Australia

Australia

Name	Country	% alc.	Rating	Comments
Fat Yak Pale Ale	Australia	4.7		A very light coloured bland lager but with some decent hop taste.

Lazy Yak Pale Ale	Australia	4.2		Very similar to the big brother above but just lacking some maltiness.

Red Tape Brewing Co Patient Paysan	Australia	6.6		What a great beer, only available at the King Street Brewhouse, Sydney. Aged for six months in whisky barrels, UK Golding hops - expensive but worth it for the great flavours.

Endeavour 2012 Growers Ale	Australia	4.2		Another good ale from this brewery - quite sharp, good hops but very drinkable. It is just a pity about the prices though.

4 Pines Kölsch	Australia	4.6		Another excellent ale from a smaller craft brewery in Sydney. Well balanced with excellent aromas and taste.

4 Pines E.S.B.	Australia	5.4		Beautiful. Caramel hints, great hop flavour and aromas, an all round damned good beer.

4 Pines Pale Ale	Australia	5.1		The Citra finishing hops are noticeable and overall a good pale ale with excellent hop balance.

4 Pines Hefeweizin	Australia	5.2		A good wheat beer with fruity and zesty flavour.

Ekim Brewing Co After Battle Pale Ale	Australia	5.2		A very good American style Pale Ale from a small local brewery. Hard to find beer but when you see it give it a try.

William's Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		Somewhat dubious about calling this a pale ale, not enough hop flavour, but still a very refreshing drop. www.williambull.com.au

Nail Brewing Hoppy Summer Ale	Australia	5.0		A well balanced hop and malt beer with some fruity aromas and taste.

Cricketers Arms Lager	Australia	4.6		Just another decent Aussie lager.

Cricketers Arms Spearhead Pale Ale	Australia	5.2		Good hop/malt balance - pity these brews are owned by Asahi and an Aussie company.

Cricketers Arms Captain's IPA	Australia	5.6		A pleasant IPA but there are better ones around.

Stone & Wood Draught Ale	Australia	4.4		A good tasting ale from the north of NSW.

Stone & Wood Lager	Australia	4.7		A very pleasant and crisp lager - good balance of malt and hops. All up a refreshing brew.

Burleigh Brewing Hassle Hop Ale	Australia	5.5		Plenty hops in this sharpish but very pleasant ale.

Burleigh Brewing Black Giraffe	Australia	5.0		I had no idea what I was buying but it was a new one on me so I had to give it a go! Great aroma, coffee/chocolate tastes were amazing, excellent head retention. If I see it again I'll invest in another couple.

Balmain Brewery Pigs Fly Pale Ale	Australia	4.6		An ordinary lager - nothing special.

Balmain Brewery Pale Ale	Australia	4.9		Don't get excited. Pale in style and placid in taste.

Balmain Brewery Pilsner	Australia	4.5		Good, sharp and refreshing withSaaz hops - all round a good styled Pilsner.

Blackhorse Brewery Steam Ale	Australia	6.5		When I tasted this ale at the Australia Hotel in October 2014 it was served a bit flat. But not to worry the taste was great - hops/malt/everything. It is only a seasonal ale so keep your eyes open. www.blackrockbrasserie.com.au

Sleeping Giant IPA	Australia	5.4		A fairly good example of what an IPA should be like with plenty of hop flavour.

Nomad Jet Lag IPA	Australia	6.0		Great hop flavours and malt balance. A hint of zestiness from hops and other ingredients - what more could you want from an IPA? www.nomadbrewingco.com.au

Nomad Saison Ale	Australia	6.6		Very good Saison style ale. Plenty of hops and a spiciness at the end. This beer is definitely worth a taste or two. www.nomadbrewingco.com.au

The Little Brewing Co Mad Abbot Dubbel	Australia	6.9		An excellent style of traditional Belgian Dubbel. Great depth of flavour, good head retention, aromas and taste are complex. www.thelittlebrewingcompany.com.au

Coopers 62 Pilsner	Australia	5.0		A pleasant beer but it could do with some more Saaz hops in my humble opinion.

Coopers Vintage Ale	Australia	7.5		A malty ale with a good taste, poor head retention but I suppose I could always blame the glass. (2010 vintage tasted)

Coopers Sparkling Ale	Australia	5.8		An excellent sparkling ale - and really is a sparkling ale. Superb flavours of hops and malt.

Coopers Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		Cooper's beers are about the greatest beers in this country. This pale ale is no exception - again a superb blend of hops and malt with great aromas and a hint of fruitiness.

Coopers Dr Tim's	Australia	4.5		Not up to the usual standards exxpected from Coopers.

Coopers 150th Celebration Ale	Australia	5.2		*Well done Coopers! An excellent ale with a great hop balance, good aroma, good head retention and perfect glass lacing. An all round superb beer - pity it is only limited release though.*

Coopers Premium Lager	Australia	4.8		Not the best from Cooper's. Fairly bland aroma and taste.

Sail & Anchor Lark's Foot Golden Ale	Australia	6.0		An excellent ale. Good zesty, citrus flavours and maltiness.

Sail & Anchor Bloke Red Ale	Australia	4.5		A very pleasant ale from Fremantle with good aromas and light taste with a hint of citrus from the hops.

Sail & Anchor Golden Ale	Australia	4.5		Not too bad as a fairly light tasting summer drop.

Sail & Anchor IPA	Australia	5.5		Quite a pleasant IPA but to be more true to IPA's it could do with some more hops.

Mudgee Brewing Pale Ale	Australia	4.4		Any visit to Mudgee is definitely incomplete without a visit to www.mudgeebrewing.com.au I tried six of their offerings on my last trip and to be honest this is the poorest tasting one sampled. It is light and refreshing but really needs more hops for my tastes.

Mudgee Brewing Porter	Australia	4.3		A reasonable porter with hints of dark chocolate - don't forget to ask for some dark chocolate nibbles if they forget to give them to you! Quite malty with hops used sparingly. www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

Mudgee Brewing Spring Ale	Australia	5.0		Cascade and Hallertau hops make this beer. A refreshing drink, good aromas' well worth tasting. www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

Mudgee Brewing Wheat	Australia	4.7		A .good German style wheat beer with a hint of fruit flavours. But being a bit of a fan of Hoegaarden I felt it lacked the more distinctive flavours. www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

Mudgee Brewing Citra IPA	Australia	6.0		Definitely the pick of the six ales I tried. Plenty of hops and malt and those Citra hops really give a great citrus flavour. www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

Mudgee Brewing Mudgee Mud	Australia	8.5		An impressive stout with a great head and loads of flavour. The only reason I didn't give it four bottles is that I am not a big fan of stouts - it probably really does deserve four. www.mudgeebrewing.com.au

Australian Pale Ale	Australia	4.8		A pleasant pale ale - worth trying.

Cavalier Pale Ale	Australia	5.0		A very good pale ale with a hint of citrus from Nelson Sauvin hops. Well balanced overall. www.cavalierbeer.com.au

John Boston's Pale Ale	Australia	4.9		A reasonable pale ale but nothing to get really excited about.

Kosciuszko Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		Okay, another pale ale.

Rocks Brewing Governor Golden Ale	Australia	4.5		A pleasant ale for warm summer afternoons. Citrus hints from the hops.

Little Creatures Pale Ale	Australia	5.2		From West Australia this brewery has a great setting on the harbour and the beers reflect this.

Little Creatures Bright Ale	Australia	4.5		Another great ale from Little Creatures Brewery, plenty malt and hops flavours

Little Creatures Rogers	Australia	3.8		This time a darker ale from from a great brewery. Again plenty of malt and hops.

Little Creatures Original Pilsner	Australia	4.6		A very good pilsner from Fremantle, WA. Good hops, mainly Saaz, flavours.

Gage Road Abstinence Dubbel Chocolate Belgian Ale	Australia	7.4		A great tasting beer with a tonne of flavour. Worthy of actually being brewed in Belgium.

Gage Road Atomic Pale Ale	Australia	4.7		Excellent pale ale with plenty of hop flavours.

James Squire Chancer Golden Ale	Australia	4.5		What a great refreshing beer. Superb on a warm summer day.

James Squire Stowaway IPA	Australia	5.0		A pleasant Indian Pale Ale with the hop sharpness that you would expect.

James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale	Australia	4.2		Typical quality from James Squire - damned good.

James Squire Hop Thief American Pale Ale	Australia	5.0		Another great hoppy beer from Squires. Good aroma, deep rich red copper colour and well balanced malt flavours and a good strength and balance of hops.

James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale	Australia	5.0		Quite a pleasant toffee/caramel tasting ale - as with all James Squire (Lion Nathan) very drinkable, good quality but does it warrant the price you have to pay?

James Squire Sundown Lager	Australia	4.4		A good crisp lager - ideal while doing the gardening.

James Squire Four Wives Pilsner	Australia	5.0		Very tasty with Saaz hops and quality malts with a touch of spiciness. Stronger hop taste would improve this pilsner in my opinion.

James Squire Jack of Spades Porter	Australia	5.0		A flavoursome porter - very pleasant with hints of berries in the aftertaste.

James Squire Abbey Ale	Australia	7.0		An interesting beer with decent strength and a slight bitterness in the aftertaste - not bad at all.

Hargreaves Hill Pale Ale	Australia	4.9		There are some excellent beers here in Australia and this is one of them. Great aroma and flavour.

Stockade Premium Lager	Australia	4.7		A good, average style lager from the guys who only started in 2013. www.GrangeBrewery.com.au

Stockade Rebel Ale	Australia	4.7		Very similar to James Squire Hop Thief American Pale Ale. So the same comments - Good aroma, deep rich red copper colour and well balanced malt flavours and a good strength and balance of hops.

White Rabbit Dark Ale	Australia	4.9		An open fermented beer and for a dark ale it has an amazingly light tasting flavour.

White Rabbit White Ale	Australia	4.5		A good honest wheat beer with a zesty citrus flavour.

Wicked Elf Kölsch	Australia	4.9		Excellent German style Kölsch using German hops and German malts.

3 Pub Circus "Hairy Mary" P	Australia	5.1		Quite a good pale ale with a fair balance of hops and malts.

Blue Tongue Lager	Australia	4.9		Another lager with a touch of citrus flavours a good brew.

Vale Ale	Australia	4.5		Well the McLaren Valley in South Australia produces some great wines but better beer than this is brewed elsewhere in Australia.

Vale Lager	Australia	4.5		A pleasant lager but nothing special - New World - no idea what this rubbish is about!

Holgate Witbier	Australia	5.0		A very good Belgian style white ale, similar to Hoegaarden. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.

Temple Bicycle Beer	Australia	4.2		Not a bad drop. Quite a pleasant, zesty lemon flavour with a good hop balance.

Temple Pale Ale	Australia	5.0		A good pale ale in the American style but I would have preferred more hop flavours.

Temple Saison Ale	Australia	6.0		Quite sharp tasting on the first taste but that is due to the hops and after a couple of mouthfuls turns into an excellent ale.

Temple Soba Ale	Australia	4.9		Basically just a decent lager - no special hop/malt tastes and little aroma.

Tuckerbox Hoppy Lager	Australia	5.0		A well balanced lager with some hints of citrus bbut a bit overpriced I think.
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Burleigh Brewery My Wife's Bitter	Australia	4.8		Well not a bad attempt at a good old style English Bitter Ale - nice and malty and flavoursome. Best served at about 6 to 8 degrees C.
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Burleigh Brewery Bighead	Australia	4.2		An okay beer but don't get too excited about the name - a fairly average lager.

Burleigh Brewery Fig Jam IPA	Australia	7.0		A very good American style Ipa well balanced, good head retention and aromatic fruit with hints of citrus.

Steamrail Amber Ale	Australia	4.5		Quite a full bodied ale with good balance of hops and malt.

Steamrail Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		It not a bad drop - I would probably rate it better if it wasn't a large supermarket brand name. Just me I guess.

Steamrail Hop Dropper Pilsner	Australia	4.5		A slightly more golden brown colour than the usual Pilsner but still quite a good tasting Pilsner - obviously not up thhe Czech standards but a good effort.

Gibbs Premium Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		A good pale ale (not in the IPA class though) - more hops would be great.

Gibbs Premium Kolsch	Australia	4.5		A pleasant light tasting beer

Gibbs Premium Pilsner	Australia	4.5		An okay sort of Pilsner - could do with a touch more Saaz though.

Gibbs Belgian Ale	Australia	7.0		An excellent smooth, almost creamy, style of Belgian Ale - excellent head retention and lacing.

Mountain Goat Organic Steam Ale	Australia	4.5		Hmmm. What beer isn't organic? It was fine but these ponsy titles annoy me.

Happy Goblin Lager	Australia	4.7 (but can vary slightly from batch to batch)		From a very small brewery in Mt Kuringai about five kms from where I live - you have to support the locals. An excellent tasting brew which my wife even likes - we normally don't agree on beer tastes. Every bottle label is hand written with the date bottled and the ABV% - a great touch.

Murray's Whale Ale	Australia	4.5		An excellent beer - very light, and of course wheaty and cloudy just as it should be. Great taste and very lively with good head retention.

Murray's Rude Boy Pilsner	Australia	4.8		Almost there guys. Motueka hops are fine bit I think a bit Czech Saaz would not go missing.

Murray's Moon Boy Golden Ale	Australia	4.5		Quite an average lager. Perhaps Murray's are trying to produce too many varieties.

Murray's Angry Man Pale Ale	Australia	5.0		Another good beer from Murray's Brewery. Quite malty and good hop balance.

Murray's Icon 2 IPA	Australia	7.5		Whoa - what an IPA hops in abundance and a bit of a peppery aftertaste. Excellent. www.murraysbrewingco.com.au

Matilda Bay Beez Neez	Australia	4.7		A very nice drop of lager and the malt and honey work well together. Another good one Matilda Bay Brewing Co

Matilda Bay Redback	Australia	4.7		Very good German style wheat beer - a real Hefeweissen style beer from one of the leaders of Australian craft beers. Matilda Bay Brewing Co

Matilda Bay's Minimum Chips Golden Lager	Australia	4.7		A pleasant, well balanced, lager but I would have expected a little better from Matilda Bay Brewing Co

Matilda Bay's Bohemian Pilsner	Australia	4.7		Good use of hops here (of course they had to be Saaz) and well balanced with malt flavours. Very good Czech style from Matilda Bay Brewing Co

Matilda Bay's Big Helga	Australia	4.7		Quite a pleasant and refreshing crisp lager - malt and hop balance is good. From Matilda Bay Brewing Co

Broo Premium Lager	Australia	4.6	Nil	I never judge a beer on just one bottle. Always two - drink the first and taste the second is my motto. Well it is just a pity I have another four of these bland, relatively tasteless beers left.

Tommo and Hawk Tall Ship Ale	Australia	4.9	Nil	I am not surprised this craft brewery went belly up. The beer was very ordinary and the marketing was non-existent.

Pepperjack Ale	Australia	4.7		Quite a pleasant brew. Reddish in colour, quite fruity and malty with good hop balance.

Lord Nelson Hotel Old Admiral	Australia	6.1		Traditional style English Ale - very pleasant with plenty of hops.

Lord Nelson Hotel Three Sheets	Australia	4.9		Again, as with the Old Admiral quite hoppy - but I like hoppy beers.

Lord Nelson Double Nelson American Pale Ale	Australia	5.4		A really good American Pale Ale, well balanced hops and malt. Excellent on draught with lunch.

Crown Lager	Australia	4.9		Probably the most overrated beer in the country.

James Boag's Premium Lager	Australia	5.0		A very pleasant lager beer from our friends in Tasmania. Excellent balanced flavours.

Barossa Valley Brewing Bee Sting	Australia	5.0		Sweet, citrus aroma. Good presentation and a quite pleasant all round wheat beer.

Toohey's Maxx Dry Premium Lager	Australia	5.0		Having never been a fan of Toohey's beer I really got a taste of what I should have expected - cold, wet and bland.

St Arnou Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		*Quite a malty pale ale and a crisp (almost sharp) flavour. The bottle describes the ale as "fruity"* but this is a bit like some of the wine makers descriptions in my opinion.**

Matso's Mango Beer	Australia	4.5		A slight hint of mangoes but not too much. Quite a pleasant cooler on a warm summer day - a bit on the pricey side here being about 4,000+ kms away from Broome.

Matso's Pearlers Pale Ale	Australia	4.5		Pleasant lager but not really a pale ale - insufficient hop flavours.

Matso's Chilli Beer	Australia	4.3		I know it's called Chilli beer but the chilli doesn't have to totally dominate any other flavours.

Byron Bay Pale Lager	Australia	4.8		*A bit of a let down - supposed to be a so-called "craft beer"* - if this is craft beer I give up.**

Six Strings Hefeweizen	Australia	5.2		Really enjoyed this beer at the Australia Hotel Oktoberfest. Must get my local bottle store to stock it.

Moo Brew Pale Ale	Australia	4.9		A well balanced pale ale with a taste if Citra hops and good malty aftertaste.

Cascade Premium Lager	Australia	5.0		*A good brew from a large Tasmanian brewery (well "large"* for Tasmania), it is well balanced and very drinkable.**

Cascade Premium Light	Australia	2.6		If you want a light beer for any reason this has to beone of the better ones in Australia.

Cascade Bright Ale	Australia	4.2		Hmmm! A tad on the insipid side of flavours. No real hop or malt flavours just bubbly, golden coloured liquid.

Cascade First Harvest 2013	Australia	5.5		A limited release beer from Tasmania. Full of hop flavours (which I like) with a good aroma. It has been described as "fruity and with a smoky aftertaste". I would describe it as an ale with a sharp taste and a slight hint of smoky taste, but the "fruity" bit is lost on me. Excellent amber colour and good head retention.

Cascade First Harvest 2014	Australia	5.5		Again, this years vintage produces plenty of good hop flavours and is similar to the 2013 vintage. A very pleasant ale with excellent aromas - well worth tasting.

Platinum Blonde	Australia	4.6		Very ordinary.

Barossa Valley Organic Ale	Australia	5.0		Quite a good brew with plenty liveliness in the glass, a good aroma and pleasant hop flavours.

Great Northern Brewing Co Super Crisp Lager	Australia	4.2		It might suit the tastes of those in Far North Queensland - I suggest they keep it there.

Hammer 'N' Tongs Gold	Australia	3.3		Bland, cold and wet.

Victoria Bitter	Australia	4.9		The most popular beer in Australia but it can only be described as slightly better than Tooheys New.

Tooheys New	Australia	4.6		Another popular beer here and some people seem to like it - but not my taste.

Tooheys Old	Australia	4.4		Very popular with its die-hard supporters but not my style of beer.

Carlton Draught	Australia	4.6		Quite a good beer on tap (very similar to VB) - but again a mainstream beer nothing to get excited about.

Carlton Dry	Australia	4.5		Not bad for an average run of the mill Aussie beer - pleasant quaffing round the BBQ on a warm day.

Foster's Lager	Australia	4.9	Nil	I haven't seen anyone drink this awful lager in Australia for about 25 years.

XXXX Bitter	Australia	4.6		This was my favourite beer when I arrived in Australia back in 1987 - I probably liked it after having suffered Castle Lager for three years in South Africa.

XXXX Gold	Australia	3.5		Now the most popular beer in Queensland and probably number two in the whole of Australia. Not bad for lunchtime if you are working.

XXXX Summer Bright Lager	Australia	4.2		Quite similar to a Mexican Cerveza and some places even push a bit of lemon or lime into the bottle. Very average and insipid.

Emu Bitter	Australia	4.0		Hmmmm. Well it was damned hot when I had this beer so any comments are probably superfluous.

Swan Lager	Australia	5.0		Quite a pleasant drop from the west.

Barons Pale Ale	Belgium	4.6		Okay this is on the wrong page but they claim to be a Sydney based brewery - yet this bland ale is produced in Belgium. I am ashamed of Belgium for producing such rubbish. It lacks just about everything you would expect from a pale ale.