A Trip to the South!
My wife and I went away for the weekend to the Mornington Peninsula and spent some time relaxing at the hot springs and checking out the sites. This region is know for their wines, so naturally we did some wine tasting. But I was pleasantly surprised to come across a brewery near our accommodation. I was even more surprised to discover that it was one that I had never heard of before.
St Andrews Beach Brewery
What really surprised me was how big and busy this brewery is. It's huge. And the place was crammed to the edges with people. The brewery looks brand new, and based on some vague references on their website it appears to only have been built in the last couple of years.
The Beers
There were a few beers on tap, so I tried them all on a tasting paddle. Six beers on a paddle is a little extreme but I wasn't going to let that stop me.
Pale Ale
The pale ale was loaded with citrus and tropical fruit aroma with a pleasant hoppiness and bitterness on the palate. This is a pretty stock standard American style pale ale but one of great quality. This will definitely be one of my go to beers from this brewer.
Lager
The Australian lager is low on hops, bitterness and presents itself as quite a simple beer. I haven't discovered a great lager yet, and while this was a pleasant beer to drink it really didn't excite me in any way.
Pilsner
The pilsner was a good drop with decent hoppiness and bitterness in the aroma and on the palate. This beer is well structured and definitely a good summer time beer. It wasn't hugely exciting but very enjoyable all the same.
Golden Ale
This was by far the stand out beer for me. I don't normally enjoy a golden ale but this one was very surprising. It had tropical fruits in the aroma and on the palate and packed a huge punch with hops on the palate. The beer had a mild bitterness as well and is a perfect summer time brew. I loved this golden ale, it's nothing like the other golden ales that I've had in the past and massively enjoyable.
Porter
The porter had the usual chocolate and coffee notes in the aroma and on the palate and is pretty stock standard for a porter. It's definitely well made and was very pleasant to drink but didn't bring any surprises.
The Beer Data
| Beer | ABV | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Ale | 5.0% | 4.0 |
| Pilsner | 5.0% | 3.5 |
| Lager | 5.0% | 3.5 |
| Golden Ale | 4.6% | 4.5 |
| IPA | 5.0% | 3 |
| Porter | 5.0% | 4 |
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