The basis of the recipe is the same as the
2011 hedgerow brew, six UK malts, German brewers gold, UK Bramling Cross and Slovenian
Bobek hops are used as aroma and for dry hopping. Hawthorn berries, sloe berries and rose hips
were then added to the conditioning tank and the beer was allowed to sit for a
12 weeks on this mix, developing the subtle fruit flavours.
A further portion of the beer was aged in
two, local vineyard, Moores Hill pinot barrels for a period of 16 weeks, with
it being brought back into the main hedgerow beer and racked off. It was then
conditioned for 6 months before release.
The beer pours an off-white head laced with
a subtle berry aroma. There are certainly some aromatic French oak qualities
coming out on the nose, as well as a few spicy notes. The initial sip is quite sour and sharp, but
as you work through the beer a ripe sweetness begins to develop and reflects
the original hedgerow beer exhibiting a toasty malt character underlies the
subtle seasonal fruit flavour. Hints of
peppery spice result in a semi soft and dry palate finish of this autumn ale,
the barrel aged element brings that funky edge to the beer as well as the
imparted tartness.
A style very rarely seen in Australia.
A keg or two of the 2012 release will make its way to the Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne for Pint Of Origin as part of Good Beer Week 2012
The Crafty Pints' take on the beer here
Just had one of these tonight, and I really had no idea what to expect from this one. It is quite refreshing and really is a good ale for Autumn. There is obviously a lot of effort and thought that has gone into this brew, as it is quite well balanced, with no particular element dominating the beer. I bought 2 bottles when I was down in Tasmania, just because it looked interesting, and am pleasantly surprised by the result (although wishing I had bought more!). I am planning on cellaring the second bottle for a bit, just to see how it changes.
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