A little detour into Cider country

Le Pere Jules is not a beer. It's a French appellation controlled 'Cidre' from Normandy. Last Tuesday night Graham, Adrian ('Cider is the new Beer' Facebook group founder), and myself tried out a bottle of the 2008 vintage Brut. Graham had tried the 2006 before and I had some hazy memories of tasting some in a cafe in Monmatre back in 2006. We both agreed it had a distinct blue cheese note and briefly discussed bringing in some nice baguettes etc but ended up shelving that idea.

This was the first time any of us had tasted the 2008 vintage and both Graham and I recalled the blue cheese note being a lot more distinct. Graham suggested that it may well develop over time. None the less we all enjoyed it and agreed that baguettes and some Camembert would have been an excellent accompaniment.

I deferred to Graham for the verdict and the lingo on bouquet and finish and he summed it up thusly. The cider is fresh on the palette with the sweetness well supported by a light sparkle. The finish is short, not making it unpleasant to drink on it's own, but confirming that it is well suited to the creaminess of a Camembert (we checked with a food and wine guide).

Adrian chimed in at this point saying it fell into the eating cider category. The only other category being the drinking or quaffing cider. We all agreed.

Graham suggested we organise another tasting accompanied by baguettes and cheese. He thinks we should try the Cidrerie Anneville - Cider Doux made with Binet Rouge (red lady) apples. This one is also from Normandy and has been similarly described as having fresh sweetness with small bubbles. It has an even lower 2% alcohol.

I think this one will go well with a Livarot cheese also from Normandy which is quite stinky but very creamy and a little spicy and is recognised as one of the forebears of Camembert. I'll be buying the baguettes at Banneton wood fired bakery and the Livarot from Black Pearl Epicure.

All in all I'm very glad to have had this opportunity which is somewhat of a coupe for Cider and very much look forward to properly pairing it up with food.

If this has piqued your interest in cider you might like to check out the Cider is the new Beer! blog and follow the goings on in the cider world.

Cider????????

We haven't reviewed for a while.... Graham has been away, traveling through Europe and i have been pursuing other projects (namely a very fresh baby who is not so fond of sleeping). So now seems a good time to bring in another reviewer.
Cider.... I have never really 'got' cider...... Having access to Strongbow and Mercury as the only Australian staples, i have not had the opportunity to taste any real quality. The growing trend towards cider drinking has led the market to import some good quality apple and pear cider from NZ, France, Ireland and England, and i am actually getting into it.
One man who is into it is Michael Swifte. Anyone involved in the West End underworld will know him as 'Swifty'. Author of the blog The Age of the Warlords Cook Book, Swifty is a big time cider drinker and has agreed to review a couple for us.
Look forward to seeing something soon.
I am back to the beers and will review something soon.........
Dan

Crackenback pale ale

Pours nicely with a beautiful, cloudy golden colour. The smell has very faint hints of caramel and a touch of green from what smell like good quality hops. I haven't done any research but i don't think they are American hops as the flavour is not overly astringent.
Crackenback has the taste of pale but it is also rounded and a little soft. A lot less acidity than a Coopers pale and a bit more easy going than a Little Creatures, so it is a kind of 'user friendly' pale ale.
No one thing in the beer is overpowering and there is a really interesting hint of dark, bitter chocolate as an aftertaste.
This is a well balanced beer, given to me by my father in law, which i have enjoyed drinking.
The only thing i would say is that it could be a touch more bitter on the finnish. Instead of getting a clean, bitter taste i get a little too much round alcohol flavour. This is a very minor complaint.
Really good beer.
Cheers
D

White Rabbit Dark Ale

White Rabbit Dark Ale

Healesville, VIC

6pk - $21

This is a new brew from the guys at Little Creatures. As they are owned by Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander they decided to build a brewery in the heart of the Yarra and start brewing a dark ale, the result is White Rabbit.

The photo doesn't do the beer justice but it's not really dark, more a deep amber. It has a rich forest fruit nose with a slight hoppy herbal note. The palate is more of the above with a nice creamy end. The release notes say it's about half as much bitterness as Little Creatures Pale Ale but it doesn't show with the fruit palate dominating.

Do I like it?

Yes

Will I drink it a lot?

Probably not

While a good beer it's not really my style, but it's had quite a bit of hype (mostly due to the fact that they promised its release in early November and it wasn't released until December) and people want to try it. So get out there and try a few.

Graham

Old Speckled Hen

Old Speckled Hen

English Fine Ale

5.2% alc/vol

It's been years since I last drank an Old Speckled Hen and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

It has a rich golden colour with minimal head and minimal bubble. A lovely rich caramel on the nose, with a slight maltiness on the palate and a fine bead. A bit of herbal hopiness which makes this similar to Knappstein Lager with that full rich flavour but a nice crisp dry finish.

A classic beer named after an old MG, you'll have to buy a bottle or go to the website to get the full story.

Graham

Kross golden ale

We just tried this one in the shop and will soon have it on the shelf.

Kross is a golden ale from Chile. Not traditional golden ale, by my understanding but a very good beer.

Beautiful golden colour, and what i would call a 'bright ale' nose with hints of banana. Full, round flavour with a fine, dry finnish. All the flavour in this beer is complex, its rich but soft.

At the end of the day it tastes a lot like a Little Creatures bright ale.

The finnish could be a touch more bitter for my taste but a ripper beer.

Cheers

Dan