NO COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION

Glassware: Shaker.

Appearance: Deep honey-golden pour with a light and fluffy two finger head. Excellent retention and lacing as it ebbs.

Aroma: We almost had to rub our eyes and look twice when we saw “summer ale” on this can. This is a style that has pretty much been assigned to the history books. Sadly. It hits the nostrils with a certain malt-driven sweetness. Quite caramelly, malty-sweet, honey etc. Yeah, some tropical fruitiness here and there but it ain’t hitting us a typical summer ale. No BBD so we can’t even check its age either.

Flavour: First thoughts don’t really scream summer ale. Again, it’s malty-sweet, a bit biscuity, some caramel and honey. The fruity hops are kinda shy and restrained. There’s a nice line of bitterness that kicks up late in the piece and helps finish off a rather uneventful beer. Not much in the length department either.

Mouthfeel: Somewhat chewy, medium bodied and with a lifted Co2. Not really your typical summer ale texture either.

Overall: There’s something up with this can. We’re betting on a BBD issue, but these cheeky buggers haven’t been transparent there. Seriously getting fed up with buying old beers and bottle shops not doing the moral thing and taking them off the shelves beforehand. It’s becoming a real problem.

This summer ale is our 2nd entry for this brand new southern Sydney brewery. Similar to the Kölsch, there is another shout out to a beautiful spot in Cronulla on the label. “Green hills” is on the northern side of the beach and its inspiration is mainly driven by the brewers love for the surf and Cronulla beach in general. Anywho, on we roll.

Served in a shaker glass. From the pour we get a light golden yellow impression with a modest centimetre of snow white head forming on top. It gradually peels off and settles to a thin film with minimal lace. We’re detecting nicely lifted tropical fruits on the nose. Kiwifruit stands out for us while hints of honeydew and lime work off a base of sweet, grainy pilsner malt. The brewers have gone for 2 Australian varieties in their hop bill – the better known Summer and the lesser known Melba hop that combine to offer this sweet, musky and floral-like aroma. In the mouth it’s light on with a vibrant Co2 level that hands the texture some buoyancy. A little bitterness here but overall it’s super smooth with mild dryness. Nice transition from the aroma on to the palate. Those sweet and fleshy fruits we picked up on the nose reappear on the front palate, flowing through the mid and picking up a mild bitterness (25 IBU) with it. The finish is light and crisp with a lingering honey-like sweetness on the rear. To sum it up it is very light, very sessional and highly approachable. This is the kind of summer session beer you reach for when attending an arvo BBQ with a few mates. Not bad at all.

Well, this is the 2013 edition of Endeavour’s yearly seasonal. This year it’s a light, fruity summer ale. Poured into a shaker glass, the appearance shows a clear amber with a one inch white head. Good retention and good lacing. Aroma boasts subtle hints of honey, wheat, toast and fruity hops. Soft malty undertones are also present. Mild-medium carbonation with a slightly watery mouth feel. Very light on with a noticeable hop bitterness upfront which moves forward onto a temperate biscuit-malty mid palate. Short dry finish. 4.5% ABV is on the mark and adds to the session ability of this beer. This drop would be perfect for a hot summer afternoon sesh. Nice, crisp easy drinking summer ale. Nice one.

On tap at the brewery in Wollongong. Served in a standard pub schooner glass the cloudy, almost milky pour constructs a thin filmy head with reasonably good retention. Laced well. Aroma is mostly fruity hop-driven. Lemon, pineapple, melon, pear and soft spice stands out for us. Mildly carbonated. Quite light on too, very delicate body. Stark difference between the aroma and taste. A weak, watery mouth feel upfront is followed by an earthy VB-like bitterness in the finish. Subtle citrus notes and some hop bitterness on the back end also. Unfortunately that’s about it for the flavour profile. Far from a summer ale in taste. 4.6% ABV so it would be sessional if VB’s are your choice of beer. We wouldn’t return for another one of these too quickly. Nothing to see here folks.

“Originally brewed for last year’s Hobbit premiere (Golden Perch reputedly serves the best beer in the Eastfarthing), Golden Perch is an aromatic golden ale featuring ingredients from all across the world. German and British malts form the backbone of the beer, a little bit like the history of our brewing industry, but there is a strong new world influence from the clean American ale yeast and the pungent Nelson Sauvin hops. Golden Perch is a beer with enough flavour to satisfy the most ardent beer geek and remain subtle enough to not scare the everyday drinker”.

We don’t mean to offend any Hobbit fans out there but we never saw, or were compelled to see this movie! So there won’t be any witty quips or quotes from the film in this review. Our apologies. Served in a shaker glass. The completely transparent golden appearance looks nice and vibrant with a decent one and a half finger crown. Good head retention, slowly peeling off and settling to a fine covering. Some spotted lacing is left clinging to the glass. Nice and punchy on the nose, the sole use of Nelson Sauvin hops really lifts firm wafts of tropical fruits like mango, peach and passion fruit out of the glass. A definite lemony citric bitterness is detected as is the hallmark Nelson Sauvin scent of white grapes and vines. A clean, biscuity malt backbone ties it all together. Quite nice and vibrant for a golden ale. The mouth feel is light on with a silky smooth texture. Very mild bitterness (25 IBU). Body and Co2 is a little thin and slippery but that’s somewhat expected with these light golden ales. Most of the tropical fruity sweetness continues on to the palate, but with a more pronounced stone fruit character. Fruits like apricot and peach come forward along with a very soft hop bitterness on entry. The mid slightly drops out as a crisp, vinous finish rounds it all off. Good length for an ale of light strength (4.4% ABV) keeping the tongue dry between sips. To say it’s timid would be a bit harsh. It’s very delicate and really approachable, it’s that kind of beer that we could smash down on a hot day with a piece of grilled snapper or squid. It won’t make us shout from the roof tops but it’s a decent enough beer to enjoy. Not bad.

These brewers from Parramatta in Sydney’s western suburbs have respectfully brewed their way into our top 5 best Australian brewers list.

Served in a shaker glass the attractive golden pour appears to show a slight cloudiness. Capping off the liquid gold is a 1 finger white head with good retention and lacing. The nose instantly emphasizes why we hold this brewery in such high regard with our very own Aussie Galaxy hops providing a damp and herbal hop forward aroma that excites the olfactory’s. Juicy wafts of tangerine, passion fruit, marmalade, pepper and wood also come together to produce this excellent aroma. In the mouth it feels a little light on but that’s to be expected for a summer ale. Moderate to medium body with a firm bitterness that takes hold around the mid-palate. Refreshing flavours of pine needle, eucalyptus and herbal hops begin in the front palate and last all the way to the finish. Really well balanced out by the grainy wheat malts. The 4.6% ABV only adds to this beers already high session ability. We’re amazed at how much character is packed in without going over the top, and don’t forget this is a light, sessional summer ale! Probably one of the best summer ales on the market. Well done.