Beer - Mountain Goat Riwaka Pale Ale

It has been a warm and very humid week in Melbourne. Therefore, I was very much in need of a thirst quenching beer after work on Wednesday. I made my way to the Mountain Goat Brewery in Richmond for a quick one at their Goat Bar.

My original intention was to sample their well-regarded Fancy Pants Amber Ale, but that is only available on tap on Fridays. So instead I opted for the Riwaka, a one-off small batch of a "NZ style Pale Ale".

Served on tap into a 380ml glass ($6), it poured a very nice even pale amber colour with good depth, there was a good head on pouring, but that didn't last too long. The smell was soft with a light malt aroma but not too much else.

The Mountain Goat tasting notes say "Vienna and Munich malts give it biscuity and toasty characters and Riwaka flowers add citrusy, marmalade-y aromas." I caught the citrus and marmalade, but couldn't really find the biscuity/toasty characters. I enjoyed the medium body with low carbonation, soft bitter touch, which held well in the mouth.

Great beer for a Pale Ale, definitely easy to drink and thirst quenching (mission accomplished!). I would have been quite happy to have a few more, but time and money prevented me from making it a session.



I'm keen to head back to the Goat tonight and (finally...maybe?) try the Fancy Pants.