James Squire 150 Lashes

Style:English Pale Ale
Alc %:4.2
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 345ml
Where/When:Home, August 2012
Cost: approx $17 a 6 pack
Rating:6

Small head that dissapears- looks alright.
Served cold.
Some type of grain and a hint of apple on the nose.
A little bit watery straight off, then a mix of malt & honey with a slight bite at the end.
I wasn't expecting to like this but it wasn't as bad as I expected- in fact it had more going on than I anticipated, in that it was fairly true to style IMHO.
I would have it again.

James Squire Porter

Style:English Porter
Alc %:5
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Austrlia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 355ml
Where/When:Home, July 2012
Cost:$16 a 6 pack
Rating:5.5

Light tan head that almost completely dissapears. Pours dark almost coca-cola like.
Smoky roasted malts on the nose.
Little bit of choc malt, a sminch of bitterness- any sweetness from the chocalate just drops of and leaves .... well, not alot.
Mostly pretty dissapointing, maybe it needed to be cooler 'cos nothing much came forward and shined with this one.

Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe

Style:American Pale Wheat Ale
Alc %:7
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home, March 2012
Cost:$9
Rating:7.5

Lovely white fluffy head that disappears and leaves lacing. A nice copper orange colour.
A really nice floral aroma with a pleasant resiny note- it's begging to be drunk!
The nose is reflective of the flavour but it doesn't quite reach the heights it promises- it's quite sweet and syrupy - the wheatyness is very low key- not getting banana noticeably, nor clove or coriander. Maybe their is a hint of lemon. The hops give a nice hit. Not overpowering.
All the same, since I have a sweet tooth I find it quite enjoyable. Yet not alot to it in terms of complexity of flavour.
Seen this around a bit and will probably miss it when it's all gone. Well done for a fairly large brewery.

Mad Brewers Noir Stout

Style:Russian Imperial Stout
Alc %:7.4
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?: bottle
Where/When:Home, 2011
Cost:$10+
Rating: 7/10

Pours dark coke colour with a creamy looking lightly tan head.

Little bit of hops, cocoa and a little bit of funkyness.

Now the liquorice added to this which piqued my interest to purchase this in the first place isn't that dominate in my opinion. So what do I taste: after letting this warm up a bit i get,

nicely rounded roasted malts and barley that make for a sweet drop. The 7% alcohol is reasonably well hidden which makes it easily drinkable.

I'm giving this a 7/10, a little short on fullness of body but overall a worthy decent stout.
Tho, in retrospect not really an Imperial.

James Squire Pilsener

Style:Pilsener
Alc %:5
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:Bottle, 345ml
Where/When:Home, 10/10/09
Cost:approx $20 a six pack
Rating:6.5

Nice fluffy white head, about 1 cm that disappears.
Nice golden body.
A bit grassy on the nose- fresh, lively.
Spicy up front, then the malt comes thru. Theirs a definite citrus hit in their too.
A slight bitterness to finish with.
Juicy and quite drinkable, it went down quite easily. Flavoursome certainly compared to the Budvar Pils.
If my local had this on tap I would drink it more regularly.
Tasty solid Pilsener.

James Squires Pepperberry Winter Ale

Style:Winter Warmer
Alc %:5.4
Brewery:Malt Shovel Brewery
Country:Australia
Tap?: Bottle
Where/When:Home/October 2008
Cost:$20 a 6 pack approx
Rating:6

I saved this for the coldest October Day in 30 years-it reached 15 degrees tops today, 22 October 2008.
So, the beer, a 1 cm head that dissapears. It pours a dark brown with a slight orange tinge when held up to the light.
Upon tasting I first notice a biting gassy spiceness-followed by sweet maltiness and finishing with a woody berryness.
Not a bad drop- i served it too cold for what is essentially a light porter