Beer Hunters 29: Beer Hunters, on rye.

On an unseasonably balmy Friday night, the Beer Hunters (Rich, BT, Browndog, Pete and Leighroy) journeyed to my North Caulfield courtyard for Beer Hunters, on Rye. Unlike many other Beer Hunters, this time we focused on a common ingredient instead of a style or a brewery. Four beers, all using a significant amount of rye in the grain bill, plus, a few homemade Ruben sandwiches to keep our strength up.

3 Ravens RYE (VIC) 5.7% alc./vol
Style: Roggenbier
Average score 12.6/20
$10.99 from Purvis Richmond

First up was a Roggenbier from Thornbury's 3 Ravens. The lads at 3 Ravens love their special release beers which have pretty much all been European inspired lagers (Alt, Bock, Schwartz and Smoked Wheat). So what's a Roggenbier? Admittedly, I'd never heard of the style prior to stumbling across this beer. Research indicates it's based on a style that was common in Bavaria until around the 15th century, then disappeared for 500 years. In 1988 it reappeared in Bavaria. In 2012, it reappeared in Caulfield North. It was well received by the Beer Hunters; incredibly creamy with a smooth mouthfeel, lovely and malty like a bock only sessionable - perfect for autumn and it set the tone for the high standard of the night. Look out for the 2013 release as it's getting pretty hard to track down now.

Bear Republic, Hop Rod Rye (US) 8% alc./vol 
Style: Rye IPA

Average score 12.8/20

$14.99 for 630ml from Purvis Richmond

Upping the hop ante considerably comes a US style India Pale Ale with rye. Lovely and hoppy and with enough going on to keep my interest. The hop fiends of the group lapped it up. I found the rye to give the beer a lovely peppery edge. Sometimes I feel that the US IPA is a bit over saturated in the Australian craft beer market, but this import is well worth tracking down. Haven't had many Bear Republic beers but this one was a cracker.

Beer Here, Nordic Rye Ale (Nor) 7% alc./vol 
Style: Traditional Ale
Average score 13.1/20

$15.99 for 630ml from Purvis Richmond

A modern Scandinavian Farmhouse Ale from Beer Here. What the shit is that? Many of us speculated, but none of us where all that close. It wasn't like a Saison or Bier de Garde, it was dark, with caramel malt and a more subtle rye element and a very low perceptible hopping.  For mine it was akin to an English Old Ale a little like Fullers 1845. In some ways it was a little like Red Hill Scotch Ale, but there were also elements of a Dunkelweizen like Weinstephaner's. This jumbled review probably is just confusing things more, but was a surprise packet and a complex brew.

Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel, Route de espices (Can) 5.3% alc./vol 

Style: Spiced Ale
Average score 12.6/20

$7.99 for 341ml from Purvis Richmond

The second time the Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel brewery from Quebec has made an appearance and they always do something intriguing and different. Route de espices is no exception. A beer that takes the peppery notes of rye and cranks it up by adding whole peppercorns to the brew. Like the 3 Ravens, this beer had an incredibly smooth mouthfeel. On the nose you got a definite waft of pepper but it wasn't till the numbing, tingling aftertaste when the pepper really hit you. Sounds bizarre, but it worked. Top scored for the evening.   

All in all another great Beer Hunt and one of the most closely fought we've ever had. Can't wait for Beer Hunter's 30, whatever it may be, but I heard a whisper that it may be smoke beers.

March: Green Flashes, Mad Brewers and beer for breakfast.

March started off, from a beer perspective, rather unceremoniously at a conference in Bangkok. Had more Tigers than I’d care to mention, but once back on home soil, things picked up. So here’s a run down of beers I had in March that I thought were worth a damn.

Green Flash Hop Head Red and West Coast IPA.

Unassuming looking, this duo for hop fiends everywhere were two great, no nonsense American hoppy beers. The Hop Head Red had a lovely caramel malt backbone and a nice upfront piney hop punch. Likewise the West Coast IPA, not overdone like so many US hop-bombs, nicely balanced and a great example of the style. Honourable mention goes to their Double Stout too, which is probably the hoppiest stout I’ve ever had.

Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe

The Malt Shovel’s Mad Brewers label has been on a bit of a roll recently; their liquorice stout Noir, was a very interesting look at the style, and their Scribbly Gum lager was perhaps the smokiest a mainstream Australian brewer has ever got. The Hoppy Hefe is a style that basically takes a German Hefeweizen and ramps up the hops. I’m left a little wanting after a hefe sometimes and this is the solution: just chuck more hops in there, and bang! A mate of mine commented that they're the tastiest burps he’s ever had. Now that’s saying something. Murray’s Whale Ale is another, albeit lower alcohol, example of the style.

Moa Breakfast

Gee am I glad these Kiwi guys have relaunched their beers. Until recently a rarity on our shores, Moa have made a push into the Australian market and we’re all luckier for it. Their Imperial Stout and Five Hop ESB are standouts, but the gong goes to the controversially named Breakfast. A fruit lager, with a light spritziness and a sweet, almost artificial cherry taste. Not sure if they use real cherries, or an extract, but it somehow works. Will definitely be having one with my bacon and eggs soon. 

Mornington Peninsula Imperial IPA

Had this one after an unofficial brown ale / porter tasting at a mates house recently. The MPIIPA trumped them all. I don’t think Mornington make a bad beer and their IIPA is perhaps their best. Stoked that they’ve started bottling it. Interestingly, they’ve just released a new seasonal, perhaps Australia’s first White IPA. A Belgian Witbier with the American hop treatment. Can’t wait to get down there to try that one!

Fullers ESB

The beer that gave birth to the ESB (Extra Special Bitter) and a beer made for a Melbourne autumn. An extremely well made beer and an English bitter that actually translates pretty well in the bottle. Lots of earthy hop notes from the English varieties. Gently spicy and a beer that makes sit back and wonder how they do it. Later in the month I had their London Porter, but the ESB is the standout in the range.

Renaissance Tribute Barleywine

Talked about this beer in an earlier post, the poor little bugger only made it to late March before being scoffed. Now, at 11%, scoffed is probably the wrong word as this beer took me over 45mins to drink, but what a pleasure. Rich, plum pudding, whiskey notes, sweet, but not too so. A massive beer from one of my favourite breweries. Dang these Kiwis can brew.