I was wandering around Dan Murphy’s on the weekend, trying to find a beer to drown my sorrows for the slow demise of One Day Cricket, while making it something that grabbed my interest. As I wandered around and around, I was slowly becoming afraid that my tongue was never going to be excited by another beer again, wondering I could convince my doctor to surgically scrape off 37 years of taste-buds, when along came a beer that had my whole mouth springing back to life…gums, teeth and fillings included!
The source of my new found joy was the Barons Brewing Company’s Black Wattle Original Ale, the first offering of Barons that are flavoured with native Australian plants, in this case roasted wattle seed. I’ve often seen it in the fridge at the local bottle-o, I don’t really know why I haven’t grabbed it sooner. Perhaps it’s because I’m more interested in paying my mortgage and car repayments than forking out top dollars for a stubby.
The six-pack I got came in at $18.99 or $70odd a carton, a little above my $50 limit for a carton. But after the fist sip, I was hooked, and I thought a little research was in order. And not just the drinking kind of research this time.
Black Wattle Original Ale has won a list of awards that most breweries would kill for: 2006 AIBA – Best in Class Trophy: (No. 31 Specialty); 2007 AIBA Silver – Herb and Spice Draught Beer; 2007 Bronze – Sydney Royal Easter Show Beer Competition, Amber and Dark ales; 2007 Bronze – Perth Royal Easter show Beer Competition, Ale Packaged (Highest medal awarded in Class); ultimately culminating in the “Best Beer in Show” at the JD Weatherspoon challenge in the UK in 2008, beating out all comers and more importantly beating the poms on their own soil (better than our cricketers seem to be able to do atm)
It pours as a rich ruby-amber colour with a fluffy creamy head, which stayed there for a good while. In the glass it gave off very subtle floral aromas, with hints of nuts and toffee. The result is a complex aroma but very rich and appealing.
On the tongue the flavour is a nice thick with roasted nuts and coffee whilst lifting the chocolate and caramel flavours from the malt to the foreground and a light hoppy aftertaste. I can’t say that I could pick out the Wattle seed taste (as you can, for example, with the Wattle desserts at Ochre) but this complex beer is stunning! Simply put this remarkable beer is very distinct and very much original.
A beer without doubt that is worth looking for…..now I just need to sell a kidney to be able to afford to keep drinking it.
4 out of 5