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

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Stone and Wood Pacific Ale

Stone and Wood Pacific Ale

Style: Pacific Ale

Alcohol Content: 4.4%

From: Byron Bay, Australia 

Purchased From: Utobeer, London Borough Market, London

http://stoneandwood.com.au/

So wind and rain is still pounding daily against window. Whilst everyone else is busy complaining about the gloomy weather, I reach for the fridge to gain a little drop of Australian sunshine. Here is my review of Stone and Wood Pacific Pale ale. Now this is actually the second time I have sampled this little drop of sunshine. The first was just over a year ago in the Old Red Cow in London after a hard days SAS training. After hours upon hours of regression analyst, this ditty really brighten up my day. Let's see if she still got it.

Brad Rogers and his business partner established Stone and Wood during the recession of 2008. After many years of working in the brewing industry, they decided to shed the corporate garbage and get back to basis. After setting up their brewery in Bryon Bay, the partners in crime have continued to go from strength to strength whilst still enjoying the beautiful beaches and surf. 

Colour: Pours almost like a pilsner, a brilliant bright yellow with an ever so slight clouding. A light dusting of foam will linger throughout the duration of the beer.

Aroma: Full of summer ripened mangoes cut through with zesty citrus notes from the galaxy hops. What I really like about this beer is you can as smell very fait traits of vanilla. This helps to add a sweetness which really sets it apart from some pale ales on the market today.

Body: Extremely light and unbelievably refreshing. The very soft carbonation helps to create an almost juice like beer that will not clog your throat. Whether you are in Byron Bay or Skegness this drink is perfect for the beach.

Taste: A heady mix of sweet mango and pineapple dominate the palate. The use of pale malts help to add a real depth of sweetness, whilst the blending of galaxy hops provide sweet citrus notes to cover the mild bitter finish. As the drink warms, a slight grape acidity reveals itself. What a little ripper!!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bad-seed-brewery-south-pacific-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/skinners-heligan-honey.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Little Creatures Pale Ale

Little Creatures Pale Ale

Style: Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 5.2%

From: Fremantle, Western Australia

Purchased From: Wine Rack, Weybridge
https://littlecreatures.com.au

Little Creatures is an Australian brewing company based in Fremantle, Western Australia, originally established in 2000 by the original brewers of the Matilda Bay Brewing Company. The name "Little Creatures" is inspired by a song lyric from the Talking Heads Little Creatures album and refers to the live yeast cells that turn the sugars in malt wort into alcohol.

Little Creatures Pty Ltd is owned by Little World Beverages, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lion Nathan (which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin).

Little Creatures Brewery was founded by Howard Cearns (marketing specialist), Nic Trimboli (restaurateur) and Phil Sexton (master brewer), all of whom previously worked with the Matilda Bay Brewing Company. In 1997 Cearns, Trimboli and Sexton discussed the possibility of brewing an American style India Pale Ale. Sexton having worked in the United States and was involved in the development of the BridgePort IPA.Cearns came up with the name after reading about little creatures wandering from ale house to alehouse in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and at the time thinking that it sounded like yeast fermentation. The brewery released its first beer, Little Creatures Pale Ale, in 2000. The Company sponsors the Fremantle Print Award. In 2008 the company established a second brewery in Healesville, Victoria

I sat down to drink this beer just a few mere hours before the start of the Ashes cricket series. As I began watching sky sports news' coverage I began thinking that England where going to walk all over Australia and cause a whitewash. How wrong was I!! Australia destroyed England in just a few days. It appeared to stress Jonathan Trott out so much he had to go home. So as this pommie hangs his head in shame please find below a review of one of Australia's finest beer, Little Creatures Pale Ale.

Ahh my little angel

Colour: This drink pours a light copper, almost apricot with a light fluffy foam head. This foam dissipates to a light dusting in the glass after five minutes.

Aroma: Hints of summer fruits (strawberries, raspberries) mixed with light peppery undertones. On the second sip you will also be able to pick up notes of rich tropical fruits such as lychees and passion fruit. The exotic mix of fruits comes from three hops used in the making of this beer. These are East Kent Goldings, Cascade and Galaxy.

Body: This drink is very light and easy to drink due to the extremely low level of carbonation. There is however an ever so slightly creamy note to the body of this beer. This causes a slight level of clogging on the back of the throat but it is not unpleasant.

Taste: On you first sip, you will be presented with flavours of sweet caramel cut through with zesty citrus fruits. On the second sip you will also be able to pick out notes of mouth watering gooseberries and passion fruits. This drink would go perfectly with Stilton cheese and fruity desserts.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/partizan-brewing-ipa-bobek-amarillo.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ellezelloise-hercule-stout.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

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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