Burleigh Brewing Co HEF

This cloudy golden Hefeweizen is from BBC, whose Pale Ale recently knocked my socks off. Wheat beers sit about mid range

for me, don't love them, don't hate them - so was definitely curious as to how this would go. They are generally light but fragrant and flavourful affairs, that sometimes go a bit too far and end up off balance.

This gem however has the balance of a tight rope walker. Vibrant citrusy/fruit flavours with just a touch of bitterness and crispness. It's just too easy. It's dangerously smooth.

While fruity beers will never sit right atop my pyramid of brews, this is as close as they are ever going to get. This is one of the best wheat beers I've drunk. It has the same base elements but still leaves an original groove. Good drinking. Definitely swung above it's weight, like Hef himself.

The next time I'm up on the Gold Coast I'll be picking up some more of BBC's beers.

8/10

Brooklyn Lager

Given the limpness of some of the American beers you come across, I was hoping this (being from Brooklyn) would have a bit more of an edge to it.

It's a good looking lager and has a dark golden amber colour to it, and not that piss yellow you get from a lot of other lagers.

So, off to a good start.

The flavour is malt driven but has brought hops along for the ride, and trails out with that typical lager bitterness to it. It's very basic, but effective. There's nothing ingenious going on here, but at least some originality. It's kind of like they took the pale ale approach, but to a bottom fermenting beer.

I like it, not everything can be fruity or floral or out there, this is just a good example of a basic lager that was brewed with care.

This is a pub style beer, a slightly dry and heavy lager that you could knock back all night.

6.5/10

Redoak Organic Pale Ale

According to the bottle Redoak is Australia's Most Awarded Brewery'. I've heard that claim before... so I'm not really giving it much weight to be honest. This beer casually positions itself as an 'Organic Pale Ale'. I've had many pale ales, and many labelled as organic, so had a fair idea in mind as to what I was about to experience.

So do you as well most likely. But just for a minute, take that assumption you have and burn it.

Because whatever you are imagining is far from what you get with this beer.

It took me till about half way through the bottle to get my head around what is going on here. It has a very fruity, hoppy burst that is taken over but what tastes a bit like grapes, followed by a refreshing but bitter aftertaste. What should be noted is that it is not a dry bitterness, the flavour is still popping well into this phase.

This is very difficult to rate because I can't see myself drinking a few in succession, as it's... not a 'beery' type of beer, it is very boutique. It's daring, unique and refreshing... but left field from what I'd generally look for in a brew.

A solid 7 is probably fair.

7/10

Fish Rock Brewery Red Emperor Amber Ale

All hail the Emperor. Making it's name in the craft beer dynasty is this amber ale from Fish Rock Brewery in NSW. Like most empires this beer starts off strong and reaches a peak before a bitter spiral into descent. Rather than using caramel/toffee streaks like some other ambers, this beer uses some lighter fruit flavours mixed in with the deeper malt tones.

It still has a lot of depth, and a strong, lingering aftertaste. Drank it with some home made thai satay burgers and it was a pretty reliable ally. This emperor seems to have been beheaded though, without much sitting upon it's shoulders.

At the very least it forges it's own path instead of trailing in the shadows of predecessors, somewhat of an upstart bucking the family trend and ruling with it's own fist.

A strong enough legacy to be remembered in the annals of beer history.

7.75/10

Pike's Oakbank Pilsner

Hmmm... green bottle...clear looking watery Pilsner... I've seen this before somewhere. I can't really say I was brimming with excitement when this was the bottle I plucked out of the fridge.

It's pretty clean and sharp, but maybe a bit rougher than your average Pilsner. Imagine Pierce Brosnan, in a tux, but unshaven for 3 days.

The fallout for me with these beers is always around the flavour, or lack thereof. It just seems to be this battle as to who can make the cleanest, crispest beer as opposed to who can make the most creative, flavourful beer. I'm just at this stage now where I don't see the point with some of these Pilsners. They are all pretty much the exact same framework, with some minute differences in delivery. Like banks. And telcos. And insurance companies. You catch my drift.

I am officially jaded with Pilsners.

This is easy to knock back, but just really, really boring.

5/10

Barossa Valley Brewing Bee Sting

To make things difficult, I think a label has come off this beer? It just says Barossa Valley Brewing on it... it's not the organic ale I had earlier that's for sure. After checking the bottle it says it has Orange Blossom honey in it and on
their website their other beer is labelled 'Bee Sting'... so through an ingenious method of deduction I have concluded that this is indeed the beer I am drinking.

So...a honey beer...meh.

I really don't see why so many breweries persist with this. It just doesn't work. I don't find that honey blends properly with the hops and yeast and malt etc...to make a nice drink. Beer is not sweet, it is savoury. I actually find that the honey muddies the other flavours that really make a beer a beer.

To summarise, 'Bee Sting' beers are about as exciting as bee sting tits.

5/10

Burleigh Brewing Co 28 '70s Style Pale Ale'

Get out your bellbottoms and roll up a fat one, we're taking a trip back in time with this 70s style Pale Ale from Burleigh Brewing Co in Queensland. Really though, I have no idea what a 70s style Pale Ale means...so lets dig in.

Man I was not around in the 70s to drink their beers but I'm starting to wish I was! I was really in the mood for a good pale ale so I don't know if that's adding to the effect, but this is an absolute bullseye. The journey down the rabbit hole is crisp and lightly hopped, with a malty caramel streak through it. Everything is fairly well balanced, and it's one of those beers that leaves you still wanting more when you hit the bottom of the bottle.

It's both big and subtle in the right areas, would be a killer summer drop and I'll definitely revisit this at some point.

Far out man.

8.75/10