Coldstream is another amongst the ever growing crowd of Victorian breweries. This ambiguously named 'Naked Ale' is in fact a Golden Ale as described by the label. I will say that the beer poured more of a copper colour than golden, visually resembling an American style Ale. The body looked reasonably heavy, before lightening up as the dust settled. For a golden ale, it looked great so far.
There are some light caramel and toffee flavours, a light sting of carbonation and a bitter hopped finish. Everything is very carefully balanced, with not a single attribute standing out. In this sense, Naked Ale is a jack of all trades but master of one. There was nothing in particular that wowed me about this beer, but everything has been done to a standard.
I'm starting to see where the title came from. It is safe to say that if you started the evening with a fridge full of these, you could easily end up naked at some point before the night's end. Quite easy to drink, balanced flavours, hopped finish. It is not a glorious triumph in the world of beer making, but a healthy addition to ranks of Melbourne micro brewers.
7/10
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