Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Our middle stop on our tour of Australian craft breweries takes us to the alliteratively named Moo Brew.
As was the case with the previous two breweries on this itinerary, the details are courtesy of the Crafty Pint. THE place to go for Australian craft beer information.
What caught my fancy, beer-wise was the Hop Harvest a twist on their pale ale. But I really like the label art. Goofy and fun.
Our initial stop on our tour of Australian craft breweries takes us to the alliteratively named Feral Brewing Company.
As was the case with the previous two breweries on this itinerary, the details are courtesy of the Crafty Pint. THE place to go for Australian craft beer information.
What jumped out at me other than the marvelous name was the barrel aged Hop Hog beer. Just sounds like a grand experiment. Though the Runt beer sounds good too.
So I returned 24 hours later to pretty much the same spot in El Segundo to attend the debut of Mountain Goat beers in the U.S. at Rock & Brews.
Goes to show that great beer can come from anywhere. One of those came a little bit further though.
Both the Australian Pale Ale and the Hightail utilize the galaxy hop which we here in California don’t see a lot of examples in the craft beer market. Due to my recent preference for lighter ABV brews, the Australian Pale was my favorite. It really showcased the galaxy and had a nice bitter kick to it. The Hightail should win some barley wine fans though. Much bigger and maltier. A muscular beer for sure.
The third beer that was poured was the intriguing Coffee IPA. To me it had three stages on the palate. First was a hit of bitterness followed by a red bell pepper flavor that melted into a mild coffee note at the back end. Quite different from the usual coffee/porter combo. This would really work well with Japanese food.
You will be seeing their beer at BevMo’s around town and I strongly suggest picking up a bottle (or two). SoCal beer geeks (myself included) need to continue to taste what the entire world has to offer our lucky cosmopolitan city. We need to remember to support any and all craft beer.
Thanks to Cam and Tom for making that long flight out to talk about their beer. It was great to here their story and to taste their fine beers.
Here is the press release for the latest Brothers Reserve…
“Since 1984, Kurt and Rob Widmer have been dedicated to creating the deliciously American and European-style beers. The Brothers’ Reserve Series is a showcase fo their innovative skills and creative passion for craft brewing.
Galaxy Hopped Barleywine is a new take on an old favorite. This beer pours a dark crimson, almost mahogany color. The yeast and Galaxy hops(TM) deliver a big bang of red and yellow fruit aromatics like banana, pineapple, cherry and strawberry. The experience begins with a taste of toffee and darkened sweet caramel overlaid on subtle tones of vanilla. All to be punctuated by the floral and citrus dry hop character.
I like the sound of a big barley wine that has hop fruity-ness to it.
Galaxy hops were bred in 1994 by Hop Products Australia. This company owns a hop garden called Rostrevor in North Eastern Victoria where they were grown for the first time. It’s now grown in both Victoria and Tasmania. It is a cross between an Australian female and a male Perle hop.”
This is the first I am seeing the Galaxy hop used unless it is hidden in another beer that I have. If you have tried it, let me know what you think.
It can be daunting just to keep up with the craft beer in your own backyard. But keep in mind that the beer revolution is not just happening here.
It is also happening in places as far flung as Australia. That’s where resources like the Beer Cartel come into play.
You can buy rare (to us) beer, join a beer of the month club or just learn more about the scene in Australia. If you don’t check it out today, it has been added to the links section for future viewing.