Full-On Flavours

Full-On Flavours

28 Dec 2021

by Mick Wust

Some beers are designed to be drunk by the 4-pack. These are not those beers.

Some beers are designed to be low in flavour to make them more approachable. These are not those beers.

Some beers are described using made-up words like sessionable, drinkable, quaffable. These are not those beers.

These are the beers more likely to be described as explosive, like TNT for your tastebuds. If you like extreme experiences like playing with fire, bungee jumping, and watching high speed car chases, chances are you’re the kind of person who likes extreme flavours.

How do you make a chocolatey dark beer even better? Add Belgian dark chocolate and Shiraz grapes that have already started to dry on the vine. Dark Moment by Heroes & Villains was made for Easter, but it’s the kind of beer that fares well all year round.

Not enough ingredients for you? Right, time to crank it up with Aether’s Respite. They started with a big stout, then added oats, blueberry, cinnamon, almond and coconut, then stuck it all into a barrel for 12 months to give it more character and smooth it out. And after all that, they called it a breakfast stout.

If a smooth breakfast stout sounds too gentle for you, here’s a couple of bruisers to knock you around a bit. Exit’s Double IPA is always happy to give you a slap in the face with its burnt toffee malt and orange rind bitterness, while Battlecat IIPA from Mash Brewing is more resinous and sweet. But don’t go thinking the sweetness means this is a kitten; if you don’t believe me, check out the sabre tooth tiger’s skull on the label.

 

Whisky is one of the most divisive drinks around - a lot of people can’t stand it, while other people worship it. If you’re the latter, then check out Gravity by The Zythologist. This whisky barrel-aged imperial stout has Red Gum Single Malt whisky from Mountain Distilling added to it, with cacao nibs, vanilla, coconut and lactose to sweeten the deal. Or if you’re a fiend for peat, you might prefer Exit’s Campfire Imperial Stout, a bowl-you-over beer with notes of bittersweet chocolate and smokey bacon. It’s enough to make you smell like you’ve been sitting next to the campfire all night.

If sours are more your thing, get your acid kick from Dad & Dave’s Blue Berry Sour. It’s easy on the eyes with its deep purple tinge, but once the sourness grabs you it doesn’t let go. This sucker will pucker your lips from the very first sip.

Pear She Gose by Urban Alley isn’t designed to blow your head off, but I reckon it still belongs on this list since it’s a complex little beast. It takes the sour ‘n’ salty style of a German gose and weaves in a little sugar ‘n’ spice from pear and ginger. Isn’t that a fun flurry of flavours?

And of course, we can’t wind up without having a little dessert. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, wrap your lips around Mash Brewing’s Lemon Lime Cheesecake. It’s a creamy IPA flavoured with lemon and lime zest, then sweetened up with vanilla bean and lactose. Or if that sounds a bit much for you, perhaps you’d prefer Aether’s Creature of the Night. This Peanut Butter Stout is less sweet than many dessert beers, but is chocked full of flavour - think peanut brittle and chocolate. Is there a better way to end the night?