February 2013
3 posts
5 tags
Bear Republic - Hop Rod Rye...Motörhead -...
This is another American import that cost me a pound of flesh and then some. Apparently you can get this in the States for 8 bucks a six pack. Hmph. I’m fairly sure this bottle cost me $8. Dear Australian alcohol prices: I hope you die after being shot, stabbed and eviscerated in a dark, filthy alley with a homeless guy pissing on your corpse.
Digression aside… it’s a well...
7 tags
Red Duck Gruiter...Lord Vicar - Fear No Pain
This beer can be put directly into the “what the holy fuck?” category. It goes beyond “WTF”, trust me on this one. I bought this (thankfully, only one!) knowing nothing about the style - apparently it’s ancient, venerable, and nothing like the beers we know of today. On the label it’s billed as a “15th Century Dark Sour Ale”. It fits that bill....
8 tags
4 Pines Kolsch...Scorpions - In Trance
Kölsch. What the hell is it? If you couldn’t be bothered clicking on the link, it’s a lagery style which is very regional (Cologne, Germany) and it’s brewed to a very exacting standard. It apparently hasn’t stopped foreign breweries trying it out, though, and now it’s Australia’s turn.
As most of you know, lagers and I generally don’t see eye to eye....
January 2013
5 posts
12 tags
4 Pines Pale Ale... Pagan Altar - The Time Lord
4 Pines brewery popped up out of nowhere down here in Melbourne. Well, it seems that way to me, at any rate (the caveat of course being that I’m violently anti-social and don’t really keep my ear to the ground. The two are related, I promise you). All of a sudden, their beers were everywhere, even in my local grocery store. I was immediately suspicious and thought they were Lion...
5 tags
Forrest Pale Ale...Black Magician - Nature is the...
So here we are, beer drinkers. The final installment of the Forrest beers. Do you recall how I was somewhat disappointed with the beers out of glass as opposed to the keg? Well, this one, sadly, is no exception.
Again, it’s not disagreeable. The aromas in the glass are marvellous - the strong hops and a grassy note that is very appealing. The taste, though, is a let-down - not upfront...
8 tags
Forrest Stout....Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is...
(Just a quick one before I go to bed. Yep, that’s what she said…)
Here’s a continuation of the Forrest beers that I picked up on our recent trip down to the Otways. Having liked this from the tap at the brewery, I was very eager to see what it was like out of my own fridge. And yet again, I remember this being much better from the tap. It’s a very nice example of the...
8 tags
Forrest Irish Red...Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage
What manner of devilry is this? Two updates in the same evening after a more than six month silence? You bet your sweet hairy arse it it.
Mrs Beerswax and I just came back from a short holiday in Apollo Bay, and of course I managed to fit in a trip to a local brewery on the way there. Forrest Brewing Company are a small outfit in the tiny town of, funnily enough, Forrest, but from what I gather...
6 tags
Little Creatures Puffing Billy...Jess and the...
Well, hello there, tumblr. It’s been a while. I won’t say that it’s my New Year’s resolution to actually use this, but I’ve been inspired yet again. Part of the problem was taking photos of beer n’ wax, and then not doing the write-up. So, I’m wiping the slate clean in 2013. Oh god that was not meant to rhyme. How pathetic…
So as I said,...
April 2012
1 post
5 tags
Holgate Pilsener...Various Artists - If It Ain't A...
Thanks to dantoniodanchez and wilcolonial for the comments - really appreciate them! It makes me want to update more, so I’m grateful. I can’t figure out how the hell to comment back on this godforsaken site, so here’s my appreciation in the form of another post (within a day. Miracle! )
The Holgate Brewery produces some very nice beer. In this blog’s previous...
5 tags
Mountain Goat Surefoot Stout...Black Sabbath -...
(I’m thinking of moving this blog, or at least mirroring it elsewhere. I’m not really sure that tumblr is the right platform for it. Too much distraction, which means whenever I log onto it I spend hours looking at freaking rage comics and metal blogs rather than updating the damned thing. Anyway, onwards)
So, Mountain Goat. I’m a complete fanboy for these guys. There’s...
March 2012
1 post
8 tags
Hawthorn Brewing Co. Witbier...Bitch - Be My Slave
(sorry again for the delay - maybe I should do short and sweet henceforth)
I like this brewery’s stuff, generally speaking. They do a very nice pale ale and a serviceable amber ale - in fact, I remember drinking that pale to almost exclusion a couple of summers ago. But this witbier is, plainly speaking, fucking rank. Now, yes, I’m not all that big a fan of the style. But this is...
February 2012
2 posts
5 tags
Cavalier Brown...Manilla Road - Playground of the...
(I have been without the internet at home. It has made me very irritated. Hopefully this will be updated more regularly when the bloody thing finally comes back)
This’ll be a short one, because a) I had this one a while ago and am writing this based on old notes, b) I’m not really that familiar with the style they were going for (American Brown Ale); and c) while it was pretty...
5 tags
Feral White...Original Sin - Sin Will Find You Out
(apologies for the absence…no, of course I have not given up beer)
The Feral Brewing Company is probably the worst brewery I’ve ever visited. The beer is good, don’t get me wrong. The place, though, was just rank. Maybe it was the stupidly hot day. Maybe it was the cashed-up bogans who were there in their platformed-heeled, loud-mouthed multitide (it was a Saturday, and there...
January 2012
2 posts
8 tags
Stone & Wood - Stone Beer...Sigh - Infidel Art
I’ll admit that I haven’t been into this craft beer drinking-n’-wanky-reviewing jobby for very long; the calibre of my “reviews” should tell you that. I’m not one of those people who can detect the scent of grapefruit and vestal virgins in a beer, nor can I taste liquefied rainbows and unicorns. However, I did think I knew the mechanics of the brewing process...
8 tags
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale...Atlantean Kodex - The...
So, I said I’d re-review this beer from the days of my old Facebook photos, and I see no better time than now, a couple of days into the new year.
I did rip their lager a new one, but upon having this very Aussie version of an American pale both on tap and this new bottle, I’m finally a fan. This is the quintessential hot weather drink - it goes down so smoothly when you’re...
December 2011
8 posts
5 tags
Stone & Wood Lager...Rolling Stones - Goats Head...
Yes, dear readers, another lager. Why do I do this to myself? Because I love all of you and want to be the voice of informative reason and….nah, fuck that, I just like whingeing.
So, I’ve had mixed responses to this brewery in the past. I originally hated their Pacific Ale, but I’ll do a re-review soon, because I’ve actually grown to like it, and drinking it in summer...
6 tags
Burleigh - Hef...Jex Thoth - self-titled
Updating this at work is, i imagine, probably not the wisest thing to do. But oh well. It beats doing actual work. Only problem is, now I’m craving beer.
Anyway, I’m not a great authority on hefeweizens. I’ve never been entirely won over by the style, but I am beginning to appreciate them more than I used to. Obviously, the summer weather helps this, as drinking beer...
7 tags
James Squire - Four Wives Pilsener...Alice Cooper...
For easy-drinking session beers, you could do a lot worse than the beers from Malt Shovel Brewery. They’re generally flavoursome enough that they satisfy, so long as your palate isn’t wanting a particularly orgasmic tastebud experience. I’ve had many a Golden Ale (pale) or an Amber Ale on a warm day and been happy downing a few in a session. However, as is no secret, I hold a...
7 tags
Coopers - Premium Lager...Judas Priest - British...
Coopers was the brewery that opened my eyes to the possibility of better beer. Growing up drinking the normal macro fare, when I had my first Coopers Red it was an amazing revelation. The Red and the Pale Ale still reign as among my first choices for session beers, even though my taste has largely moved on to bigger and hoppier things. I will always feel everlasting gratitude to this brewery for...
8 tags
Big Pig Beers- Pig's Arse...Lou Reed - Transformer
Pig’s arse is a great little term. As far as I am aware, it’s purely Aussie, much like “ranga”. If it was not at least coined by John Elliott, he has definitely made it his catchcry. I myself have used it, infrequently, but to great effect. Like, in response to ”some modern metal is awesome”. Or “Tony Abbott has some good points”. Or...
7 tags
Murray's Punch & Judy Ale...Black Hole - Land of...
I’m not well-versed with this brewery’s output. I’ve had a pale of theirs which didn’t really grab me, and this is in the same category. It’s an English-style bitter which quite faithfully replicates the style - hop driven but not overbearing, fairly middling head, English malts on the back of the tongue, and no obvious faults. As you can tell, though, it...
7 tags
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA...Ry Cooder - Into...
In this blog’s previous incarnation, I reviewed Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, and wasn’t overwhelmingly positive about it. It seemed pedestrian and, from where I sit in Expensive Land (aka Australia), not worth the asking price. This one, however, puts paid to that. Now, I’m a massive hophead and I love IPAs, so I suppose my bias is a little apparent, but this was very...
11 tags
Burleigh - Black Girafffe...AC/DC - Back In Black
I’m not overwhelmingly familiar with this brewery’s output. I know I’ve had an English-style bitter which was a bit of alright, and - horror of horror - a no-carb beer (old reviews of these coming soon). Of the latter, I can safely say I would rather emulate a golden shower porn actor than drink that vile concoction again. Yes, it was that bad. Fuck it, bring on 2 girls...
November 2011
6 posts
myvinoandbierventures asked: Love the site guys. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to read more from you guys
8 tags
Brooklyn Lager...Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come
Much of the reason I started this project on Facebook and why I continue it over here is about learning. With each new beer I drink, I learn. Not just about what I like and don’t like, but more about styles, brewing techniques, what travels well, &c. &c. And people who followed my last lot of posts know that I have developed a particularly strong antipathy towards lagers....
5 tags
Little Creatures Single Batch - The...
Like the mob in the previous post, Little Creatures have a thing for creating limited-run beers under the moniker “Single Batch”, which I’m assuming is actually true. I’m usually a much bigger fan of their normal output (although nothing tops their flagship pale ale), and this is no exception. A better-than-workmanlike foreign export stout which didn’t really hit...
7 tags
Mountain Goat Cross Breed - Seedy Goat Coffee...
So, let’s get this ale-soaked ball rolling, shall we? This first post combines possibly my favourite brewery with possibly my favourite band.
Mountain Goat is a Melbourne instution, venerated by average punters, hipsters and beer afficianados alike. They’ve made a name for themselves for their homebrew-on-a-larger-scale approach and their signature hop-driven ales. They also try new...
3 tags
Vinyl - a personal medium
I’ve read a lot about why vinyl is considered a superior medium for reproducing audio. I’ve also read a lot that detracts from that view. I don’t profess to understand very much of it, as I’m a) not an audiophile and b) try not to get taken in by snake oil and douchebaggery, as a friend of mine once referred to.
For me, it’s largely a nostalgia thing. I don’t...
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