Mornington Peninsula Brewery is another Victorian micro that has been making a bit of noise lately, with this Pale Ale in particular gathering some favourable reviews around the traps.
The logo on the bottle has a bit of a cheeky history to go with it. The symbol is derived from 16th Century alchemy, and signifies 'drinkable gold'. Apparently 'drinkable gold' at one point was sold as a fail safe remedy to 'cure all illness'. Medieval times were fascinating in this regard, as mankind had managed to escalate the advancement of death dealing weaponry and disease, yet hadn't succeeded in keeping medicine anywhere as nearly up to scratch. Whereas now you might leave the doctor's office with some antihistamines, back in the day you likely would have been carrying two raven feathers and an eye of newt for the same ailment. Nevertheless, you can't argue with a beer brewer using such a symbol to hawk their wares.
The Mornington Pale pours a crisp orange colour, and stands up to it's billing as an American style Pale Ale in appearance at least. It looks similar to a Little Creature's Pale Ale, with a touch less cloudiness blurring the atmosphere. Immediately as you raise the glass, a striking waft of fruity aromas spear your nostrils like a blade forged by Hattori Hanzo himself. The significance of which I struggle to accentuate through words, but it resembles a party at Tony Montana's house after all the coke has run out, and everyone has resorted to chopping up passion fruits and mandarins out of sheer desperation.
The taste of the beer is an exact replica of it's nose. The blend of light citrus and passion fruit is absolutely seamless. To be honest I wouldn't have bothered trying to muscle in on the American Pale Ale crowd because this deserves it's own genre. Like the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, this is a tropical paradise in a bottle. It should be drunk under an umbrella on the beach while a lovely lady massages your beautiful brake foot. I doubt as to whether even Katut could bring you a drink as delicious as this. The body is light and refreshing, and there are marginal hints of resin and sweet malt, but the assemblage of the tropical style fruits is the sure fire party stealer.
I've drunk a few fruit powered beers that don't always get the balance right. Mornington Peninsula Brewery have hit the nail square on the head. It isn't a beer for all occasions, and doesn't quite boast the versatility of other Pale Ales, but what it does do is execute with the enthusiasm of a Texan judge. Fantastic summer beer, and one that I will look out for when the scorching sun finally returns to Melbourne.
Cheers.
8/10
