From Fresh, The West Autralian, 14^th January

Over the holiday break I was asked several times to name my favourite Australian beer. It’s a hard question to answer, because it depends on where you are, who you’re with, the  occasion, mood, temperature and so on. Therefore I plumped for three beers which emerged from brewing milestones during 2009.

   Bootleg not only celebrated its 15^th “birthday” in November with an ESB ale cunningly named Fifteen, but also developed a 5.5 per cent stout, cunningly named Stout. Actually it’s an oatmeal stout, Michael Brookes adding rolled oats to the mash of dark barley malts for smoothness. The head looks like oatmeal, too. It’s a slightly curious brew, pleasant but not your usual. After a rather pungent niff of seared herbs the flavours are emphatic: liquorice, crème caramel, vanilla, all with a cola lift.

      Last year marked a double anniversary for national brewing hero Chuck Hahn: ten years of James Squire craft beers and 20 years since the Hahn brand made its premium splash. The Ten20 Commemorative Ale was such a splendid celebration that a few 640ml bottles still merit a place in the fridge. The “best-by” date was yesterday, so it’s safe to drink it in the next few weeks. This 7.9 per cent meld of  hoppy, extra bitter, US-style imperial pale ale and sweet, malty Scottish barley wine has so many terrific points  that the big bottle cries out to be shared so two people can compare notes.

   WA’s Feral Brewing was judged champion small brewery at the Australian International Beer Awards, bagging not only the brewing crown but four other championship trophies. Brewer Brendan Varis’s Champion Ale just has to rate as favourite for any hop-head. The 5.8 per cent Hop Hog India pale ale, served on tap at Feral in Baskerville and Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fremantle, is redolent of American hops with strong aroma of pine needle and various citrus zests, big and fruity on the palate and cheek-cavingly dry and bitter in the elongated aftertaste. Since it gained the awards, Mr Varis has added an even hoppier brew to Feral’s range. He calls 7.4 per cent Fantapants red ale “offensively bitter”.

ALES OF ENGLAND  

Three recent arrivals will be welcomed in WA, especially by people with a taste for south of England ales. Each of the beers comes in 500ml bottles, has a solid fan base and the sign of integrity inherent in off-white or oatmeal coloured heads.

  Former champion beer of Britain Chiswick Bitter – brewed by Fuller’s at Chiswick, London - is a plain, honest statement of the brewing tradition it represents: straightforward bitter ale, “mid-strength” in alcohol but full-strength in flavour.

  Greene King IPA may be the biggest-selling cask ale in southern England, but at a mere 3.6 per cent does not meet the criterion of a true India pale ale. Many real ale lovers have always thought it feeble, a view supported at a WA Brewers’ Association tasting in Fremantle several years ago. But forget that: at last we’ve got Greene King’s Export Strength IPA, the real deal.

   Horndean Special Bitter – known simply as HSB - is a distinctive, somewhat acquired taste. It has been  acquired by a fervent following since it was first brewed in 1959 by Gale’s Brewery in Hampshire, so much so that some local expats are known to visit Blighty just for pints of this brew. They were disappointed several years ago when plans to import kegs fell through, and alarmed when Gale’s was acquired by Fuller's, which now brews HSB in London. Their fears were unfounded, which is evident from the bottled version now available at selected stores around Perth.

THE BEERS

CHISWICK BITTER (3.5 PER CENT)

Hops dominate in typical English ales. In this case Northdown and Challenger varieties impart flowery, fresh characteristics to the tastebuds, Target hops early in the boil give assertive bitterness and finally dry-hopping with Goldings gives nice grassy aroma. In 1999, Fuller's, adhering to Chiswick's closely guarded recipe, further refined the brewing process for more consistent mouthfeel and taste, which is mainly malty, biscuity with floral notes and a long, dry, oaky and faintly leathery finish.

GREENE KING IPA EXPORT (5 PER CENT)

There’s a new-mown hay aroma from two English hop varieties with lots of resins. The firm head sticks luxuriantly to the glass and the old-style brown colour is suited to dominant pale and crystal barley malt flavours tinged with toffee and pear. This pleasant and worthwhile progression from the basic IPA was judged best export beer in the 2008 World Beer Awards. Perhaps that was flattering, because despite the fuller body and flavour depth, Export Strength IPA still suffers from the Greene King standard IPA’s lack of bitterness.  

GALE’S HSB (4.8 PER CENT)

Fuller’s is renowned for its distinctive yeasts, but in brewing HSB it maintains that Gale's yeast lives on. This ruby-coloured, long-loved, multi-award winning extra special bitter is quality all through, from the khaki-hued doughy head and spicy aroma to rewarding smooth, woody and fruity finish. In between, it’s full bodied and silky, sweet yet bitter, richly flavoured with bread, fruitcake and dried fruit notes on a surprisingly lifting light palate. It’s best poured cool – about 5C – for first effect, but complex flavours evolve as it warms up to, say, 10C. Superb.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Match food and beer

Beer dinners continue to attract enthusiastic customers, notably at Feral, Cowaramup and Indi breweries. But matching beer and food at home barbecues is a cheaper, more intimate option catered for by Beer & Brewer Summer Cookbook.

   The handy guide on what to drink with - and add to - 23 recipes comes with the magazine’s current quarterly edition. WA drops are featured: Feral White Belgian cloudy wheat beer with Japanese soup and tasting plate as well as barbecued tuna steak; Matso’s ManGo beer with chilli mango mussels; and Billabong Blonde gluten-free beer poaches the egg in a salmon dish for coeliacs.

  Though many of the recommended beers are brewed in the eastern States, some delectable choices such as Redoak, McLaren Vale and Holgate are available here.

 As well as nationally known names such as Coopers, James Squire and Matilda Bay, the guide pairs top imports including Budejovicky Budvar pilsner, Erdinger Hefeweizen, Kross and St Ambroise. The latter’s Apricot Wheat Ale, for example, gives a new slant on prawn cocktail.

  You needn’t adhere rigidly to brands, because accomplished brewer Ian Watson sets out a table of generic beer styles to pair with gourmet food on the basis of meal, mood and moment.

   Ask for Beer & Brewer Magazine summer edition at bottle shops and newsagents.