Just days after that ground breaking post appeared here exclusively, Michael Donaldson – Sunday Star Times beer columnist and award winning New Zealand Beer Writer of the Year 2013 [1] – published an article about the joys of lower alcohol beers and the dangers of drunk driving.  Coincidence?

As it turns out – absolutely.  By the time I wrote and posted my blog Mr Donaldson has long since composed and submitted his article though it did not see the light of day until after mine graced the Interweb. [2] His piece covered two of my favourite subjects – beer and pies. [3] After excluding the part about a very young Beer Writer of the Year driving while potentially under the influence, here are some highlights from his typically excellent article in praise of moderate alcohol beers:

“The problem for craft beer fans is that a lot of our favourite drops are around 6 to 7 percent and you can’t have many of those.  Fortunately there are some super flavoursome session beers on the market that will keep you happy on a night out and ensure your passengers get home safely. 

My favourite session beer has been, and probably always will be, Emerson’s Bookbinder, which packs in a ton of flavour for a 3.7 percenter.  A couple of other gems are Townshend Bandsman and Three Boys Best Bitter – both great examples of sessionable English bitter.

For hop-heads, however, the problem with a low-alcohol beer is that dialling back the relaxing stuff (alcohol) means dialling back the hop levels, otherwise you end up with a beer out of whack… or do you?

I reckon there is one beer out there that does the job in this department – Croucher Low Rider.  I had this at the GABS festival in Melbourne and before I realised it was only a 2.7 percent beer I thought it smelt amazing but a little thin on the body.  Once I realised it was 2.7 percent beer I was stunned.  How they packed so much flavour, with Australian and American hops, is a real skill.”

At the risk of putting my reputation as a hard drinking story breaking hop head at risk, I’m seriously contemplating attending this mid-strength beer event.  Next thing you know, I will stop eating meat.

That said, if you want to try beers that would not know the definition of moderation even if they slapped you in the face with a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus, then the new and expanded range of Rogue beers at Malthouse may be just the ticket.  Founded in 1988 and committed to fomenting a “small revolution in beer”, this craft brewery in Oregon has always delighted in pushing the boundaries of beer.  Now Malthouse offers a wide range of Rogue 650ml bottles and their XS (Extra Strong) beers in the bigger 750ml bottles. [4]

This is a snapshot of the Rogue range currently available at Malthouse. [5] Rogue Mocha Porter is a ruby brown ale showcasing a cornucopia of dark speciality malts. Rogue Chipotle Ale uses roasted chipotle peppers to add a late but obvious heat to a fine golden ale.   There are also hints of smoke and BBQ.  The beer of the Rogue Nation is the Rogue Brutal IPA.  It is huge and hoppy – unsurprisingly my current favourite.

Next up is the Rogue Dry Hopped St Rogue Dry Red.  This copper coloured beer has a mix of crystal malts and three US hops.  The combination of American ingredients manages to produce a beer which is has notes of hops and spruce.  Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar uses hazelnut extract to produce a nutty smooth dark ale.  In contrast, the Rogue Chocolate Stout uses oatmeal and chocolate to produce a bitter sweet brew with plenty of body. 

Their flagship brew is Rouge Dead Guy Ale.  Nominally a Maibock, it showcases the proprietary Pacman yeast in a beer which is full of malt biscuit, a hint of fruit and a balanced bitterness.  After the dead guy, things kick it up a notch, [6] Buying the Rogue XS Dead Guy in a painted ceramic bottle produces a strong ale with notes of orange, tea, peanut butter, caramel, grilled grapefruit, apricot and spice. 

The last beer is Rogue XS Imperial IPA which, when I taste it, will likely be my first choice.  It is “radically hopped” with an intense aroma and hop bitterness from four US hops.  Sounds like my kind of beer. 
 
Finally, providing incontrovertible proof that Colin secretly does not like me, for a full week in December (7th December -14th December to be precise) Malthouse becomes Ciderhouse with a heap of new ciders on tap and in the fridges, a new corporate logo and new way of answering the phone.  I am contractually obliged to say “hooray”.  Hooray.

Next time we drink to The Ashes – the most glorious way to lose up to 25 days over summer.  A special toast to the late Tony Greig – we miss your laconic commentary and innate ability to rark up the great Bill Lawry. [7]

[1] It should be noted that this blog was also nominated for Beer Writer of the Year – albeit it by me… and I would have voted for Michael.

[2] New media 1 – Old media 0.  However, I will concede the readership of the Sunday Star Times is (for the moment at least) slightly higher than the Malthouse Blog.

[3] If I can critique (Sir) Michael Donaldson, I felt he misunderestimated the pie angle in his article.  I like pies.

[4] It is an interesting tactic to put the even stronger beers in the even bigger bottles.

[5] Most Rogue beers use a yeast called Pacman –so called because it is voraciously hungry.  I simply had to share – wakka wakka wakka.

[6] I’ve already sent Chef Emeril a royalty check.  This is unrelated to the lovely letter from his legal attorneys.
 
[7] Bill is a Victorian, a legend and a pigeon fancier.

Cheers

Beer Writer
Beer and Brewer Magazine
Cuisine Magazine

Links

Michael Donaldson – http://www.hapidays.net/
Rogue Brewing – http://rogue.com/
Malthouse Session Beer Session Facebook event – https://www.facebook.com/events/448310318606706/?fref=ts
Malthouse Facebook – www.facebook.com/pages/Malthouse/7084276173
Malthouse Twitter – www.twitter.com/#!/malthouse
Malthouse Taps on Twitter – www.twitter.com/#!/MalthouseTaps
Neil Miller on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/#!/beerlytweeting
Beer and Brewer Magazine – www.beerandbrewer.com/