Best Beers & Cider In Australia
What a beautiful beer. Complex malt notes of sweet plumb, stewed rhuburb, brown sugar and candied orange peel are all in balance. Really clean lactic sourness, lovely wine-like characters. A stunning Australian take on Belgian red ale.
01. Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery - Vibes on Toast - bière de garde / barrel fermented
State: Victoria Category: BeerPresents beautifully in the glass with great head retention and viscosity. Very rich flavours, while still being really drinkable with dark chocolate malt characters, mild toast and smokiness. The levels of umami, savoury and spice keep you returning for more.
02. Brick Lane Brewing Co - Smoking Gun
State: Victoria Category: BeerGold and clear. Light, new world hop aroma with bright melon and citrus. Fresh and fragrant fruit notes on the body with a balancing bitterness and crsip finish. Delicious.
03. Mismatch Brewing Co - Lager
State: South Australia Category: BeerAn aboslutely stunning beer with a fresh and gorgeous red fruit appearance. Bright red berry aroma, really alluring funk characters, complex and drinkable. Nice creamy finish, with a soft, rounded sourness. Vibrant, assertive and drinkable.
04. Molly Rose Brewing - Little Berries / Shiraz Farmhouse Ale
State: Victoria Category: BeerPours with a beautiful red colour. On the nose, there's a lovely and complex hop combination of strawberries, vanilla and Turkish delight. The palate follows a really nice linear path from malt sweetness, to hop aromatics and bitterness. To taste, the malt flavours lead with rich caramel, toffee, sutble dark fruits, with hop notes of pine, citrus and further fruits. It's a big complex beer that is really nicely balanced.
05. Fox Hat Brewing - Red Pelt / India Red Ale
State: South Australia Category: BeerBursts with tropical fruit juice aroma. There's lovely guava, passionfruit and lemon here with nice sweetness and mouthfeel and great tartness to balance things out. An intensely smashable beer.
06. Bridge Road Brewers - Passionfruit and Guava Sour
State: Victoria Category: BeerPresents with a deep orange and clear hue. Has a lovely smooth mouthfeel, presents with delicate apple pie spiced notes and gentle touches of toffee. Has a great body with a dry finish for great gripping texture.
07. Plenty Cider - Cornucopia
State: Tasmania Category: CiderStunning and vibrant pour. Straight out aromas of toasted coconut, maple and cinnamon. Flavours of rich dark choclate with cinnamon donut notes. A big beer that is super smooth.
08. Brick Lane Brewing Co - Asylum
State: Victoria Category: BeerThis hazy presents really nicely with a light yellow glow and lovely aromas of fresh fruit, pineapple and orange. Texturally, it's really smooth, sessionable and full flavoured with vibrant hop notes of tropical fruits, citrus and an appealing spiciness towards the end. A crushable, tasty beer with a lot of flavours that keep in check.
09. Little Pete Brewing - HAZY
State: South Australia Category: BeerPresents well with light golden haze. Good intense hop aroma that shows big tropical fruits and nectarine. Continues in the flavour with a really nice, smooth mouthfeel and harmonious carbonation to balance the malt body. Overall, it makes for a really crushable, delicious beer.
10. Mismatch Brewing Co - Session Ale
State: South Australia Category: Beer
Category Winners
Crispy Ale
- 01.
Mismatch Brewing Co - Session Ale
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Presents well with light golden haze. Good intense hop aroma that shows big tropical fruits and nectarine. Continues in the flavour with a really nice, smooth mouthfeel and harmonious carbonation to balance the malt body. Overall, it makes for a really crushable, delicious beer. - 02.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - One LoVe
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Presents with a nice delicate, and potentially old hop, aroma of floral, citrus notes. Nice and clean malt balance with flavours of dry crackers. Sessionable, easy drinking. - 03.
Vale Brewing - Vale Ale
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Somewhat orange and hazy appearance. Grain-forward palate with malt sweetness that complements the light hop notes of perfume and general fruitiness with accompanying bitterness at the end. Everything nicely in balance. Would love to enjoy a pint of this a pub. - 04.
Felons Brewing Co. - Australian Pale Ale
State: QueenslandTASTING NOTES:
Nice colour and decent head. Low to medium hop aroma of stone fruit with lighter tropical notes; behind that is a biscuity malt base. Light intensity, clean and fresh, and finishes with a balancing bitterness. - 05.
Young Henrys - Hazy Pale Ale
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Dank, piney, and really old school hop intensity. Light on the palate and lower intensity but still fresh, hoppy and solidly drinkable. - 06.
Slipstream Brewing Co - Laguna Tropical Pale Ale
State: QueenslandTASTING NOTES:
Nice head retention, looks great in the glass. Quite big notes of bubblegum, tropical fruits and further new world hop notes. A nice sessionable hazy beer. - 07.
Jetty Road Brewery Refreshing Ale - Refreshing Ale
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Lower intensity aroma, a more than decent medium intensity beer that doesn't contain anything that makes it stand out from the crowd but it's a beer you'd return to multiple times. - 08.
Jetty Road Brewery Pale Ale - Pale Ale
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Tinned tropical fruit or passionfruit nector aroma. Low hop intensity, with an overally light body but still quite sessionable.
Crispy Lager
- 01.
Mismatch Brewing Co - Lager
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Gold and clear. Light, new world hop aroma with bright melon and citrus. Fresh and fragrant fruit notes on the body with a balancing bitterness and crsip finish. Delicious. - 02.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Draught
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Slight haze and beautiful golden appearance. Really nice spiced, floral and balanced hop aromas. The entire malt profile nicely complements the hops with dry crackers, graininess, sweetness and bitterness all in harmony. Very moreish. You will go back for more. - 03.
Slipstream Brewing Co - Regatta Lager
State: QueenslandTASTING NOTES:
Pours with a golden hue; nice mix of grassy, stone fruit, spiced and grapefruit hop flavours. Great combination. Clean with a touch of malt on the flavour. Very well balanced and presented. - 04.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Backyarder
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
A great aroma ensures this beer starts well with a light spice and floral hop notes and bit of citrus peel. Incredibly inviting. - 05.
89 South Brewing - Old School Dry
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Bright, nice appearance – looks like a beauitful lager. Subtle citrus and fresh blossoms on the aroma. Really nice, dry cracker malt body, all softly done and finishes crisp and dry. - 06.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Hifi Dry
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Golden beer with a clear body. Great structure and a refreshing beer that is quite gentle in terms of flavour intensity, while still presenting clean and fresh.
Dark and/or Malt Driven
- 01.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Smoking Gun
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Presents beautifully in the glass with great head retention and viscosity. Very rich flavours, while still being really drinkable with dark chocolate malt characters, mild toast and smokiness. The levels of umami, savoury and spice keep you returning for more. - 02.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Asylum
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Stunning and vibrant pour. Straight out aromas of toasted coconut, maple and cinnamon. Flavours of rich dark choclate with cinnamon donut notes. A big beer that is super smooth. - 03.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Hush Little Baby
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Great appearance, with excellent head retention and clear viscosity. Like a Bounty Bar in a glass with lots of richness and balanced chocolate. Slight alcohol warmth only adds to the balance by keeping that sweetness in check. So well integrated and rounded - a great example of how a big, full on and sweet beer can still be balanced. - 04.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Offering
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Looks great in the glass with a clear thickness; aromas of rum and raisin. Sweetness upfront doesn't cloy. Classic dark chocolate flavours and has an appealing boozey warmth. - 05.
Bridge Road Brewers - Celtic Red Alw
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Beautiful amber colour. Really inviting nose of cacao, golden treacle and Anzac biscuit nuttiness. Mild flavours compared to the nose but overall very easy drinking, clean and fresh. - 06.
Five Aces Brewing Co - RIPA
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Nice, red hue. Freshly baked crusty bread aromas are really appealing as are the toasted bread, nuts, cacao and malt biscuit flavours. Balanced and easy drinking beer, with a decent bitterness and mineral dry finish. Sessionable. - 07.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Revolver Vanilla
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Ruby aroma with rich caramel chocolate notes that really pull you in. That aroma is almost deceiving in its sweetness because there is a real dryness to the palate that aids the drinkability.
Sour/Farmhouse/Wild Ferment
- 01.
Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery - Vibes on Toast - bière de garde / barrel fermented
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
What a beautiful beer. Complex malt notes of sweet plumb, stewed rhuburb, brown sugar and candied orange peel are all in balance. Really clean lactic sourness, lovely wine-like characters. A stunning Australian take on Belgian red ale. - 02.
Molly Rose Brewing - Little Berries / Shiraz Farmhouse Ale
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
An aboslutely stunning beer with a fresh and gorgeous red fruit appearance. Bright red berry aroma, really alluring funk characters, complex and drinkable. Nice creamy finish, with a soft, rounded sourness. Vibrant, assertive and drinkable. - 03.
Bridge Road Brewers - Passionfruit and Guava Sour
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Bursts with tropical fruit juice aroma. There's lovely guava, passionfruit and lemon here with nice sweetness and mouthfeel and great tartness to balance things out. An intensely smashable beer. - 04.
Loophole Brewing - The Astral Project ‘Rinsed’ Pinot Gris Farmhouse Sour
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Beatiful golden colour, not too much to the nose with a bit of stewed fruit. But flavourswise, there's a decent sherbety lemon and a nice combination of sweet and sour lemon which make it quite refreshing overall. - 05.
Mismatch Brewing Co - Strawberry Sour
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Beautiful golden colour. Fascinating aroma of pine lime, with further stone fruit and a delicate sour taste. - 06.
La Sirene - Worker Bee
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Aromas of lemon zest, citrus peel, coriander with a touch of warmth on the nose. Flavourwise, there's a fair bit of lemon, integrated sourness and great carbonation.
Hop Driven - Any Colour (XPA, IPA)
- 01.
Fox Hat Brewing - Red Pelt / India Red Ale
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Pours with a beautiful red colour. On the nose, there's a lovely and complex hop combination of strawberries, vanilla and Turkish delight. The palate follows a really nice linear path from malt sweetness, to hop aromatics and bitterness. To taste, the malt flavours lead with rich caramel, toffee, sutble dark fruits, with hop notes of pine, citrus and further fruits. It's a big complex beer that is really nicely balanced. - 02.
Little Pete Brewing - HAZY
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
This hazy presents really nicely with a light yellow glow and lovely aromas of fresh fruit, pineapple and orange. Texturally, it's really smooth, sessionable and full flavoured with vibrant hop notes of tropical fruits, citrus and an appealing spiciness towards the end. A crushable, tasty beer with a lot of flavours that keep in check. - 03.
Philter Brewing - Hazy Pale
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Looks great in the glass, with excellent head retention, touches of mango and nectarine on the nose. Further flavours of stonefruit with some malt sweetness and quite a bit of bitterness on the end of the palate. - 04.
Brick Lane Brewing Co - Avalanche
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Great presentation with a light golden haze and bursting with intense hop aromas of citrus, spring onion and fresh grass. Those flavours follow through on the palate, while there's a sweet and soft body, some bitterness and for a beer with some quite intense flavours, it shows a lot of restraint. - 05.
Infinite 8 - IIPA
State: VictoriaTASTING NOTES:
Lovely golden, clear apparance. A soft, grassy hop aroma with some mellow fruit in the background. Has a soft structure that makes it easy drinking with notes of melon and mango. Quite a well balanced, easy drinking beer. - 06.
Uraidla Brewery - Pale - Enchanted Delirium
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Pale, hazy apperance with a very bright mix of aromas including ripe melon, gooseberry and nectarine. There's an overall vibrancy with a balanced, lush body that's creamy without being too sweet. Those tropical fruit salad hop flavours are balanced by quite a dry finish. - 07.
Bright Tank - Chalkface Killah
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Great lemongrass, coconut, coriander and spiciness in the aroma that's quite appealing and carries through to the flavour. This is a beer with great, silky mouthfeel. - 08.
White Bay Beer Company - Sunny Hazy Pale Ale
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Light, golden apperance, with aromas of lemongrass, melon, grapefruit and some spice. Those flavours carry through on the palate with medium intensity and a light grain backbone to make for a sessionable beer. - 09.
Bright Tank - Bleu Phoria NEIPA
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
There are aromas of candied pineapple, lime and mint and a palate that's a little dry in contrast to the nose. - 10.
Nowhereman Brewing Co - Rhapsody XPA
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Nice and light golden colour, with light melon and mango on the aroma. The hop flavours carry through on the palate with a low to medium intensity and overall it's a really balanced, delicate, hop-driven beer.
Cider - New World, Traditional, Wild Fermented, Apple, Other Fruit Flavourings
- 01.
Plenty Cider - Cornucopia
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
Presents with a deep orange and clear hue. Has a lovely smooth mouthfeel, presents with delicate apple pie spiced notes and gentle touches of toffee. Has a great body with a dry finish for great gripping texture. - 02.
Plenty Cider - Apple & Quince
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
Pours with a nice pink hue. Has an interesting spicey and spirit-like nose, with further flavours of apple pie and rose-like notes. It's quite a textural cider and finishes with an appealing dryness. - 03.
Plenty Cider - Original
State: TasmaniaTASTING NOTES:
Looks great in the glass and has really nice flavours of clean, fresh apple and pear and lovely yeasty doughiness reminiscient of apple cake. Well balanced with a nice sweetness, lower carbonation and clean finish. - 04.
Felons Brewing Co. - Sonny Cider
State: QueenslandTASTING NOTES:
There is a nice depth of apple flavour but there's quite a confectionary sweetness. Has a clean acidity, restrained sweetness and good depth of apple skin and core notes. - 05.
Monkey Rock Cider - Blueberry lemonade
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Has a beautiful salmon pink hue. Aromas of red fruits and some confectionary apple, and green apple flavours. Nice balance between sweetness and bright acidity. - 06.
Young Henrys - Cloudy Cider
State: New South WalesTASTING NOTES:
Cloudy apple appearance with lovely golden delicious flavours, a bit more intensity would make this a contender. - 07.
Rusty Bike - Blood Orange Cider
State: South AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Has a very inviting, ginger-like, spiced and fresh orange peel aroma. For the acid lovers. - 08.
Monkey Rock Cider - Hard Ass Apple Cider
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
Pours with a slightly cloudy apperance and has an estery aroma. Some vibrancy to the apple flavours would make this sing. - 09.
Monkey Rock Cider - Raspberry Roulette
State: Western AustraliaTASTING NOTES:
A beauitful, pale pink to red and shining, clear cider. The aroma has some notes of red berries and confectionery.