Rating:

“John Stallwood, Head Brewer – A beer that is flavoursome yet sessionable. Solid with malt and balanced with high end bitterness. This beer is brewed for my partner Cindy who is an Extra Special Babe.”

Served in an English pint. This ESB displays a lighter hue than most – hazy amber center working to a deep golden edge. A compacted head develops on top but it rapidly reduces to a halo with a limited lace trail as it ebbs. Traditional ESB aromas hit the olfactory’s initially. Chewy malts, toffee, caramel and toasted grains are strengthened by a subtle berry tartness. A kind of pot pourri-like scent tacks on and brings with it an almost stewed apricot/peach aroma. We get a slightly briney or salty undertone too. Not bad, quite a well layered aroma. In the mouth it’s a little thin but it’s saved by a fleeting bitterness, although that seems to just fall away. Co2 is a little flaccid and the body is weak and watery. We feel it needs a bit of life pumped in to it….a quick check of the best by date shows it was bottled well over 6 months ago so the age could be affecting it here. Flavour-wise it isn’t too bad. Upfront a combination of sweet caramel, bready malts and a hint of spice and subtle herb carry in to a moderate bitterness midway. A faint hint of grassy/herbal hops progress into a leafy finish with a dull bitterness that almost conceals a gentle crackery malt on the back end. Is this a beer we’d rave on about? Probably not. Is it a beer we’d pan? No. Which leaves us somewhere in the middle. Fresh on tap this beer would be much better. Very undecided here. It has some good qualities but the bad seem to outweigh them.

Rating:

“The brewers were knee deep in our hops for this special brew, using hops just harvested from our own vines which were then steeped in our conditioning vats for months, this is a traditional English style bitter. Copper in colour with a strong malt character, balanced by the use of our new seasons Willamette and Goldings hops to create a full hop flavour and aroma. The complex grain bill provides a full, rich & malty ale that has hints of marmalade and lashings of hop resin flavours, finishing with a peppery spicy note.”

Served in an English pint. Pours a lovely deep copper with a soft reddy/pinkish hue. A big, mountainous three finger cap forms over the top, gradually breaking down and settling to a thick and fluffy overlay with a tonne of dense, sticky lacing clinging to the glass. One of the things we love about this brewery is the fact that they grow then use their own hops. In this particular brew the use of their own Willamette and Goldings impart a spicy and herbal note that’s coming off quite vigorously. We’re also getting plenty of stone fruits like apricot and peach that offset the caramel malt backbone. Maybe a slight toastiness too. Simple but very aromatic. In the mouth it’s full bodied and creamy with a somewhat gelatinous texture. Very smooth and moderately carbonated with a gentle bitterness that develops toward the back end. The palate inititates with a soft, sweet malt and a delicate fruitiness flowing through. Hints of orange and caramel are picked up across the mid which lead in to a light, dry finish. Decent length as we taste a subtle yet herbaceous character on the rear. Not a bad representation of the style at all. Also considering how well the 6% ABV has been hidden it does drink super smoothly. We reckon this would get the synchronised nod of approval from any ale-loving Pom. Good offering.

Rating:

One of the main reasons it has taken us until now to review this beer is its uncanny resemblance to Australia’s horrific Victoria bitter. Luckily, though, Lord Nelson is a respected craft brewery and has released some pretty damn fine seasonal brews in the past. Fingers crossed it tastes nothing like VB!

Served in an English pint glass. Slightly hazy appearance with a bold amber hue. Very active carbonation, there are dozens of bubble streams ascending which form the frothy two finger cap. Solid head retention as well, hardly losing any height as it sheds thick, patchy lace trails down the walls of the glass. Well, looks great so how’s the aroma? Certainly very heady still so a lot of bready malts and subtle fruity yeast complexities at the forefront. A touch of floral and herbal hops do come through along with caramel and toffee notes. Quite earthy too with a soft spicy undertone. All very delicate but presenting a pleasant overall aroma. Quite fizzy across the tongue. Co2 is medium-high with a mild drying bitterness. The texture is well weighted with a nice full-ish feel. Drinks pretty well. The flavour profile kicks off with an earthy malt character, developing a slight toastiness through the mid. A subtle caramel sweetness hinges off the earthy malt and carries through to the mildly bitter and somewhat herbaceous finish. Decent length. So, as far as comparisons between VB and this go….well there is no comparison. This bitter has good drink ability, it has a nice rounded feel and a full flavour profile to boot. We are seldom rapt by non-English ESB’s but this one has seen us give the nod of approval. Kudos to the Lord!

Rating:

Ask any Aussie which country is always the most pleasing to beat at anything and the odds are that most would say the Poms! The main two battles would have to be the Ashes (which we regrettably hand to hand back this year) and the Rugby World Cup (which the Wallabies just eliminated them from last weekend, woohoo!!) But it must really irk them, and this gives us immense pleasure, when we brew their own traditionally English beers better than them! This Bitter was awarded best Bitter at the World Beer Awards so let’s hope the beer tastes as sweet as victory!

Served in an English pint. The clear golden golden/amber pour arouses a gushing four finger head that takes an age to reduce, all the while omitting thick and sudsy lace trails as it ebbs. As it is still quite heady the aroma initially offers up a slightly skunky (dark bottle so we doubt it’s light-struck) character. As the head fades it converts in to more aromatic notes of tropical fruit, bready malt, caramel, grassy/herbal hops and a touch of orange tang. In the mouth it has a frothy texture which is boosted by a high level of Co2. Bitterness is mild along with the ABV (3.5%). Quite light on as well. The palate is met with a tangy/tart citrus flavour on entry. A dash of tropical fruit and a hint of caramel sweetness carries forward through the mid and rounds off with a soft, slightly dry, slightly bitter finish. Well, it certainly has session ability on it’s side, but other than that it’s a tad insipid and tiresome. These guys have to start bottling some of their better beers. Bottling only three or four out of a range of about twenty is just simply not enough. These guys have so many other better beers. Get bottling!! 😉

Rating:

“In an ever evolving industry, we are reminded never to forget our roots. Like how amped-up Double IPA’s once came from a hopped up pale ale born to fair the long sea voyage, and how modern rook and metal once dipped their collective toes into New Wave and Glam before punk and Hair metal. It’s true. The Massive Otter is a new world ESB – saluting it’s English heritage with 4 all English malts before thumbing its nose to tradition by employing Australian & New Zealand hops to fill it out. The Otter’s MASSIVE malt profile hints at biscuits and toast, while the Ella and Riwaka hops give it a firm bitterness and spicy, fruity melon & citrus aromas. This is more of an arena rock spectacular than a club show. Hit the lights! Pump the smoke machine and don your spandex like an anthropomorphic otter”.

Served in to an English pint. The heavily clouded amber appearance reveals a fair bit of sediment, some of which remain suspended with the majority settling on the base of the glass. Like most Hopdog beers, upon opening foam comes gushing out of the bottle so a quick and relatively aggressive pour arouses a big, frothy 3 finger head which peels off and retains a good 1cm cap. Laced healthily leaving a sheet of dense residue clinging to the glass. Another hallmark of Hopdog beers is this certain Bretty aroma that provides plenty of funk, sour lemon, barnyard, spice and hay. A vigorous twirl of the glass awakens deep tangy citrus along with very muted hints of toasted bready malts. In the mouth it’s smooth with a touch of dryness. Has a slightly frothy texture with medium-high Co2. Quite tart upfront, a little acidity from the lemon and a touch of the 45 IBU adds to the strange fore flavour of this ESB. The focus on the bretty, sour characters seem to overpower anything else this beer is offering. A touch of citrus comes through before a dry finish completes a pretty ordinary ESB. By the time we’d almost finished the amount of sediment that has settled on the bottom was off putting as we’re feeling chunks of it as we drink. Disappointing beer with no real ESB attributes whatsoever.

Rating:

“If, like me, you like to hunt out a hen, well there are plenty of opportunities to find one. ‘Old Speckled Hen’ is in pubs and bars across the country in cask and also as a smooth version at 4.5% ABV.”

As the hen fears the fox the craft beer drinker fears the clear bottle. It’s beyond us why in this day and age that breweries would risk bottling their beers in clear or green glass. The reason is that the alpha acids in hops react very badly to direct light. This is why you see all craft brewers bottle their beers in brown glass. Oh well, we will see if this one has been affected.

Served in an English pint glass, the attractive amber pour holds up a fluffy one and half finger head that is retained quite well. As it reduces some thick blotchy lacing is being omitted. Lovely, rich and caramelised on the nose. It’s an all malt affair here as we pick up wafts of caramel, toffee, butterscotch, toast, nuts, maple syrup and subtle earthy hops. So typically English it isn’t funny but we can’t write it off, it actually is really nice. Very one dimensional…but sweet, sugary and aromatic at the same time. Not bad. In the mouth it’s smooth and quite light on. A little thin but it doesn’t ruin the experience. Very low on carbonation with mild-medium body. The flavour profile is a mirror image of the aroma with the palate being treated to lots of sweet, bready malts, caramel, toffee, nuts, butterscotch and honey. No real depth in flavour just a smattering of different malts on entry leading through to the finish. 5.2% ABV which is actually fine because this really isn’t sessional anyway. Although the sweet, caramelised, malty flavours are delicious anymore than one and it would start to become cloying. Not bad but nothing memorable either.

Rating:

We bought this beer because 1. Red duck are bloody awesome and 2. We have never before tried or even heard of an espresso ESB. Don’t you just love craft beer? So, the Tiger Mountain name comes about by the addition of “a lot of Single Estate, Tiger Mountain coffee” which is all locally sourced and roasted then delivered to the boys at Red Duck on the day of the brew. Nice!

Now let’s get stuck in, we served this in a pint glass. Very deep, tawny appearance which reveals a gorgeous ruby red hue when held against the light. Compact head, reducing almost instantly to a fine dusting on top. Laces poorly. The espresso features firmly on the nose with its big, rich bitterness. Underneath the immense espresso aromas quietly and patiently sit roasty wafts of dark malts, charred wood, honeycomb, dark chocolate and cocoa. There’s also quite a prominent malt sweetness in here too. Nice depth and complexity. The mouth feel is creamy with a light tickling carbonation. Mild-medium body. As to be expected, espresso dominates the front-palate. Some nice roasty and earthy flavours begin to open up through the mid-palate which in turn delivers a roasted finish with a delicious espresso bitterness on the back end. Coffee flavours hang on for a while displaying lengthy duration. 5.2% ABV. Essentially, a pretty good brew. Espresso is front and centre, backed up by a good balance of roasty malts and earthy hops. Another fine addition to this breweries mammoth range of beers.

Rating:

“Our flagship brew highlights barrel-fermented batches from our patented Firestone Union blended with beer fermented in stainless steel.  It opens with a biscuity toasted malt aroma and a hint of oak and vanilla.  Pale malts create a smooth malty middle with ribbons of caramel, English toffee and toasted oak. A tribute to English pales traditionally fermented in cask”.

This is a double barrel ale or an ESB/pale ale as the brewers like to describe it. Pours a clear copper into an English pint glass with basically no head. Scents of toffee, caramel malt, subtle spice, toast with very little hops. Definitely not floral. There is a nicely balanced and smooth overall mouth feel. There is a biscuity malt flavour on the palate with a firm plummy sweetness that’s nicely balanced out by a spicy hop finish. There is an alc vol of 5.0% and it’s apt. Mild carbonation and mild body. There is Definite bitterness, likely from an English hop variety as it’s that typical English type of beer. Much to our surprise it’s a very sessionable drop this one, and we love the fact that an American brewery has nailed an English bitter/ale. Jeez, everything these guys touch turns to gold. Another sensational drop by these American master brewers.

Rating:

“We took our beloved English session ale and traditional British hopping adding our touch with a dry-hopped American for an explosive fruity citrus. Excellent with grilled meats such as ham or classic shoulder of San Secondo. Cheese cow delicate as a young Asiago or Cheddar. Perfect with an evening at the pub”.

This is our first crack at this classy looking Italian breweries range. Served in a shaker glass the murky copper orange pour produced a thick, pillowy two finger head that persists. Thick, soapy lacing is left all the way down the glass. The first element we picked up in this slightly complex aroma was it’s earthy character. A lovely presence of chewy caramel, toffee and fig jam are backed up by doughy undertones of brioche and biscuit malt. A slight waft of butter is making us a tad wary (as this can sometimes means the fermentation process was cut short) but we proceed. In the mouth it felt frothy with a touch of mild-medium carbonation. Medium bodied. The tongue is initially met with a light dose of sweet malts, offering up hints of raisin and toffee. The sweet malts hold through the mid-palate which is accentuated with a mild presence of spicy hops. Tangerine and mandarin put a zesty and delicious signature on the finish. 4.2% ABV is low but, not to worry because the levels and the array of flavour in this beer is really surprising. Hats off to these guys, they’ve put a really tasty spin on a traditional ESB. Solid stuff.

Rating:

“Inspired by the classic “Bitters” from Great Britain, our Belk’s ESB is an innovative take on the style. With a deep, golden hue and big malty foundation, the spicy, herbal hop aromas and crisp, bitter bite give a West Coast flair to this classic recipe”.

Served in a shaker glass the appearance displayed a slightly hazy golden orange with a fizzy 1 finger head. Good retention with reasonable lacing on offer. Firstly what hits the olfactory’s is the vibrant floral hops. Just underneath the soft citrus, apple and pine lies the biscuity malt, toast and grains you come to expect from English-style ESB’s. Maybe a slight hint of caramel in there too. Well balanced aroma, a very nice start to this beer. The mouth feel is dry and full bodied. Medium carbonation with a saliva sapping bitterness on the tongue initially. Maybe a little peppery spice to boot. The mid-palate is more malt driven with hints of biscuit and toast balancing out the really hoppy fore flavour. Again the astringent bitterness paired up with a subtle but sharp addition of booze (6.8% ABV) finishes it off with decent length on the back end. The bitterness does subside as we got closer to the bottom of the glass but still seems to slightly overpower the malty or toasty flavours. Not too bad though, still enjoyable.

Rating:

“This bitter has delicious fruity aromas of passionfruit and grapefruit, which are produced by ‘dry-hopping’. The hops add flavour and aroma without bitterness at this point, and give the beer a great pungency and depth. The beer also has a rich malt profile which balances the bitterness well”.

Poured into a Shaker glass the appearance displays a clear amber with a frothy 1 finger head that collapsed quickly to a halo. Minimal spotted lacing being omitted on the glass. From the 1st whiff you can’t be blamed for thinking there was an APA in your glass. Bitter, yet fruity hops such as grapefruit, passion fruit and lychee dominate. After a steady swirl of the glass sits an otherwise dormant caramel and spice is detected. Slightly buttery. Mild-medium carbonation with a subtle dry mouth feel. Big, fruit driven palate reflects grapefruit notes upfront with soft hints of mandarin, orange peel and caramel in the mid-palate. Long citrus finish with good length. 5.2 % ABV. ESB? We’d say APA. But a very good one at that. Still rates highly with us. Damn good brew.

Rating:

“The Platypus comes from us, (duck) and the Willamette hops (bill). Early Holden’s were painted a Platypus grey, hence the label colour. There is a pleasant earthy / woody hop aroma that complements the all Australian malt sweetness and body. As a medium bodied beer, Australian Pale Ales are intended to be rewardingly refreshing, but not overwhelming’.

This is the first we have ever heard of this brewery from Port Macquarie NSW. Poured into a shaker glass, the appearance displays a hazy golden orange with a short finger of white head that swells but peels off quite quickly, settling to a collar with minimal lacing on the glass. Earthy, sweet malt-driven aroma with doughy and biscuity undertones. Maybe a touch of grassy hops. Slightly muted and unbalanced, no real standout perfumes to speak of. In the mouth it’s mildly carbonated with a soft, rounded texture. Quite chewy. Mildly assertive bitter hops upfront make way for a caramel malty mid-palate. The short bitter finish rounds off a pretty average beer. Only 4% ABV so not a lot of help to the light body there either. To their credit, it seems the brewers were after a light and approachable English style pale ale so they’ve hit their target. Easy drinking though so we guess the upside is that it’s sessional, other than that it’s pretty disappointing.

Rating:

Picked this up from BWS in Hobart. We forgot to pack our crafty travel glasses with us so we served this in a crappy little kitchen glass. It pours a slightly muddy gold with a decent lasting head of about 1cm with some good lacing to show for it. Quite an earthy aroma, we’re picking up some spice in here. Some floral sweetness gives it some extra depth while a backing of bready/doughy malts also comes through. Mild but reasonably pleasant. In the mouth it has low carbonation levels with medium bitterness. The texture is a little thin. Quite malty on the palate. Again, quite earthy with maris otter, bitter citrus, spice and a decent hop bitterness that compliments the whole flavour. Nice dry finish. Watch the sediment levels as these beers must be bottle conditioned. Low ABV (4.2%) but that’s usually the traditional way to brew ESB’s. Otherwise, it’s a pretty drinkable bitter. Not a bad attempt at all.

Rating:

“Soil Association accredited, organically grown barley is used to make the mash for this excellent beer. To provide the distinctive fully hopped flavour we add organically grown hops. The result is a unique, full-bodied organic best bitter with a refreshing after-taste, highly commended by the Soil Association. Gold medal – International Beer & Cider Competition IFE. Serve chilled or at room temperature.”

Served in an English Pint. The appearance offers a slightly hazy amber hue that’s capped off with a short beige head that settles to a fine film with reasonable lace trailing it down. Very traditional English Bitter aroma here – malt driven with a hint of herbal/spicy hops to balance. Nice use of bready and sweet caramel malts with a toasty note thrown in too. As it warms it becomes much sweeter and somewhat buttery with a sugary honey scent prevailing. Quite pleasant on the nose. In the mouth it’s light on and a little dry. Good carbonation levels with a mild bitterness forming around the edges. Really smooth and easy to drink, we can see how the Poms could sit in an old dainty English pub and down these for hours on end. Not a whole lot happening in terms of flavour. Malts dominate upfront. Mainly sweet caramel, bready and maybe a hint of nutty/earthy malt creeping in as it progresses toward the mid. A mildly assertive bitterness sets in bringing a slightly grassy /herbal hop character to the forefront, finishing with a nice, long and dry bitterness to round it all out. Look, in terms of sessional full-flavoured Bitter’s this is quite a decent drop. Although, if you’re after something with a bit more oomph and excitement then it could easily be perceived as a bit boring and insipid. It really comes down to whether you’re a fan of Bitter’s or not. We though it was OK.

Rating:

Picked this up from Purvis cellars while we were on a dirty boy’s weekend in Melbourne. This is actually the first time we’ve ever heard of Black heart brewery so let’s see how they shape up shall we.

Served in an English pint the slightly cloudy amber pour whips up a huge frothy 2 and a half finger head that settles to a well retained covering over the top. Thick bubbly lacing is trailing the beer down. The aroma is distinctly English and malt-driven with dominant wafts of toffee, fudge, nuts, pine and subtle grassy hops. We are also getting some biscuity/cereal malts coming through as well. In the mouth it’s frothy with considerably high carbonation initially which mellows off somewhere around the mid-palate. Moderately bodied. There is a slightly off-putting tart character which isn’t working with us to be honest. Fruity hints of pear inject some life into the malt-forward flavour while hints of nuts and sour cherries on the back end round off a pretty strange ESB. Quite cloying, it left us feeling a tad nauseous, we didn’t like it at all. 5.1% ABV is on par. Pretty average attempt at an English ale/ESB here. Not the best way to start proceedings, hopefully we bump in to a big, hoppy IPA next time we try one of their beers.

Rating:

“By the time ESB launched in 1971, breweries had long been in the habit of producing an ‘ordinary’ bitter and a ‘special’. Our special was the irreplaceable London Pride so we broke the mould and added a pioneering third style: an extra special bitter, brewed to a stronger 5.5% ABV. Since then, ESB has gone on to become a recognised beer style, imitated in breweries right across the world.”

With a clear tawny/copper pour comes a short off white head that peels away to a very fine covering on top. Laced poorly. Off the nose we picked up a phenolic mix of toffee apple, plum, biscuit, maple syrup, sour dough, eucalyptus, fig, tart berries and dates. Quite a jumbled aroma but it somehow works. Mild-medium carbonation with a super smooth mouth feel…brewed perfectly for mass consumption in English pubs, although the 5.9% ABV may even knock over the burliest of Pommy punters if he gets a little light handed. Plenty of character in the flavour though. Dark, nutty malts, toffee, spice, toast, apple and some raisiny notes complement a very well-rounded and slightly complex beer. Never lacking in flavour but maybe a little one dimensional as there’s no progression of flavours being presented. Not highly sessional but a delicious sipping beer. This is a distinctively full bodied ale with some real character. Probably one of the better English bitter’s that we’ve tried. Good drop.

Rating:

Well, not a lot to talk about here….beer-wise that is. The story of it is more interesting than the beer itself. Following on from that awful ‘Kiss’ beer comes this brew from the vocalist, Bruce Dickinson, of the British rock band ‘Iron Maiden’.

In collaboration with the Cheshire family brewers this is a traditional English ale pouring a clear golden amber with a thin white head which peels off to a collar with very minimal lacing. A dominant aroma of sweet English caramel malts, toffee, butter, grassy/herbal hops, nuts and bread. A little disappointing in the mouth it has a very thin texture, almost watery with mild carbonation. Lacking some serious body. Following on from the aroma the flavour profile offers dominant bready malts upfront. Some sweetness in the mid, maybe caramel or toffee with a nutty undertone while earthy and bitter notes finish off this slightly weak beer. At 4.7% there isn’t a lot to be excited about. Try one just to say you have drunk a beer brewed by a famous singer but if it’s a full flavoured traditional English ale you’re looking for then reach for the Fullers ESB, Old speckled hen or the Hobgoblin.

Rating:

Quite an easily found beer this one, we picked it up from Dan Murphy’s, but as any craft brew, it’s better on tap at the brewery. This ESB actually won a couple of awards back when it was first brewed in 2010 and then picking up a couple of golds recently.

Served in a pint glass the translucent amber/ruby red pour generates a beige 1 finger head that recedes to a half-crest of bubbles on top. Standard lacing. What emanates out of the glass initially is a rich and sticky toffee and nutty sweetness that’s followed by a firm earthiness. In the background are some muted grassy English hops (Williamette, Kent golding and Fuggles) that provide a mild balance. In the mouth it’s full and chewy with decent carbonation. The flavour seems to follow on from the aroma with the addition of a mildly assertive bitterness (45 IBU) that cuts through the solid burst of sweet toffee malts and subtle Jaffa upfront. The mid offers nuts and a touch of spicy hops while the finish slightly drops off with a short and mild bitterness. Disappointing end to a good ESB, but the 5.4% ABV does pick it up with a little warming on rear palate. Good beer, we aren’t really fond of bitters but this is pretty drinkable. Decent offering.

Rating:

“My Wife’s Bitter? Yes, we’re talking about Peta, Brewmaster Brennan’s wife. And we don’t mean she’s in any way sour, resentful or angry. This beer is Brennan’s gift to her! In fact, she’s very, very happy to have such a stunningly attractive brew named after her. And who wouldn’t be? Glad we cleared that up!”

Served in a shaker glass the deep amber-copper pour constructed a frothy one and a half finger head before eventually settling to a thin layer over the top. Laced reasonably well. Off the nose we detect those big, malty sweet overtones of toffee and caramel initially. The next big player in a good bitter is a decent presence of nuts. Tick. All the while enjoying the doughy, earthy backbone. It’s all well and good to possess the basics, so to enjoy extra wafts of juicy currants, honeysuckle, cherry and fig means only good things for this beer. Not a very big presence of hops here, although English Fuggles and Golding aren’t known for their big aromas. In the mouth it feels oily with mild-medium carbonation. Good body. Upfront the taste buds enjoy a nutty, toffee, malty sweet flavour on entry. Doughy notes ar5e developed through the mid-palate displaying flavours of brioche and subtle earth while the long toasty finish leaves oats and a touch of fig on the back end. Great length. 4.8% ABV. We’d have to say we’re quite impressed with this beer. Plenty of flavour and considering the lower ABV they’ve done well to hold the body up. Very nice offering.