Moon Dog Update

Mountain Goat Brewery - Richmond

Warehouse Bar at Mountain Goat

Another of Melbourne's great craft beer venues and just around the corner from Moon Dog. Entry to the brew house is from a small side door on North St in Richmond, just around the corner from River st. It is easily reached by tram along Bridge Road. Mountain Goat are generally only open on Wednesday and Friday evenings (5pm til late), they are a little hamstrung having residential spaces nearby and they like to be good neighbours.

The warehouse houses a huge bar space with plenty of seating and ample tables. The office constructed of beer cartons is something to behold. Mountain Goat serve pizzas that are always a good choice with beer, the pizzas at Moon Dog are better. The popular high volume sellers are on tap plus a selection of their always very good "one offs". The night I visited I tried both the Barleywine and the "Drumpf" (a Trump inspired German IPA), both were quite tasty.

This is a great spot to visit if you love beer and are in Melbourne on a Wednesday or Friday evening. You could double up and visit the very good "Royston Hotel", just across the road for dinner and more good beer.

The "Drumpf" and the 2016 Barleywine

The Palace Hotel - South Melbourne

The Palace Hotel from City Road

Living in Yarra's Edge, being within walking distance,this is the closest I have to a "local pub". The Palace is located on City Road, pretty much on the border between South and Port Melbourne.

It has had a recent history as a restaurant within a pub building. The current owners have returned it to its traditional pub roots. It is now an "all comers" pub serving local residents and workers, you are equally likely to see families, fluro jackets or business shirts.

The pub has a pleasant beer garden, bar, pool table, casual dining room with an open fireplace and a small enclosed courtyard. Very much the traditional local pub.

The kitchen pumps out pretty good pub food and on special nights they do so at a good price. Thursday night is "pie night" where you can get  the pie of the day served with mashed potato, mashed peas and gravy for just $15. Almost all nights have a special meal - Monday is Parma night, Tuesday is Burger night, Wednesday is Steak night and Sunday is Roast day (all just $15).

Thursday Night is Pie Night $15!

The owners are pretty keen on craft beer so there is always something new in what is a quite wide selection of tap beers (they even have a hand pump). The latest beers on tap can be found here. Over the recent "Good Beer Week", The Palace hosted South Australia as a "Pint of Origin" pub, pumping South Australia's finest beers through the taps.

The Palace has as their logo a picture of a lovable Bulldog, I think it is the owners pet and they have obtained the right to have him wander the pub. There is something endearing and homely about a dog wandering around what is a fine old fashioned pub.

Recent winner of "Time Out Melbourne" pub of the year, The Palace is truly a fine old fashioned local pub. I highly recommend a visit.

Courtyard dining.

Moon Dog Craft Brewery

This is my favourite craft beer venue in Melbourne, if you visit Melbourne and wish to catch up for a drink, we'll do so at Moon Dog. It is a relaxed brewery with a bar in a small industrial street in Abbotsford (neighbouring one of Australia's biggest breweries CUB).

Moon Dog Brewery Bar Abbotsford.

The brewery has tonnes of personality, largely built on the interesting decor (second hand lounge chairs) and decorations (random posters and stuff), the names of the pizzas and beers and the eclectic soundtrack.

The staff are incredible, they add to the friendly relaxed atmosphere of the place. They know their beers and will offer you a taster to help with your choice.

You will see all kinds of people enjoying the bar - craft beer fans (from across the globe), brewery tours, families with young kids, passing cyclists, locals and even the CUB boys enjoy an after work ale here.

Interior view

Moon Dog also has the pizza van out the front producing what I regard as Melbourne's finest pizza. They use the beer yeast in the pizza dough and offer up great choices (see below), they usually have weekly special Pizzas also on the menu. The bar also serves up cups of free popcorn; a great beer snack.

My favourite Pizzas here are the "Pimp my Marg" and "Don't Hide the Salami".

Melbourne's best Pizzas

The brewery produces some of the most amazing beers you will ever taste. They are often producing weekly one-off kegs testing the brewers' ideas - one example is the recent "Black Cupcake" an insane Nitro Stout made with Marshmallows, Bounty Bars, Maltesers, Milo and Caramel. These tend to sell out very quickly so if you would like to be in the know just follow Moon Dog on Facebook.

The beer list is constantly turning over so expect something different every visit. There are a few staples - Love Tap Lager, Old Mate Pale Ale, and Mack Daddy Dark Ale.

Recent Beer Menu (excluding the Stout menu).

You can buy Moon Dog beers in most good bottle shops in Melbourne and it is on tap at most good pubs in Melbourne. If you can get hold of one of their special beers in a bottle at your local then do so.

Some of the Moon Dog offerings

Note: I am a big fan and have recently made a small investment in Moon Dog to help them with their  longer term plans.

My family on a recent visit to Moon Dog.

The Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy

The Rainbow Hotel is a fabulous watering hole on St David St in Fitzroy between Brunswick St and Smith St.

The Rainbow has a small front bar, an old style pub dining room with an open fireplace (great in winter) and a pleasant beer garden area just off St David St.

They have about 10 taps and regularly rotate different beers through them. Carlton Draught and Moon Dog's fabulous "Love Tap Lager" seem to be the regular tap hogs but there are always interesting tipples running through the others. The Rainbow also has a very good range of bottled beers.

Some of the craft brewers you are likely to find on tap here are 4Pines, 2Birds, Kooinda, Bridge Road, Mornington Peninsula and Hargraves Hill (and many others).


I strongly recommend you visit either on a Wednesday evening for "The Great Steak" night or on a Thursday to get a matched free pint with Chef's special for the day. The Great Steak deal (currently $14) is seriously great bargain steak meal that you can wash down with an equally great beer. The  Thursday "Food & Beer Match" special usually has 2 menu choices each matched to 1 of 2 selected beers currently on offer. You get the pint with your meal at the price of the meal only, an absolute bargain.

Yours truly by the fireplace in the Rainbow's Dining Room.

The current beers on tap can be found using the "Now Tapped App".
The latest events, new beers and meal deals can be found by following the Rainbow on Facebook.

Melbourne's Fabulous Beer Venues

After a bit of a hiatus it's time to fire up the keyboard again. I have moved cities and now reside in Melbourne, a great city for craft beer.

There are numerous old pubs in Melbourne that are independently owned and able to rotate their taps to serve an ever changing range of beers. The fashionable bars and restaurants in Melbourne are also keen purveyors of craft beer. Melbourne is also home to some of Australia's original craft beer bars.

Over the next few posts I will be showcasing some of my Melbourne favourites, such as;

•  The Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy.
•  The Palace Hotel, Port Melbourne.
•  Foresters Beer Hall, Collingwood.
•  The Local Taphouse, St Kilda.
•  The Alehouse Project, Brunswick.
•  Moon Dog Craft Brewery, Abbotsford
•  Cookie, Melbourne CBD.
•  Naked For Satan, Fitzroy.
•  Le Bon Ton, Collingwood.
•  Temple Brewing, Brunswick.
•  Holgate Brewery,Woodend.
•  Boatrocker Brewery, Braeside.
• The Great Northern Hotel, Carlton North.

Cheers

Six Point Brewery "Resin" Imperial IPA - USA (ABV 9.1%)

More hoppy goodness from the good old USA. Just look at the photo, doesn't this beer look great in the glass?

This was a quite aromatic ale with a mix of piney resin, citrus and tropical fruit on the nose. The initial taste  impression was of a fruity sweet beer but it becomes slightly bitter at the finish, like eating a ripe grapefruit. The nice malt balance to this beer makes it dangerously easy to drink for a 9.1% beverage.

Very much in the USA style for an Imperial IPA with loads of hop flavour. I enjoyed this beer and look forward to the even stronger "Hi-Res" sitting in the fridge.

Bootleg Brewery " Black Market" Black IPA - Australia (ABV 6%)

Another limited release single batch beer from Bootleg. I was lucky to pick this one up about 10 minutes after it was delivered to the bottle shop fresh from the brewery. I quite like the labelling and its link in with the prohibition themed "Speakeasy IPA" label.

This a an excellent Black IPA brewed with US hops (Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo) it has a real IPA hoppiness to it with that lovely roasted maltiness of a Porter. Pours into the glass looking like a Porter but the smell is very much the citrus, pine and fruitiness you expect from an IPA.

Loved this Black IPA, it is a much better effort than the 2011 version.

Gage Roads Brewery & Jeremy Sambrooks "Rapid Fire" IPA - Australia (ABV 6.3%)

A home brewer wins a beer festival competition for home brewers and has his winning beer brewed commercially, what a great concept.

Jeremy's Rapid Fire was judged best home brew at the Sail & Anchor Hotel in the 2013 Homebrew Challenge and as a result local commercial brewer Gage Roads collaborated with Jeremy to produce a commercial batch.

This American style IPA is a very good beer. I love hoppy USA style IPA's so this is right up my alley. Brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe hops all apparently added in generous quantity. This IPA has a pine and tropical fruit nose and flavour, slightly hazy dark amber colour and a crisp rather than bitter finish.

I enjoyed this IPA and will probably buy more if I can find it.

Up and About Breakfast Stout - Bootleg Brewery Ausrtalia (5.8% ABV)

Brewed with oatmeal and coffee this is an awesome effort from the brewers at Bootleg. I have also recently tried the very well regarded Founders Breakfast Stout (USA), I preferred this "Up and About Breakfast Stout". The Founders has a lot further to travel to Western Australia, this one was brewed just before I tasted it.

Like the Founders, this is brewed with coffee and oatmeal. There is a definite coffee aroma in the glass but the flavour is very much roasted dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla. It has a silky mouth feel and is incredibly easy to drink, I loved it.

This is a one off small batch from Bootleg and will sell out, I have already been back to purchase more.

Aurora Borealis 2 - Bridge Rd Brewers/Nøgne Ø - Norway ABV (9.1%)

A limited release Belgian style Triple, brewed in Norway and then shipped to Australia in Cognac barrels. This beer has an unmistakeable Cognac aroma but that lovely soft Belgian ale mouth feel and taste. There is a slight lingering of  sweetened Cognac on the palate. It also looks fantastic in the glass with cloudy amber colour, good carbonation and a pillowy head.

Another excellent collaborative effort from Bridge Road and Nøgne Ø.

Bootleg "Speakeasy" IPA - Australia (ABV 5.5%)

A terrific offering from the Bootleg Brewery in Margaret River, the heart of Western Australia's best known wine producing region.

This IPA  is very much in the West Coast USA style and is meant to be drunk fresh. I understand it contains loads of hops with new US variety Belma, Centennial and Simcoe in the kettle and Amarillo and Citra added afterwards. The malt backbone makes this a very nicely balanced beer, I really enjoyed it.

I tried it on tap at the brewery and have tried it in the bottle a few times, it is sublime fresh on tap. The picture above is a bottle purchased (from the brewery) and consumed on the same afternoon, it went down a treat at Smiths Beach!

A great IPA to enjoy fresh.

Rogue "Beard Beer" - USA (ABV 5.6%)

Belgian brewers quite often allow their fine ales to be fermented by wild yeast and this beer is similar. The difference with "Beard Beer"is how the "wild yeast" was obtained, in "Beard Beer" the yeast is taken from brewmaster John Maier’s beard. Yes, it does sound a little off putting but it is still beer.

Surprisingly enough the beer looks and tastes pretty much like a Belgian ale, just perhaps slightly hoppier. It is no Orval or Westvleteren but nevertheless, is eminently drinkable - if you can get past thinking about how the yeast was obtained.

Karl Strauss "Blackball Belgian Style IPA" - USA (ABV 8.5%)

Another enjoyable West Coast USA hop filled beer. This one is a Belgian inspired IPA made using Belgian ale yeast, coriander, curacao, Cascade and New Zealand hops.

I am not sure how fresh this bottle was but it still had a citrus hop bitterness with crisp finish. The Belgian yeast and adjuncts give it a spiciness but there is still some floral hop to the aroma.

A quite good USA IPA with a little Belgian twist.

Birra del Borgo/Dogfish Head "My Antonia" continually hopped Imperial Pils - Italy (ABV 7.9%)

I have never previously come across an Imperial Pilsener, let alone a continually hopped one, so this is a first.

This collaborative beer was brewed by Birra del Borgo with Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head brewery in the USA. They elected to use the traditional Pilsener Malts (Pilsner and Cara-Pils) that give European Pilseners their character. The USA component seems to be the hop profile, adding Simcoe and Warrior hops to the traditional Saaz variety and then continually hopping the mash.

The result is an excellent beer with a much more perfumed and resinous nose than a pilsener whilst retaining that lovely malt backbone. It looks like a lager or Pilsener in the glass with a light short lasting head. I found this a very easy to drink sessionable beer, if done with some caution, it is after all a reasonably potent 7.9% alcohol.

8 Wired "Tall Poppy" India Red Ale - New Zealand (ABV 7%)

8 Wired are remarkable in always producing beers I enjoy and "Tall Poppy" is no exception.
It poured a lovely ruby colour with a darkish tan head, the aroma was mostly fruity hop very reminiscent of an IPA.

8 Wired use 4 different Hops (Warrior, Columbus, Simcoe and Amarillo) and 4 different Malts (including Wheat Malt) to brew this beer. It has a maltier taste than the excellent "Hopwired IPA" and even has a hint of sour on the palate.

A very good beer but I did prefer "Hopwired".

Beaten Track Brewery "Brewmasters Small Batch Double IPA" - Australia (ABV 9%)

This beer was a nice surprise, I had not previously heard of the Beaten Track Brewery and this double IPA was very tasty. The "Brewmasters" beers are the breweries special one off or seasonal brews so the Double IPA is not in regular production.

You can see the lovely orange amber colour of this beer and the smallish creamy head. It has a fantastic aroma mainly a piney hop but with some underlying caramel maltiness. There was quite a bit of sediment in the bottle, I guess yeast esters from bottle conditioning. This beer feels great in the mouth and has mildly bitter finish, it was very easy to drink.

This beer was good enough for me to seek out more of the Beaten Track Brewery's range.

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Belgian Style Black IPA - USA (ABV 7.7 %)

Black IPA has become something of an American style beer so the "Belgian style" from Sierra Nevada was begging to be sampled.

Sierra Nevada run "Beer Camps" to give "fans" hands on experience in the brewery, they challenge each class to come up with something new and this time they have come up with an interesting one. Mixing new hop varities (Sorachi Ace and Nelson Sauvin) with a Belgian yeastbrewed into a Black IPA.

It has a noticeable roasted coffee/chocolate aroma and flavour that is nicely complimented by the citrus and fruit hop flavours, the Belgian yeast serves to add complexity.

An interesting Black IPA that offers something a little different.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA - USA (ABV 9%)

This is one terrific beer, a smooth Imperial IPA with a terrific malt base supporting a generous, without being overpowering, hoppy flavour. Brewed in Milton, Delaware the "90minute" refers to the boil time of the wort in which the hops (Amarillo, Simcoe &Warrior) are continuously added. The beer is also dry hopped following this process.

It pours a golden amber colour and has a fantastic hop aroma, I got citrus with some grassiness. It is wonderfully smooth on the palate and the malt backbone wonderfully balances this beer. It is not overly bitter or overly hoppy but the flavour does linger.

I love IPA's and found this USA brewed Imperial IPA  a superb example of the kind of beer I love.

Westmalle Trappist Dubbel- Belgium (ABV 7%)

This really is a fantastic beer, traditionally brewed at Westmalle Abbey near Antwerp in Belgium. It is considered the archetypal Belgian Dubbel.

I have it pictured in the wrong glass, it should really be served in a Tulip (kitchen renovations). Even in this glass you can see the beautiful reddish brown colour and the creamy lace head.

This beer has a quite malty aroma with hints of dark chocolate,caramel and spicy fruit, together with the unmistakable Belgian yeast. The taste doesn't disappoint very much matching the aromatic cues. It has a smooth mouth-feel and a dry rather than bitter finish. This is a super special beer and it is no surprise that is so highly regarded.

Billabong Brewing Nelson Sauvin Ale - Australia (ABV 5.5%)

This is an interesting and refreshing ale highlighting the flavour of the Nelson Sauvin hop.

Brewed in the American Pale Ale style with a nice malt balance. The Nelson Sauvin hops are ever present giving this ale a tropical fruit aroma and the unmistakable "gooseberry" flavour.

The Nelson Sauvin hops don't have a lot of bitterness making this a little fruity for my palate. It is however a refreshing sessionable summer ale.

Feral Brewing "Boris Russian Imperial Stout" - Australia (ABV 9.1%)

Once again Feral brewing have produced a gem of a beer. 
This Russian Imperial Stout pours like old engine oil, viscous black and gloopy with a small beige head.
Lovely aroma of toasted chocolate and coffee but with a hint of sweetness. The texture is sublime, it has a lovely silky feel in the mouth. There is some roasted coffee bitterness but  balanced with a sweet cocoa maltiness.The alcohol makes this a warming comforting beverage, exactly as an Imperial Stout should.

Brew Dog "Libertine Black Ale" Black IPA - Scotland (ABV 7.2%)

I am a big fan of the "Black IPA" and have tasted some very good versions, this one is up with the best.

This beer works in a similar way to bittersweet dark chocolate, some sweetness but also some toasted savory spiciness.

Pours a very dark chocolate colour with a tan head, it looks like a porter in the glass. Has a distinctly spicy hop aroma. The taste is quite complex with citrus hop (grapefruit), chocolate/caramel malt and even a hint of liquorice. It has been brewed with just Simcoe hops but with four different malts ( Extra Pale, Caramalt, Cristal and Carafa Malts).

An excellent tasty Black IPA, if you haven't tried one this ale makes a very good benchmark.

Feral Brewery "Raging Flem" Belgian style IPA - AUSTRALIA (ABV 7.3%)

This is another locally brewed special beer that made its way into my fridge immediately it was released.

Feral have produced an awesome Belgian style IPA, it is tasting like a good Belgian Triple. Although a different beer to the Little Creatures "Shepherds Delight" I prefer the "Raging Flem".

This beer has a super hoppy aroma and flavour, malty sweetness and is only lacking an obvious Belgian yeastiness. I love tasty beers and I am a big fan of fruity hoppiness, I also prefer a dry rather than puckeringly bitter finish. This beer ticks all my boxes.

An enticing dark orange amber colour in the glass with only a small to medium head, but the yeast seems to push along the lacing and carbonation. This beer looks as good as it tastes, go get some and drink it now!

Mikkeller "Hop Burn Low" - Denmark ABV (10%)

Mikkeller beers never really disappoint and this one is no exception. It pours a delightful orange amber with a quite hoppy aroma and a medium head with light lacing in the glass.

Doesn't really live up to the "hop burn" name in the tasting, has a pleasant hoppy profile but it has been nicely balanced out by the malts. I have had several beers with a bigger hop hit than this one but then again this is the "low" burn version.

A very good well balanced tasty beer, consume with caution as it drinks easily for a 10% ABV beer!

Little Creatures "Shepherds Delight" Red IPA - Australia (ABV 6.4%)

The latest single batch offering from Little Creatures arrived in the shops today so naturally I had to get in early. This is the first single batch brewed under the ownership of Lion Nathan, hopefully they allow Creatures to continue to brew these one off specials.

This Red IPA is packed with hops and has a lovely maltiness that not only provides the copper colour but balances this beer beautifully.

Creatures have used New Zealand "Southern Cross" and "Dr Rudi" hops together with Australian "Stella" and "Victoria Secret", US "Chinook" and UK "Goldings". The hops give a citrus aroma and flavour and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

This is a very good single batch, the hopiness harks back to a previous offering,  "Big Dipper" double IPA . Get out and get your hands on some while you can.

Bear Republic Black Racer Black IPA - USA (ABV 8.1%)

This "Black Racer"  was on tap poured into a takeaway plastic bottle for home consumption.

Pours a real rich black to dark chocolate colour with a smallish tan head and beading in the glass. Has some real roasted chocolate on the nose with a hint of citrus hop. Has a roasted malt taste with a hint of hop and a slightly bitter finish. lacks the real hoppiness of many US Black IPA's.

A nice enough black IPA but I have tasted better.

Aurora Borealis - Bridge Rd Brewers/Nøgne Ø - Norway (ABV 14.9%)

I have been looking forward to this one, a collaborative effort between Nøgne Ø and Bridge Rd Brewery in Beechworth.

This strong Belgian style Quadruple (read very malty, smoky Porter) has been brewed by Nøgne Ø in Norway and then shipped to Australia unrefrigerated in barrels that previously housed Scotch Whisky. Interestingly, the Bridge Rd version was brewed in Beechworth and shipped to Norway in Red wine barrels.

Sweet almost port like nose with a delicious smoky, yet slightly sweet, roasted malt flavour. There is just a mere hint of Scotch Whisky both on the nose and in the mouth.

An awesome digestive beer with big flavour and loads of character, just don't forget it is 14.9% alcohol!

Infinium - Weihenstephan & Samuel Adams (ABV 10.3%)

This impressively packaged golden ale is a collaborative effort between the Weihenstephaner brewery in Germany and Boston brewer Samuel Adams.

Given the Champagne bottle I was expecting a Saison style beer but it is something a little different. Aside from the golden colour, it pours like a Saison, a big fluffy light head and loads of beading in the glass. I think this is a result of the top fermentation with a Belgian yeast strain.

This ale was brewed with Hallertau Mittlefrueh, Spalt Spalter, Tettnang Tettnanger & Hersbrucker hops. It has been malted with a blend of two-row malted barley, malted spring white wheat, and malted oats.

The taste is more like a Belgian strong ale than a Saison with both the yeast and malts having a presence in the taste. Initially sweet to the taste but with a crisp to bitter finish.

The packaging screams "buy me I'm special" and I did quite enjoy it, something a little different well worth a taste.

Bone Yard Grapefruit IPA- Australia (ABV 6.1%)

Boneyard Brewing have brewed this IPA using a touch of Grapefruit zest that complement the citrus hops to produce a tasty refreshing beer.

Brewed using  4 hop varieties (Zythos (bittering), Centennial, Cascade, Falconer’s Flight) and 4 different malts (Pilsner, Vienna, CaraHell and CaraPils). They also add some Ruby Red Grapefruit zest and juice.

Pours a pale orange amber colour and has a quite pronounced citrus hop aroma. The malts make for a quite light, smooth, easy drinking beer. It has a slightly bitter finish with the Grapefruit tang making it a quite refreshing drink. A very good summer IPA.

Straffe Hendrik - Belgium (ABV 9%)

A magnificent Belgian Triple, brewed to a traditional recipe by a family owned and operated brewery in Bruges. If you ever visit Bruges, make the effort to take the brewery tour and taste their magnificent "Bruges Zot" blond  and "Straffe Hendrik" tripel

‘De Halve Maan’ (or half moon) brewery in Bruges is a highly regarded traditional family run brewery that prides itself on the continued use of traditional  "Bruges" recipes and brewing techniques. This version was first brewed in 1981 following a demand from the mayor for the brewing of a strong blond beer to celebrate the inauguration of the statue of Sint-Arnoldus (the saint of all beer-brewers). The beer, brewed to a traditional Bruges recipe, proved hugely popular so continues to be brewed today. "Straffe Hendrik" translates as "strong Hendrik" and at 9% ABV this is no misnomer.

This beer pours  dark orange/amber with a fabulous chunky white head. It has that archetypal Belgian yeasty aroma and flavour with a slightly bitter initial taste and a surprisingly almost sweet malty finish. This is a very, very good Belgian Tripel!

Yeastie Boys "Pot Kettle Black" - New Zealand (ABV 6%)

I bought this thinking it was a Black IPA but it turns out to be more a quite hoppy Porter.

Lots of toasted notes on the nose, a distinctively roasted chocolate malt flavour and just the slightest hint of piney hop. Many of Black IPA's have a citrus or fuity hop taste to go along with the toasted malt, the hopping in "Pot Kettle Black" is much more subtle.

A nice porter that would make an excellent winter beverage.

Mikkeller 19 - Denmark (ABV 6.8%)

This one was on tap to be poured into a takeaway plastic bottle at a local specialty beer shop.

Mikkeller rarely disappoint and this beer is no exception. An American style IPA brewed using 19 different hops, predominately Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo and Sorachi Ace.

It pours a reddish orange colour with a pretty good chunky head and unsurprisingly reeks of hops. Loads of citrus, tropical fruit flavour and an appropriately bitter finish. A very refreshing and tasty beer.

A very good American style IPA.

Nøgne Ø, Jolly Pumpkin Brewing, Stone Brewing - Special Holiday Ale - Norway (ABV 8.5%)

A collaboration between 3 top brewers to produce a special spicy winter warming Christmas Ale. The recipe includes Michigan chestnuts, white sage from southern California and Norwegian juniper berries.

It pours a lovely chocolate brown and has a spicy roasted malt aroma. It has only a slight head and a medium carbonation. The adjuncts really add flavour to this spicy, chocolaty and very tasty ale. Despite drinking this beer during a hot southern hemisphere Christmas it really did give me seasonal cheer. This would be a great winter warmer (in a mulled wine kind of way) in a northern Christmas.

A very good, very tasty spicy winter ale.

Epic Hop Zombie Double IPA - New Zealand (ABV 8.5%)

Epic's "Hop Zombie" is a very popular Double IPA and is regarded as an excellent beer.
I tasted this one back to back (on successive evenings)with another NZ classic 8 Wired's "Super Conductor".

The Hop Zombie is a much more refined beer, it is not cloudy like the "Super Conductor" and lacks that beers extreme bitter finish. It is a very hoppy beer, however the aroma is not as intense as that from "Super Conductor".

Epic use 4 different hops to brew this beer (2 from NZ and 2 US varieties), they do not specify which hops they use. They also use 2 different Malts in brewing this beer (Pale Ale & Pilsener).

Hop Zombie is a very hoppy, yet nicely balanced Double IPA that deserves it's excellent reputation. Personally I preferred the less refined raw "Super Conductor".