I'm finally nearing completion of my notebook catch-up. After this beer, I only have my Euro 2012 notes to get through and then it's on to taking new notes! Huzzah!
For now though, I have my first Australian beer to look at.
Coopers Sparkling Ale pours a lovely honey tone, with a slight haziness and a big three-finger head that turns to a film in next to no time. It's quite carbonated - as the name suggests - and it sticks to the glass pretty well. Surprisingly, there was a massive amount of sediment in the bottle that was just impossible to keep out of the glass. On the nose it's citrus fruit
en force, with a quiet malt caramel undertone and a sherbert sweetness. Also, I have to say there was a slight stinging smell of piss, though that may have been the ridiculous amount of sediment, to be fair. The taste is equally strange, with an odd, sharp, artificial candy-fruit taste underpinning the nicely balanced citrus and malt flavours, to the point of being generally unpleasant. However, as time goes by the taste definitely improves, again leading me to blame the yeast sediment, which by now has begun to settle. The body's OK, if not a bit too fizzy.
Overall, a fairly average beer that could have been much better. At first I thought it was an off bottle - the sediment really threw me off - but taking a look around the net this seems to be the normal amount of floaters. So, the beer hasn't blown me away, but I endeavour to try more from the brewer in good time, as well as more from Australia.
Anyone know any good Aussie beers?
Like their wine, they keep the best for themselves. But Little Creatures Pale Ale has made an appearance recently -- it's their Sierra Nevada Pale Ale knock-off. Aussie Hooker, if you will.
ReplyDeleteKeep the best for themselves and give us Foster's, great... Cheers for that, I'll give it a look. I doubt I'll find it in Abbot's or Bradley's, it may be a Drinkstore.ie job...
DeleteFoster's -- as every Aussie is tired of telling everyone -- is almost unknown in Australia. Toohey's and VB are among the big brands and both are sold here. Neither are worth drinking, however.
DeleteI didn't know it was unknown - I just thought they hated the stuff. Was there a few years ago and me da was looking for a pint at the hotel bar. He asked for Foster's and they pretty much refused him.
Delete"Nobody in Australia drinks Foster's mate..."
Cooper's are the low end of the craft breweries in Australia. In the same ballpark, get Little Creatures and Cascade.
ReplyDeleteSmaller but better ones that you may find in Ireland: Matilda Bay, Murray's, Feral Brewing, Stone and Wood. Also look for Mountain Goat and Yeastie Boys, although I haven't tried these ones.
Really? I'd heard good things about Coopers, which is why this one was such an anticlimax. Maybe them being a lower rate craft brewery makes more sense. Gotta say I haven't seen any of the aforementioned beers in Ireland, but then, I wasn't really looking. Will try, thanks.
DeleteExpect to wake up with a sheep's head in your bed, Olive: Yeastie Boys are kiwi. None of those Aussie breweries are imported to Ireland, as far as I know.
DeleteYou shouldn't have drank the bloody yeast!
ReplyDeleteYou need to leave the last bit in the bottle. it's a bottle conditioned beer.
I always drink the yeast! To be fair, I'd usually leave it without first and then tip it in at the end, but there was just no settling going to happen with this beer. Cheers.
DeleteWith Coopers, what people tend to do is roll the bottle on it's side before opening - this distributes any sediment back through the beer and improves it
ReplyDelete