Coopers Original Pale Ale

Coopers Original Pale Ale

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.5%

From: Adelaide, Australia 

Purchased from: Wine Rack,Weybridge, UK
http://www.coopers.com.au/

Over the past week, the area that I live in has resembled something out of the Kevin Costner film Waterworld. Some of my friends have been driven from their homes due to the rising flood waters. There seems to be no end to this misery as rain and wind continue to batter the nation. No doubt everyone is dreaming of a long hot summer. I certainly am! So I decided to try a pale ale from one of Australia's largest craft breweries, Cooper's.

Coopers Brewery Limited, the largest Australian-owned brewery, is based in the Adelaide suburb of Regency Park, South Australia. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of which are its Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. In 2012, Coopers released a limited edition "Celebration Ale" to celebrate their 150th Anniversary, as well as adding celebratory labels on to their other beers. All of Coopers beers are made with no additives or preservatives ensuring that you get a beautiful brew every time.

Colour: Pours a pale yellow not to dissimilar to a lager. There is a slight hazing in the glass which is combined with a small white head that will stay with you throughout the duration of this beer.

Aroma: Although this beer is not overly aromatic, you can pick out hints of tart sour lemon underpinned by biscuit notes. As the drink warms, grassy, slightly floral notes will reveal themselves. Not overly inviting when you compare it to other Australian pale ales such little creatures pale ale.

Body: Quite gassy for a pale ale and yet again it reminds me more of a lager. It also has a body to match as. Very light and refreshing. The perfect thirst quencher. Perhaps this beer is suffering from some sort of identity crisis or perhaps it has been designed this way due to the warmer Australian climate.

Taste: The first flavour you will be able to extract will be tart lemon followed with slight hints of biscuits. Unfortunately, these flavours do not stay around very long and as you progress it becomes extremely watery and thin. The finish is mildly bitter combined with a metallic edge. It really does not have the flavour to carry the drink as it should. Personally, I would rather drink Coopers Sparkling Ale, as it has a much greater depth of flavour and is extremely enjoyable.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/flying-dog-doggie-style-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/left-hand-brewery-black-jack-porter.html

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Coopers Sparkling Ale

Coopers Sparking Ale

Style: Sparking Ale

Alcohol Content: 5.8%

From: Adelaide, Australia 

Purchased from: Waitrose

Coopers Brewery Limited, the largest Australian-owned brewery, is based in the Adelaide suburb of Regency Park, South Australia. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of which are its Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. In 2012, Coopers released a limited a limited editions "Celebration Ale" to celebrate the 150th Anniversary, as well as celebratory labels on their other beers. As you can see from the photo below, the Sparkling Ale carries this on its label. All of Coopers beers are made with no additives or preservatives ensuring that you get a beautiful brew every time.

So, this is the first beer that i have reviewed from Australia. Naturally i am quite excited about this review as i have heard a lot about this brewery and i can not wait to get involved with this beer.

Colour: Yellow/brown with no head on the pour. As the name suggests this drink is heavily carbonated. I would say its as carbonated as a cola or fizzy Panda pop (remember those?). The drink is clear with no floating elements (this ale is bottled conditioned). 

Smell: When i first smell the beers i review, i leave a little bit in the bottle and replace the cap. I then swish it about to release the flavors and then pop the cap again to release the aromas. With this sparking ale, i had to repeat this process a number of times. This is because this beer does not give off very strong aromas. What i could make out were sweet honey or treacle notes. It smelt a lot like a Lager or a Pilsner rather than an ale. So you get notes of freshly cut grass fused with sweet hops. This is going to be a very refreshing drink.

Body: Nice and light and refreshing. This is the kind of beer that i expect to be drinking on Bondi beach whilst turning fifty shades of red in the sun. The drink can be a little sticky on the back of the throat to start with. However, the carbonation helps to cleanse the palate leaving you very satisfied. If you have ever drunk a Corona or Sol on the beach this would make a good alternative if you want a bit of flavor.

Taste: On you first sip you get a taste of sweet honey or tamarind. This however is cleansed from your palate by the bubbles in the carbonation. Personally, i would of preferred this taste to of lingered a bit longer but each to there own. The beer is not very hoppy which makes it very easy to drink.

If you look close enough you can actually see the bubbles.

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