# Js Golden Ale



## Gough (21/9/05)

From The Malt Shovel newsletter that dropped in my inbox:



> Breaking news - James Squire Golden Ale is no longer a limited release... in fact it is now unlimited and you, as our dedicated Beer Club members, are the first to know! Such was the demand for James Squire Golden Ale that we have now made it a permanent member of the James Squire range. It will be available in early October from all good bottle shops.



I wonder what sales volume is required before a beer is added to their standard range?? Must have done well.

Shawn.


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## tdh (21/9/05)

Certainly my favourite beer in their range. After declaring that I was tired of Cascade hops along comes Amarillo and re-ignites my enthusiasm for APA!

Has anyone tried the 'Speculator' at the Melbourne James Squire Ale House?
It's an even bigger hit of Amarillo, if I recall correctly :blink: 

tdh


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## Bobby (21/9/05)

had one yesterday after a meeting in double bay. it certainly hit the spot. so similar one of the mountain goat beers though.
good to see it is sticking around. hopefully they will bring back the summer wheat. i loved that one.


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## Mercs Own (21/9/05)

I will often go down to JS in Melbourne to see if they have the Speculator on tap. I love it! Big bold hoppy, lots of character a meal in a glass - a whole meal when you have one for entree, one for main and one for dessert and what the hell one for the train trip home!

As for Amarillo - I think it is a pretty good hop but it seems that every second micro brewed beer is using it so although it is relatively new I feel a little over it already!


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## warrenlw63 (21/9/05)

Merc.

More a case of it being over-used as opposed to being over it. Like most things if it becomes a fad it tends to be overdone. Amarillo is nice if it's balanced with the rest of the beer. However it can be used ad-nauseum too I suspect. :beerbang: 

Warren -


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## therook (21/9/05)

Merc,

If you make it a Friday arvo, I'll come and join you......maybe we could then go and visit St Arnou.



Rook


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## Duff (21/9/05)

I had a session on the Golden Ale and IPA yesterday afternoon down at Kings Wharf. Not a bad beer but I still went with the IPA over it. In saying that though, the 2 others I was with preferred the GA over the rest of the range.


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## KoNG (21/9/05)

I'm not much of a fan of their stuff in the bottle...
but out of the tap down at King st wharf, i enjoy the Govenor King when its running and probably would say that the Golden is a little better. i Like them both.
Like warren mentioned, balance is the key. i dont think theyve matched LCPA with the govenor..... but Golden is all good.


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## ryanator (21/9/05)

I can't get enough of James Squire Porter. I love the stuff!

Had a huge weekend on it.  

Was feeling it in the morning though.  That's the only problem with dark beer. Makes you feel shocking in the morning.


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## sinkas (21/9/05)

The Golden is probably my choice of tap beer now, as It just seems to be a great session beer, I actually prefered it to Coopers when back in SA for a week, which made some of the locals a little disenchanted.


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## buddingbrewmaster (21/9/05)

I've had the speculator on tap a few times and i loved it. However i went there a few weeks ago and i couldn't find it there.
They had a different beer called Currency lad, it is a lager and although it was around midnight on Friday h34r: 
it tastes very strongly of passionfruit. What hops gives this type of flavour I don't know, but could anyone fill me in.
BTW $5 pints of amber ale and pilsner on Thursdays,
and $5 pints of golden and amber ale on Saturdays is awesome:beer:


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## kc_ksom (29/9/05)

I havn't tried the Golden yet, but my favourite JS at the moment is the amber ale, really love the fruity flavours from it. I have tried the porter once and couldnt finish the bottle, I don't know if the heat of the day effected the taste, but I hated it, extreamly hopy that screwed my face up, dry finished, almost lost my breath. I am not a dark fan though...

I brought a 6 pack of there Pilsner last weekend and the 1st mouthfull was hit with highly hoped, peppery flavoured beer, but that flavour soon disapated, and a very nice flavoured beer came through, after the 6th, I was wanting more, So this one will definately get another round.

Casey

Love to check the Squire Brewery out, how much and how long do they go for, And was I told correct that you can have a feed in there aswell???? cant remember...


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## vlbaby (29/9/05)

I would have to say the opposite kc. I loved the JS porter but didnt really like the JS pilsner. A bit too peppery as you described. Taste like its been flavoured with pride of ringwood rather than saaz. 

vlbaby.


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## neonmeate (29/9/05)

buddingbrewmaster said:


> They had a different beer called Currency lad, it is a lager and although it was around midnight on Friday h34r:
> it tastes very strongly of passionfruit. What hops gives this type of flavour I don't know, but could anyone fill me in.
> [post="78524"][/post]​



I don't know what hops JS brewhouse actually use, but I sometimes get a very strong passionfruit whiff out of NZ Saaz.


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## T.D. (29/9/05)

Funnily enough, I just brewed a couple of ales with Amarillo and I reckon there are some serious passionfruit flavours in them. Hmm, Speculator, Goldern Ale going into full-time production, passionfruit-tasting lager... maybe JS bought a few tonnes of Amarillo bulk and now they don't know what to do with it all...


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## jayse (29/9/05)

I haven't moved into the too cool for cascade camp yet, Still prefer cascade over amirillo. To me amirillo is a bit one dimensional, last years supply of amirillo seemed to be what I would have described as a slight mango flavour and this year it seems theres a slight pineapple flavour about it aswell but other than that it doesn't have the floral spiciness and grassiness about it which I get with cascade.
Wyeast 1272 seems to highlight this one dimensional fruit character even more.
Anyway I do enjoy the golden ale as do all the people I take out on the town for a session who don't ussually drink craft brews. Iam not sure if its just me but the malt and yeast character seems to be a bit less than when it first hit the shelves here in bottles.
Don't get me wrong i still enjoy amirillo.
Anyway i love what MSB has done for the beer drinking commumity, ie getting there beer on tap where once it was dominated by the local swills and getting people to spend a few extra cents and buying full flavoured beers.

As far as the speculator I haven't tried it but have made a american IPA which I was told by a particular brewer who had a good session on the speccy to be very similar to it.

For brewing a similar beer at home to the golden and I pressume the speccy too I think wyeast 1026 cask ale is a awesome choice of yeast strain.

What do you golden ale fans think of matilda bays alpha pale ale?

Its time to get airbourne before its too late.
Jayse


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (29/9/05)

I think it is a wicked beer on a hot day, great thirst quencher. Can't get it up here in Cairns though :angry: ! Have to drink XXXX Gold instead <_< 
IIRC Chuck Hahn said the GA is 30% Wheat Malt and 70% Pils. Some of the Adelaide boys who went to the Worlds End get together should be able to confirm.

C&B
TDA


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## tdh (29/9/05)

I went but forgot...

tdh


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## Kai (29/9/05)

I can confirm that I was there.


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## Aaron (29/9/05)

That must be where those James Squire Glasses came from.....


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## roach (29/9/05)

i was there but the rum porter killed that particular brain cell


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## jayse (29/9/05)

That grist sounds pretty spot on to me, thats how i have been making my version at home for all the swill drinking mates that like the stuff.
Its very similar to grumpy andrews XLCR recipe from a few years back.

Enjoy the gold and the heat drunken one
Jayse


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## bradmcm (29/9/05)

I too was there, and my memory is hazy on the subject.
I had a feeling the grain was 90% pils + 10% mix of crystal (Carapils + crystal)
and 10% sugar was in the kettle.
or am I thinking of another brew?

Amarillo is definately the late hop,was PoR the bitterness hop?
Yes, the rum porter and the strong ale afterwards definitely
made a difference to my recollection. Curse you Dr. Hahn.


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (30/9/05)

bradmcm said:


> I too was there, and my memory is hazy on the subject.
> I had a feeling the grain was 90% pils + 10% mix of crystal (Carapils + crystal)
> and 10% sugar was in the kettle.
> or am I thinking of another brew?
> ...



Yes you were thinking of another beer. I'm sure it has 30% wheat.

I make you correct on the hop additions as well cause I remember being quite surprised when told that POR was used for bittering.

Was the squid any good?

C&B
TDA


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## Aaron (30/9/05)

bradmcm said:


> and 10% sugar was in the kettle.
> [post="80256"][/post]​



I remember Chuck saying the amber had sugar, TDH asked him. I don't remember anything about the Golden having sugar.


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## T.D. (30/9/05)

From my observation, Goldern Ale seems to be around the 9 EBC level in colour - maybe even 10. Does that sound about right to everybody else? Anyway, I don't think a beer made purely out of Pils and wheat malt would be this colour - I reckon it would come out at around 6 or 7 EBC. I'm not trying to dispute anybody by the way - obviously you heard it from the horse's mouth. Maybe Goldern Ale is lighter than I remember...

If I took a stab at doing this beer I reckon I'd add a pinch (almost literally) of crystal too - maybe 0.5% of the grain bill, just to get that slightly richer colour. What do you think?


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