Welcome to the very first instalment of our drink reviews. Now, we’ve done these a few times already of course, but this is going to be the first of a whole new format. It’s simple. Basically we pick 3 craft beers that neither of us have ever tried before and we give our review on it. Yep, it’s just as simple as it sounds and definite just as silly. So let’s do it!
It’s been a quiet long weekend, humid and rainy outside. J has been resting up and L has been listening to Blind Guardian records for several hours. Both of us have tried to purge the final US Presidential debate from our minds.
Our first selection is Brick Lane Draught, a “high gravity brewed” draught from Victoria. 4.9% alcohol and coming in at 1.4 standard drinks per can. *NOTE: we will be going up from weakest to strongest.
So how does it fair?
J: It’s a nice beer. Would go well with hot chips. Good beer garden beer. Clean and yummy. It’s not perfumey or hoppy. It’s just a really nice sharp beverage. Crisp. A good beer for beginners.
L: Really delicious. Would drink a metric fuck-tonne of them.
(It’s probably clear by now that we really don’t have any professional background in reviewing! But please, continue reading our semi-lucid stream-of-conciousness ramblings!)
Our 2nd selection is a white stout from Zytho Brewing. Reigning in from Goulburn in New South Wales, this one has an interesting bit of trivia attached to it. The name ‘Zytho’ comes from the term ‘Zythophile’, meaning a person who loves all things beer. See; who said dinking can’t be educational? As L’s father once said, “the day you stop learning, is the day you die”. NOTE: not today, death!
But anyway, this white stout is 5.2% alcohol and 1.5 standard drinks a can. How is it though?
J: Smells and tastes like a candy. Odd considering that it brags to be a stout. A dessert drink. This is defintiely for someone with a sweet tooth — someone who likes Moscato / cruisers etc, but they want to get into beer. No bitterness like a stout. It has a caramel aftertaste, not unlike a creme brulee.
L: Banana and coconut. Tastes like milk bottle lollies. Like drinking a White Russian. Tastes like all the awesome lollies from childhood memories of Melbourne Show show bags. Although the label boasts about this being a stout, the end result tastes anything but. However there is no disappointment to be had — not unlike when a restuarant screws up your order, but what you receive ends up being better than your original order.
As both L & J have very little in terms of a ‘sweet tooth’, they recommend having no more than one. This beer is indulgent and decadent.
Our 3rd selection is G.O.A.T. (and no, we don’t know what it stands for and are far too lazy to Google it!) Hazy IPA from Black Hops Brewery. Made in the Gold Coast, Queensland. 6.0% alcohol and 1.8 standard drinks a can.
J: Marshmallow-ey (in the sense that it encompasses the entire palette). Fruity / tropical. A good summer beer. Good for a humid day. Good for just after mowing the lawns, garden parties, or in the park on a hot summer / spring day with friends. Definitely a classic craft brewery flavour. Undistinguishable. Not bad, but not unique.
L: Ditto.
Yep, truly a tremendous collection of bon mots from the coolest duo since cold coffee and cocaine. Hope you’ve enjoyed. Stay tuned for another craft beer review coming out in the next few days. Love on ya!
