Tap at brewery. Quite caramely for this style, but still seems to lack a little malt firmness in the middle. Nice slightly sour end notes. A pleasant local blonde, but not very alive or feisty relative to some of the other beers here.

Tap at brewery. Very cloudy gold, almost fluoro white head. Screams freshness. Light lemon pudding aroma, some coriander seeds and esters. Not all that sweet. Some astringency and funky-smelling yeast. Terrific, vibrant brew. Leans towards Wit rather than Hefe, IMHO. Significantly less good in the bottle. 3.8 [rerate 13/4/10] Revisiting the "less good in the bottle" remark: I’d give it a 3.0 from a bottle bought at the brewery a fortnight ago, but leave the tap rating at 3.8 from tasting my wife’s glass on that visit. It also tastes much more German from the bottle - I still think it’s got Wit touches on tap. Bottle, from a decent shop - not like it’s been sitting on the shelves at Dan Murphy or anything. Fizzy white head disappears rapidly. Watery. Sweet with mild lemon and a hint of spice at the end. 2.7

Bottle at the Chriso Gaylord tasting 09. Russet colour, haze, lasting beige head. So what is it that makes this a Scotch Ale? Not much hop presence, some toffee malt. What is it? Sweetish toffee is the overall impression.

[12/09] Botlle. Mahogany it is. Poor pale beige head disappears. Aroma is earthy with banana, cereal, caramel and spices. Mildly roasted taste with lots of dried fruits. There’s obvious alcohol, but it’s really well integrated. Spicy finish. This has its faults, but it’s another tasty drop from this Peninsula brewery. 7 1 7 4 15 = 3.4[9/11] Bottle, only a few weeks old. Mahogany, off white head settles to an inch and never disappears. Aroma of bread, caramel, cloves, pears, banana. Taste is moderately sweet - dried fruits, caramel - with a little wheaty tang and vibrant spicy bitterness in a dry finish. Alcohol present but comfortably integrated. Red Hill beers are a gamble in the bottle, but this one’s good. [9/17] Rather than revise the score: this is another Red Hill seasonal that seems to improve most years and is now one I look forward to annually.

From a 330 ml bottle on 29/12/2009. Aside from some significant bitter, hoppy action, this didn’t taste much like a pilsner to me. The confusion around identity was only reinforced by the reference on the bottle to "Fine Handcrafted Ale", the 5.9% strength, and the yeast sediment left in my glass. That said , I found this to be a singular, tasty and impressive drop. Had a herbal, grassy aroma, and a quite pronounced honeyed sweetness which balanced beautifully against the bitterness. Very nice indeed.

Bottle. Somewhat hazy dull gold. Stable two finger off-white head. Medium bead. Nose is bursting with grassy and spicy hops with some bread behind. Nuts and very focused sweet malt with floral hops. This is clearly a fresh bottle - I suspect it could be a little oversweet if consumed later. But as is, it’s very much of the style of the brewery: not terribly refined, but full of good quality and very fresh ingredients just allowed to speak for themselves. Perhaps a bit riotous for the style, but I don’t care.

Near pitch black color. Very big dry roasty nose. Caramel, coffee notes. Smooth, full bodied, roasty dark chocolate, dark fruit mouth. Very strong flavors. Well balanced. Smooth. Dry. Excellent.

Bottle. Cloudy orange, large white head. Aroma is of Morrocan preserved lemons (!) and floral hops. Tastes of fruity malts with a citrus tang and a dryish hop finish. Unusual and refreshing. I liked it more at the brewery. [rerate] This has grown on me a bit. It’s mild and medium bodied with subdued but classy hops reining in a gentle but alive fruitiness.

Bottle. Cloudy orange, large white head. Aroma is of Morrocan preserved lemons (!) and floral hops. Tastes of fruity malts with a citrus tang and a dryish hop finish. Unusual and refreshing. I liked it more at the brewery. [rerate] This has grown on me a bit. It’s mild and medium bodied with subdued but classy hops reining in a gentle but alive fruitiness.

Pours a brilliant burnished gold with a big creamy head - too big in fact.Aroma shows lots of spices and fruit: sultanas, apples, pears as well as cinnamon and some subtle white wine notes. Lacking in yeasty aromas though.Flavours include more of the above fruit and spices, along with grapes, doughy yeast and some quite powerful alcohol which is almost overbearing in its presence. Quite a sharp and long-lasting bitterness which, along with some strong spicy phenols, creates a very bold finish.Alcoholic warming on the palate is too strong, and the body is slightly watery.A good try, but needs a lot of work. The alcohol needs to be tamed, and more complexity and balance is required in the flavour profile.