http://www.4pinesbeer.com.au

VB which is probably Australia’s most iconic beer’s has brought back a bit of its rich past with the launch of a special edition 1958 style can. Now the can design and 1958 were significant as it was the first time a can was used to hold beer. Sure it wasn’t the smooth thin aluminium we know today it was a fairly crude steel can where the drinker had to puncture the can before being able to taste the refreshing taste. Now for can collectors you need to keep your eyes out, as this isn’t the last of VB’s heritage cans, over the next 12 months Carlton and United plan to bring out a few more commemorative cans to celebrate the beer can.  For those wondering, the beer in the can is the current 2011 VB as fresh and as crisp as ever.  Look out for it in your local bottle shop and keep a couple as reminders of the simpler times.

Hahn Super Dry has a incredible new ad. Its been dubbed, by Hahn, “the most epic beer comercial ever”.  Well to say the least this ad has to be right up there with the best. It show an interesting production line including even a ferret checking the beers coming out of the production line- now that is hard to top!   The ad has been pretty successful for the huge Lion Nathan brewer with it uploaded to just about everywhere  it has had over a million visitors to You Tube alone in only a week.

Saw this one via a drink coaster at the local pub, the short story is the Australian Federal Government wants to introduce a kind of id card just so punters can play the pokies in a bid to tackle problem gambling. While we at hoppsy are not a big fan of the pokies (but we don’t mind the odd mystery bet on the trots or dish-lickers) the problem here is even if we want to drop a single goldie in to a machine we are being treated like a problem gambler. Worse still, the people behind the campaign in the video above (Clubs Australia and the Australian Hotel Association) recon the plan will force up the price of beer due to lost gaming revenue, and that is bloody Un-Australian. If you want your say hit up the link below and sign the petition. http://www.its-unaustralian.com.au/

We did a story back in May 2008 about Red Duck Beer. http://www.hoppsy.com/australia/red-duck-handcrafted-beers/ Red Duck is a small microbrewery from Purrumbete which is in the Western District of Victoria Australia.  Since our story the brewery has grown from strength to strength and has even opened a beer tasting room in the nearby township of Camperdown.  The beer is all hand crafted and only natural ingredients are used. We were re-introduced to Red Duck at a Food and Wine Festival in Lara, about ¾ of an hour south west of Melbourne Australia.  Red  Duck had some amazing new beers which absolutely blew us away including a the American style Pale Ride an amazing Strong Bitter English style pub ale called Burton but the favourite and one of the most unique beers we have ever tasted was called White Garden. This beer was a classic whit beer which contained a little raspberry and believe it or not rhubarb. The beer was absolutely delicious. Sadly the 4.1% beer is only a limited release but it was amazing.  In fact we bought our self a Quack Pack of it and enjoyed it when we got home.

For more information on Red Duck :  http://www.redduckbeer.com.au/

Coopers is one of Australia’s great brewers and now you can make their magnificent beers at home with this great microbrew kit we found in the USA. The kit comes with everything you need to make beer.  There’s the brew tub, all the plumbing, spoons thermometers the lot. All you need to do is mix the supplied ingredients add some water then wait for the brew to bubble away and turn into beer. Then when ready bottle it in the bottles supplied and keep for a little while and before you know it, you will be drinking your very own Coopers Beer. Doesn’t sound too hard does it- well there’s an easy to follow DVD and book just to make it easier. This kit is a great kit for people starting out brewing and is sure to start what will be a rewarding and fun hobby making beer at a fraction of the price of the packaged stuff.   For more details

For more details

The Wicked Elf Pale Ale originates from the beautiful seaside town of Port Macquarie on the New South Wales coast in Australia and is brewed by the Little Brewing Company. They have three beers in their Elf range a Pilsner, a Witbier and the Pale Ale we are featuring today. The Pale Ale has a very American Pale Ale style to it. The beer is a very rich copper colour, clear and is very flavoursome having a very toffee like taste. It’s really one to look out for. The beer has won a bag full of awards over the few years it has been on the market including a Gold at the Australian Beer Awards which is a much sought after prize. As far as alcohol content its 5.4% which gives it a pretty good kick. Look out for it in the Australian bottle shops it comes in a handy 4 pack.

Not only has this beer got a great name its pretty dam tasty too. White Rabbit comes from the tranquil hills of Healesville in Victoria Australia whose brewery is part of the Little Creatures group. The rabbit comes in two types a White Ale and the one we have photographed today the Dark Ale. The Dark had a very rich malty taste and a bit of a hoppy bite, very nice indeed. The beer is made using the open fermentation process which helps give it the complex and rich taste. The beer has a 4.9% alcohol rating and can be found in bottles including a 600m big bottle. Selected pubs and restaurants have this beer on tap, but with its great taste and catchy name news will get around and we will be seeing a lot more of the rabbit.

For more info: http://www.whiterabbitbeer.com.au

Barons is a small brewing company in Australia and have produced a really uniquely Australian and pretty tasty ale. The ale is flavoured with roasted wattle seeds. Which for people who don’t know wattle is a large native tree which produces small yellow flowers. The flower is Australia’s national plant emblem.  Back to the beer.. This beer has a lovely nutty and caramel coffee or chocolate flavour and is a rich amber brown in colour.  The beer has a 5.8% alcohol kick and has a really nice aftertaste and finish.   Barons originate out of Woollahra in New South Wales and are making some inroads into boutique and great beer. They also have some international interests in Russia, the UK and Asia.

Well I’ve been doing my bit for the Global Financial Crisis and supporting our struggling brewers, but it looks like a lot of you haven’t looking at this story on News Limited website this week.  They claim that beer drinking in Australia is down to a 60 year low.  News.com.au says that consumption of beer in Australia is down to just under 4 1/2 litres per person per year. The figures have been dropping steadily since the heyday of just under 6 1/2 litres in 1979.  Quite a few factors have come into play including drink driving laws, the huge choice of other drinks like RTD’s and popularity of wine. But the biggest hit would be the price which has skyrocketed especially after the introduction of GST in 2000. I remember this time in 2000 you could hand over $5 and get three pots and change. Now you are lucky to get change for one.  Interestingly the statistics show  that low alcohol beer has dropped in popularity over the last three years buy about 25% and full strength has got more popular. Most of the loss from low alcohol beer has been taken up by the mid strength brews which are growing strongly.

http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/beer-drinking-in-australia-at-60-year-low/story-e6frfmd9-1225872599147

Well I found another treat around at my local bottle shop. VIrgin Blonde- a low carb blonde beer from the Steel River Brewery which is located in New South Wales. The beer has been on the market for a little under 2 years and if the guy in my bottle shop is correct reckons it is very popular. The beer is an organic beer and is fairly pale being made from lightly roasted barley that has been grown organically without pesticides or any other nasty chemicals which has got to be better for you. The grain also hasn’t had the normal fumigation which many of the larger breweries do to their grains. So this beer is not only using healthier products in its production it is low carb so it shouldn’t be too bad on the waistline. Not that it had a problem anyway…eh!

Shipstone’s Crew Fine Amber Ale is another one of Aldi Supermarkets great beer lines and is sold in 330ml bottles either in 6 packs or slabs of 24. This 5.0 alc/vol ale is very nutty and somewhat fruity and has great taste with some real delecate flavors and great value at a fraction of the cost of a similar beer with a known name.  The beer is brewed using  super alpha hops which leaves the beer with a nice bitterness complementing the fruit and malt. The beer we get in Australia Aldi Supermarkets is sourced from New Zealand, and i’m not sure if a similar product is sold in Aldi stores around the world- we would love to hear from you if you know.

Today’s ‘beer’ is a bit of a strange one and i’m not sure what to make of it. We bought a slab because it was cheap and after the second one I’m thinking it might last a while. The beer is called Amigo it is a Mexican inspired beer which contains a shot of Blue Mexican which is a citrus based Mexican spirit blend. The beer is unique but does have some similarity to the lemon and lime Mexican themed Cerveza style beers which have entered the market recently and reminds me of Desperado the French, Mexican style beer with tequila.  I think the secret to enjoying these specialty beers is to enjoy them on their own and not mix their flavors with other types of beer.  I will leave the rest in the fridge for a few weeks and give it another try.  If you have tried the Amigo we would love to hear what you thought of it. Feel free to drop us a line in the comments!

Brewed in South Australia by Coopers the Coopers Premium Light is a all malt light beer which has a very refreshing crisp taste and is one of the best light beers on the Australia market at the moment. Unlike the US beer market where light refers to the low carb qualities of the beer, in Australia light refers to a lower level of Alcohol, in this case the beer is 2.9%  instead of the usual 4-5% in average normal strenght beers.  The beer is available in can, bottle and in draft form although not readily available. Coopers have made great inroads with their Sparkling and Pale Ale into pubs around Australia and with a few more people catching onto the Premium Light as a genuine competitor (and in my eyes winner) to the Cascade Premium and Hahn Light and Boags Light. With its great malty taste ans crispness I’m sure we are going to see a lot more of it.  If you have tried the Coopers Premium Light we would love to hear from you on your thoughts!