Cooper's Sparkling Ale

Cooper's Sparkling Ale is a great beer that I would call an Aussie classic. The Cooper's Brewery, located in Adelaide, South Australia, has been in operation since 1862 and is still majority owned by the Cooper's family. They have a wide variety of beers, of which the Sparkling Ale is the most famous. Cooper's bottled beers are characterized by their secondary fermentation process which leaves sediment in the bottle.

The Sparkling Ale pours a burnt orange color with a small head which will disappear quickly. Don't expect any lacing. You will get a little sediment on the bottom as well, learn to love it. The aroma is slightly more floral than most beers, although nothing to write-in-a-blog about. Ah! Premise negating! The flavor is what I like in a beer, a rich ale taste which will stick around and isn't afraid to remind you that you're drinking a beer and are, therefor, manly. The aftertaste is slightly bitter and honestly reminds me of the aftertaste of a table cheese, but in a good way. The flavor is not watered down and will linger on your pallet.

Finally, Cooper's Sparkling Ale has a whopping 5.8% alc/vol content. At 1.7 standard drinks per bottle you better be careful or this beer might sneak up on you after a couple schooners.

I give Cooper's Sparkling Ale 5 beers out of a 6 pack, and a spot in my top 10. Good work, Adelaide!

Arrogant Bastard Ale

I feel like, if Aussie Beer Man gets to rate his favorite beer, I get to write a review of mine. And here it is. Arrogant Bastard Ale. Great.

First of all, I would like to thank Stone Brewery for making this wonderful beer. I love that it comes in a monstrous bottle with a demon on front. This is not the type of beer you can drink in front of your mother. Its offensive and delicious.

It pours a devilish dark brown that is full of flavor. The short head leaves a thick lacing all the way down the glass, and will be hardened to the glass the next day (don't ask me how I know this).

The smell of Arrogant Bastard has a strong peanut butter flavor to it, which makes the beer both addictive and desirable. As you put it in your mouth, the brew tastes of strong hops and a mild grapefruit flavor, with a nice clean aftertaste that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Great beer.

If I had one beer to drink for the rest of my life, this would be it. BUY THIS BEER! NOW!

Overall Score:








6 out of a six pack you ARROGANT BASTARD!

Birra Moretti

I was a bit skeptical of Birra Moretti, I mean how good could an Italian beer be, right? Italians make wine, not beer. Plus, my gf, who studied in Florence, said she saw a bunch of Italian dudes drinking this beer in Italy. So great, the Budweiser of Italy, how good could this be?

Answer: great. I really liked this beer a lot. It has a nice lager flavor to go along with its nice golden lager color and small lager head. But the aftertaste is both surprising and delicious. Funny to say, but I think that this beer would go good with mexican food. Must be the romantic language connection. The aftertaste is that of spicy meat, like you would find in a bag of Costco taquitos. It is a great and unexpected finish to a great beer. I give Birra Moretti a solid score, based on originallity and creative use of flavor. Nice.

Overall Score:








4 out of a Six Pack.

Downtown Brown

I am a big fan of Brown Ales, I love beers that have good flavor and a smooth finish. Downtown Brown from the Lost Coast Brewing Company doesn't disappoint, and actually pleasantly surprises. It pours a beautiful dark brown color with a small head. It is full of flavor and a crisp, refreshing finish. Yummy. Lets get into the taste.

It has a nice nutty flavor, with hints of porter, but the finish is lip-smacking crisp and completely repeatable. This is the type of beer you could drink on a cold winter's night and a hot summer's day. A beer for all seasons. The art-deco label is pretty damn cool too. I see myself picking up some more Downtown Brown in the future, and I really look forward to tasting more Lost Coast beers.

Creatively classic. I'm a fan.

Overall score:








5 out of a six pack, and this is my new favorite brown ale, as reflected on my top ten list.

Pranqster

The Pranqster is another brew from the North Coast Brewing Co. and its another weird-flavored beer. I feel like this is two strikes against North Coast (see my Scrimshaw blog), which is a shame because I really like their Red Seal Ale. I think they just try to do a little too much with the flavor, a theme in both the Scrimshaw and the Pranqster Golden Ale.

This beer pours golden yellow, with a nice frothy head, but the taste and smell are strange. Both carry flavors of a heavy, syrupy PBR. The taste resembles a port (dessert wine) and no one wants to drink 12 ounces of dessert wine, with a weird figgy flavor. Quite frankly, I don't think I'll ever buy this beer again. How many times do I have to say it? I WANT MY BEER TO TASTE LIKE BEER!

Nuff sed.

The fact that this is strike two knocks the score down a bottle.

Overall Score:








two out of a six pack.

Reschs Real Bitter Beer

Reschs Real Bitter Beer is a beer with history. Over a hundred years in fact. The beer pours a good golden color with a decent sized head which will stick around a while. Despite the name, this beer is not real bitter. It is actually fairly sweet and not too hoppy. It goes down smooth without the bitter aftertaste I expected. It is a fairly average beer, on the affordable side too which is a plus. Overall, something I would pick up if I was looking to save some money, otherwise I might go for something a little fancier. I give this beer a solid 3 beers out of a six pack.

Carlton Draught

Carlton Draught is one of Australia's major beer labels. As such, it is kind of a dumb choice to review, since every beer drinker here has tried it and probably drinks it regularly in pubs and clubs. Basically it would be like reviewing Coors or Miller or something like that in the states. Nevertheless, I will give it a fair critique.

Carlton can be found on tap in most pubs around ACT (Australian Capitol Territory) or NSW (New South Whales). I had it from the tap at an Irish pub in downtown Canberra the other day. A pint ran me $5.5 AUD. This beer looks good. It has a nice golden-orange color and a good size head which will leave an attractive lacing down the glass. That is about when my complements end. The flavor is watery with a hint of nutty taste which soon leaves an unappealing bitter aftertaste. I find myself taking drink after drink searching for a good taste and being disappointed throughout the entire beer.

There is one unexpected benefit to this beer. Purchasing the above bottle prompted the first and only time I have been asked for I.D. in Australia. Apparently, drinking Carlton will make you appear 5 years younger. Ponce De Leon was way off target when searching for the fountain of youth.

Overall, I don't see a good reason to buy this beer. At the pub I could have walked a block down the street, paid an extra 50 cents for a pint of craft beer from Wig and Pen that would be fresher and rich in flavor. Sorry Foster's group, but Carlton, like Fosters, is another miss.

In summary: Drink craft, not draught.

Pike IPA

I would like to preface this by saying, I LIKE THIS BEER A LOT! Very good. This beer comes to us from the Pike Brewing Company in Seattle. It has a beautiful burnt orange color with very little head, but a beautiful lacing through drinking. It has a really nice dry hoppy flavor, with a wet hoppy aftertaste. There is a nice subtle Swiss cheese and cantaloupe flavor. It is utterly delicious and would love to get a "slab" of it. Pick this one up, it's good.

I cant wait to taste more brews from the Pike Brewing Co. Yum.

Overall Score:









5 out of a six pack!

Scrimshaw

I would like to start this blog off by stating, that I know that I am getting a whiney reputation, but I don't care. I'm a beer snob. Like it or hate it. Woo HOO!!

Anyway, needless to say, I don't like this beer very much. This beer comes to us from the North Coast Brewing Co. and describes itself as a pilsner style beer made of just "water, malted barley, hops, yeast, and that's all." This beer does have flavor, I just don't like it very much. The beer pours a golden yellow color with a medium-thick white head. The lacing disappeared after the initial pour however, now lets get to the taste.

The smell and taste had high hints of a pasta-and-tomato-sauce flavor. As I swashed it across my tongue, I got hints of grapefruit and vodka, along with a mild hoppy flavor. Needless to say, this is a weird combination. The overwhelming vibe I got from this beer was bitter.

Haters unite!

Overall Score:








3 out of 6

Cascade Green

G'day mates,

Today I am going to review another beer from my top 10. A little brew called Cascade Green. This is a really interesting beer. Brewed by the Cascade Brewery Company of Tasmania which is Australia's oldest brewery, founded in 1824.

What makes Cascade Green stand out from other beers is that it is brewed with sustainability in mind. All carbon emissions caused by the production of this beer are offset. Allowing a guilt-free flavor. I just made that up, pretty good. The beer is also made with all local products and recycled materials are used "wherever possible." I suggest people grab some Cascade Greens to drink until the oil spill is cleaned up off the coast of Queensland.

Cascade Green pours with little head, and what head does appear quickly fades away. Don't expect a lacing either. I find myself feeling as though the beer is getting a little flat as I reach about 3 quarters of the way through.

The color of this beer is a pale yellow, almost pale green actually.

The beer is a self described "full bodied lager." The flavor leads with a strong crisp hoppy taste, which then dissipates with little aftertaste. Overall the flavor is what you would expect from a high quality lager. Quite refreshing, the perfect beer for a barbie on a hot summer afternoon.

I might not have raved about this beer if it weren't for the sustainability aspect. It definitely scores brownie points with me for that though. Overall I give this beer a 5 out of 6, probably would score a 4 but gets a bonus for being environmentally responsible.

James Squire Golden Ale

G'day folks!

Aussie Beer Man here, I figured USA beer man has been whinging enough, so I will review my favorite Aussie beer thus far. For a little background info, I have been touring Australia for over a month, drinking as many beers as possible. Now, Aussies are known as big beer fans, and for good reason. There is a tradition of high-quality beer dating back generations. "Craft beer" brewing, known as microbrewing in the states, is popular here. Bottle conditioned beer is also common with beers such as Coopers and Murrays. Bottle conditioning is a process where sugar is added to the bottles to induce a second fermentation process within the bottle, as a result the beer is fresher and you get a little residue in the bottom of the bottle, which may seem unappealing but it is rich in vitamin B.

So, lets get on with it. Today's beer is James Squire Golden Ale. Despite my earlier rambling, this beer is not bottle conditioned, however it is certainly a craft beer with a dedication to great taste. To celebrate the launching of this blog, I picked up a slab(24 bottles) from the Woolworth's which was on special for $50 aus, just over $32 US. This is one of the most expensive beers in Australian shops, but it is well worth it.

The pour of this beer is good and bad. The color of the beer is a deep gold. I have heard it described as the "bronze of a Roman legionnaires shield." I don't disagree. The head however, is a little lacking which is my major criticism of this beer. You really have to make an effort to have a good head appear. Surprisingly though, a lacing will appear on a well rinsed glass.

As you go to drink this beer (which after all is what is important) a sweet smell will greet you. Now, I am not usually someone who will rave about the subtle flavors in a beer's smell, but this one really does smell good. A plus in the event that you spill on yourself after a long night out. The flavor of this beer is phenomenal! A sweet honey flavor characterizes this beer, with almost no bitter hoppy aftertaste. Despite, the sweet flavor, you don't forget that you're drinking beer. It is not as though something was added to disguise the flavor. It is amazing what the brewmasters at Malt Shovel Brewery can do with water, hops and barley. They truly live up to their motto "Never forsake flavour."

I give this beer a hearty 6 out of 6! It is worth the extra money, good on tap, from a glass and from a bottle. Despite the head issues, I will drink this beer any time! Top notch work, full on flavor, fair dinkum, no worries! Congratulations to the folks at Malt Shovel Brewery, doing New South Whales proud!

Tacoma Brew

This beer from Engine House No. 9 claims to be Tacoma's unique pale ale. My take: thanks but no thanks. The beer is a light rust color, and it had virtually no head on it when it was served to me. There was also virtually no lacing as I drank the beer. Frankly, this beer was a little too watery for me. There was a mild hoppy flavor on the initial taste, but the best part of the beer was a refreshing crisp apple flavor in the aftertaste. This beer might be good for a hot summer day, but I wasn't feeling it. Like I said, it tasted like a watered down pale ale. I had a taste of my gf's EHno.9 Belgian White, and it tasted like a watered down Belgian white. Personally, I like a beer that tastes like beer, not water. Might be a good sub for gatorade.

Easy to drink cause it tastes like water.

Overall Score:









2 beers out of a six pack.

Bobo's Robust Porter

This is a limited seasonal from Big Sky Brewery in Montana. When they say "Robust," they mean ROBUST! This one has a strong porter flavor, but we'll get to that later. The pour of this thing is DARK, when you hold it up to the light, no light passes through. The foam is hot cocoa brown, but it's small. As for the flavor flav? It goes down smooth, with a light porter flavor, but the after taste is almost identical to drinking a mocha. Honestly, this beer is kind of girly. I bet your gf would drink it and say, "Oooo chocolaty!" Personally, I like my beer to taste like beer, not coffee, however, if you want to act like your drinking coffee but you're looking for a downer, not an upper, put this in a mug and you'll be right at home. Just make sure you forget the creamer.

This is a seasonal, and I like seasonals, so that helps it a little, but overall it's pretty disappointing.

Overall Score:









3 Beers out of a 6 Pack.

Aussie USA Beer Blog

Welcome to the Aussie USA Beer Blog, where we scrutinize and celebrate the best beers on the planet. We strive to seek out all beers from the hoppy to the heady, from the light to the dark, and everything in between. And because we are located on separate sides of the world, we drink beers with international pickiness. Love us or hate us, read us. Happy drinking!