22 February 2008

Feel the strine

We do very badly for Aussie beer over here. I'm told that some of the Little Creatures range have been spotted in Dublin off licences, but other than that it's the usual yellow muck from the House of Foster, Toohey's, and the like. In general, the Cooper's range is the best we can manage, though I'm not keen on their stout and find their famous Sparkling Ale highly overrated. The last of their beers that we see in these parts is the Original Pale Ale.

Well, it's pale all right: a translucent light yellow with loads of gas creating a steady shallow head. There's not much on the first sip, just more gas and a crisp dry bitterness. After a while the malt profile begins to come through but it's hard to get a handle on it around all those bubbles.

In an effort to get a bit more flavour out of the beer I've just bunged the yeasty dregs into the glass. This turns it more of a lemony witbiery shade and adds a bit more body, but really does little for the overall taste.

An ice-cold six-pack by a barbecue supplying endless amounts of greasy meat: yes, I can understand that. Sitting in on a dark northern-hemisphere winter evening, however, I'll have something else, thanks.

5 comments:

  1. I'm not a big fan of Coopers' beers either apart from the Stout. I think because they were a bit of a novelty for an Aussie brewer their beers were unnecessarily revered. However now there are some quality beers coming out of Oz, and Little Creatures is a fine example, Coopers are proving to be under performing.

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  2. you drank it wrong! you have to turn the bottle upside down once or twice before you open it to get all the yummy yeasty sediment through it. gotta pour it all in the glass too.

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  3. I have a soft spot for Cooper's. Their beers kept me sane while I lived in Australia. I really like the Stout, but the Sparkling can be pretty nice, too. If the life isn't chilled out of them.

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  4. Pale Ale is definitely the least interesting of the regular brews. Personally I think the stout is fantastic, the Vintage Stout is even better. The Vintage ale is hopelessly over rated.

    Both the Sparkling and Pale have to be served with lees otherwise they taste of stewed barley and bugger all else.

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  5. Jack, I don't have a 375ml glass: what kind of size is that?!

    Kieran, even with the lees, concentrated in less beer, I was still in bugger-all-flavour country.

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