Moon Dog: Perverse Sexual Amalgam (AUS)

 

Moon Dog, the Kings of “that’s insane, why would you do that?*Drinks* Oh God! It is genius and works on every level!” (it’s a long title…) are at it again. The boys just have this great reputation of doing it different and just nailing it. Ever since i heard about this new release of the infrequently brewed PSA, I couldn’t wait to get hold of it. Aged in oak for 5 months with cherry plums, it is gettin’ seriously kinky….

Style: Black Wild Ale with Cherry Plums

ABV: 6.1%

IBU: 14

Pours:

Black…….. Little off white head.

On the Nose:

The sourness from the brett jumps out with the cherry plums. Very wild and funky with some florals.

Palate:

Sour, tart and funky. The cherry plums are the real driving fruit force here with hints of muscat in there and a great puckering sourness in the background, carrying it all. Finishes off dry with bakers cocoa and dark chocolate.

Final Thoughts:

Just makes me want to clamp jumper cables to my nipples and dip my junk in hot wax…… When I drink Moon Dog this is exactly the thing i expect, something completely from left field and different. Cleverly made, really well balanced and utterly unique; this is a fun, funky brew with a lot to think about. Hits all the right spots and really lives up to its name.

 

Magic Rock: Circus of Sour (UK)

(In my best impression of the Bioshock Infinite store vendor…)Come one! Come all! To the Circus of Sour!

Not only is this my first growler but it’s also from Magic Rock, a great up and coming brewer from the UK and it’s a sour! It ticks all the right boxes for me!

Style: Berliner Weisse

ABV: 3.5%

IBU: N/A

Pour:

Pours a lovely, deep lemon curd with solid white head.

On The Nose:

Nice sourness and spice with light touches of fresh peach and white grapes.

Palate:

Lovely, crisp white grape acidity with well rounded sourness from the Brettanomyeces which is fermented in the malt. Refreshing mineral sweetness with citrus bringing in some tartness.

Final Thoughts:

Every aspect of this contemporary take on the sour wheat style is meticulously balanced and extremely refreshing, not to mention stupidly sessionable, coming in at on 3.5%. Soft tropical fruit, wheat and the sourness from the Brett just makes this an absolute cracker. I can’t even think if circus puns because I’m so distracted by the deliciousness of this beer!

Garage Project: Pernicious Weed (NZ)

Garage Project are kings of pushing the boundaries in terms of style. They twist, turn, add bits of this and bits of that until they come up with a unique experience and always ends up with something special. That’s why I love them, and this….

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 8%

IBU: N/A

Pours:

Pours a dark honey golden colour with fine white head.

On The Nose:

Tonnes of grapefruit, lime and pine, super tropical fruit.

Palate:

Great pine/ resin notes straight up, followed by intense, bitter grapefruit and notes of juicy orange and citrus rind in the middle. Long and lingering palate, like sucking on delicious pine needles. But in a good way, if delicious pine needles were a thing….

Final Thoughts:

As the art and the back story on the label suggest, this baby is attack of the hops. Stuffed full of Nelson Sauvin and Rakau hops, this beer perfectly represents the impact of hops on the craft beer world. The final notes on the bottle sum it all up: “Bitter? Yes. Intensely hoppy? Absolutely. Too much? Never.”

What the Duff??

Yeah, so this is happening…. http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/duff-beer-labelled-dangerous-by-australian-medical-association-20140524-zrn9l.html

For those that know me personally, you know how much of a fan I am of The Simpsons. Their social satire, scathing references to pop culture and the plight of the middle class has kept me in stitches for many a year. But i have to say, this is going too far. If you happened to read Matt Kirkegaard’s piece on brews news, you too would be dumbfounded by the press release sent to him also:

“Hey Matt,

As promised I’ve enclosed a couple of cans of DUFF BEER for you.

Just a note with regards to Duff, whilst the connection is apparent, we would request that you to take caution when referencing Duff Beer back to The Simpsons. We want ensure we are not promoting the brand to a younger audience. But feel free to post anything about the beer on social media pages. (emphasis in original)”

What the hell?? Not only is the very idea of Duff Beer synonymous with The Simpsons but who watches The Simpsons? Who would recognize a can of Duff on a shelf and want to drink it? Who would love nothing better than to emulate one of pop cultures greatest phenomenon in the past 25 years? A younger audience!

The sole reason of buying Duff is that Duff is on the can. It is apparent that whoever is spruiking this nonsense knows this could be an issue and are covering their arses but that doesn’t make it any better, it makes them ignorant. Also, they don’t really seem to care about the link between Duff and The Simpsons themselves, its trademarked on the side of the can. According to the NHMRC, by the age of 14, 90% of students have already tried alcohol. Also, over 80% of alcohol consumed by 14-17 year olds is drunk at high risk levels. They don’t need any more reason to drink.   

Rogue Farms: 7 Hop IPA (Oregon, USA)

 

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 8.02%

IBU: 90

For when 6 hop varieties just aren’t enough…..

Have been a bit hesitant to buy Rogue ever since I heard about how they mistreat their staff (http://www.nwlaborpress.org/2011/0617/6-17-11IBT.html) but was very interested to get my hands on this small batch special effort. Whether the story is true or not, Rogue undoubtedly have had a hand in the contribution of the rise of craft beer and have influenced a great many brewers world- wide. So long story short: they have a habit of doing great beer. Also, packed with their own farm grown hops, how could i say no?

Pour:

Cloudy amber/ gold- orange with fine white head.

On the nose:

lots of pine, resin and leafy characters with grapefruit, lime and plenty of pineapple thrown in.

Palate:

The hops are really all on the aromatic side so you aren’t chewing on pine needles with this one. Still piney on the palate but very much fruit driven. Stone fruits, pineapple with plenty of citrus in the mix. Its got medium body with lingering pine in the finish. The aromatics really stick around, coating the palate.

Final Thoughts:

This brew is crazy aromatic. It has been made very cleverly to focus on the aromatic hop characters that are on offer. You get every IBU in this too, the finish offers great bitterness and still carries all that tropical fruit with a bit of chewiness. A cleverly made IPA for those that love aromatics.

 

BrewCult: ‘Get Down’ American Brown

 

Style: American Brown Ale

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: N/A

Fourth in the Psychedelic series, I was super excited to get hold of this new release from Hendo over at BrewCult. Ever since tasting the exceptional Pepper Steak Porter at GABS (which made my top 6….) I’ve been hanging out for any whisper for what’s to come, and as soon as i saw that funky new label on the shelf, i leaped on it. Brewcult have put something special in this bottle; smooth and funky, it would put James Brown to shame….

Pour:

Very dark for a brown ale, bordering on dark stout. Creamy head.

On The Nose:

Packed with malt: dark chocolate, coffee, chicory and caramel with a good whiff of pungent hops.

Palate:

Like the nose, this packs a great malt backbone. Lots of dark chocolate, toffee and coffee finishing in a lovely burnt orange and stone fruit note.

Final Thoughts:

Like the others in the series, this honky is a different beast. The malt is great in this, rich body and the centennial, chinook and cascade hops brings some fruit, toffee and resin to this smooth, jivin’ ale. I found this bordering on a black IPA. In the immortal words of the great James Brown, after drinking this: ‘I feel good, like a knew that i would.’