Greetings beerthusiasts! Can you believe we’re almost half way through the year already?!?! Good Beer Week has been and gone, as have the hangovers associated with GABS, but the beers will always remain. Given that the weather is colder, we’ve found some great ales that go down a treat while sitting around a fire as well as a few that can help you pretend it’s almost summer again.
Starting this month, we are going to be sharing reviews from you on our website and social media channels. Send us your review and pic from what you’re digging in the cubes to cheers@mrmods.beer and we’ll do the rest.
Much love as always.
Love Rob x
Tasting Notes
Bonehead Brewing - Winter Ember Ale 5.5% ABV
What They Say - This winter ale features a beautiful malt backbone and mild hop bitterness. To truly get into the winter spirit we've gone and tossed in some spices to bring out notes of cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla.
What We Say - Pouring a rich amber colour, this magical concoction is just what the doctor ordered. From the word go, the vanilla makes its presence known, with that maple stickiness becoming apparent at the back of the palate. As it warms, the cinnamon rears its head and rounds out one hell of a winter ale.
Beer Soundtrack - Just A Man by The Cruel Sea
Molly Rose Brewing - Hug Replacement Hoppy Brown Ale 5.6% ABV
What They Say - Hoppier than some and darker than most. This ale gives you the best of both worlds! Citrus hops and smooth chocolate malts are almost as good as a hug to keep out the chills.
What We Say - A dark ale loaded with citrus AND chocolate?? This is offensively well balanced. Dark, rich, smooth and incredibly moreish? You’d better believe it. Like many dark beers, this only evolves flavour wise as it warms.
Beer Soundtrack - Do You Love Me by Nick Cave
Blackmans Brewing - Needs More Idaho-7 6.5% ABV
What They Say - A pungent, hard hitting hop. Hitting with aromas of tangerine, peach, mango and earl grey tea, this is an exciting new hop that slams your with all the good stuff you want in an IPA. Breath it in deep and smell them hops! This is one for all the guys and girls out there that need more in their IPA!
What We Say - Personally I didn’t notice any earl grey tea in this beer, however it was loaded with stone fruit and mango. Slightly resinous with a subtle bitterness at the back of the palate, this is an incredibly drinkable IPA with the 6.5% ABV nowhere to be seen.
Beer Soundtrack - Paint It Black by The Tea Party
Blackmans Brewing - Arthur Smoked Porter 5.3% ABV
What They Say - A gold medal winning porter, Arthur is smokey, dark and rich but smooth and balanced. We've taken on an English classic style with the added awesomeness of using smoked malt from Bamberg in Germany.
What We Say - Dark? Check. Rich? Check. Smooth and balanced? You’d better believe that’s a check. This is a beast of a beer that only improves as it warms. The smokiness makes itself apparent without being too overwhelming and the 5.3% ABV is nowhere to be seen. Definitely one to kick back and enjoy by a fire on a cold winters night.
Beer Soundtrack - Root Down by Beastie Boys
Urban Alley - The Rubinstein Sour Red Ale 4.9% ABV
What They Say - Without rain, there would be no malt. Without yeast, there would be no beer. And without Shaya Rubinstein, there would be no Urban Alley. And so, with this sour red inspired by the timeless ales of southern Belgium, we pay tribute to the genius behind the brewery. This kettle soured delight has a beautiful balance of delicate fruit esters, beginning with an aroma of aged cherries, subtle spicy notes and finishing with a dry, oaky mouthfeel from American oak staves. Fermented cool with Belgian Ardennes yeast, this carmine beauty will leave you salivating for more.
What We Say - Straight from the vessel, this pours an amazing red colour and delivers an extremely subtle nose of tart cherries. From the first mouthful, you’ll notice a slight tang and that noticeable Belgian spice and oak presence that will evolve and grow as it warms. Don’t go expecting a face puckering sour though, this is more of a tart ale with a slightly dry finish. Definitely one to sit on and enjoy while relaxing on a Saturday evening.
Beer Soundtrack - First…and then by Handsome Boy Modelling School
Fury & Son - Pale Ale 5.2% ABV
What They Say - An American style Pale Ale, bursting with citrus and passion-fruit aromas floating above malty caramel notes. A noticeable yet subtle sweetness accompanies the malt and juicy hop characters followed by a crisp and dry bitterness that ties all the flavours together. This beer is both full flavoured and easily sessionable.
What We Say - Malty as all get up with subtle fruit notes and a tidy little bitterness tying it all together, this is a great example of an extremely sessionable pale ale. Can someone bring summer back please, because this would be the perfect soundtrack for a Sunday session around a bbq with a group of mates.
Beer Soundtrack - Military Strongmen by Jebediah
Little Bang Brewing - Roadtrip Double WCIPA 8.1% ABV
What They Say - This special Beer & BBQ collaborative beer is our expression of the beers we all fell in love with not so long ago. A seriously big IPA, with attitude to spare, a face full of hops, a dryness, and a bitterness that could really blow your hair back. Nothing but beer in here, but it's big, it's very big.
What We Say - Hot damn! This is everything a DIPA should be - malty, resinous and with an offensively high IBU count (114 to be exact). Subtle citrus notes are hidden away in here as well which make this an absolute cracker of a beer.
Beer Soundtrack - Song for the Dead by Queens of the Stone Age
Slow Lane Brewing - Classic Haze Hefeweizen 5.6%
What They Say - Hefeweizens are a traditional German wheat ale with the name literally translating to “yeast wheat”. They are the original hazy beer, having a cloudy look due to the yeast strain used and the large amount of wheat. While popular in its motherland, hefeweizens remain an underrated style, especially in Australia. Classic Haze was brewed using old world methods. It was open fermented to help the yeast develop the desired complex flavours and can conditioned to achieve the required high carbonation levels.
What We Say - If you’re new to this style, don’t let the haze fool you - expect banana and cloves rather than juice and bitterness. Malty with that classic spice thanks to the yeast, this has a clean dry finish and is one of the finest Hefeweizens I’ve found…another beer that would go down a treat on a hot summers day. (Maybe just crank the heater right up, throw on some summer clothes and sunglasses and pretend it’s the middle of January.)
Beer Soundtrack - Black Dog by Led Zeppelin
Aether Brewing - EL 5EFE LA6ER 4.2% ABV
What They Say - It’s time to meet the boss EL JEFE! Our crisp new-world Mexican lager, brewed with barley, corn and agave to make the perfect refreshment any day. El Jefe pours a clear straw-yellow and delivers delicate fruity aromas with a touch of earthiness. Even with a clean character, El Jefe makes no compromises on flavour. The full strength lager carries a sweet, slightly grainy taste from the corn while a clean rounded mouthfeel finishes out the beer until the next sip. El Jefe is simply the boss of drinkability.
What We Say - Clear, clean and extremely well rounded - this is dangerously sessionable. Slightly sweet thanks to the addition of corn, with a nice subtle fruit hit to help round it out. Put on your shades, sit underneath a heater and drink like it’s summer again.
Beer Soundtrack - El Questro by Downsyde