Adelaide, South Australia, $14 (approx)
I love beer. This is probably a pretty good thing as Australians are considered a nation of beer drinkers, yet in reality they often drink pretty average stuff. Internationally we are represented by some bad stereotypes and there's much more to Australian beer then pint cans o
f Foster brewed under license in the UK. Australian boutique breweries are starting to emerge and a whole hoard of home brewers, like the infamous Fat Nick Harrison, make pretty good stuff, yet there are also a couple of good, large scale, commercial enterprises. Family owned Coopers is one such exception who is battling the trend of mass produced generic beer. When I saw stubbies of their Sparkling Ale in Taste I got very excited.Sparkling Ale is a heavier, fuller flavoured beer that the website claims has been brewed following basically the same recipe since 1862. It is top fermented, contains no artificial flavours or preservatives and is bottle conditioned. The beer itself is a rich golden, amber colour and looks exactly like beer bloody well should. The bottle conditioning process means that each bottle contains a flotilla of obvious sediment - whether you roll the beer to disperse these chunks into a cloudy haze or leave them lurking around the bottle for a 'sparkling' beer with final big gulp is often debated. Coopers Sparkling Ale has a full fruity smell with noticeable hops and big, hollow, but not overwhelming froth. It tastes ... well good, with an obvious fruitiness, with a slightly bitter palate and hints of mellow hops in the background. This beer is still wet and refreshing and unlike some of heavier ales that you need a knife and fork for, this really is a drink that manages to merge flavour with refreshment.
Australia is not just about superb wines; give Aussie beer a go and get stuck into a Coopers 'red'.
Visit brewery website
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4 comments:
The stereotype of Australia in the overseas beer market is extremely unjust. There is a bloody good reason we export fosters etc overseas, we wont drink it. The Coopers family have a proud and long tradition in brewing here in Australia and when recently in trouble its supporters rallied behing the company and drank beer. Brewers like Fat Nick Harrison (sensational beers mate)who are at the cutting edge of the boutique market stand tall and proud. The Fat brewers all have had a deep passion of beer for many years and have made hundreds of different brews between them, no two brews are the same, constant innovation and experimentation. Good on you coopers and fat nick.
Thanks,
I agree with your comments and would add another huge positive, which is that the product awareness of the average Australian beer drinker is definitely improving. Perhaps this is due to a ‘broadening of the palate’ through the greater acceptance and availability of foreign imports alongside the emergence of diverse, small scale Australian brewers. Fat Nick does make some great beers, it's just a shame he's not a great bloke!
Andrew
Ive always enjoyed drinking Coopers Beers. The Sparkling Ale is without doubt a top notch beverage and i agree with your comments regarding the importance of individual brewers and the battle with the mass generic brands. I have only read about the great home brewers such as Fat Nick Harrison, however havent had the opportunity to try some of his stuff. As a wise old man once said to me. "We should Stop living in a mono-culture", and try some different beers!!
Thanks for your comments.
Home brewing really is a fascinating experience, every batch is different and every bottle packed full of pride.
I saw some 'Little Creatures' beer on sale here in Hong Kong today and was pretty impressed that they had made it over here (though the price tag was a little too big for my liking.
Andrew
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