Beer Review: Murray's Spartacus

Guide to review scoring is on the post Beeradvocate Ratings Systems

Unless otherwise specified, these reviews are my own.

Murray's Spartacus Imperial India Pale Ale 10% abv
A- / 4.2
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is an absolute mind****.  Strong, rich, flavoursome, very, very moreish. I'm not sure if it's a one-off, but I have enjoyed it on-tap at Murray's in Manly, as well as in the bottle from their Port Stephens outlet.

a) 1 inch off-white, spongy head. Hazy marmalade amber in colour.

s) Pine resin aromas, passionfruit, caramel and licorice, almost barley-wine richness in the malt. Warms to melon and pineapple.

t) Rich flavour, honeycomb, caramel, brambly wild green vegetation and tropical fruits. Spicy, with alcohol warmth, and a prickly bitterness.

m) Silky smooth, if not slightly oily. Not at all heavy, nor cloying.

d) "Dangerously drinkable" says the label. I agree. Classy beer.

Back from a break

Well it's been a somewhat busy fortnight. My last posts saw me kegging a beer and planning a trip away, to Port Stephens and then to Melbourne.

Key points of note:

1. Murray's Heart of Darkness from a growler, overlooking Shoal Bay on a cool, sun-dappled afternoon. Superb.  But not to be drunk all at once, particularly if your mate brings a growler of Icon IPA......
2. Murray's Whale Ale, on tap at Maverick's at Nelson Bay. Good spot, good beer, for $5.50 a schooner.
3. No frills beer brands being sold through chain bottle shops, from Australian contract brewers. One such beer is called "Rogue Lager".  I wonder if the Oregon crowd are aware of this.....
4. Beer Deluxe in Federation Square is by far the most comprehensive beer bar in Australia. It's like a trip to Platinum Cellars, only a little bit dearer :-)
5. Royston Hotel is, however, the best place for beer and atmosphere.  Reclining in velour 70s furniture, drinking Hargreaves Hill ESB via hand-pulled tap.... Bridge Road Bling IPA.... Mountain Goat Steam Ale.... forget the glamour and range of inner-city Melbourne.  This out-of-the-way bolt hole is well worth the tram fare (or the long and deviating walk from the 'G, as inadvertently happened to us).
6. Mrs Parma's..... The waitress remembered me from 6 months ago.... amazing... I barely remember her.

Beer review: Murray's Icon Double IPA

Guide to review scoring is on the post Beeradvocate Ratings Systems

Unless otherwise specified, these reviews are my own.

Murray's Icon Double IPA
American IPA 7.5%

Overall: A- / 4.25  look: 4.5 smell: 4.5 taste: 4 feel: 4 drink: 4.5

Served by Murray Howe at the brewery outlet. A fresh minikeg too.

Pours a superb dark orange/russet/amber, with a thick white head & lace. Sitting in the courtyard, it looks fantastic in the morning light. Smells like a malt factory, with lovely tropical fruit aromas. Fresh flavours, pine resin, citrus, slight spicy tingle, like fresh ginger, although I could also pull out similarities to nutmeg, musk, szechuan pepper, or tea-tree even. Big bitterness of course. Tastes similar to aroma, with a lovely balance & firm bitterness. Chewy, remarkable.
Highly recommended for enthusiasts, the curious, and the open-minded. Low-carb/clear/dry-style lovers should be warned that this beer has real flavour.
Serving type: on-tap

Quick trip to Murray's Brewery

Just returned from visiting a new family member in Port Stephens. A quick visit to Murray's was on the cards, of course.

Since moving from Taylor's Arm to Bob's Farm, Murray's has become more accessible, and more familiar to the mug punter. I think the cohabitation with Port Stephens winery is spot-on; I can't see any market cross-cannibalisation here, as you're either there for the beer, or for the wine (maybe both, but if so someone else is driving and it doesn't matter).....

Saturday lunch is jumping. Coach-loads of Chinese tourists, engagement parties, and beer wankers alike (ahem) make for a busy cellar/brewery door. Most people head to the wine tasting, which is fine by me, as I get easy access to the beer, and to Murray as well.

He's such a laid-back bloke, taking the brewery's success in his stride, and maintaining his steadfast principles of brewing good, tasty beer..... that he likes. Bugger what the style categories demand. And most drinkers are aware of this. Murray's had modest success at the AIBA recently, but this is due more to the straight-jacket style categories, and (as Wig & Pen would have you believe) Old Codger judges.

Stuff 'em.  Murray's beer is some of Australia's best.  The Icon double IPA is outstanding. They changed the keg while I waited, and the first pour of a fresh keg is something to behold. Big hops, big caramel, seductive red/brown hue, dense offwhite head, lingering bitterness..... superb.... absolutely superb.

And I availed myself of the growlers (right).  $25 for 1.9 litres of beer, $15 refills (although the stronger ales such as Icon will cost more). We'll be heading back to Port Stephens next month for a week's holiday, and the two empty growlers will be the first things I pack.

Lunch visit to Hart's Pub

Grant and I, after an arduous morning of CD shopping, retired to Hart's Pub.  It's located on the corner of Essex and Cumberland Streets, The Rocks, Sydney. It's a part of the Shangri La hotel complex.

This pub's recent reopening has not been without great anticipation; the Rock's Brewing company had been looking for a viable outlet, and Hart's pub (closed for some years, I think), became the ideal venue.

Twelve taps operate (although as we sat there, two went off....), and have local crafties, plus one cider (Pipsqueak from Little Creatures).

Rock's Brewing put forward a decent bitter.... at 3% almost a breakfast beer, full of grainy malt and herbal goodness. Also Byrnes Red Ale, 1809 Pale Ale (tasted a bit tired on tap), Cribb's Porter represent the local brewery. All decent, but nothing exceptional.

Murray's have Whale Ale (their not-too-shabby Wit interpretation) and Nirvana - arguably the best beer on tap, for mine.  Paddy's Pilsener is there but, like many local Pilseners, too much honey-ish characters. 
Stone and Wood Draught is a massive hit of guava.... initially it's marvelous, but towards the end of the glass gets a bit too sickly in flavour.

A good place to visit, but at pint prices heading up to $11, I think it's not a good "local".  Our visit was somewhat tempered by some poor kitchen service, with our counter lunch of steak & BBQ lamb sandwiches taking over 90 minutes to arrive, by which time the barman (a very good barman) had plied us with some free beers to compensate.  The lamb sandwich was, eventually, excellent, with pink, tenderly-cooked backstraps.

A good concept in the ideal spot..... very close to the Australian Hotel and Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe.  And a further stone's throw to Lord Nelson, Redoak, Bavarian Bier Cafe too.