Paul Daniel's Views On The World, For What They're Worth

The Australian International Beer Awards have been presented for 2011. Details of the winners can be found here, courtesy of Australian Brews News.

It seems bizarre that these awards are presented to international breweries when their beers are not even available in Australia.

What a great effort by 2 Brothers from Moorabbin. These guys operate out of their brewery in an industrial area, just off Cochranes Road. It really rocks there on a Friday afternoon, with all the tradies from the adjacent businesses sampling appreciating some fantastic beer.

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I love beer! Not the crap that gets churned out by Tooheys, CUB, et al. I love craft beers. Boutique beers. The sort of beers that punch out your cheeks when they first hit your mouth.

As an aside, having been laid up in bed for twelve days now on a regime of strong pain killers, I haven’t had a beer. Something about the potential to become a psychotic mass murderer. I don’t understand. But it’s been hell!

As I’ve said before, I like to write about things I like. And things I don’t like for that matter. I’m not necessarily going to write in detail about why I like something. So, for example, when writing about a beer, you’re never likely to see me writing about the unique combination of cinnamon and chicken fat that blends on the palette with reminders of lychees that have been dried on a Chinaman’s grave for three days. What a load of crap!

So I simply wanted to provide some links to my two favourite craft beers at the moment and strongly recommend you give them a try.

White Rabbit Dark Ale is brewed at the White Rabbit Brewery at Healesville. As they are owned by Little Creatures, it could potentially be argued they don’t fit into the craft beer market anymore. Making a visit to the operation at Healesville will quickly change that idea.

They have two beers – I definitely prefer the Dark Ale to the White Ale, which I find lacks a bit of character in the flavour. Probably more appropriate for summer when you are looking for something a bit lighter.

White Rabbit is reasonably readily available at outlets around town, no doubt taking advantage of the Little Creatures distribution network. Dan Murphy’s now carry it.

I discovered Red Duck Bengal India Pale Ale only recently. There’s a small beer and wine store in South Melbourne Market and I grabbed a sample of a few of the Red Duck beers. The Red Duck Brewery is another Victorian native, based in Camperdown.

The Bengal IPA just blew me away. Massive amounts of flavour that are really hard to describe. Maybe it WAS lychees roasted on a Chinaman’s grave. I’m certainly looking forward to the depth of flavour as we get into the colder months. It’s 7.0% as well, so make sure you’re not planning on driving afterwards – definitely one to be enjoyed at home in front of the fire.

This one’s a bit harder to get and a bit more expensive, but well worth it. The Red Duck folks have a list of suppliers on their website. I managed to pick up a slab at an Albert Park outlet.

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