Doppelbock Winter Ale

Style:Doppelbock
Alc %:6
Brewery:Monteith's Brewery
Country:New Zealand
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:April 2011
Cost:freebie/gift
Rating:6.5

Pours Dark, light tan head.
A little cocoa in the nose...and clove.
some nicely roasted malts and a little chocalate.
It's quite nice and moreish as it warms to room temperture.

Carlsburg

Style:German Pilsner
Alc %:4.8
Brewery:Carlsburg
Country:Denmark
Tap/Bottle?:330ml bottle
Where/When:Home, Easter 2011
Cost:freebie
Rating:5/10

This has been sitting around so long I can't remember how I got it. At least 6 months ago from someone who thought I would like it 'cos I like beer....

Light pale gold upon pouring with a lovely frothy white head.
An ok nose- a little straw like, slightly herbal.
Light on the malts but sweet enuf all the same. Light too on the hops with just a little spiceness that quickly dissapears. So too does the herbyness from the nose rear it's head then vanishess.
It's light but not offensive, just an easy drinking lager with wide appeal.

Gotta go, the footy is starting....

Red Angus Pilsener

Style:German Pilsener
Alc %:4.8
Brewery:William Bull Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 330ml
Where/When:Home, April 2011
Cost:$15 for a 6 pack.
Rating:6/10

Quite pale - a nice light gold colour. A little white head.
A light bready scent on the nose.
Clean and crisp- a little grain, herbal / spicey bitterness comes thru- not fruit driven and with a hoppy bitterness that lingers lightly. The carbonation adds to this aswell.
I was told this is great with food and thought i'd give it a try.
However, I haven't got excited about this brew.
6/10.

Vale Ale

Style:American Pale Ale
Alc %:4.5
Brewery:McLaren Vale Beer Company
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 330ml
Where/When:Home, April 2011
Cost:approx $20 a four pack
Rating:6.5

Nicely presented bottle I must say- you can't see in this photo but the label is kinda embossed and nicely designed- makes sense since this is brewed in South Australia.
A little white head with a light gold/straw colour body.
Nose is faintly herby and grape like. Subtle but pleasant enuf.
There's a grainy melon like sweetness, clean and well balanced- nothing really stands out tho it is a little spritzy or high on carbonation that gives it a little sting on the tip of the tongue.
Look, I confess to not liking this when I first tried it.
It had won the punters choice top 100 beers in Oz, so I went out and bought a 4 pack and tried one straight away. I had hopes it would be up there with the Knappstein Reserve Lager but it just didn't impress me at all and I wasn't pleased that it had received such regard by the average punter out in beer drinking land.
However, this tasting i'm not being as hard on it and I can see why it's so popular and worthy of it's regard by those who voted for it.
It is fair to say that for an American APA it doesn't at all fit the mold. Which really makes it an Australian APA!
That said it's still not my cupa tea, so 6.5/10.

Thorny Goat

Style:Black IPA
Alc %:6.8
Brewery:Mountain Goat Beer
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:640ml bottle
Where/When:Home, April 2011
Cost:$12
Rating:7.5/10

Uber dark body, with a light brown finger width head.
The nose is everything you'd hope for in a beer like this. Very resinous hops.
Grapefruit comes thru but not in abundance.
It's very malty and a little stout like- really covering the tongue. It's quite well balanced and the slap/smack of the hops never really comes.
It's a little thicker in the mouth than I expected, with a creaminess about it makes the tongue think stout.
It would be fair to say that this is an ozzie take on a Black IPA - a well done one at that - it's not outrageously hoppy like a Stone black IPA but it's bold and well balanced without being over the top. It's big but it's not trying to punch your lights out! And it really hangs around in your mouth and lingers. (The more i drink this, the more i love how this lingers in the mouth!)
I got a surprise to see it on the shelf at my usual bottle-o and it's a brew that I already would like to see always available but as it's a collaberation with Thornbridge, that's not going to happen.

Now, a slight whinge and a little info for my millions of overseas readers. This 640 ml bottle cost me $11.99 which is.... fucken outrageous! We have a really crappy tax system here in Oz (& NZ has got it bad too, from what I know) in regards to the levy paid by smaller breweries.
I also purchased a 750ml bottle of Chimay White which cost $13.99- $4-5 dollars less than what I normally expect to pay for this brew.
So, if you couple this cruel tax system with a competitive market place it's a brave man who would put their livelihood/lifestyle on the line to produce beers that really stand out yet appeal to alot of punters.
I'm giving this 7.5/10.