Tasted Thursday 8 July 2010. 750ml bottle, 5.4% Alc/Vol
Australia
This is the Dark Smoke beer aged in French oak barrels that was used to mature Pinot Noir from the Geelong region. An initial dense off white head quickly dissipated. The nose was gorgeous dirty, burnt rubber, earthy and peaty and a touch of toffee. Smooth mouthfeel, slightly sweet malt character, earthy and peaty and charry. Light bodied and very smooth with some seasoned woodiness and seaweed notes. Tangy and salty on the finish and very dry. An excellent smoke beer.
Advertisement
Dear SL,
Good reviews (bar the burnt rubber?!), but i need to coach you on how to pour our beers – our range pours with a large pillowy head which lasts..all in the technique…a little distance b/w glass and stubbie is all it needs to come alive.
Dave – Production Manager 3 Ravens
Thanks Dave. Appreciate the comment. Fair call on the pouring of your beer. You’ll be the first to admit thought that there are a number of factors that can interfere with the ‘perfect pour’ not the least of which is the right glass. Other factors include the temperature of the beer, state of the glass (how it has been washed, residue etc), smoothness of the pour and technique as you have pointed out. Being a retail operation certainly doesn’t lend itself to be able to control these factors, nor will the drinkers of your beer at their home. There are exceptions of course. Not everyone will pour beer in the best way possible either through lack of technique and lack of the perfect environment. Once the beer leaves your premises control over the way it is presented is lost. So if your concern is great, it may be worth your while to describe (briefly of course) on the label of your beers the correct pouring technique and temperature the beer should be served at. This will provide good information not only for the consumer but the trade. I agree craft beers should be treated in a certain way to get the very best out of them. Hopefully I don’t come across as disrespectful to your comment but I felt it was worth noting that we do generally know how to properly present a beer (myself having spent numerous years working in bars), but it doesn’t always work out that way. Cheers and nice beer by the way.
Simon Lewis
In fairness the brewer, if you’re doing an evaluation there are a number of things you could do to attempt to standardise your pour – I hope you’re not picking up any old glass and just going for it.
At brewing comps we often use clear plastic cups; with a fresh cup for every sample to give a fair comparison without many of the variables you’ve described.
Burnt rubber ?! Doesn’t sound too appealing. Sounds like dead yeast actually, and not that nice at all.