Showing posts with label Stone and Wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stone and Wood. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Friday, March 11, 2011
Australia's best pale ale ?
My previous post contained a qualifed statement about Alpha Pale Ale being Australia's best American Pale Ale. The qualification being that it is 'widely available'.
This got me thinking about the veracity of my claim. In my fridge at the moment is probably Australia's best American Pale Ale ("APA"). And I'm not really sure if it's all that scarce so as to not compare with Alpha's availability.
I'm talking about Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale (previously known as Draught Ale). I picked it up at 1st Choice at Forestville NSW (aka Crown of the Hill).
OK, sorry, I've had this carton in the fridge for the last couple of months, and haven't quite gotten around to telling you about it. I've taken the photo, just not as yet supported it with formal commentary.
What sets this beer apart from the run-of-the-mill APA is the choice of hops. APAs are notable in their use of American hops, particularly the 3 C's (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook) and Amarillo. This beer however uses an Antipodean variety: Galaxy. In fact it's been mooted that a 'Pacific Ale' style might be a bona fide style different to the APA...less citrus and more tropical notes. And different also to the 'Aussie Sparkling/Pale', which is considered to be a sub-branch of English Pale Ale - think Coopers and all that I've waffled on about before.
(As an aside, also consider how the Knappstein Reserve Lager set itself apart from the crowd by using the NZ Nelson Sauvin hop to impart its distinctive fruitiness...... 'Pacific Lager' perhaps).
I think, therefore, I can still support my claim of Alpha being the best Aussie APA. The Pacific Ale is the best, ahem, Pacific Pale Ale......
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: outstanding late hop aromas, tropical fruits such as guava, & passionfruit (my Mum even detected frangipani). Refreshing and light body, 4.4% ABV.... top class warm-climate session ale.
I think it set me back $65-$70 (AUD) for the carton of 24.
ADDENDUM: Stone & Wood didn't figure in the Sydney Royal Beer Show results. Perhaps they didn't enter. I'll try to find out.....
ADDENDUM+1: Brewer was judge, hence no entry. Thanks Matt, again.
This got me thinking about the veracity of my claim. In my fridge at the moment is probably Australia's best American Pale Ale ("APA"). And I'm not really sure if it's all that scarce so as to not compare with Alpha's availability.
I'm talking about Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale (previously known as Draught Ale). I picked it up at 1st Choice at Forestville NSW (aka Crown of the Hill).
OK, sorry, I've had this carton in the fridge for the last couple of months, and haven't quite gotten around to telling you about it. I've taken the photo, just not as yet supported it with formal commentary.
What sets this beer apart from the run-of-the-mill APA is the choice of hops. APAs are notable in their use of American hops, particularly the 3 C's (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook) and Amarillo. This beer however uses an Antipodean variety: Galaxy. In fact it's been mooted that a 'Pacific Ale' style might be a bona fide style different to the APA...less citrus and more tropical notes. And different also to the 'Aussie Sparkling/Pale', which is considered to be a sub-branch of English Pale Ale - think Coopers and all that I've waffled on about before.
(As an aside, also consider how the Knappstein Reserve Lager set itself apart from the crowd by using the NZ Nelson Sauvin hop to impart its distinctive fruitiness...... 'Pacific Lager' perhaps).
I think, therefore, I can still support my claim of Alpha being the best Aussie APA. The Pacific Ale is the best, ahem, Pacific Pale Ale......
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: outstanding late hop aromas, tropical fruits such as guava, & passionfruit (my Mum even detected frangipani). Refreshing and light body, 4.4% ABV.... top class warm-climate session ale.
I think it set me back $65-$70 (AUD) for the carton of 24.
ADDENDUM: Stone & Wood didn't figure in the Sydney Royal Beer Show results. Perhaps they didn't enter. I'll try to find out.....
ADDENDUM+1: Brewer was judge, hence no entry. Thanks Matt, again.
Friday, May 28, 2010
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.
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.
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