# Introducing Australias First Limited Edition Luxury Lager A Royal S



## kirem (1/5/08)

http://www.firstpress.com.au/wine-news/win...?ArticleNo=2367 h34r:


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## warrenlw63 (1/5/08)

:lol: Hate to go all cynical but where's the sugar? WTF are "Galaxy" hops?

_Like its namesake, Crown Ambassador Reserve uses the finest ingredients, including the best malted barley, Crown Lager yeast strain, Pride of Ringwood hops and the addition of fresh Galaxy hops added green to the kettle this is unique compared to most beers, which often use dried varieties. These ingredients produce unmistakable rich characters, which make it the perfect accompaniment to flavour-intense dishes such as prime meats, or alternatively it can be enjoyed alongside decadent desserts or strong flavoured cheeses._

Warren -


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## warrenlw63 (1/5/08)

Ouch!! <_< 

_RRP range is $50.00-$60.00 _

Warren -


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (1/5/08)

Ummmm.......no comment <_< !

Warren, they may have their malt and hops mixed up?

C&B
TDA


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## lagers44 (1/5/08)

If it's like it's little brother ( Crown Lager ) then no thanks ! I'll just drink my basic run-o-the-mill back yard lager.

It's better.


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## kirem (1/5/08)

Come on TB fess up....tell us how you make this one


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## barry2 (1/5/08)

"With only 5,000 bottles produced in 2008, Crown Ambassador Reserve is perfect for celebrating a very special occasion, be it a celebration, a fine meal or for sharing with like-minded beer appreciators. The lager is exquisitely packaged in a 750ml champagne-style bottle, individually numbered and nestled in a beautifully presented box. Each bears the signature of Master Brewer - John Cozens - who meticulously oversees the entire brewing process. Unlike other beers, Crown Ambassador Reserve is a limited vintage release, which makes it a unique gift idea or long-term investment."

It drips like honey doesn't it.The first beer in the luxury class and with a rrp of $50-60 a bottle and a ABV of 9.2% .

I can brew a lot of homebrew for that cost.


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## warrenlw63 (1/5/08)

Can see loads of it winding up on Ebay.  

Warren -


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (1/5/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> Can see loads of it winding up on Ebay.
> 
> Warren -



Still wouldn't be as good as that all malt lager that was advertised on Ebay a few years ago :lol: . The name escapes me at this moment.

How the hell do they know it will last ten years in the bottle when cellared properly? Do you think they trialled this beer in 1998 and just pulled one out and it was drinking so well they decided to do a commercial batch?

C&B
TDA


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## mfdes (1/5/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> :lol: Hate to go all cynical but where's the sugar? WTF are "Galaxy" hops?
> 
> Warren -



Warren,

Galaxy are probably the best of the aroma hop varieties developed by Gray Leggett for Hop Products Australia (the old Australian Hop Marketers). They are mostly grown in Tassie but a few (obviously) also in Vic. 
The reason you don't see any of the current crop of modern Australian varieties, such as this one, in the market, is that it is simply not worthwile for HPA to sell them to us, when they can sell to breweries. 
After that there's none left for us.
Farm price this year was $1100 per kilo of alpha, so Galaxy at 10% would be $110 per kilo, AT THE FARM. By the time it got to us, you'd be looking at a lot more.

MFS.


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## Screwtop (1/5/08)

Galaxy is an Australian hop variety. Can see the head up arse Crown brigade going all weak at the knees over this stuff. And oh so collectable, well as it's a limited release, it would be for the bottle and label :lol:


List of hop varieties by country of origin

Australia
Galaxy 
Meteor 
Nova 
Opal 
Pride of Ringwood 
Super Pride 
Tasmanian Hallertau 
Tasmanian Saaz 
Tettnanger (originally German or English) 
Topaz 
Victoria


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## Dave86 (1/5/08)

I'm pretty sure the cascade first harvest a couple of years back had galaxy, nova and and another hop that escapes me now. I remember looking at the bottle and going WTF!  Come to think of it I'm pretty sure the other variety was called ember.. Anyone able to clarify that?

Edit: found something, linky scroll down to june 03, 2006


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## Dave86 (1/5/08)

wally said:


> If I was contemplating spending that much for one bottle of beer, I'm sure I would pay a bit more and get a bottle of Deus.
> 
> Wally



I think you could get your bottle of deus and have enough left over for a couple of coopers tallies (at $60)


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## Millet Man (1/5/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> Ouch!! <_<
> 
> _RRP range is $50.00-$60.00 _
> 
> Warren -


Makes a $15 bottle of La Chouffe look like a bargain :huh:


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## Fatgodzilla (1/5/08)

barry3 said:


> "The first beer in the luxury class and with a rrp of $50-60 a bottle and a ABV of 9.2% .




Like Penfolds Grange Hermitage, it will be bought and drunk (cellared ??) by those who can afford it. 

$60 for a longneck .....nah ! But I'm sure the 5000 bottle run will sell well (all those corporate types will buy it cos they can .. and cos someone else will pay for it.)

I wonder if it comes in a screwtop bottle ?


Rather give you $60 Barry and get you to make me a batch ! (ignoring of course all those nasty legal implications :lol: )


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## warrenlw63 (1/5/08)

THE DRUNK ARAB said:


> Still wouldn't be as good as that all malt lager that was advertised on Ebay a few years ago :lol: . The name escapes me at this moment.




Time to refresh yer memory old boy.  

(yep still got the glass... gunna be rich one day) :lol: 

Warren -


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## Beer Guy (1/5/08)

Come on lads give it a chance. Granted it is most likely to dissapoint but we are starting to become beer snobs. To the uneducated this could be a catlyst for them to try new and more esoteric beers. Remember beer in all it's glories and miseries is our cause. Divided we fall united we stand etc.... 

A mans choice is beer is like his taste for ladies each to there own.

If we encourage the industrial brewers to produce more of these beers they introduce a new way of thinking to a broader consumer base that in turn makes it easier for the craft beer producer and retailer to steer the consumer into a product like a Deus or Thom. Hardy Ale


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## peas_and_corn (1/5/08)

" Limited Edition Luxury Lager"??? I thought someone was taking the piss when I saw the thread title!


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## mika (1/5/08)

Beer Guy said:


> Come on lads give it a chance. Granted it is most likely to dissapoint but we are starting to become beer snobs. To the uneducated this could be a catlyst for them to try new and more esoteric beers.



Probably we are, but at $60 a bottle I don't think it's going to bring droves of consumers to the craftbeer market. If they'd done something truly esoteric like a dark lager and sold it for $20/bottle I could get more enthused about it.


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## peas_and_corn (1/5/08)

A majority will be bought by collectors and never drunk...


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## Maple (1/5/08)

sounds to me like they are just breing an extra batch of Crown lager, letting it boil for a bit longer, and harvest hopping it at the end. how would that constiture a price increase of 5 to 8 times? Nice business case though...


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## beersom (1/5/08)

I'll buy a bottle to try it for sure...... only way to tell if it is any good.


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## peas_and_corn (1/5/08)

We'll be expecting a review!


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## winkle (1/5/08)

beersom said:


> I'll buy a bottle to try it for sure...... only way to tell if it is any good.



Bring it over to my place, I'll shout a few IPA palate cleaners afterward. 

Edit : spelling


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## Beer Guy (1/5/08)

House wine at $6 per 150ml in a resteraunt nice wine at $15 per 150ml not many people bat an eylid. Will it live up to it's promise don't know and if history is any judge then probably not, however the more the industrial brewer's spend their money trying to do this the easier it gets for good beer retailers and producers to get the beer message across.

if it wasn't for Matilda Bay and james Squire spending millions getting the message out most people would still be drinking VB and New.


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## lagers44 (1/5/08)

peas_and_corn said:


> " Limited Edition Luxury Lager"??? I thought someone was taking the piss when I saw the thread title!



They were Peas , all Ag's make "Limited Edition Luxury Lager" as each batch we make is slightly different from the last.

Lagers


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## Cummins (1/5/08)

And that is $50-60 in bar or restaurant. They may only release it there, but if it was to go to bottleshops you would expect it to be quite a lot less.


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## Black Dog Brewery (1/5/08)

Beer Guy said:


> A mans choice is beer is like his taste for ladies each to there own.




Very true but if shes an ugly old cow you should expect people to comment !!! 

Cheers BDB


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## Tseay (1/5/08)

Of course the big question is, do you invest $550 ino 10 bottles of Luxury limited edition etc etc or $550 in one bottle of the 2003 Grange which is being released today ? In ten years time the Grange might have doubled in value and the beer ? On the other hand once you've opened the bottle of Grange its gone, but with the beer youv'e got another 9 to go.


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## Jim_Levet (1/5/08)

warrenlw63 said:


> _ the addition of fresh Galaxy hops added green to the kettle this is unique compared to most beers, which often use dried varieties. ._
> 
> Warren -



We seem to have a revolution on our hands! The mega swill makers are going au natural adding hops that are as fresh as can be! This type of thing will only raise the awareness of craft brewing.
At the same time it is unfortunate to see home brewers who have the opportunity to use whatever ingredients they like, opting for over-processed products like pellets & the worst of the worst........hop oils  

ce la vie
James


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## Screwtop (1/5/08)

Jim_Levet said:


> The mega swill makers are going au natural adding hops that are as fresh as can be!




If you believe this you believe in the tooth fairy :lol:

Don't think someone who's paid $60 for a bottle of beer is going to believe a $4 - $8 bottle of craftbeer is in some way as good?



beersom said:


> I'll buy a bottle to try it for sure...... only way to tell if it is any good.



Eeeeeeeeeeyunnnn, what are you thinking man? :lol:


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## beersom (1/5/08)

Screwtop said:


> If you believe this you believe in the tooth fairy :lol:
> 
> Don't think someone who's paid $60 for a bottle of beer is going to believe a $4 - $8 bottle of craftbeer is in some way as good?
> 
> ...




What am I thinking ? ... I am thinking that there is a chance that this might be a good beer and the only way I will know is to try some!
By the sounds of things this beer adds up to be a "bottle conditioned fresh hopped Doppelbock" - sounds f%^%in interesting to me.

....but I also accept that it might be crap .... and if so, having tried it will give me some justification for refering to it in the same way as the other shite that has been released under the crown brand.

I will try to organise some for one of the 'Good Beer Lunches' soon


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## barfridge (1/5/08)

Sounds like the Johnny Walker Blue of the beer world to me. Average to decent product, with a fancy label and a gigantic price tag. If it's expensive, it's gotta be better, right?

Most of these will end up as corporate gifts


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## Beer Guy (1/5/08)

At the same time it is unfortunate to see home brewers who have the opportunity to use whatever ingredients they like, opting for over-processed products like pellets & the worst of the worst........hop oils  

James I am confused as to your understanding of pellets. They are ground and compressed hop cones. IKE's are processed agreed but pellets no. Unless you refer to the isomerised pellets but I have not seen them in general use.


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## mfdes (1/5/08)

Beer Guy said:


> if it wasn't for Matilda Bay and james Squire spending millions getting the message out most people would still be drinking VB and New.



Most people still ARE.

MFS.


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## brendanos (1/5/08)

My only beef is that they used the a lager yeast (and crown at that)! I got a good laugh out of it, but I think it can only be an eye opener for many lager drinkers out there. It's way out of my price range (until it's otherwise proven it's value) but bring it on, I say.


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## warrenlw63 (1/5/08)

mfdes said:


> a. Fresh hops are purely a marketing gimmick. They are in fact difficult to use and not get that 'cooked veggie' smell.



:blink: :blink: 

Warren -


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## Darren (1/5/08)

hehehe,

Laughing at myself. I stupidly thought that it was $60/carton.

$60/bottle it would want to be good (could a beer be that good??)


cheers

Darren


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## Beer Guy (1/5/08)

the lager yeast used by CUB is A strain which is an absolute ripper of a yeast. It is a derivitive of a Carlsburg yeast and is one that Charlie papazian uses to produce most of his beers Ale Lager and even if Zymurgy was read correctly to brew a dubbel with. What happens down stream with the beer is well .......


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## brendanos (1/5/08)

I retract my statement then! Well, the crown bit, I still wish it was an ale.

If anyone wants to know what green hops taste like in beer try the Cascade First Harvest. Personally I'd prefer they late hopped with dried hops.


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## Jim_Levet (1/5/08)

Beer Guy said:


> At the same time it is unfortunate to see home brewers who have the opportunity to use whatever ingredients they like, opting for over-processed products like pellets & the worst of the worst........hop oils
> 
> James I am confused as to your understanding of pellets. They are ground and compressed hop cones. IKE's are processed agreed but pellets no. Unless you refer to the isomerised pellets but I have not seen them in general use.




OK so theygrind & compress the hop cones, that seems like processing to me, maybe not over-processing, but still processed  

Just an opinion, I will buy the beer & drink it, not much more I can do after that. If I don't like it I will not buy it again.


James


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## Jim_Levet (1/5/08)

mfdes said:


> You really have no idea, do you?
> MFS



Well for once I am not in the minority! Have a look around this forum, we are all entitled to our opinions & for me fresh is best!
What I am really waiting for is words of wisdom from the great man himself, the man who is all things hops! 

James


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## Muggus (1/5/08)

wally said:


> Dave,
> 
> Where have you seen Deus at that price? I have only seen it at $65.
> 
> ...


Snagged a bottle for $50 the other day from a local Vintage Cellars store.


As for this overpriced, overhyped Crown thing, sounds like a load of bollocks to me.
Wouldn't such an over-the-top beer of such prestige be more worthy if it were an Ale rather than a Lager? 
Something about mentioning the "Crown Lager yeast strain" is enough to scare me.


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## Dave86 (1/5/08)

wally said:


> Dave,
> 
> Where have you seen Deus at that price? I have only seen it at $65.
> 
> ...



Sorry, only just saw this. One of the local bottlo's in orange, daquino's, has it for $50 a bottle, planning on grabbing one as soon as I can afford it. They're a independent one based here in orange, they do a lot of cleanskin port and such. Not really interested in that side of it, but they and IGA are the two decent beer stockists round here


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## InCider (1/5/08)

This beer and it's price (cost is another avenue we won't go down!) have got me going.

I'd like to remind us of a famous quote we have all heard while watching 'Skippy'.

An interchange between Sonny and Skippy:

*"You're ******* shitting me!"*


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## Screwtop (1/5/08)

InCider said:


> This beer and it's price (cost is another avenue we won't go down!) have got me going.
> 
> I'd like to remind us of a famous quote we have all heard while watching 'Skippy'.
> 
> ...




They had trouble with that Kangaroo from episode 1. Swore worse than Gorgon Ramsey, so they introduced a stand in Roo, the two roos were used from then on, the smutty mouthed one was never used in close ups in case the boom mic picked up some foul language, thats how come only a pair of stuffed paws was seen reaching into the pouch. '

Hoo Roo

Screwy


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## InCider (1/5/08)

wally said:


> That's strange.
> 
> I don't remember seeing that episode.



A real pouch potato would know this one.


:lol:


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## hughman666 (1/5/08)

sounds like an interesting beer.

good to see the first few comments prove true the theory that a lot of people on this forum think anything produced by a major label must be shit, before even tasting it.

way to go fellas.....


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## mfdes (1/5/08)

Jim_Levet said:


> Well for once I am not in the minority! Have a look around this forum, we are all entitled to our opinions & for me fresh is best!
> What I am really waiting for is words of wisdom from the great man himself, the man who is all things hops!
> 
> James



I'd like to apologise for the tone of my post to Jim. 
I was way out of line and there's no excuse. We're all entitled to expressing our views without being put down.
Sorry Jim. 

MFS.


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## brendanos (1/5/08)

Beer Guy said:


> It is a derivitive of a Carlsburg yeast



Upon reflection, aren't most lager yeasts? I do wonder how "australianised" it has become over the years...


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## Murray (1/5/08)

Sounds like a lot of wank to me. Don't care if it is CuB or Redoak, producing $60 beers is more about self-indulgence and marketing than anything else.


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## redgums500 (1/5/08)

Crumbs People !

Time to fire up the brew kettle, get on to Stuart in Tassie and get him to come up with a flash hop and then hire some marketing department types. Get the marketing dept to place ads ( sorry advertorials ) in magazines which our wine division can't afford (ie jumped in and made a balls up of ) and tell the consumers about the virtues of malt grown in Oz. Then hire some more gurus to come up with the idea that a BIG bottle will be the deal clincher for some 60 something yr old CEO (no offense mature aged brewers) in getting the blonde 20 something bimbo back to the executive suite. Pay for it all on the company's plastic card........

Sounds like they're on a winner to me

Wish I'd have taken more notice in Marketing 101

Redgums


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## mfdes (2/5/08)

I think from the company's perspective, putting out beers in the price range of their existing stock only result in competition with their own products. This leads to process inefficiencies, why'd you sell 100,000L of 6 different beers when you could be selling the same amount of 4 or 5 and save yourself the production line expenses, as well as marketing, etc...

In order for them not to compete with themselves they have to bring out something either way above or way below their existing market range. It seems like they chose way above. Most people buying beer will not know the slightest thing about it. Using the analogy of Grange Hermitage again: Would you go to the bottleshop and buy yourself a bottle of it? Personally, the only chance I'd ever buy Grange would be if I owed someone who liked wine a very expensive and flashy present.

Maybe it will carve itself a niche in the market, maybe not. You'll never know till you try.

Also reverting onto the Galaxy hops: If any of you have tried Cascade Green, there's a good example of how NOT to use a very nice hop... 

MFS.


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## quantocks (27/12/08)

I had this on Christmas morning with my brother. I must say it was hands down the best beer I've ever had. It was okay chilled, but as recommended drinking between 7-11 degrees is where it really shines. So good that I'm going to see if I can get another bottle to store away for a few years.


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