# steamrail



## pmunny

Was just at liqourland and it looks like coles has started brewing or more like it getting someone else to brew steamrail amber golden and something else i cant recall. The only thing that gave it away was the address on the bottle which is their head office. Does anyone know who is producing it for them? Bought a sixer of the golden currently chilling so will see how it goes...


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## QldKev

pmunny said:


> Was just at liqourland and it looks like coles has started brewing or more like it getting someone else to brew steamrail amber golden and something else i cant recall. The only thing that gave it away was the address on the bottle which is their head office. Does anyone know who is producing it for them? Bought a sixer of the golden currently chilling so will see how it goes...


Not sure who brews it, but I got a 6 pack of the pale ale. Whilst it wasn't completely crap, I wont be buying it again. My money would be one of the big boys brewing it. The package branding and style both remind me of a Coopers Pale Ale, but not as good. Hopefully the golden is better.


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## DU99

there tasman beer was made by boag's..


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## piraterum

I've tried each of the Pale, Golden and Amber Ale.

The pale ale was drinkable with a slight tropical hop flavor, but I wouldn't buy it again. The Golden and Amber are as bland as they come. They both taste like a first attempt at a kit and kilo.


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## [email protected]

Just enjoying a Steam Rail Amber with a mate, finding it an easy drink, actually a nice drink on a summer evening in Perth...not the usual pick for a summer drink but it's refreshingly light/drinkable, usually find ambers and pales to be too heavy in the summer months. Can't comment on the "big boys" making it, makes a reference on the label to an "english settler on the north coast of WA" but it's made in Vic????


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## DU99

Hope it's lot better than sail & anchor golden ale


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## MattC

Hmmm isn't there another Australian brewery that specifically brew a pale, amber and golden ale and also have a little story of an Australian in the settler times and how they were one of the first (the first) to brew beer in Australia? Yeah..... the Malt Shovel Brewery (James Squire Brewery). This is direct attempt to compete with Malt Shovel Brewery beers other craft brewers with a very bland, low body and insipid mix. I agree with an above post in that it tastes like their first K & K with a few extra hops (not many). NOTE: I only tried the Pale Ale.

Save your $$$$

My Thoughts only


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## Batz

I bought a six pack yesterday to share with my son, I thought it was _OK_. Nice to see beers like this appearing in the mega bottle shops though, it's getting the Aussie swill drinkers to try something different.

Batz


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## Liam_snorkel

bahaha

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2013/01/steamrail-proving-coles-are-completely-lacking-in-original-thought-and-dont-even-have-the-decency-to-be-embarrassed-about-it/


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## mikec

Liam_snorkel said:


> bahaha
> 
> http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2013/01/steamrail-proving-coles-are-completely-lacking-in-original-thought-and-dont-even-have-the-decency-to-be-embarrassed-about-it/


Very informative, thanks Matt.

(where's that sarcasm style button?)


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## Liam_snorkel

did he really need to write any more than he did, though?


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## mikec

Liam_snorkel said:


> did he really need to write any more than he did, though?


Well, yes.
He could explain what he means by how "mind-blowingly cynical the marketing of these beers is", or why "Coles are completely lacking in original thought", or, dog forbid, he could actually review the beer.

That article is nothing more than a teenage girl's whiny facebook post.


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## jayahhdee

I'm sure Matt has more on the way but I can't blame him for wanting to reduce the amount of free advertising he gives them.


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## Liam_snorkel

mikec said:


> Well, yes.
> He could explain what he means by how "mind-blowingly cynical the marketing of these beers is", or why "Coles are completely lacking in original thought",


I don't think it requires much explanation for anyone with more than a passing interest in craft beer. Look at the promotional picture attached to the article.


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## stux

Lets see





vs




I hate aldi for the same reason.


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## Innes

Does anyone know who is brewing this for Coles?


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## kevo

MattC said:


> Hmmm isn't there another Australian brewery that specifically brew a pale, amber and golden ale and also have a little story of an Australian in the settler times and how they were one of the first (the first) to brew beer in Australia? Yeah..... the Malt Shovel Brewery (James Squire Brewery). This is direct attempt to compete with Malt Shovel Brewery beers other craft brewers with a very bland, low body and insipid mix. I agree with an above post in that it tastes like their first K & K with a few extra hops (not many). NOTE: I only tried the Pale Ale.
> 
> Save your $$$$
> 
> My Thoughts only


... and isn't James Squire a reasonable rip off of the Sam Adams approach?

Brewer & patriot vs brewer & convict.


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## Kirko

mikec said:


> That article is nothing more than a teenage girl's whiny facebook post.


I'll wear that..the article was originally more than 800 words long pointing out that unlike Coles' other homebrand products which have the fact that they are made for Coles, this cynically doesn't mention Coles anywhere. Despite exchanging emails with them and their PR flacks I could get no more information out of them about where it was brewed or what their plans were. In beer and wine provenance matters and one of the things driving the growth of craft beer is that people like that it is made by smaller independent producers. Coles has gone out of its way to hide the fact that they make it. I couldn't care that Coles is in the 'craft' market, but I do care that, having invested nothing in the growth, education and development of the current beer renaissance, they wade in and seek to harvest the hard work and investment of others now and are so devious in the way they have gone about it. To me that's cynical and it will result in less shelf space for the brewers who are innovating and creating that interest.

Next time you are in Coles have a look at how many different brands of Cornflakes and Baked Beans etc there are...two. Coles and the leading brand and the Coles brand looks passably like the leading brand...is that what you want to see when you go to your local bottleshop in five years?

Anyway, as I said in the article, I could have written 1500 words expanding on that thesis, but I just depressed myself writing it. You got the executive summary, for free.


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## mikec

A fair response.
I guess similar things could be said for the multitude of "craft" breweries that are in fact now owned by the multi-nationals. Are they really craft breweries anymore?
They don't exactly go out of their way to advertise on the label who they are ultimately owned by (it's in the small print sometimes I accept).

Us beer snobs love to bag out the megaswill beers, and everything they stand for, so I get where you were coming from when you "just depressed yourself writing it".
But reading the article, I was hoping to learn more about the beer than just how it made you feel. [insert winking smiley]

So, assuming it is the beer that we assume it is, made at the brewery that we assume it's made at, is it the same as the original, or merely a shadow of it?


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## NewtownClown

Australia needs a legal definition for Craft Beer and Craft Breweries and a singular representative body. The debate over definition and industry group representation has been going on for years....


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## NewtownClown

Craft Beer represents 1% of the total beer market and beer is only about 4% of liquor sales in Australia, so it is easy (and probably correct) to be cynical when Coles, who control 25% of liquor sales in Australia wade in with their own product. 

Imagine how hard it is going to be for a small(er) brewery to get shelf space in the stores owned by the duopoly who are stocking their own products at a cheap price. Look at how much shelf space is devoted to home brands in the Supermarkets lately and how other suppliers are being pushed out if they can't compete with those home brands ($1 per litre milk, anyone?).
Many will say that in these price wars the winner is the consumer, that's only true if you are not interested in having choice.


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## mosto

Ok, craft v faux craft aside, just thought I'd give my impression of the beer. A mate of mine, who often drinks my homebrew, bought one over for me on the weekend as he often does if he finds a beer that I haven't tried. He didn't say where he'd got it from and I did find it unusual that no brewery was apparent on the label. I had the Gold Digger Golden Ale, and quite liked it. To me, it tasted not unlike LCPA, but not quite that good. Certainly a beer I'd be happy to pay for. I've also tried the Golden Ale version of the Woolworths JS rip off, Sail & Anchor and thought it was horrible, so Coles are leading 1-0 in the faux craft battle between the two in my book .

I take the point of Coles wading into the Craft Beer market, and the consequences that may have. But for anyone just wanting an opinion of the beer, I think it's worth a try.


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## bum

NewtownClown said:


> Australia needs a legal definition for Craft Beer and Craft Breweries and a singular representative body





NewtownClown said:


> Craft Beer represents 1% of the total beer market and beer is only about 4% of liquor sales in Australia


Wait, what? Also why?


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## yum beer

Well Mosto says the Golden Ale is worth a try, I say hes kidding himself.
Just finished one, absolute rubbish, thin, watery, soapy and oily. Smelt like beer, looked like watered down beer, tasted like a beer i poured yesterday and forgot to drink.
Oh F... Me.
Ive still got the pale and the amber to get through.

IBU's and EBC listed on the labels, off top of head, Pale, 15IBU 10EBC, Golden 20IBU and Amber 25IBu, all a bit lacking in the bitterness stakes.
Manager at bottlo asked if Id heard anything about them yet, I said 'nothing good', then she pointed at the other new stuff they have in 'Byron Bay', only in cartons so will have to wait on that one. Did not look too close to get any more info on it. Apparently a premium ale according to the brewers site.


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## .DJ.

15 IBU? :huh:

the only beer I brew that has 15IBU is a wheat...


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## mosto

yum beer said:


> Well Mosto says the Golden Ale is worth a try, I say hes kidding himself.


That's the beauty of opinions yb, everyone's entitled to one


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## Dribs

Had a $50 Coles giftcard. Committed to a slab. Figured it would be a Coles job pretty quickly upon looking at it. Still, $15 cheaper than JS. Currently drinking the amber ale and, well, it's not horrible, but it is thin and watery. Should be $11 a six pack and have a marketing tag line: Slightly fancier than Hammer n Tongs.


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## yum beer

mosto said:


> That's the beauty of opinions yb, everyone's entitled to one


Aahh, only if it agrees with mine.... :lol:


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## yum beer

Local manager told me the $45 is an intro price and will be going up to $51 soon.
She was pretty keen to get my opinion and feedback.


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## Liam_snorkel

Tell her it's shit house and you want your money back.


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## Rowy

Bum has clearly smelt out the problem here. His succint yet intuitive reply added greatly to the topic. Once again Bum has demonstrated, with his input we can wipe any further discussion.


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## bum

I'll spell it out for the hard of thinking: NewtownClown suggests that there should be a legal definition (and legally recognised body to represent it (and possibly enforce the definition)) for something that, by his numbers, accounts for 0.04% of the Australian alcohol market. To be fair, I'm pretty sure those numbers aren't current but we're still talking about of poofteenth of nothing. It's a ridiculous proposition.

Rowy, thank you for pointing out, yet again, how your constant inabilty to actually understand my point is somehow due to some deficiency on my part.


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## Rowy

Bum your not a pro member so I can't engage in any further reparte'.....................then agin I'se not eeither!


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## Dan2

Tried a few Golden's last night at my bro inlaw's and enjoyed them. And a Pale too.
But tried the Amber tonight, and both the others again and they all tasted like watered down versions of ale.
Difference being - out the bottle last night, and in a glass tonight.
Maybe the vessel makes all the difference?
But seeing that I prefer real beer in a glass, I won't buy this beer again.

Could've also just been the excitement of trying something new? And the novelty's worn off tonight


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## jc64

I must be missing something, I brew the beer I like to drink. I buy the beer I like to drink. If the beer I like is not available I don't buy any. I don't care who brews it. 

Even now if you want to buy 'x' beer than chances are you are going to Purvis or the like, supply and demand. If people want, are happy with and are willing to pay for said beer than that is the end of the issue.

If Coles brew a shit beer, ok, tell me. If they manage to get a good beer down I'd like to know as well. If they are cashing in on the 'craft beer' revolution than it must mean craft beer is making inroads into mass production lagers. Which can only be a good thing, right?

I'm sure that I have everything wrong and stand ready to be corrected, I just like flavourful beer of varying style. Regardless of it's origin. :beerbang:


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## bum

You're not wrong, jc64. but this:


jc64 said:


> If they are cashing in on the 'craft beer' revolution than it must mean craft beer is making inroads into mass production lagers. Which can only be a good thing, right?


is a little short-sighted. If the craft market is growing and the average person is still being educated on how craft beer differs from the stuff they are used to drinking then it isn't great that someone (anyone) is coming in and building beers that don't actually differ too much from the beer people are used to drinking and then market it in a way that makes it look like no craft beers differ from each other either. People will think it isn't worth the bother if they aren't seeing signifcant reason to alter their habits.

It also doesn't help that beers like this and the Steam and Anchor range are the most visible to a very large segment of the potential market.


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## jc64

That's a good point, sometimes it's hard to realise people are satisfied with beers like VB, and have no idea about all the other styles available. Those beers may make people interested in searching for different beers though I would hope.


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## bum

Should be "Sail and Anchor" above, obviously.


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## jc64

Now that would be interesting, anchor steam beer available at Cole's!


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## bum

Can get SN Northern Harvest and two brands of pumpkin ale at my local Woolies - seems an even bigger wtf kind of situation to me.


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## Thirsty Boy

These beers dont, and aren't particularly intended to push into the craft beer market - they are intended to pressure the big brewers and push into the mega beer market.

A previous poster talked about there only being two brands of cornflakes on the supermarket shelves - coles home brand and the market leader - a good analogy, its just that cornflakes isn't a market category.... breakfast cereal is. And there are more types, varieties, options and choices of breakfast cereal than there have ever been before on the shelves. Consumers demand the choice, choice is in fact THE consumer demand.

Craft beer isn't cornflakes - its bircher muslie, puffed quinoa, organic flaked oats - VB is cornflakes, TED is rice bubbles and James Squire is maybe fruitloops. Coles doesn't give an underweight rats arse about pushing into the puffed quinoa market! (they sell about three packs a week to anemic looking hippies with fat wallets and children with whooping cough) its that rice bubble action they really want. But maybe they'll creep up on it via the fruitloops hey???


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## bum

Thirsty Boy said:


> Coles doesn't give an underweight rats arse about pushing into the puffed quinoa market!


Not disagreeing with your good points above but Safeway does seem to be begining to distribute rodent anus on this issue (not so much on the manufacturing side - more retail). It is bound to spill over into the Liquorlands eventually. Does the top end of town have an official position on this, do you know?


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## Liam_snorkel

It still takes up fridge space - so the puffed quinoa gets pushed to one shelf where it may have had one and a half. Or gets put on a 'hot' shelf, where a discerning 'hippie' will not touch it, and a 'craft-curious' layperson may try it and get a box of weevils. Puffed quinoa sales at coles decline resulting in them not stocking it as much / at all.

In QLD this is an issue because virtually every bottle-o is either coles or woolies. We don't have the independents stocking a range puffed quinoa, and if we do they are a 40min trek across town to get to.

For example - I was at a Dan Murphys a few months ago (not my usual, but one with limited cold storage). they had one. yes ONE glass door for beer, of which there were three shelves of megaswill, three shelves of sail & anchor, and one shelf of mixed singles (craft & international). They did however have an entire 'hot' aisle of aussie/international craft beer, covered in dust and probably lightstruck (full ht glass doors at the end of the aisle).

rant isn't over but I'm bored now.


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## GalBrew

Thirsty Boy said:


> Coles doesn't give an underweight rats arse about pushing into the puffed quinoa market! (*they sell about three packs a week to anemic looking hippies with fat wallets and children with whooping cough)*


Champagne comedy!!


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## Charst

Thirsty Boy said:


> These beers dont, and aren't particularly intended to push into the craft beer market - they are intended to pressure the big brewers and push into the mega beer market.



Check out the Marketing though Thirsty. Banner in an ad I seen saying "Get on board our newest craft beer" or something to that effect.

definitely stated Craft beer over a section only populated by the Coles Product.

Cant comment on taste haven't tried. 

attached is another one on the web site.


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## Dan2

Dan2 said:


> Tried a few Golden's last night at my bro inlaw's and enjoyed them. And a Pale too.
> But tried the Amber tonight, and both the others again and they all tasted like watered down versions of ale.
> Difference being - out the bottle last night, and in a glass tonight.
> Maybe the vessel makes all the difference?
> But seeing that I prefer real beer in a glass, I won't buy this beer again.
> 
> Could've also just been the excitement of trying something new? And the novelty's worn off tonight


Yep - seems I'm just a sucker for different labels. First bottle was good. But now I'm having another and looking forward to ridding the fridge of the last few


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## Batz

No matter who brews this or what it's called it is sold by Cole's, like that or not many people who would never try a beer like this may give one a shot. Buy a sixer or a mate will hand one on to them, some will think, hell this is a change form VB or whoa this is crap.. All in all it's opening the minds of some mega swillers, nothing but good can come of this for Australian micros.
Personally I think it's a fantastic thing, and they call it Craft Brewed Beer, great half the yobos learned some new words and perhaps it may create a little interest.

It's not going to compete with anyone who buys craft brewed beers but it may just gain them another costumer or six.

Keep it cheap and some wil try it.

Batz


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## Thirsty Boy

bum said:


> Not disagreeing with your good points above but Safeway does seem to be begining to distribute rodent anus on this issue (not so much on the manufacturing side - more retail). It is bound to spill over into the Liquorlands eventually. Does the top end of town have an official position on this, do you know?



But look into who's niche it is they are creeping?? Are they ripping off moondog's marketing schtick or maybe just the already over populated and quality diluted offering from another major. Aby the time coles is brewing something that could stomp on the toes of good local, innovative craft brewers..... well, they pretty much be brewing good innovative craft type beer, so who cares? 



Liam_snorkel said:


> It still takes up fridge space - so the puffed quinoa gets pushed to one shelf where it may have had one and a half. Or gets put on a 'hot' shelf, where a discerning 'hippie' will not touch it, and a 'craft-curious' layperson may try it and get a box of weevils. Puffed quinoa sales at coles decline resulting in them not stocking it as much / at all.
> In QLD this is an issue because virtually every bottle-o is either coles or woolies. We don't have the independents stocking a range puffed quinoa, and if we do they are a 40min trek across town to get to.
> For example - I was at a Dan Murphys a few months ago (not my usual, but one with limited cold storage). they had one. yes ONE glass door for beer, of which there were three shelves of megaswill, three shelves of sail & anchor, and one shelf of mixed singles (craft & international). They did however have an entire 'hot' aisle of aussie/international craft beer, covered in dust and probably lightstruck (full ht glass doors at the end of the aisle).
> rant isn't over but I'm bored now.


Maybe - but 15years ago, the one fridge full of Megas is ALL there was.

I just think craft beer fanatics are all a bit too pessemistic - IMO the war is already won. There is more fridge space, more branding, more shelf space for craft than there is for any of the majors. OK - maybe in the backwoods there are a few skirmishes still going on, but in any major city.... jobs done boys. The reason mega beer is bad, isn't just bcause the beer is in and of itself bad - its because you had no choice but to drink it. Now you do.

This stuff migh drive a couple of craft brewers off the shelf... fair enough. But seriously, which ones will be the ones to go?? Maybe the bad ones who didn't really deserve to be there in the first place - its probably high time for a little of that anyway.


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## bum

Thirsty Boy said:


> But look into who's niche it is they are creeping?? Are they ripping off moondog's marketing schtick or maybe just the already over populated and quality diluted offering from another major. Aby the time coles is brewing something that could stomp on the toes of good local, innovative craft brewers..... well, they pretty much be brewing good innovative craft type beer, so who cares?


You're correct but that's also why my question was pointed towards the big boys rather than the little guy. I'm sure CUB/Tooheys are not stoked that my local supermarket has over half of the display fridge area devoted to "craft" beer and "premium" "imports". I understand that in one way or another the big breweries already have a finger in many of those pies but it still significantly dilutes their main business, right?


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## mckenry

Thirsty Boy said:


> But look into who's niche it is they are creeping?? Are they ripping off moondog's marketing schtick or maybe just the already over populated and quality diluted offering from another major. Aby the time coles is brewing something that could stomp on the toes of good local, innovative craft brewers..... well, they pretty much be brewing good innovative craft type beer, so who cares?
> 
> 
> Maybe - but 15years ago, the one fridge full of Megas is ALL there was.
> 
> I just think craft beer fanatics are all a bit too pessemistic - IMO the war is already won. There is more fridge space, more branding, more shelf space for craft than there is for any of the majors. OK - maybe in the backwoods there are a few skirmishes still going on, but in any major city.... jobs done boys. The reason mega beer is bad, isn't just bcause the beer is in and of itself bad - its because you had no choice but to drink it. Now you do.
> 
> This stuff migh drive a couple of craft brewers off the shelf... fair enough. But seriously, which ones will be the ones to go?? Maybe the bad ones who didn't really deserve to be there in the first place - its probably high time for a little of that anyway.


The problem might be that Coles will shove beers off the fridge, purposely to stock their own. Beers will drop off more by push from Coles, than by lack of consumer demand, just like milk. I dont hear anyone complaining about their missing milk brand, they just buy the coles brand instead and do nothing about it.

Hopefully it goes the other way, that people might get more into craft beer, but I'm not sure how Coles releasing a beer entices someone over to craft beer? There are already so many choices, why would this tip them?


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## doon

Golden ale has definite hop aroma and flavour is a little watery. I don't mind it actually


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## doon

Would definitely pick this over James squire golden ale


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## doon

And the amber is terrible wow no taste at all


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## pk.sax

So they found a way to use up all the unsold coles brand kits from the HB sections they closed down?!


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## Northside Novice

I got one stubbie of each yesterday . 1st choice had a front of house display of warm cartons stating 'only one carton per person'. To me it seemed like they were trying to convince buyers into thinking it is some sort of limited release , or exclusive beer. Pretty sneaky if thats the case . 
Anyway I enjoyed the Amber, lovely colour with subtle maltyness, nothing amazing but i was expecting dog shit so i was suprised. Next was the golden ale, again I enjoyed it , more than the amber, I am pretty sure I got some galaxy aroma and flavour ! Really suprised , left me wondering if the brewer had been following all the hype around galaxy over the last 2-3 years, if so , good on them ! Still have the pale to try ....

Overall I doubt I will buy again , but I was suprised for the better by their brews


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## Thirsty Boy

bum said:


> You're correct but that's also why my question was pointed towards the big boys rather than the little guy. I'm sure CUB/Tooheys are not stoked that my local supermarket has over half of the display fridge area devoted to "craft" beer and "premium" "imports". I understand that in one way or another the big breweries already have a finger in many of those pies but it still significantly dilutes their main business, right?


The issue much preoccupies the minds of the big boys - they aren't in the least frightened of "craft" beer.... they are frightened of Coles and Woolies market domination. They aren't frightened of coles or woolies brewing their own i dont think, its as simple as the fact that there isn't anyone who can actually brew the requisite volumes apart from the big boys, so if its big, they'll end up being the ones brewing it anyway,.... they'll just be forced to sell it at such a low price point that they'll not make any money doing it, and the beer they make no money on will steal market share from the beers they do make money on.

Nothing every other food manufacturer isn't dealing with.


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## stux

My concern is when I go to woolies liquor, there's a fridge of mega beer, a fridge of sail & anchor and gage and 2-3 fridges of cider, half a fridge of craft and half a fridge of imports

That's putting the home brand in as much prominence as everything else and there used to be a whole fridge of craft, now there is 1.5 of "craft brewers" if you count the GRB brewed stuff, but really a token Murray's and a mountain goat.


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## browndog

Thirsty Boy said:


> The issue much preoccupies the minds of the big boys - they aren't in the least frightened of "craft" beer.... they are frightened of Coles and Woolies market domination. They aren't frightened of coles or woolies brewing their own i dont think, its as simple as the fact that there isn't anyone who can actually brew the requisite volumes apart from the big boys, so if its big, they'll end up being the ones brewing it anyway,.... they'll just be forced to sell it at such a low price point that they'll not make any money doing it, and the beer they make no money on will steal market share from the beers they do make money on.
> 
> Nothing every other food manufacturer isn't dealing with.


Sounds something akin to what they have done to the Australian Dairy Farming Industry. The Australian Government is as much to blame for sitting there and watching all the dairy farmers go to the wall.


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## winkle

It would be a good thing if Steamrail forces JS to make their Golden Ale drinkable again.
Disclaimer - But Coles sucks goats arses anyway.


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## Vtchris2

NewtownClown said:


> Craft Beer represents 1% of the total beer market and beer is only about 4% of liquor sales in Australia, so it is easy (and probably correct) to be cynical when Coles, who control 25% of liquor sales in Australia wade in with their own product.
> 
> Imagine how hard it is going to be for a small(er) brewery to get shelf space in the stores owned by the duopoly who are stocking their own products at a cheap price. Look at how much shelf space is devoted to home brands in the Supermarkets lately and how other suppliers are being pushed out if they can't compete with those home brands ($1 per litre milk, anyone?).
> Many will say that in these price wars the winner is the consumer, that's only true if you are not interested in having choice.


its 45 a carton at first choice , overpriced for what you get i recon 
30-35 a carton would be more like it


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## Thirsty Boy

browndog said:


> Sounds something akin to what they have done to the Australian Dairy Farming Industry. The Australian Government is as much to blame for sitting there and watching all the dairy farmers go to the wall.


And yet - I see Jonesy's milk plugged by every good coffee shop I go to.

Sure - Coles and Woolies between them have fucked over a shitload of dairy farmers, and I come from the country and grew up with dairy farmers as my school mates. I know some of those people who have been fucked up personally. BUT - they weren't craft brewers, they weren't even craft milk growers - they were just suppliers to one of 3 or 4 mega brands and they got fucked over when 3 or 4 turned into 2. Actual craft suppliers - people who had a stated interest in provenance, organics etc etc - that sell to artisian vendors, markets, directly to artisian cheesemakers... they've never been doing better, because consumers want this craft shit now..... NOW is the time to actually be craft. People care, people check, people are willing to pay more - the ones who dont??? They would never have bought your stuff in the first place.

So the government didn't watch all the dairy suppliers go to the wall - it watched all the inflexible, single minded, single business model, not watching the future market, why wont you protect me from my own lack of vision... dairy farmers go to the wall. Some are thriving - the unskilled and shortsighted aren't.

Remember - there are pioneering craft brewers who forged and made sucessful their business when there was _no_ shelf space for craft, when the _only_ beer brands were the majors, when _no_ tax changes had been made... nothing, no help, dig a well in the desert and hope to christ water comes forth. If you need to have a bitch and a whine that the majors are pushing into your terrritory - then you dont deserve a place beside the craft pioneers who ******* carved your territory out of the mega forrest in the first place.

Quit bitching, make good beer, sell it. And if you cant - **** off and stop whining, because there are people in the market who can, who could do with the dollars that people are temporarily giving to you. They aren't frightened of shitty Coles beer that no one has even tasted... they've already taken on and beaten back VB. If _those_ guys call themselves Craft Brewers, and Steamrail scares you.... you dont deserve to call yourself craft anymore than Steamrail does.

Have a little respect Craft Brewers of Australia - your customers aren't so ******* stupid that they'll fall for this shit - and if you want for customers, those who would fall for this shit....... well, taste yourself a VB or TED and then brew something like that. You'll hit your target audience right in their center of mass.


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## Weizguy

Thirsty... Testify, brother!

You often hit the nail on the head with your in-depth analysis of the beer consumer's response to the market.
Yeah, I fell for the Sail and Anchor beer, and they got my money (for a 4-pack I believe).

You are what you eat (or drink). Why be watery gutless dumbed-down p!ss?


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## spog

TB, your post #61 B.I.N.G. [email protected]#king .O cheers...spog....


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## slash22000

Ran out of homebrew. Bought a slab of the "Lucky Amber" on special (cheaper than any other macroswill and figured it can't be any worse). Now I'm not a professional reviewer or anything but I'm going to go through their claims in my own opinion.

_"Lucky Amber is a ... _

_... full-bodied_ ... *No, it isn't, if I couldn't taste it you could almost convince me it was water*

_... powerful ..._* No, it isn't, not in taste, aroma or in alcohol at 4.5%*

_... Amber Ale with ..._

_... richness and length ..._ *Wrong and wrong, I've haven't tasted a less flavoursome beer since Budweiser*

_... featuring a nutty and toffee flavour .._. *I can't detect this at all. The only thing I can taste is some vague kind of earthy, bitter hop and almost a "grainy" flavour; how grain smells before it turns into beer*

_... Deep amber to copper in colour ..._ *Well, I can't fault them on this, it is brown*

._.. this beer provides good mouthfeel ..._ *I assume by "good mouthfeel" they mean "What VB drinkers expect beer to feel like"*

_... and a lingering malt-driven finish." ... _*Nothing about this beer lingers. At all. It's crazy, it's like they've brewed some kind of non-beer. The only thing I can liken it to is the single time I tried Budweiser - it's almost like bitter water*

On the bright side, it's not Australian lager and for that I can't complain. I'd rather drink this than Tooheys/VB/etc. But please do not fall for the "craft" label, I sincerely believe they should be sued over that shit.

Take your money elsewhere if you were thinking of buying the amber ale. Can't speak for any of the others.


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## GalBrew

Well for the sake of of being thorough, I decided to try a single bottle of the golden and pale ale. For what they are they actually don't smell too bad, but they have ZERO flavour. They are very light in body, to the point of being watery and really just taste like soda water on the finish. I would much rather drink a VB or a Tooheys Old than these Steamrail beers (I don't even feel the need to try the amber). I don't even know how to classify these beers, they pretend to be craft but they are substandard to megaswill in terms of production quality. So take home message is that they are in fact cat's piss and I would not even drink them for free, they are that bad.


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## pimpsqueak

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2013/02/who-is-australian-beer-connoisseurs/

I'm not even going to bother trying one.


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## GavinO

I'm sure I read an online article from 'The Age' stating that it was brewed in Laverton, Vic. I have tried the gold digger ale - didn't mind it.


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## sp0rk

By Independant Distillers
tried them all, very dissapointed


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## lukasfab

had the golden and the pale on the weekend

first thought when i took first drink of the golden from the glass was dishwashing liquid?

not a great deal of flavour from any of them, maybe thats why they seemed over carbed?

crap, never again


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## mrTbeer

Just because its new doesn't mean it's craft.
The Pale and Amber taste alright and $50 box isn't bad.
Good to see Megaswill ALES I reckon.

Companies make beer for profit, it's not rocket science.
Do some research on every consumer commodity and you'll see that there are dozens of fingerprints from all over the globe.
Even the Fruit from an honesty box has used Incitec fertilisers been picked by a Swiss backpacker and been transported by a Toyota to the front gate using oil form the Middle East. All the while profiting the Maltese owner who makes his real coin selling to Coles. For fecks sake.


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## mrTbeer

Don't agree with $2 Milk Wars but it's a poor analogy to Craft beer.
All milk brands are homogenised or identical. 
Whereas a 18yo can taste the difference between an ale and a VB, even if they don't care to articulate it.


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## mjadeb1984

[email protected] said:


> Just enjoying a Steam Rail Amber with a mate, finding it an easy drink, actually a nice drink on a summer evening in Perth...not the usual pick for a summer drink but it's refreshingly light/drinkable, usually find ambers and pales to be too heavy in the summer months. Can't comment on the "big boys" making it, makes a reference on the label to an "english settler on the north coast of WA" but it's made in Vic????


Just want to bring attention to this mystery poster who has not posted anything since. Could be a word for word review from a liqorland catalogue. Thoughts? 



NewtownClown said:


> Australia needs a legal definition for Craft Beer and Craft Breweries and a singular representative body. The debate over definition and industry group representation has been going on for years....


Agreed.


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## bum

My thoughts are that it would be a fairly shit catalogue that openly brought the provenence of a product into question.


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## mjadeb1984

Just saw a article on the project about fake online reviews and I guess I'm just being cynical and suspicious.


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## bum

Had the pale last night (the old man offered me one...) - it was inoffensive. Can't see it making your average swiller more interested in craft beer though - however, I strongly suspect that is the reason these beers exist.


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## djar007

I often drive past that independent distillers. Very close to my place. I wondered what they made. So thanks for that bit of info. As for the trend of the thread . I watched a doco recently on this subject titled "Beer Wars". Great food for thought on this exact subject. Marketing and shelf space were analysed and the assertions stuck with me. Enough to at least research my store bought beer a little more carefully. And I guess to some extent all the foods I purchase. I had always thought that the big guns were indeed trying to capture the boutique markets, whether they are organic , biodynamic, craft, fair trade or whatever may be trending at the time. I had not really thought they would set out to discredit a certain type or style of product. But it does make sense, in order to keep serving the customer what they always have , whilst controlling how they venture into the unknown. Whether the documentary was on the money, biased, or funded by the craft brewers is another question. But I , for one, appreciated the information. Most here have probably seen it, but if not its at least worth a watch. Dave



EDIT: No affiliation :huh:


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## toncils

Why don't we all, feigning ignorance, demand Coles stock Sail and Anchor? And vais-versa. Wouldn't benefit, but would sure be some fun.

I've tried the range. To chops-of-medium-education they weren't bad; I tend to like low-bitter, so it wasn't unpleasant.
I'd be most concerned if they did make great beers. All hope is lost the day they release an awesome Hop Hog, Rogue-style chocolate stout, or Texas Ranger.*

Also, people should be able to easily choose where their money is going. It may be two-faced to not buy a product because it's affiliated with a business you hate, but consciously deceiving customers is ******* low.


edit:
* Orwell-style "Victory-ale", comrades.


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## bum

toncils said:


> It may be two-faced to not buy a product because it's affiliated with a business you hate


How so? That course of action seems most fulsomely mono-faced to me.


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## toncils

Possibly a bad choice of words; I meant most people will buy the product that's best quality or value for money, rather than the company connected to it.
I bitterly hate coles for their brutally acquiring competition and shit ad campaigns. If I weren't a beer snob, but still liked hops, I'd probably buy heaps of that shit. I've been trying to convince my housemates to stop shopping there, but we're all pretty poor and it's convenient. So I continue shopping there...I hate me.


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## stm

That's all right. You can like shopping there because it's cheap and convenient, but hate it for other things. Starts getting hypocritical, though, when people start agitating for the government to 'do something about it' etc. We all benefit from free markets. If you don't like what Coles/Woolies are doing, set up your own shop buying craft beer and craft milk from suppliers at twice the wholesale price that Coles/Woolies buys it for, and selling that craft beer and craft milk at twice the retail price.


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## bum

Or just buy a different product elsewhere.

Yeah, that's probably a more reasonable course of action.


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## Bribie G

Just got back from Aldi. I live literally two blocks away from a BILO (Coles) but only use them for convenience items. Say what you like about German ownership etc, at least so far all their Australian profits have been ploughed back into the local operation and they have got the big 2 running scared (unit pricing and soon, hopefully, national pricing in every store) etc etc.

On topic they have their own "gateway" beers as well, Walter Whitman or Whitman Turner or some such concoction ( I think their MILFina brand of ice cream is a bit near the bone, though) . The amber wasn't too bad alongside the likes of many JS and LC brews.


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## Kingy

While I've brewed grain beers for close to 10 years now and sampled a bucketload aswell. I will not turn down many beers if someone offers me one unless it's corona or a lime flavored anything like the millers I think it is.

If I'm at a pub and I have to drink swill I don't have a cry about it. I'll even pay for shit beer. Heck I've even enjoyed a tinnie of vb recently.

All the new beers around regardless of who makes them or where they come from only delights me as it's another beer I get to sample and talk about.

Back on topic I'm drinking an aldi 6 pack of hopper Whitman Belgian style wheat ale. Upon reading the bottle it comes from USA. I don't care either it cost me $11 and I'm gunna drink all of em today. And probly go back tomoz and get a few more to drink over the weekend. 

Cheers


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## Trevandjo

GalBrew said:


> Well for the sake of of being thorough, I decided to try a single bottle of the golden and pale ale. For what they are they actually don't smell too bad, but they have ZERO flavour. They are very light in body, to the point of being watery and really just taste like soda water on the finish. I would much rather drink a VB or a Tooheys Old than these Steamrail beers (I don't even feel the need to try the amber). I don't even know how to classify these beers, they pretend to be craft but they are substandard to megaswill in terms of production quality. So take home message is that they are in fact cat's piss and I would not even drink them for free, they are that bad.


[attachment=69801:ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1395381355.563410.jp
Yuuuuuuck!! Lesson learnt about buying new beers before reading the forum.


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## QldKev

Trevandjo said:


> [attachment=69801:ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1395381355.563410.jp
> Yuuuuuuck!! Lesson learnt about buying new beers before reading the forum.
> 
> [/QUOTE]
> My local 1st choice had a gift-pack of 8 stubbies for $20. Mixed in with some nice beers, was this stuff. When this first hit the market it tasted like a crappy version of a Pale Ale. Somehow it's become worse. :huh:


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## warra48

Resurrecting this thread from the grave.

Been working in the backyard most of the day cementing in garden edging. Bugger of a job. And I'm feeling whacked, my back and knees are complaining, and I'm in need of a drink.
My own brewed stock is down to zero for another week or two, for reasons which don't matter, so needing a quick quaffer to slake a well earned thirst, I mosey on down to my local Coles booze outlet.
Cheapest sixer is Steamrail. Chose the Amber Ale.

It's beer, it's light, has a little malt and a little caramel character, very little hoppiness but a hint of bitterness on the finish, in spite of the claimed 25 IBU, but it's quite drinkable for what I need at the moment, although without any standout character.

Would I drink it as my regular beer? No, but it was cheap at $16 for a sixer compared to others, so it suits me for now. It has no obvious faults, and it's something you could serve up to your usual major brand drinking guests without any issues.


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