Beer - Bridge Road Brewers Hans Klopek's Hefe Weizen

A quick beer blog to celebrate the birthday of Bridge Road Brewer's Ben Kraus with a CHEERS!

As mentioned in my last Weekend Catchup, I picked up a Bridge Road Hans Klopek's Hefe Weizen from Purvis Cellars on Friday night (and drank it on Saturday night).

I believe this beer was formerly labelled as the "Bavarian Wheat Ale", which I struggled to like...not because it was a bad beer...but I found the wheat flavour a little too sharp and there was possibly too much vanilla (instead of sweetness from banana) in the brew. I will note, however, that the Hefeweizen is not my preferred style of beer (I'm not big on “white” beers in general). I find them to be very hit and miss, sometimes far too wheaty, but I still have much to learn about the style.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a tall pot glass, the Hans Klopek's Hefe Weizen presented a very nice cloudy golden colour. Despite a very small head on the beer, it simply looked tasty.

The aroma was of wheat and cloves, with banana sweetness...a classic Hefeweizen fragrance.

Light and flavoursome in the mouth, medium-to-low carbonation and a nice trace of something a little spicy. Easy drinking, this is a thirst quenching beer, but probably not sessional for me.

The excellent banana characteristics certainly lend this beer to the potential of a "breakfast beer". Will have to try that out sometime, maybe with pancakes? The Bridge Road website suggests maybe matching this beer with giant pretzels, which I can definitely see as working well.

I'm still not sold, personally, on the Hefeweizen style, but I can tell that this is indeed a good beer. And the more I try (including the quality ones I've had from Red Hill, Moo Brew, Mountain Goat and Burleigh Brewing) the more I am finding that there is definitely a place in a day (or on a menu) for this beer.

Learn more at: http://www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au/beer-hans-klopeks-hefe-weizen.html

Beer and Bars - Weekend Catchup

I am quickly learning that being a craft beer enthusiast (especially being relatively new to the scene and therefore having so much to explore) is a very expensive adventure.  With a constant flow of new stock hitting the local beer retailer, along with a number of bars currently showcasing spectacular rare brews on tap, it is time for me to step back and reclaim my credit card for a few weeks, after a relatively indulgent month or two.

Having said that, whilst I may be drinking some cheap (hopefully not macro!) beer for a while into the foreseeable future, I certainly have plenty of blogging to do during that time, with a backlog of delicious beers that I have enjoyed and reviewed (on paper) recently.

The weekend just past began with a Friday Beer-O’clock dash to Purvis Cellars, where I punished my credit card with:

• 2 x568ml “pint” bottles of the new Little Creatures single batch IPA - another excellent local IPA, very smooth and easy drinking, definitely sessional, but not as good as the recent Mountain Goat Rare Breed IPA.
• Flying Horse Bar & Brewery Whale Ale and Savage Seagull - very happy to see the Flying Horse beers now in bottles and on the retail shelfs. Have heard much about this well awarded Brewery down Warrnambool way, but had so far only been able to taste their Dirty Angel, which has been a tap regular at Mrs Parmas for a while now.  Both the Whale Ale and Savage Seagull were very enjoyable.
• Hawthorn Brewing Amber Ale - missed this at the recent Microbreweries Showcase because they were all out by the time I reached their table, so I was keen to try one out. It was good but maybe a little unbalanced. To me, the Hawthorn Amber does not quite stand up against the many other excellent local Ambers that are currently available (especially after I had enjoyed a pint of the Red Duck Amber Ale eariler in the day)
• Bridge Road Brewers Hans Klopek's Hefe Weizen – I suspect this new Hefeweizen is replacing the Bridge Road Bavarian Wheat, which I wasn’t a fan off.  However, the Hans Klopek is certainly a nice Hefeweizen, which I think could make for a excellent “breakfast beer” and can't wait to try it on tap somewhere.

Friday night we returned to the Mountain Goat Brewery (honestly, can’t get enough of the place) for drinks with friends.  We also finally took the time to have dinner there, courtesy of the Goat Bar’s scrumptious pizzas, including the “Broc’n’Roll” and “Vege Patch”. I drank:

• Rapunzel - regular “Blonde” version (still loving every mouthful of this small batch Belgian golden ale)
• Randy Hightail - infused with Galaxy hops through the Randall (hoppy delicious! such a taste is a great example of why Galaxy hops are so popular among Aussie brewers at the moment.)

I must say (sorry)...I was somewhat concerned about the growing number of high-heels and short-skirts (it was a cold night!!) present at the Goat Bar.  Were they just being dragged there by their boyfriends for a quality pre-clubbing drink? I hope so! The Mounain Goat Brewery clearly welcomes all for a top evening of excellent beer and relaxed conversation in a family friendly atmosphere...however...I would prefer the “fashionable young things”, who may be looking to make a loud mess somewhere, stick to the place that everyone knows is already a “problem” (…the CDB).

Sorry about that…back to it...

Mrs Parmas is another place I that I can not get enough of, thanks to their relaxed space, super food and...most of all....their superb Victorian-microbrewery-only beer taps lineup.  It was our dinner destination on Saturday night.

Whilst waiting for our friends to join us, I enjoyed a pot of the Bridge Road Brewers Beechworth Pale Ale (always good as a “first drink of the day”).  Next it was a pint of the Red Duck Amber Ale, which I have drank from a bottle before but never on tap. My previous (bottle) experience with this beer was good, but nothing overly special. Therefore, I was delighted at how much better the tap version seemed to me! The Red Duck Amber provided lovely caramel/toffee aroma and a full and deep taste.  Great pub drinking!

Over dinner I drank a pint of Flying Horse Bar & Brewery Dirty Angel, which was perfectly matched to my Kalamata olive chicken parma.

All in all, another sensational weekend (helped along by my footy team, Essendon, actually winning a game) which finished all too quickly.  Not a bad beer was had, so I encourage all to check out and enjoy:

• Little Creatures (single batch IPA)
• Mountain Goat Brewery
• Flying Horse Bar and Brewery
• Bridge Road Brewers
• Red Duck Beer
• Hawthorn Brewing

 Another small bundle of very enjoyable beers...all of which disappeared far too quickly.

 Rapunzel @ The 'Goat...always sexy.

 Sticking with the "healthy" option...a "Broc'n'Roll" pizza.

"Vege Patch" pizza at Mountain Goat

 

 Just some of the choice at Mrs Parmas.

A pot of the Beechy Pale Ale to start.

Moving onto a pot of Red Duck Amber Ale.

Beer - Mountain Goat Rapunzel (Part 2: Oaked version)

The Mountain Goat team showcased their delicious strong Belgian Golden Ale, Rapunzel, on Friday 26th March, with three versions on tap at the Goat Bar, along with matching food (mussels and frites).

The three versions available were:

1. "Blonde" Rapunzel (regular)
2. "Randied" Rapunzel (infused with peaches and nutmeg through a Randall)
3. "Oakey" Rapunzel (aged in a French Oak chardonnay barrel for 9 months)

As previous blogged, having first tried and loved the regular Rapunzel a few weeks earlier, I was excited to be back for another journey through a glass or two of this special brew...with added character. The Goat Bar was packed with a big crowd of beer lovers looking to do the same thing.

Due to the crowd, there was a fair wait and shuffle to reach the bar, but the Mountain Goat team should be commended for their great work in handling their customers. Plenty of staff were available, all moving quickly and effectively through each order. Furthermore, the wait simply provided more opportunity to enjoy the sights and smells of the Mountain Goat taps pouring each brew.

Poured into a 385ml stem glass, the first noticeable difference of the Oakey Rapunzel was its sightly darker golden colour, compared to the regular "Blonde". However, Oakey also seemed to be clearer, more transparent.

The aroma was also quite different, with still a strong fruity presences, but also a fairly predominate hit of chardonnay coming through. I was a little concerned a first, as it seemed the "white wine" smell would dominated the taste (not a good thing, to me).

Nonetheless, the taste was delicious, deep and complex. Maybe a little too sweet and, yes, at first it was too "winey"...but not for long...as subsequent sips brought out a solid blend of vanilla, apple and an excellent level of hops. Medium body, medium carbonation but also very smooth. The enjoyable 8.5% alcohol was definitely very well balanced.

I followed up the Oakey with a glass of the Randied...and was then well satisfied. Good beer indeed.

Ultimately, I probably preferred the regular "Blonde" Rapunzel, due to the sweetness of the "Oakey". However, the Mountain Goat brewers have certainly succeeded in providing another interesting quality brew with a unique twist to please any interested beer drinker looking to challenge the ordinary. Am looking forward to what they come out with next!

"Randy"...the Rapunzel, peaches and nutmeg filled Randall infuser.

Two sexy Rapunzels, ready to drink(regular "Blonde" on left, "Oakey" on right)

Easter Beer Bar Bands - Weekend Catchup

Plenty of Easter delights to quickly mention, with the long weekend allowing for much indulgence into excellent beers, bars and bands.

Thursday I splashed out on my most expensive single beer shop ever, purchasing:

• Holgate Brewhouse Beelzebub’s Jewels (x2!! $53/bottle)
• Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast (delightful, but not a “breakfast” beer)
• Lobethal Bierhaus Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (excellent stout, strong chocolate aroma but lacking chocolate taste)
• Grand Ridge Brewery Supershine (very happy to finally see this beer back in stock, after hunting it down for so long. And it was absolutely delicious!)

Good Friday began with my attempt to match a beer with hot cross buns for breakfast. I went with the renowned Beer Geek Breakfast Imperial Oatmeal Stout from Mikkeller of Denmark. This flavour-packed stout is wonderfully complex, with chocolate, coffee and hops all jumping out at you. It is a slow drinking beer with a long bitter finish. However, as a beer for breakfast and a match with hot cross buns, it did not work out in my mouth. Nonetheless, an enjoyable experience and next year I'll look for another hot cross bun beer match.

Friday night we were at Yah Yah’s to see The Cheats and Valleys play a free gig. The Cheats are all that is good and fun about Melbourne live music.  Also, Yah Yah’s is an excellent bar, but their limited tap beer selection this night (just painful Carlton Draught and Hoegaarden White) was a disappointment. I survived on bottled Little Creatures Pale Ale.

Saturday we visited the Red Hill Brewery for lunch, which was magnificent. I had the steak sandwich with a pot of Scotch Ale and it was a wonderful combination. The bread used (from Peninsula Baker Boys) was sensational. The specific aim of my visit was try the just-tapped 2010 vintage of their Hop Harvest ale (“Hoppy Birthday”, an ESB celebrating their 5th Anniversary).  The Hop Harvest was a beautiful beer, but not as hoppy as expected. I’m pretty sure last year's vintage was much hoppier.  However, I will certainly be keen to purchase a 6 pack as soon as it is bottled in two weeks time, because it could well be a very agreeable sessional beer.

I went home with a mixed six - 2x Scotch Ale, 2x Wheat Beer, 2x Golden Ale - all of which I’m already very familiar with (thanks to their now commonplace availability in Dan Murphy’s these days), but happy to purchase direct from the Brewery to support their sensational support of the Victorian microbrewery industry.

Sunday night we popped into the lovely Wesley Anne in Northcote, where we drank Mountain Goat Steam Ale (on tap) and saw The Holy Sea and The Broadside Push play. The Wesley Anne has a wonderful atheistic, ambiance and drinks selection. The Holy Sea are a very generous and soulful band, providing a perfect ending to Easter Sunday. Top night...great weekend.

Thank you, Victoria.

Rock on The Cheats!

Enjoying a "Hoppy Birthday" Hop Harvest (ESB) ale at the Red Hill Brewery.