Knappstein Enterprise Brewery
We went for a weekend trip to the Clare Valley and surrounds. As part of the trip we made a visit to the Knappstein Enterprise Brewery. We dropped into Neagles Rock who also produce a beer but they were sold out. We made it to plenty of wineries but just one brewery on this trip. The beer was good and we had some nice wines.
The brewery only has one beer and I have tried it before on a few occasions. The Knapstein Enterprise lager is fairly widely distributed and not too hard to get your hands on. When it first came out I really enjoyed it. After a time I felt like they backed off on the bitterness of the beer which really had a negative impact on it. I hadn’t tried it for a while before this trip but was pleasantly surprised when I did.
At the Brewery/Winery they serve this beer on tap. This is the only place it is available on tap. They only distributes it in bottles. After tasting it fresh from the tap I have concluded that is a huge mistake. The staff at the tasting room told me this was because they couldn’t keep up with demand. I’m not sure of the exact specs but it is a fairly small brewery. So I asked how often they were brewing and the answer I got was once a week. I’m happy to admit I’m no professional brewer but it seem to me that if you were brewing once a week and couldn’t keep up with demand then you would perhaps brew more often. I realise the rest of their pipeline may not be up to it but they said they brew more often in the lead up to Christmas/New Year period so I have to imagine it is. This beer while good out of a bottle is much better from the tap. They really are doing themselves a disservice not distributing it in kegs.
On to the beer though. It is a lovely light and crisp lager with a good level of bitterness but now quite high enough for my taste. Take that for what it is though as I like very bitter beers for the most part. The beer is well balanced and very drinkable. Though the beer has enough malt to hold it up the star of this beer is the hops. It has a nice big whack of Nelson Sauvin. As soon as you put your nose near the glass you know there is something good coming. The flavour and aroma are both that fruity lively aroma of the Nelson Sauvin hops. Whilst there being something here for the hop loving beer geek I think these hops are also very approachable for the novice. It is also very clean crisp and super drinkable.
The downside to a visit to the Knappstein brewery and winery is that they will only serve tastings of the beer. You can’t buy a pint if you want to. So if you can find a way to get down to the Clare area make sure you make a stop at Knappstein.
Stone and Wood at The Wheaty
Stone and Wood beers will be going on tap at The Wheaty next Wednesday the 30th. From talking to the guys at the Wheaty they are getting kegs of the draught and the stone beer. I’m really keen on trying the stone beer. I would love to see how they make this beer on a commercial scale. It is a really interesting process.
I have had the draught ale, that you can see in the photo above, before. It’s a great beer on a summer day. I had it after a day walking around in 35C heat in Brisbane. It went down a treat then. I look forward to seeing these beers at the Wheaty and the promise of more beers from micros around the country. Get There!
New Stuff at The Wheaty
It’s been a while since I got a post up. The day job has been getting in the way and things have been a little quiet on the local beer scene. Some new and interesting beers have arrived at The Wheaty in the last coupe of days though. Both kegs and bottles including some old favourites and some new beers we haven’t had here before.
I dropped in Friday afternoon and the Mikkeller Stateside IPA had just gone on tap. It is such a great beer. I know some people are getting IPA fatigue but it’s got such amazing hop flavour and aroma whilst managing to stay in balance. If you don’t get down a have one or two you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Though with the Stateside and Moo Brew stout on tap you may be gripped by indecision. There are other Mikkeller’s to come including some more single hop goodness.
In bottles there is a bunch of new and interesting thing from New Zealand to try. So far I have seen some beers from Renaissance and Three Boys. There may be others but these are the ones I have purchased. So far I have tried the Renaissance APA which was fantastic. I can’t wait to try the Imperial IPA waiting in my fridge. I also have the IPA from Three Boys to get to. They also had an oyster stout from Three Boys. Normally oyster stouts don’t actually have oysters in them but this one does. I haven’t tried it yet so can’t be specific but just cause you can do something doesn’t mean you should. I will give it a go but I just don’t see the point of putting shellfish in beer. The world would be a boring place if we just kept doing the same things though.
So find the time and get on down to The Wheaty for some great beers.
Vale Ale Video
This has been making the rounds and has been up on many sites already but it’s a good bit of marketing so I decided to add it here too.
Sea and Vines Festival with Vale Ale
Sea and Vines with Vale Ale
The good people at The Salopian Inn and McLaren Vale Beer company are putting on a function for the Sea and Vines Festival. Sounds like it’s going to be a great event too. Fresh local seafood cooked with local produce and some Vale Ale in one of the dishes. My mouth is watering already. I’m not familiar with the DJ but if they play music that suits the vibe of the Salopian it should be fantastic. If I’m not in some far flung corner of the country with my day job, a distinct and disappointing possibility, I am going to be there.
I really like what these guys are doing. They are getting out there and marketing craft beer really well and drawing people in by serving it in ways that will appeal to the non beer geek. On top of that they are making and serving really good beer. I can’t wait to see what they have in store when they get their own brewery up and running.