
Some of my favourite weekend drinks this year have come from the Matilda Bay Brewing Company, and these guys were creative enough to create a "Brewers Briefcase" on sale over the Christmas season, giving us beer-lovers that chance for a beer comparison in the comfort of our own homes, while watching Australia take out the Ashes (sorry people from the U.K. who ended up on this page!).
I had previously tried Fat Yak and Beez Neez which are widely available in pubs around Brisbane. I hadn't tried Minimum Chips or Redback Beer before so was pretty excited to crack open the briefcase on this account. Each beer is made in a completely different style and the variance in tastes highlighted how well Matilda Bay remains true to the brew. I do ultimately rate each beer on offer here, and if ever there was a whole carton mixing these up, they would sell out in a flash.
Fat Yak: If you've ever tried a Matilda Bay beer, it's probably this one purely because it has become an on-tap staple of discerning pubs and bars Australia-wide. Fat Yak has a light grassy/ citrus aroma, with a fresh almost passionfruit palate. It also has a floral taste which you usually get from American cascade hops. The beer is brewed in a North American pale ale style and is made from all natural ingredients.
Beez Neez: While this is marketed as an American Pale Wheat Ale, it's not wheat beer as you know it. As the name gives away, there's a dose of honey in this drink which actually compliments the style of beer surprisingly well. It's more bitter than the Fat Yak and also sweeter on the finish. According to the brewery, this beer was initially created as a Christmas surprise for staff at Capilano (the honey-makers) from their bosses, which makes me think I should really start working in the bee industry.
Minimum Chips: Still on the American styles, Minimum Chips is an American Pale Lager which I've never seen before. It has a clean and crisp taste and you can just taste the hops with a slight lemon tang. It's very light bodied as you would expect from a larger. Not the best larger I've ever had, but much, much better than the mass-produced stuff you usually get out of the tap. Out of these four beers, this was probably my least favourite.
Redback Beer: This beer took out the top prize for me from the brewers briefcase! Redback is based on traditional German wheat beer or kristalweizen. On the nose is a spice and banana aroma which just makes you go mmmmm... The beer has a lovely fresh wheat taste with banana still lingering on the palate. It is a light style of kristalweizen, which is perhaps more suited to the Aussie climate rather than the European one.
Another Matilda Bay creation I've had previously is the Dirty Granny Matured Apple Cider, which is another fantastic Australian cider that blends sour apple notes with a sweet finish for a very refreshing drink. This cider is darker in colour compared to the majority of others on the market, which instantly says this is a big drink. Rather than being a delicate cider, there is more of an honest citrus/apple taste to it.
In a nutshell, if ever you happen upon any of these beverages down at your local pub, they're worth a schooner-full.
Website: Matilda Bay Brewing Company
Twitter: @matildabaybeer
Fat Yak: If you've ever tried a Matilda Bay beer, it's probably this one purely because it has become an on-tap staple of discerning pubs and bars Australia-wide. Fat Yak has a light grassy/ citrus aroma, with a fresh almost passionfruit palate. It also has a floral taste which you usually get from American cascade hops. The beer is brewed in a North American pale ale style and is made from all natural ingredients.
Beez Neez: While this is marketed as an American Pale Wheat Ale, it's not wheat beer as you know it. As the name gives away, there's a dose of honey in this drink which actually compliments the style of beer surprisingly well. It's more bitter than the Fat Yak and also sweeter on the finish. According to the brewery, this beer was initially created as a Christmas surprise for staff at Capilano (the honey-makers) from their bosses, which makes me think I should really start working in the bee industry.
Minimum Chips: Still on the American styles, Minimum Chips is an American Pale Lager which I've never seen before. It has a clean and crisp taste and you can just taste the hops with a slight lemon tang. It's very light bodied as you would expect from a larger. Not the best larger I've ever had, but much, much better than the mass-produced stuff you usually get out of the tap. Out of these four beers, this was probably my least favourite.
Redback Beer: This beer took out the top prize for me from the brewers briefcase! Redback is based on traditional German wheat beer or kristalweizen. On the nose is a spice and banana aroma which just makes you go mmmmm... The beer has a lovely fresh wheat taste with banana still lingering on the palate. It is a light style of kristalweizen, which is perhaps more suited to the Aussie climate rather than the European one.
Another Matilda Bay creation I've had previously is the Dirty Granny Matured Apple Cider, which is another fantastic Australian cider that blends sour apple notes with a sweet finish for a very refreshing drink. This cider is darker in colour compared to the majority of others on the market, which instantly says this is a big drink. Rather than being a delicate cider, there is more of an honest citrus/apple taste to it.
In a nutshell, if ever you happen upon any of these beverages down at your local pub, they're worth a schooner-full.
Website: Matilda Bay Brewing Company
Twitter: @matildabaybeer