Spring has sprung!!
Winter is officially over, and we’re finding ourselves heading towards BBQ weather. In my opinion, nothing can beat sitting outside on a sunny day, cooking food on the bbq and enjoying a few beers with friends and/or family while listening to some great tunes.
This month, we’ve got hops galore with a variety of IPA’s from Kaiju (we’re doing an alternate drop with these two so you’ll either get the Behemoth or Betelgeuse), Golden Hills and Ocean Reach Brewing (which we actually helped brew), refreshing drops from Local Brewing Co, Moondog and Braeside Brewing, an interesting dark ale from Interstellar Beverages as well as some darker goodness from some newcomers to the scene, the Zythologist and 5’3” Brewing.
I’d love to hear what you think about the cube contents, what you’d like to see in future cubes or any breweries that you think we should hit up - feel free to sling me an email at cheers@mrmods.beer
Much love and stay safe.
Love Rob x
Tasting Notes
Golden Hills Brewing - NEIPA 7% ABV
Glass Style - IPA Glass Serving Temp - 6-8°
What They Say - Hazy, pillowy mouthfeel with tropical juice and coconut notes.
What We Say - Let’s get the old checklist happening. Hazy? Check. Pillowy mouthfeel? Check. Tropical juice and coconut? Double check. With an aroma loaded with pineapple and a palate with pineapple, green mango and coconut and a sour orange bitterness, this definitely ticks all the boxes.
Beer Soundtrack - Cold Company by Minus the Bear
Ocean Reach Brewing - Frank Moses RIPA 6% ABV
Glass Style - IPA Glass Serving Temp - 6-8°
What They Say - Frank Moses, a retired CIA agent who can’t stay out of trouble. A complex character, Frank is smooth but at times very bitter. Malt driven, hop slingin’ Dangerous Red Rye IPA.
What We Say - The crew at ORB reach out a few weeks back and asked if I could help them brew for a month or two, and one of the first beers we brewed was the latest batch of Frank. Delivering a glorious red body, Frank is a perfect blend of biscuits, toffee and burnt orange with a slightly resiny/bitter aftertaste that coats the palate. Dangerous? You’d better believe it.
Beer Soundtrack - Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como
Kaiju Beer - Behemoth DIBA 10% ABV
Glass Style - IPA Glass Serving Temp - 8-10°
What They Say - Behold now Behemoth, his immense strength hewn from legend, his bitterness drawn from the dark belly of the Earth. Where he strides none may remain.
An enormous hop schedule is balanced by a rich, roast malt character with rummy notes. This beer provides full palate saturation and an unforgettable experience.
What We Say - Big, rich and extremely well balanced, this monster delivers a well toasted malt profile with a spicy/earthy hop kick. The scariest thing is the fact that the 10% ABV is nowhere to be seen and the evaporation rate is dangerously high.
Beer Soundtrack - In the Absence ov Light by Behemoth
Kaiju Beer - Betelgeuse Double Red Ale 10% ABV
Glass Style - IPA Glass Serving Temp - 8-10°
What They Say - One of the largest reds ever observed. During their more boisterous days the young Kaijus' hubris drove them to sup upon its photosphere..."Wasn't the best idea we ever had”.
Hopped Out Red’s big brother presents much like a hoppy American Barleywine. Heady malt character and firm hop bitterness that lingers for minutes on the palate.
What We Say - Remember the movie Beetlejuice where if you said the main characters name three times he would appear right before you - if only it was the case with this. From the moment the glorious red hue pours into the glass, you know that this is something special. With a full body and a delightful mix of malt (think caramel, malt biscuits) and hops (a dank, piney, resiny vibe) that coats the palate with a solid bitterness.
Beer Soundtrack - Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Local Brewing Co - Sunset XPA 5% ABV
Glass Style - Pint Glass Serving Temp - 4-6°
What They Say - This XPA is a calypso sunset in a can. We've packed in the tropical hops making it burst with mango and passionfruit that will guarantee that summer sensation all year round.
What We Say - Upon pouring this, the mango was the first thing that made itself known. This poured a rad orange colour (reminiscent of a mango juice) with a decent head and delivered a tropical, mango heavy aroma which transferred to the palate perfectly. This almost didn’t make it into the cube as the urge to put it into my beer fridge was strong.
Beer Soundtrack - Sunsets by Powderfinger
Zythologist - Gravity Barrel Aged Pastry Stout 10% ABV
Glass Style - Stout Glass Serving Temp - 8-10°
What They Say - Brewed in collaboration with Burnley Brewing and Mountain Distilling, this is a rich and decadent pastry stout with a wide array of malts and adjuncts. It has a thick velvety body with layers of graham cracker, cacao, vanilla, coconut, and (if it weren’t enough) Mountain’s debut whisky: a single malt red gum whisky awarded gold and 95 points at the IWSC 2021. This is a top-shelf release for the connoisseurs and perfect for this cold winter.
What We Say - To say that I was excited to try this beer is an understatement, but can it live up to the hype? As it turns out, yes it can. From the moment the thick, black liquid poured from the can, creating a tan head and delivering an aroma of fresh black coffee and whiskey, it’s evident that you’re in for a treat. A velvety smooth body with notes of the coffee, cacao and vanilla, that gradually evolves into a warmth at the back of the palate that is usually found when drinking a nice single malt whiskey. This is the perfect nightcap on one of those cool spring evenings as summer creeps ever closer.
Beer Soundtrack - the Ascent by Caligula’s Horse
Braeside Brewing - Lead Head Lager 4.8% ABV
Glass Style - Pilsner Glass Serving Temp - 4-6°
What They Say - This refreshing, easy drinking Taphouse favourite has been brewed longer. Giving it a creamy mouthfeel & sharp bitterness.
What We Say - Braeside are fast becoming known for brewing solid, sessionable beers and this is no exception. Crisp, slightly fruity with a subtle bitterness and all wrapped up in a big malty hug, save this for a hot day when you’ve just mowed the lawn and want something you can smash down easily (and responsibly).
Beer Soundtrack - Don’t Change by Grinspoon
5’3” Brewing - Dry Irish Stout 4.2% ABV
Glass Style - Stout Glass Serving Temp - 6-8°
What They Say - *No review provided
What We Say - I was extremely excited to try this - the first brew from the assistant brewer at Killer Sprocket. Chris has created one hell of stout, delivering a brew with a dark body and a light tan head, this contains a well balanced roasted coffee vibe with subtle chocolate notes and a nice dry finish. Can’t wait to see what else this young brewer can come up with, but rest assured you’ll see it right here.
Beer Soundtrack - The Star of the County Down by The Pogues w/ Joe Strummer
Moondog - Drew Berrymore Summer Berry Sour Ale 4.5% ABV
Glass Style - Stemmed Glass Serving Temp - 4-6°
What They Say - Drew Berrymore is a kick ass sour loaded with 6 metric tonnes of raspberries and blueberries! Heaven's not missing an angel but it sure is missing a heeeeap of berries! The flavour is short and tart upfront and long and summer berry-y at the back!
What We Say - This pours an amazing deep red colour and right away, you know that summer is just around the corner. With a subtle aroma of raspberries, expect that slight sweetness along with the tartness that both raspberries and blueberries tend to carry.
Beer Soundtrack - We Get Around by Urthboy
Moondog - Pat Pash Passionfruit Sour Ale 4.5% ABV
Glass Style - Stemmed Glass Serving Temp - 4-6°
What They Say - There were few Aussie mullets that were more magnificent in the 80s than that of tennis superstar Pat Cash. Pat Pash Sour Ale combines literally tonnes of passion fruit (4.2 tonnes to be exact), with that iconic checkered headband and of course those luscious locks! The flavour is short and tart up front and long and passion fruit-y at the back!
What We Say - Remember the soft drink Pasito? The passionfruit soft drink that was likely a big part of many Australian childhoods? This is a cracking adult version that takes that sweet and sour passionfruit vibe and adds a 4.5% ABV to the mix.
Beer Soundtrack - Do-Do’s and Whoa-Oh’s by Kisschasy
BONUS BEER!!
The crew from Interstellar Beverages sent us a case of their dark ale to try, and given we like to share the love, we’ve decided to give them away as a bonus beer in this months cube!! Keen to hear your thoughts…
Interstellar Beverages - Nebula Dark Ale 4.5% ABV
Glass Style - Pint Glass Serving Temp - 6-8°
What They Say - This smooth dark ale is inspired by the concept of a Dark Nebulae where a high concentration of dust forms the interstellar clouds, they scatter and absorb all incident optical light making them completely opaque.
Creating this Dark Nebula sensation on your palate with sensational coffee roast aromas packed with just enough nutty chocolate and malty finish left lingering on the tip of your tongue taking you on an Interstellar journey.
What We Say - This is a different drop, that’s for sure. I was getting a slight citrus hit alongside the coffee and no real chocolate, however it seemed to work. Not quite sour, but not really your standard dark ale, this is sure to get you thinking…
Beer Soundtrack - Stellar by Incubus