Endeavour Beverages Reserve Ales

I recently received another sample pack, this time from Endeavour Brewing, a newly formed beer marketing company based in Macquarie Centre, Sydney.

The beers on offer being:

2 x 2010 Endeavour Reserve Pale Ale

2 x 2010 Endeavour Reserve Amber Ale

Very attractive packaging, and fancy bottles. The media release states that these beers will develop of 2-3 years..... hmmm..... not so sure about that.

Darren dropped in for a quick taste, and we determined that these beers were, on the main, average. The claims for cellaring are dubious to say the least.

But, the gesture from the company is appreciated.

In the spirit of constructive criticism, I offered my thoughts back to them. They are as follows (no reply as yet):

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the tasting pack. I shared it with a beer loving mate, and we took down some notes.

In the spirit of providing frank and fearless advice, I wish to provide you with my feedback before I publish it on my blog.

Pale Ale
Looks good and has a wonderful fruity aroma, typical of its hop varieties. But it seems to go missing on the palate. And the mouthfeel seems quite dry and quick finish; for me it's not really that satisfying (but hey, I drink Russian Imperial Stout and Double IPAs, so maybe I'm desensitised !).

It seems to a have a foot in two camps: American pale ale fruitiness, and Dry/Blonde styles popular with Gen-Y. In this sense, it will be popular with this crowd, and maybe with the females, with the fruity perfume on the nose appealing, but the palate light, dry, crisp, and 'contemporary'.

If that's your target market, well done.

Amber Ale
Again, looks appealing. Aromas seem quite focused on chocolate & caramel. Touch resinous as you describe in your media release. I can't really pick up the distinctive Pride of Ringwood metallic/spicy profile, but the resin note is evident. Taste is again quite chocolaty, but seems a bit 2-dimensional. Perhaps you should throw in some English noble hops e.g. East Kent Goldings or Fuggles.... give it a third dimension and some interest.

I detect an attempt at appealing to the Gen-Y drinkers; give them a "different" style but not overburden their distraction-driven minds with complexity. So, give them chocolate, give them alcohol.... and give them a bottle that appears very sophisticated.

I seriously dispute your claims about aging these beers. The pale ale is too light on alcohol, and has no malt or hop structure to support change over time. The amber may take up some raisin/sherry notes as it ages.... but again at 5.2% doesn't have enough 'preservative' to see it into a second year. I'm happy to be proven wrong .......

Overall.... hats off to your packaging. Looks good, and assuming I'm correct regarding your target market, you're probably onto a winner. Price is a challenge, but not for the wanna-be-seen trainee stockbroker crowd. Just remember how fickle these guys are.... you'll be history in 3 months.

Again, thanks for the taster, and best wishes,

Michael Vanderlaan

Declining beer sales: the good news

Interesting read in Monday's Sydney Morning Herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/business/feeling-a-chill-as-beer-loses-pulling-power-20101011-16fzc.html

The opening sentence:

AUSTRALIAN drinkers have turned their backs on beer at an unprecedented rate, shunning both traditional brands and new hip labels, to post in August one of the biggest volume declines in recent history and threatening the earnings of Foster's, Lion Nathan and smaller players such as Coopers.

But..... a few paragraphs later:

Mr Bowley said these drivers included consumers dumping beers such as VB or Tooheys for imports and boutique beers.  ''Step-up brands and premium offerings typically have smaller bottle sizes [355ml and 330ml] than regular mainstream brands [375ml]. The recent acceleration in the shift from mainstream to premium will contribute to reduced consumption,'' he said.

Ostensibly a bad news article (it was, after all, published in the Business section). However, it's good for supporters of quality beer. Notwithstanding the implication that beer consumption is down due to bottle size, the shift from "mainstream to premium" is a positive sign. Note the "blame" is bottle size, not the cost thereof.

What also interests me is the writer's implication that "new hip labels" are different to premium brands. The former is on the decline with the macros, while the latter is increasing (relatively, I expect). It would be interesting to know what constitutes "new and hip", and what constitutes "premium".

A downside is the inclusion of Coopers in the list of decliners. I find this difficult to swallow, considering the amount of Coopers that's consumed these days at my local surf club.......

Perhaps we can correlate certain Coopers lines with the "new and hip"..... read Coopers Clear and Coopers 62 Pilsner. How would Coopers perform if they did not have these Gen-Y pleasers in their stable ?

Beer Review: De Molen Porter

Guide to review scoring is on the post Beeradvocate Ratings Systems

Unless otherwise specified, these reviews are my own.

De Molen Porter
English Porter 5.8%

B+ / 3.95  look: 4 smell: 4 taste: 4 feel: 3.5 drink: 4

Picked up at Platinum Cellars, North Strathfield, Sydney.

Plain black-on-white label, giving me lots of information about the beer: original and final gravities, colour, bittering units, hops etc. Mentions that this is an "Original 1914 Recipe London-Style Porter", and that it will be good for 5 years.

Brewed February 11 2009. Bottled March 14 2009. Bottle number 090.

a) Tan, rocky head. Very dark brown with ruby highlights when the light passes through.
s) Rich caramel and chocolate. Hint of age, with some raisins and preservd fruit coming through.
t) Significant malty-complex flavour profile. A touch of ash, and what also appears to be a slight lactic sourness. Nicely balanced bitterness.
m) Fairly light body, with a touch of astringency.
d) The flavour is quite a talking point, and the slight sourness and dryness makes this very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

Hefe Brew Day

A lovely still-ish day in northern Sydney, so a good time to kick off a brew. I haven't yet tried my plate chiller, so plenty of interest today.

I'm brewing a hefeweiss, as it's my wife's favourite (mine also). This is arguably the simplest recipe I've brewed to date:

2.5 kg Pale Malt
2.5 kg Wheat Malt
28g Perle (60 minutes)
Safbrew WB-06 wheat ale yeast

One thing I like about hefe is the mouthfeel and slight semblance of sweetness. Most recipes call for a touch of Munich for colour & biscuity/bready notes, or a little crystal/cara for some caramel sweetness. But this recipe will produce a pale beer, with some mechanical adjustments needed to get more mouthfeel and sweetness.

I normally mash my grains at 65-67C, which generates a higher proportion of fermentable wort than higher temperatures. Since I want some more body and sweetness (provided by more complex carbohydrates), I'll mash at 69C, which requires a strike temperature (today) of 75.5C. This results in a "thicker" beer, and not as much alcohol post-ferment.

So, I'm at that stage. 15 litres of hot water has been put into the mash tun, stirred to cool to strike temp, and the grain stirred in. I'm now sitting back, catching up on some blogging, and gaining inspiration by having a taste of the benchmark: Weihenstephaner.

Trip to Canberra

G'day all, long time no chat, mainly due to an inconvenience known as employment.

Just returned from a long weekend in Canberra, staying in a winery guesthouse just off the Barton Highway near Hall. Although a lot of wine was tasted and purchased, I always ensure a brewery visit or two when in Canberra

Firstly, on Friday got into my favourite place in the ACT - the Wig and Pen. Had a brief yarn with the brewer, Richard Watkins, learning a couple of interesting things. He has a Flemish Red ale underway, not unlike Rodenbach he says. Still needs another 6 months in wine barrels, but sounds fantastic.  He's pretty keen on the old Brettanomyces, so is also planning an Orval-style Belgian Ale.

While chatting he scrounged me up a sample of the Russian Imperial Stout. Still this country's best example, in my opinion. Other than that, I feasted upon the W&P pale ale, the Brewer's IPA, Belgian Blonde wit, Bulldog Best Bitter, and the Aviator double bock, which is rich in fancy dark malts (I thought I picked up Special B, but Richard had already returned to work so I couldn't ask him). After these tasters I returned to the Pale Ale, which is fresh as a daisy and drinking so well.

Had a Ploughman's Lunch for $12.90, which was the perfect accompaniment for a pint of bitter.

Yesterday, paid my first visit to Zierholz Premium Brewery, located (as with many breweries) in the industrial part of town. Fyshwick has pretty much everything for the discerning gent, so a brewery is just what you need among the porn factory outlets and full-body massage parlours.

The place was jumping. Barely a table remained in the bistro, but the family managed to squeeze into a spot next to a familiar-looking bloke.... a barman from the Wig & Pen.

As with all good breweries, you can order a flight of the beer range, including the Schankbier (low alcohol), German Ale (kolsch), Pilsner, Hopmeister, Amber Ale (Alt bier), Porter, and Weizen.

Libby enjoyed the Weizen, as I did too. I think it was the stand out of the range. The kolsch was pretty good too. The food wasn't to shabby either, with a Weisswurst and sauerkraut just the thing to accompany the wheat beer.

I wouldn't say that Zierholz beer is outstanding; I would say , however, that it is of high quality, and very brewery-fresh.

Brewer's Feast

Well, a pretty good concept that needs a little bit of buff  and polish. At around 1pm the brewers themselves were saying it was pretty quiet, but I think as with most festivals will grow over time.

I understand that Hart's is contemplating a quarterly event. This is a good idea as long as the number of brewers is kept fairly low, and they don't aim for big crowds.

I enjoyed the Summer Ale from True South brewery, Punch and Judy mid strength ale from Murray's, and the 6.5% Imperial Pils from Pickled Monkeys.

The event was a little slow kicking off; the beer seemed to only arrive at 11am, and there was a mad rush to get everything hooked up. No matter, we went downstairs and ordered a couple of good beers over the bar, including the new single batch oatmeal stout from Little Creatures and White Rabbit white ale.

My only real gripe was that the brewers couldn't showcase all their beers at once, saying that they would switch kegs later in the day. I was intending to stay only three hours, so this was no good for me. It was a shame as I wanted to hook into the Otway Saison, True South Wee Jimmy, Murrays Grand Cru, and Hunter Cranky Pants IPA.  So, in future, they need either more taps, or less brewers.

Brewer's Feast - Beer List

I've been a bit silent lately.... just got myself a new job which has been somewhat distracting..

Scott Morgan from Hart's Pub & Rocks Brewing has offered up the list of beers available at the festival.

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/2956145

I'll be making a bee-line to the Pickled Monkeys Imperial Pils and the True South offerings. Then a quick refresher course in Otway Estate beers.

Readers will know that I am more than familiar with Murray's beers, but on this occasion there is a new one to try: Punch & Judy, a mid-strength ale which is ideally suited to today's session (http://www.murraysbrewingco.com.au/web2010/beersPage.php?21)

The Hunter Beer Co is a regular drop-in when up in the valley; the Cranky Pants IPA is a new one for me, so will give this a nudge today also.
Grandridge is there too; the three offerings will be familiar to those who frequent Dan Murphy's.

Harts Pub Brewer's Feast

Another beer festival for consideration. This one is in two week's time; I have commitments from 2 blokes already.

More details here: http://www.hartspub.com/hartspub/News-and-Events.htm

Again, let me know if you wish to meet up. I hope to be there earlier rather than later.

Paddy's Brewer's Market Festival

Just got handed this flyer by Dave (from eponymous homebrew store). I have it diarised, and assuming approval from the committee, hope to attend. Sydney-based blog followers are encouraged to let me know if you want to meet up.

Paddy's Brewer's Market Festival

Saturday 9th October From 12pm Free Entry

25 Micro Brewed Beers On Tap $3 Per Middy

Meet your local brewers including St Peter's Brewery, Badlands Brewery, Potters Brewery, Murray's Craft Brewing Co, The Happy Goblin Brewery, Lord Nelson Brewery, Mountain Ridge Brewery, The Rocks Brewing Co., 4 Pines Brewing, Black Duck Brewery and of course Paddy's Brewery!

There will be a couple of new breweries making an appearance so don't miss a great chance to try some truly awesome beers!

The only Beer Festival where the man who brewed the beer is the... man who is pouring the beer!

Platinum Cellars Beer Haul

SPOILER ALERT: If you are Bob or Chris, the contents of this post pertain to our Father's Day gathering; don't read on if you prefer to be surprised on Sunday.

Geez I love Platinum Cellars. Adam Bellamy, the owner and my host today, apologised for the current lack of range. I mean, if THAT'S what they call a lack of range, then I'd gladly suffer it over the FULL range of any other bottle shop in Sydney.

So, what to buy ? I have two not-necessarily-aligned motives: the first to find something I've never had before; the second to find something Bob & Chris have never had before.  But since they themselves have started frequenting Platinum, it's just getting harder on both fronts.

Today's haul:

• Meantime IPA
• Dupont La Biere de Beloeil
• Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop Ale
• Collesi Imper Ale
• De Molen Porter
• Cantillon "Lou Pepe" Gueuze 2006
• Bridge Road Chevalier Saison
• St Bernardus Abt 12
• Trois Pistoles
• Bridge Road B2 Bomber
• Rogue Eugene City Brewery 200 Meter Ale
• Nogne O #100
• Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Speyside Edition

Those I've had before
The Meantime IPA is a delightful drink. More caramelly than heavilly bitter, it is however very, very well balanced.
Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop. Drank this a couple of months back, before knowing that Chris had a Rogue tasting planned. So, this is to make up for that oversight.
Bridge Road Chevalier Saison. My 2008 notes on this are of an uncomplicated drink; yet I think it's worth revisiting.
St Bernardus Abt 12. One of the world's best beers, and often used as a debating example of why certain Trappistes are not the be-all-and-end-all. Haven't tasted this since 2006. Looking forward to it,
Trois Pistoles. Simply to stock up on Unibrou beers, who don't export to Australia anymore.

The Others
Dupont.... always try beers from Dupont
Collesi. A new Italian craft brewery with great reviews
Cantillon. The benchmark in sour beers. As with Dupont, always try the Cantillon.
Bridge Road B2 Bomber. Adam gave this to me as a 13th-to-the-dozen. Hard to say no.....
Eugene City. Something different, and from Rogue, so will be very interesting.
Nogne O. Well, one of the world's finest new wave brewers. I could have bought more, but chose instead to keep both kidneys.
De Molen: ditto
Mikkeler: ditto, although it was tempting to try the "Highland" aged version, as well as the "Speyside" aged version. Getting ridiculous here.

Reviews to come...

PS. Try to top that, Bob & Chris