3 Ravens English Ale

After almost 3 months of blogging silence, I’m temporarily reverting to an old format to quickly record my thoughts on 3 Ravens English Ale which I am sampling for the first time tonight.

Three Troupers Amber Ale

Back in October last year I tried the Three Troupers brews available at the time (Pilsner and pale ale). They were pleasant enough but a little disappointing after some of the other local beers I had been trying. I’m pleased to say that their Amber Ale, released earlier this year, is a great improvement.

A fine-looking amber in the glass with a healthy white head, it has plenty of malt and caramel flavours and a smooth mouth feel.

See if you can get your hands on some and let me know what you think

Cheers

Yarra Valley Gold

I’ve had a few people recommend the beers from Grand Ridge Brewery and have enjoyed a few pots of Gippsland Gold on tap so I thought I’d see what else they have to offer. First up was Yarra Vally Gold and I’m pretty impressed!

Warm weather – what to drink?

It’s definitely time to beat the heat and quench the thirst with some lighter refreshing ales. A style that has been recommended for this purpose is Belgian witbier and I can recall having a few of these in the past and quite enjoying them. I am now on a quest to find my favourite locally brewed witbier. My first is very local, being from 3 Ravens in Thornbury.

Jamieson Brown Ale and Mountain Goat Stout

I’m finding myself drawn to darker ales and stouts recently and here are a couple of good ones. The Jamieson is a non-threatening highly drinkable brown ale and the Mountain Goat a little more gutsy.

Holgate ESB

Back to the flavoursome Holgates brews…

Brewer: Holgate Brewhouse, Woodend.

Variety: ESB (5% ABV)

The marketers say: Top fermented copper-red with rich and complex malt additions and highly bittered with English hops

Appearance: Cloudy (expected given the yeast sediment) orange with very little head

Aroma: Strong hop aroma, sweet and fruity

Taste: Mildly sweet with a nice balance of malt and hops. Bitterness in the finish noticeable but not overpowering. A little ‘flat’

Overall: I have to admit I am not really clear what characteristics I should be expecting with an ESB (other than higher than normal alcohol content) so can’t comment on being true to style. I liked it though, just the right bitterness for my tastes.

Stay tuned for the last couple of Holgates brews soon.

Cheers

Holgate Big Reg

Brewer: Holgate Brewhouse, Woodend.

Variety: Big Reg Vienna style red lager (5% ABV)

The marketers say: A warming alcohol level and light bitterness make this malty treat a great food all-rounder, and an all-round favourite for both beer enthusiasts and the less adventurous alike.

Appearance: Beautiful copper colour with very short lived, weak cream head.

Aroma: Strong malt aroma with a touch of sweetness

Taste: The malt carries through nicely and some chocolate emerges briefly. Faintly bitter aftertaste

Overall: Flavour a little disappointing. There really didn’t seem to be much to this one. I think the marketing comment about the ‘less adventurous’ is telling.

According to BeerAdvoctae this style should show “subtle hops, crisp, with residual sweetness”. This is not really what I experienced – perhaps I  need to understand more about the style before I can judge how good this is.

I feel a trip to Woodend to talk with the Holgate brewers and sample the brews on tap will be in order soon.

Cheers

Holgate Hopinator

The Hopinator. Great name but how does it rate?