# Scribbly Gum Lager & Portamarillo



## mikem108 (21/2/11)

Had the Mad Brewers Scribbly Gum Lager on saturday night, very soft unfiltered lager with just a hint of smoke, beautiful white creamy head a joy to drink followed it up with the Epic/Dogfish Head Portamarillo which was really interesting, there were some vegetal notes from the fruit but it sat well with all the other flavours,interesting way to get smokiness into a beer, unusual and worth a try. From the website:

An Imperial sorta-porter fermented with Brazilian Rapadura sugar and a couple of really unique New Zealand ingredients.

We collaborated on this beer with our friend Luke of Epic Brewing in Auckland, NZ. To make the Portamarillo we first grilled tamarillos (sweet, fruity NZ tomatoes) over Pohutakawa wood at our pub then pureed and added them to the boil. Luke sourced this unique wood for us from his motherland - Pohutakawa has found an important place in New Zealand's culture, both of the European settlers and Maori - being venerated for spirituality, strength and beauty.

The wood and tamarillos do truly add a smoky, fruity, roasty beauty to this beer."


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## pimpsqueak (21/2/11)

Sounds tasty to me, but then I've always liked the taste of tamarillos. Where did you get your hands on the Portamarillo? I was in Platinum not long ago and they only had Epics pale ale, Armageddon and Mayhem.


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## AussieJosh (21/2/11)

I Had the Mad Brewers Scribbly Gum Lager today i got it from tee tree gully hotel Adelaide $8 a long neck. I liked it. 6.5%abv.


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## Guysmiley54 (21/2/11)

Had the Scribbly Gum at Squires Bounty in Hobart on Friday. Very delicious, I got hints of bacon...


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## Jeff Margrie (21/2/11)

Info from email sent to me today.

Cheers WoolBrew :icon_cheers:


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## mikem108 (22/2/11)

Potramarillo from Platinum


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## white.grant (22/2/11)

I liked the scribbly gum when I tasted it a week or two ago. Quite enjoyed the smokiness. 

I've always considered a tamarillo closer to a passionfruit than a tomato though. Had a tree when I was in Newy - love the fruit, will have to keep a lookout for the beer!

cheers

Grant


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## benny_bjc (23/3/11)

Interested to hear more reviews/tastings of the scribbly gum lager as I am unable to try it myself.
Did the smokiness resemble anything like the native bush? I wonder if they used eucalyptus smoked chips?


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## Leigh (23/3/11)

beer007 said:


> Interested to hear more reviews/tastings of the scribbly gum lager as I am unable to try it myself.
> Did the smokiness resemble anything like the native bush? I wonder if they used eucalyptus smoked chips?



IIRC they used scribbly gum honey, the smokiness is very similar to the smokiness you can detect in the honey, although a lot more pronounced probably due to the balancing sweetness of the honey being fermented.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (23/3/11)

Smokiness is slight, not pronounced. It seems to add an aromatic element to it, but not much flavour of smokiness. Works well when drunk from a glass, of course.

But as a "lager" it tasted like a typical home brewed pale ale of average quality. I expected "lager" to be crisp with the smokiness as an overlay (much like a peated whiskey), but instead it tasted like average home brew with a slight smoke smell.

I'd up the smoked malt myself and make a decision with the hops and what they are trying to do with the hop flavour. It was illdefined at best.

It had the makings of a good beer, but just a couple of execution issues let it down. Not worth $7 a bottle.

Goomba


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## Jez (23/3/11)

pimpsqueak said:


> Where did you get your hands on the Portamarillo? I was in Platinum not long ago and they only had Epics pale ale, Armageddon and Mayhem.



I saw one at the Concord branch of Platinum a little while back.


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## Screwtop (22/4/11)

Son and I enjoying more of this tonight! Bloody nice beer!

This will have to remain on their regular line up, if a beer can sell so well at $8.50 per 640ml here in Gympie then that's a fair measure of it's acceptance.

Screwy


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## whitegoose (22/4/11)

I thought the scribby gum lager was bizarre and really not very nice. I thought it tasted and smelled somewhere between the way your clothes smell the morning after a night around a campfire, and bacon.

The bottle said something about capturing teh australian BBQ... the beer was like smoke and bacon. Bacon in beer? **** NO.


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## Screwtop (22/4/11)

whitegoose said:


> I thought the scribby gum lager was bizarre and really not very nice. I thought it tasted and smelled somewhere between the way your clothes smell the morning after a night around a campfire, and bacon.
> 
> The bottle said something about capturing teh australian BBQ... the beer was like smoke and bacon. Bacon in beer? **** NO.




One day your palate will develop!

There's a world of beer out there!

Screwy


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## whitegoose (22/4/11)

Haha way to be condescending! 

If you like beer that tastes like bacon, more power to you! :lol:


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## rude (23/4/11)

Missed the boat to Rottnest last march sent the missus & kids over had to go home drop the car off & come back by bike

I had a few hours to kill in Freo so what would you do 
\
Thats right hit the pubs 

The orient watching the Nott girls go by then finally finished off at the MONK

Had quite a few of there beers when I got a free sample of I forget but ti was a bacon beer

It was really well brewed bacon all the way through but must admit the sample was fantastic but that was enough not a quaffer thats for sure but I must say his kolsh w
as right up there

So I recon Screwy is right half a dozen eggs with a pint of bacon flavoured beer for breakfast hard core lol


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## Brend0 (1/5/11)

The scribbly gum lager can be purchased over the bar at the AB hotel Glebe for a whoping $21. 

crooks


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## DUANNE (1/5/11)

ive still got a bottle of scribbly gum in the fridge i cant give away. probably end up drinking it on a night when im to fucked up to care about good beer.


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## fifey (1/5/11)

As my first taste of a smoke beer, I was very impressed with Scribblygum. It tasted odd cold, it needed to warm up quite a bit closer to room temp than normal to get even a small grasp of the taste. Would easily get it again. My mates agreed so it looks like a smokebeer sesh is on the cards with a brew to follow.


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## JohnBond (2/5/11)

Brend0 said:


> The scribbly gum lager can be purchased over the bar at the AB hotel Glebe for a whooping $21.
> 
> crooks



Don't waste your money, as you can get it at the Top Ryde Dan Murphy's for $7.50 a bottle. I was there on Sunday and they had about 12 or more bottles left.

Btw, I enjoy the beer but as has already been said you need to let it warm up a fair bit from fridge temperature to get the full flavour.

Cheers,

John


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## jyo (3/5/11)

I saw the Scribbly Gum on the weekend and put it back on the shelf beacuse it looked too gimicky. 
After reading this thread I grabbed a bottle last night. This is the first smokey beer I have tried and I really enjoyed it. I didn't find it overpowering, it was a well balanced beer.
As others have said, let it warm up a bit.
Cheers, John.


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## haysie (3/5/11)

I had 2 bottles given to me last week and agree with most of the above, the thing I didnt get was that it looks bad real bad for a lager, dishwashing water.
Is it an ale or a lager yeast?


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## jyo (3/5/11)

haysie said:


> I had 2 bottles given to me last week and agree with most of the above, the thing I didnt get was that it looks bad real bad for a lager, dishwashing water.
> Is it an ale or a lager yeast?



That's what I was thinking while drinking it. There was nothing 'Lager' about it.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (3/5/11)

jyo said:


> That's what I was thinking while drinking it. There was nothing 'Lager' about it.



It would be like sinking S&W PA, and them calling it a lager and me wondering why it isn't clear and it is very fruity.

Got no issue with the beer, but it tastes like an ale, tastes like it was brewed at ale temps, therefore it is an ale (even if it were a lager yeast).

Goomba


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## wrath (3/5/11)

rude said:


> The orient watching the Nott girls go by then finally finished off at the MONK
> 
> Had quite a few of there beers when I got a free sample of I forget but ti was a bacon beer
> 
> ...




Rude,

I would hazard a guess at that beer being the monk's Rauch, not a bacon beer.


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## jyo (3/5/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> It would be like sinking S&W PA, and them calling it a lager and me wondering why it isn't clear and it is very fruity.
> 
> Got no issue with the beer, but it tastes like an ale, tastes like it was brewed at ale temps, therefore it is an ale (even if it were a lager yeast).
> 
> Goomba



Agree, there was definitely an underlying fruitiness to it.


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