Good Australian Beer

Australia is ranked fourth in beer consumption in the world, at around 500 litres per year. I have not had the opportunity of trying all Australian beers but from the selections I have tasted, there are some quite unique beers "down under". The following are some of my favorites.

Cooper's Sparkling Ale - Cooper's Brewery Limited in Australia produces a wonderful beer called Cooper's Sparkling Ale. It's an English Pale Ale with a 5.80% alcohol by volume. Coopers comes in a rather plain label bottle or on tap in some Aussie drinking holes. Cooper's Sparkling Ale is amber in color and has a citrus, malt aroma. When pouring it has very little head. In tasting I notice the hops and grain immediately, leading to a spicy feel, and then the "sparkling" part hits. The aftertaste is almost bitter but lightly citrusy, not enough to make Cooper's undesireable to drink. Cooper's Sparkling Ale is quite pleasant to consume ice cold.

Toohey's New - Toohey's New from Toohey's Brewing is an American Adjunct Lager with a 4.60% alcohol by volume.It's the most popular of their line. Toohey's is available at many Outback Steakhouse restaurants, which is where I first tasted it. Toohey's New is yellow in color with a yeast, malt, hops aroma. Its head disappears fairly quickly when pouring into a glass. Toohey's New flavor is light and has a hint of corn along with malt and a slight hops presence. This is a beer that goes well with dinner and BBQs. Good news for low carb beer drinkers, Toohey's now makes Toohey's New White Stag with 1/3 of the carbs.

Bluebottle Beer - We eat a lot of seafood in my family. So what better pleasure than to be able enjoy fish dinners with a glass of Bluebottle Beer, made to compliment seafood cuisine! Bluebottle Beer, by Fusion Brewing, actually began in Sydney's Fish Markets and Darling Harbor.

According to Bluebottle's website, Bluebottle was recently awarded bronze at the Australian International Beer Awards in Melbourne in March. They also won "Lager of the Year" at the Australian Beer Awards in 2008.

Bluebottle has a light gold color, little to no head. At first taste, I notice a slight citrus then hops and yeast. The lemon juice really makes this beer enjoyable with seafood.

XXXX Gold - XXXX has been brewed in the Castlemaine Perkins Milton Brewery since 1924. XXXX Gold, launched in 1991, is the second largest beer brand in Australia, most popular in Queensland. It's a Mid Strength Lager with a low 3.5% alcohol by volume. XXXX Gold is rather light and great ice cold on a hot day. Because of its low alcohol content I think it's a good alternative to serve at upscale social get togethers where you don't want a lot of drunkeness instead of college parties or football Sundays.

XXXX Gold smells both sweet and malty, and it tastes just that. However, the taste left behind is minimal and a little watery.

Pure Blonde - Pure Blonde lager from Carlton & United Breweries is 4.6% alcohol by volume. Pure Blonde is a low carb beer, gold in color. The aroma is very light, mostly sweet, hops. When tasting it has slight grain and hops flavors, nothing overbearing, bitter, or lingering. It's very light and leaves the mouth smooth. For those of us who don't want a beer belly, Pure Blonde could be the way to go. ha.

Sources:

"Beer in Australia," Wikipedia.

"Bluebottle Beer, Made for Seafood," Bluebottle Beer.

"XXXX," Wikipedia.