a subsiding bitterness, with that smoky/ash flavour from the malt, and a mild sweetness that must be the maple sugar. We don’t get a lot of hops really other than mild pine. Definite nutty flavours here which are either the malts used other than mesquite or the wattleseed. It’s almost coffee-ish. Maybe some mild dough yeast. As we get through the glass the sweetness is now obvious on the lips, like a sticky film. The relatively medium body actually seems lighter and for 8% Alc vol, it doesn’t really come into things as the combinations of flavours drown it out which is a testament to the brewing process. The smokiness really combining with the finger limes, and the nutty, almost coffee flavour are really the standouts here. Everything this beer says it does, it does. It’s a damn fine effort and we expected nothing less when Dogfish Head are involved. Brilliant!

“This year we’ve pulled together three local lads who share a love for the sun, the salt and the sea… It’s no wonder that they’ve brewed a beer inspired by perfect endless days spent on the eastern most tip of Australia. Introducing Dead East Ale, an amber ale encompassing a mixture of hops Simcoe, Citra and the experimental Crosby #6 to give punchy aroma and flavour, that is then balanced by a selection of roasted malt varieties for a more satisfying finish.  A beer perfect to relax with by the ocean after a long day in the sun.”

Served in a shaker glass. The attractive crimson body is covered by a finger of beige foam that gradually reduced to a light film that settles on top. Lacing is scarce but streaky in random patches. The hop bill is made up of 2 of the USA’s best – Citra and Simcoe – that provides generous amounts of luscious tropical fruit and citrus while the experimental “Crosby #6” hop is providing this vinous, rotting leaves and resinous-like aroma. Quite a firm malt backing too, a delicately rich and caramelized toffee scent creeps in nicely. The aroma as a whole almost reminds us of a really good red IPA. Very encouraging start to this beer. In the mouth it’s super smooth with a mild developing dryness to the back end. Quite creamy in texture and moderate in both body and carbonation. Only 5% ABV so expectedly no alcohol warmth is detected. Excellent balance is procured from start to finish here. Upfront a healthy tussle between ripe tropical fruits and sweet caramelized malts plays out. As it progresses forward through the mid a delicate bitterness builds that in turn leads on to a slightly dry and malty finish. A succession of subtle yet delicious flavours all consolidate to produce this captivating number. A confident step forward from their ‘heart breaker’ red ale so this amber can bask in its own greatness. Solid offering.

“Hazards beer is a premium boutique beer brewed in accordance to the very old German purity law which states that only Barley, Hops, Water and Yeast can be used for brewing. There are no additives and the beer is not filtered or pasteurised.”

From the stunningly beautiful freycinet peninsula in Tasmania, this is our first review of this small microbrewery. This ale is brewed according to German purity laws so we not expecting anything amazing, from a craft perspective. There is very minimal on the nose.. some malt. Pouring an orange/golden, there is plenty of bubble, leaving an almost milky head. First sip yields very mild hops..in this case hallertau are used. Mostly malty grain is tasted. Not much else to be honest. Being an ale, it’s smooth and sessionable, and sits at 5.2% alc vol. It’s a tad watery in the mouth though. We would love to try what else this brewery has to offer, as this ale is standard, average only brewing. It’s was a nice drop, but that’s it.

“A full-flavored amber ale made with roasted caremel malt. Richly colored and medium-bodied, Alleycat is an assertive blend of malts with a sprightly cascade of hops”.

Served in a shaker glass the amber pour boasts a gorgeous copper red hue. The foamy two finger head dissipates quite quickly to a rim of foam around the side of the glass. Laced poorly. A sweet bready malt-driven aroma is offering warming additions of toffee, almond, marmalade, maple syrup and fig. There is also a lovely spicy hop profile to balance it out. Respectable aroma. The mouth feel was smooth with mild-medium carbonation. Medium bodied. We found the flavour slightly subdued initially but once it warmed the flavours began to open up. Similar to the aroma, the palate was also mainly sweet/caramel malt driven. Toffee, honey and jam with a subtle hoppy background. Nice toasty finish. The 5.5% ABV is spot on. Essentially this isn’t a bad beer it’s just a little unconvincing. It’s slightly frustrating because it had had set the platform to be a really good brew but it seemed to lack that knock out punch. Good, but nothing great.

“Brewed with the juice of over 10,000 luscious pomegranates, ORIGIN is a complex, rich and balanced Imperial Amber Ale with a truly unique character. The pomegranate juice is added during fermentation, leaving only the residual sugars, which serve to balance the hop bitterness.”

Poured into a shaker glass the appearance displayed a murky mahogany with some copper red highlights. The fizzy 1 inch head dissipated quickly to a rim of foam around the inner edges of the glass. Minimal lacing. As to be expected the sweet aroma from the pomegranate is gorgeous and is further complimented by hints of tart berries, caramel and candy cane. The mouth feel was smooth, almost velvety with a mild carbonation level. Flavour boasts a good balance of sweetness coming from the pomegranate and a good touch of tart berry sourness. We also picked up hints of caramel, malt and a really subtle spice. The only downfall is its slightly one dimensional. Nevertheless the flavours here do marry together really well. The 8% ABV is so well hidden and also deserves credit. All up, it’s not bad but nothing overly special.