"Day of the Long Shadow" Spced Winter Ale - Little Creatures Australia (ABV 8.9%)

I am a real fan of  Little Creatures single batch beers, it is great to have something different to taste every now and again from a very good brewer. I hope these "one off" efforts don't stop after Lion Nathan take control of the company.

I feel a bit of a "beer geek" having already had this beer at home in my cellar before getting the email from the brewery saying it was being released in the shops this week.

This beer is something a bit different from Little Creatures. They have used spice adjuncts to give this beer some spicy winter warmth. They have continued on from "The Quiet American" by again playing with sugar, this time priming the yeast with "Dark Muscovado Sugar". The relatively mild hop varieties, UK Sovereign and Challenger hops, have been used and are almost imperceptible in the tasting.

This Red Ale has a spicy aroma of Nutmeg and Cinnamon, it is quite sweet and warming but lacks a bit of hop bite in the finish. I love the attempt to brew something different and the fact that an Australian brewery has brewed a northern hemisphere Christmas winter beer. This beer just doesn't quite work for my palate, others may love it!