Permalink Reply by vdog on August 14, 2010 at 1:36pm
Over the last few days while in Sydney:
Kosciuzsko pale ale - didn't rate this at all, very ordinary IMO.
Redoak IPA - fantastic, beautiful balance with really nice firm hops against a good malt backbone.
Redoak English Pale Ale - should have had this before the IPA really, couldn't taste much of it!
Lord Nelson Three Sheets - another really good pale ale, glad I'd taken the trouble to find the place.
Lord Nelson Aniliation porter - good again, nice and round in the mouth with roasty chocolatey notes.
Lord Nelson Victory Bitter - another example of 'shouldn't have had big beers first' - much more subtle than Three Sheets but still very enjoyable.
Mountain Goat IIPA - holy shitballs, BITTER and BIG! Loved it.
Last night had a couple of bottles of Epic Armageddon at O'Carroll's on Vulcan Lane. I haven't had it fresh for a while and it reminded me what an awesome beer it is. Awesome price too (compared to brew on Quay) of $13 for the bottle. Get in there and support them.
Today's post-birthday beers will be:
Townshend NZPA
Over the Hill But Not Bitter (my Ordinary/Best)
Gardes! Gardes! (Biere de Garde)
Shakespeare Was A Rogue (Shakespeare Stout clone)
Hoplivion (IIPA)
I'd say 1812 is an English IPA, whereas Armageddon is an American IPA. The former is expected to be more malt-balanced than the latter. Both are excellent beers, they're just different.
What can I say - a truly awesome afternoon/evening with good friends and good beer. Highlights:
- Albrecht's 3 year old Orval. If I could only drink one other beer for ever this would do.
- Paul Dunsmuir's all-late-hopped NZ Cascade Pale Ale. Beautiful mouthfeel.
- Yeastie Boys Her Majesty. Definitely one to share with the missus.
Man, there were so many good beers I can't remember them all. Thank you sincerely to all who turned up, for your presence and for your presents. Looking forward to brewing my Rochefort 10 Mike!
Her Majesty is a beauty. My missus is not a huge beer fan, but this is a style which appeals to her, so it'll be great to sit down and share a bottle for once.
Mike from Brewers Coop gave me all the ingredients for a Rochefort 10 clone, so I'm looking forward to having a crack at something in the same stylistic ballpark too.