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Independent brewer Chuck Hahn first opened the Malt Shovel Brewery in 1988 before it was acquired by Lion in 1993 with the brewery playing what has been cited as “pivotal role” in Australia’s craft beer movement.
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5.8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 6
Bottle shared, thanks Deanso. Pours clear amber, small tan head with low retention. Aroma had light malt, fruit, grapes, raisins and slight alcohol. Flavour is slightly vinous with malt and other fruits. Low carbonation and a very strange balance.
Tried from Bottle on 07 Jun 2011 at 12:03

6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
345ml bottle from a friend. Shared with Kermis Not much white head. Clear amber colour. Aroma is grapes, malt and slight alcohol. Slight bitter after-taste.
Tried from Bottle on 07 Jun 2011 at 11:49

6/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5
Bottle, thanks a lot Jim! Pretty red amber, fine carbonation, lacing cappucino cream - handsome brew. Butterscotch and nut aroma. Honeyish start, light dust and clay, diacetyl less pronounced in the flavor, a few earthy hops. Medium to light body, mellow mouthfeel. Earthty, nutty finish.
Tried from Bottle on 04 May 2011 at 14:41

6.6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Bottle. Hazy pale gold with a good white head. Surprising aroma which initially brought to mind bananas and sausages or bacon - not an obviously pleasant combination. With a bit more concentration I decided that the sausage smell was in part wood smoke, a noted some other indistinct fruity / floral hints. The palate was fairly full bodied and mildly carbonated. The taste was as odd as the smell. A nice refreshing start goes into some complex and unusual tastes that bring to mind a barbecue - smoke and sausages again. There is some balancing tartness and a little bitterness in the finish. Overall this is an unusual, indeed odd, beer. It was certainly drinkable but I won’t have another one.
Tried from Bottle on 22 Apr 2011 at 17:03

6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
33 cL bottle. Pours cloudy dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is caramelish and slight breadish. Sweet malty, caramelish and slight overripe fruity. Sweet caramelish finish.
Tried from Bottle on 15 Mar 2011 at 11:25

6/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
clear brown, smooth white head. dry, malty aroma, very fait fruits. flavor is malty, spicy ,dry.
Tried on 15 Mar 2011 at 11:16

5/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 5
Bottle 34,5 cl. Courtesy of bluebetty. Pours a clear dark amber with an off-white head. Malty caramel aroma with a wee whiff of sweet berries. Medium body, a little caramel but hardly any roast. Again a little cherry, but absolutely no roast. Porter? I think not! 150311
Tried from Bottle on 15 Mar 2011 at 10:47

6.3/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle. cloudy gold with a decent white head. Aroma is grainy with grass and a bit of menthol. A very faint whiff of smoke. Taste has much more botanicals than indicated by the smell - mostly peppery lemon that could be myrtle, but also could be some kind of gum leaf. Quite sweet and grainy with a full mouthfeel that’s not the only hint of booze. It’s soft and alive though - either the unfiltered lager thing is working well here or there’s some wheat. A very little smoke. Dryish finish with some leafy/ twiggy bits as well as grass and pepper. Unusual and quite classy, but a little meek.
Tried from Bottle on 12 Mar 2011 at 04:17

6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle @ Papsø. Pours a hazy pale orange color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity spicy yeasty caramel aroma. Fruity malty hoppy flavor. Has a fruity malty hoppy finish.
Tried from Bottle on 04 Mar 2011 at 07:54

6.1/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Pours cloudy pale amber with a small head.Nose is mild and clean, showing a little doughy wheat, a spicy character and hints of smoky bacon.Flavours are pretty crazy, there’s wheat, lemon, pepper and more smoke. Crazy mix.Carbonation is a little high.Not quite sure what they were aiming for here, seems a little bit of a mess, somewhat hard to get through with all those bold flavours in conflict.
Tried on 21 Feb 2011 at 15:52