# James Squire Pepperberry Winter Ale



## Aviary (11/7/08)

Hello all, 

I was just at the local Liquorland and saw that they had a limited release from James Squire - Pepperberry Winter Ale. 

It was only available by the carton at the time ($59.99) but I was told that 6-packs will be on sale next week. 

Has anyone tried it ?

David.


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## benny_bjc (11/7/08)

Aviary said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I was just at the local Liquorland and saw that they had a limited release from James Squire - Pepperberry Winter Ale.
> 
> ...



I bought a 6 pack a few days back from 1st choice liquor and it only cost $14.90
I haven't cracked it open yet but I'm sure it will be quite interesting.

You might find more info on this thread http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;hl=pepperberry
or you may have to wait and try one....


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## Bugglz (11/7/08)

Just grabbed a 6 pack at the local bottle-o. Quite nice, a lot of caramel, very unique


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## Aviary (11/7/08)

beer007 said:


> I bought a 6 pack a few days back from 1st choice liquor and it only cost $14.90
> I haven't cracked it open yet but I'm sure it will be quite interesting.
> 
> You might find more info on this thread http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;hl=pepperberry
> or you may have to wait and try one....



Oops. Should probably look around before flying into posts. I've got a First Choice nearby, I'll have a go there. 

David.


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## Fourstar (11/7/08)

I had a quasi version of this is the Squires Brewhouse in the Docklands in Melbourne.

Was dubbed "the lash"

Dark brown/old ale with a big hit of pepperberry. Very moreish from what i could remember. Even thou i had consumed several pints earlier.

will keep my eyes open for the bottled release.


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## captaincleanoff (11/7/08)

i tried this the other day and actually didnt think it was that great. Where's the hop theif?!

edit: i before e


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## jimmybee (13/7/08)

i had a sixer of this on the weekend with a mate, i really liked this one, although, don;t think i could drink alot of this one. but fantastic for a winters day...

try some if you can 

cheers jimmy


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## Fourstar (14/7/08)

Well i went to squires in russel st city on saturday and they had the pepperberry ale on tap.

exactly the same as the lash.

May have been a trial on in the docklands a few months back.


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## Muggus (14/7/08)

Reminded me a bit like their porter, just a bit more going on. Slightly spicy with some dark fruit. Quite nice regardless.


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## Jaeger (17/7/08)

I'm a big pepperberry fan, so when I saw James Squire Pepperberry Winter Ale advertised recently, I was eager to get hold of some.

I'd rate it 8/10. The colour from the pepperberries is wonderful, and they add a distinct flavour and tartness - but where's the bite? Disappointing.
Perhaps it needs to brew a bit longer, or they need to crack the tiny seeds to get out more "pep"?

Nevertheless, it's an important step forward in Australian commercial beers - I'm always on the lookout for a new brew to try.
Bring on the Lemon Myrtle/Lemon Aspen Witbiers! (They exist - e.g. Barons Lemon Myrtle Witbier - but I've never seen them locally.)

Edit: Ironically it was advertised at Vintage Cellars, but they were still waiting on their delivery; I got some from 1st Choice instead.


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## 0M39A (17/7/08)

Theyre getting a keg of this for the hopster meet 7th august (along with moo brew stout (non oak)) and taverners mead ale (never heard of it).

pretty sure i wont be able to make it though, as usual due to work commitments and it being 350km away


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## Snow (17/7/08)

Just tried this tonight. Vintage Cellars Chapel Hill, Brisbane were selling it. I must say I am underwhelmed. I was expecting robust flavours and only got a whimper. Ok, some "peppery" type flavours, but basically just a bog-standard dark ale with not much to separate it from the crowd. I had it with a hearty lamb shank slow cooked casserole, expecting gastronomic bliss and was left wanting (beer-wise). I ended up sculling it and opening up a bottle of Shiraz cabernet instead.

However..... I hope to be tasting the J.S Pepperberry on tap tomorrow night at the Grand Central, so will reserve final judgement until then.

Cheers - Snow


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## quadbox (17/7/08)

TBH I havent really enjoyed a squires seasonal since the last time they did the Australian Strong Ale. Oh well, I think I'll pick up a sixpack and have a try next time I'm in dan murphys anyways


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## geoff_tewierik (29/7/08)

Picked up a single of it from my local Vintage Cellars tonight.

I like it.

Nose was porter like, malty but not over the top. Colour was rubyred/brown. Head was creamy colour which faded away to a ring around the glass.

No pepperberry bite that I expected but plenty of fruit on the back of the palate.

I'd buy it again.


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## yardy (29/7/08)

jimmybee said:


> i really liked this one, although, don;t think i could drink alot of this one. but fantastic for a winters day...



+1

normally the $hitholes i work in are out of the way, XXXX Gold or XXXX Heavy type places so i was suprised to see a 6 pack in the bottlo, i like it, not a huge amount of bite but it made a pleasant change.

Cheers
Yardy


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## Mercs Own (29/7/08)

I quite liked the Pepperberry Ale but it seems to me to be a good idea that didnt go far enough. Dare I say that word - you know the one that gets in the way of what would have been a fine, distinctive and original brew only to be down graded to have - 'drinkability'! 

I went to a James Squire beer and food matching the other week (hoping that they would have the Pepperberry as part of it but they didnt) and Chuck actually talked about the PBA and mentioned the word Drinkability. As I said I liked the beer but didnt love it or gush about it. There was the delicate nose of the berries and a very faint taste also but i had to work at it to find it rather than the PB character rush forward and announce itself. They can be quite hot and in your face - I made a pepperberry icecream once and whoa the berries gave it a lovely purple colour and a lovely hot fruity bite and I guess I would have loved that in the beer but would that have given it drinkability out in the wider community?

Thankfully we as home brewers can now order our pepperberries direct from Tassie and make our own version to knock our mates and wives socks off - so thanks Chuck and the Maltshovel crew. I will get down to the brew pub to have a taste of the ale on tap.

BTW pepperberries that are freeze dried are more mild to those that have been air dried - the air dried kick ass!


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## piraterum (29/7/08)

I was disappointed by this beer. I was expecting a strong favoured beer with a bit of bite. Instead I found it too sweet and rather plain for a "limited release" beer. Definately not worth hunting down.


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## Snow (29/7/08)

I have to say it's much nicer from the tap. The berries stand out more.

- Snow


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## geoff_tewierik (29/7/08)

Where'd you find it on tap in Brisbane Snow?


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## winkle (29/7/08)

geoff_tewierik said:


> Where'd you find it on tap in Brisbane Snow?



Grand Central main bar, Regatta (apparently).
Winkle - (disguised as Snow)


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## geoff_tewierik (29/7/08)

Thanks Perry, now I just need to organise a trip to the city for drinking.

Wonder who I can blame that trip on? Must check to see if my mate Dave needs me to meet him in the city this week


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## Online Brewing Supplies (29/7/08)

I had it in the bottle , I liked it , reminded me of the original old style smokey porter. Cant say I know what the pepper thingos taste like normally but it is a good beer.Well worth a try.
GB


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## Snow (30/7/08)

winkle said:


> Grand Central main bar, Regatta (apparently).
> Winkle - (disguised as Snow)



Yes, as Winkle (disguised as me) points out, the Grand Central has it on tap (or did - maybe give them a call before you make the trip). It was really fresh tasting compared to the bottled version and I really enjoyed it... a bit too much  

Cheers - Snow


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## bconnery (30/7/08)

I found it distinctly underwhelming on tap as well. 
Probably a case of expecting too much. 
I found it to be a nice enough dark beer but not the marriage of flavours that the description led my mind to. 
Maybe I am just being fussy but I expected something better.


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## tdh (30/7/08)

I concur. Nice enough beer but I expected a bigger whack of flavour.

tdh





bconnery said:


> I found it distinctly underwhelming on tap as well.
> Probably a case of expecting too much.
> I found it to be a nice enough dark beer but not the marriage of flavours that the description led my mind to.
> Maybe I am just being fussy but I expected something better.


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## Stuster (30/7/08)

Mercs Own said:


> Thankfully we as home brewers can now order our pepperberries direct from Tassie and make our own version to knock our mates and wives socks off - so thanks Chuck and the Maltshovel crew. I will get down to the brew pub to have a taste of the ale on tap.
> 
> BTW pepperberries that are freeze dried are more mild to those that have been air dried - the air dried kick ass!



Interesting, Paul. How much did you use in the ice cream? Any guesses on how much you'd use in a beer? What styles do you think might be good with a bit of pepperberry kick?


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## Mercs Own (30/7/08)

I have just returned from the James Squire brew pub in Russel st after enjoying a pint of the PBA off tap. I must say it was very enjoyable. The aroma was good, the pepperberry came through on the tongue - no heat or spice more just the fruit. The beer had good body and fullness and had a nice clean finish. I would certainly have had another one or two but I was on the motorbike so had to stop at just the one. It will be on keg there for a couple of weeks so get down and try it. Also they have the original trial batch brewed at the Squires brew pub in Docklands - they call it the lash. This beer has a lower FG than the one at Russel st (which was made by the boys up in Syd) by a plato or two and also has a bigger whack of Pepperberry in it. I hope to get down there next week as there is only one keg left and it would be good to try the difference. I will also buy a bottle or two tonight to make a comparison to the kegged beer I tried today which I thought had more flavour than the bottle sample I had a week or two ago.


This is the recipe I made for my TV show:


Native Pepper Berry Ice Cream

500 mls of full cream milk
5 egg yolks
200g of white sugar
1 tbls freeze dried ground Pepper Berries
vanilla pod
Rind of one orange

Put milk in a saucepan and heat gently. Add the Pepper berry powder, vanilla beans scraped out of pod and the pod also and the orange rind. Heat to combine all the flavours but dont boil then let it cool down a little. Beat egg yolks and sugar together. Add some of the warm milk to the beaten egg and sugar combo to combine and warm up and then add the egg mixture to the milk. Return to the stove and continue to heat, stirring often until the mixture thickens enough to lightly cover the back of the spoon make sure you do not bring it to a boil.

Remove from heat and strain discarding the solids. Chill in the freezer and then mix in ice cream maker as per instructions for the mixer. 

Note: the freeze dried pepper berries are fruitier and have much less heat than the air dried pepper berries. If you made this recipe with ground air dried pepper berries it would be very hot. Also the freeze dried pepper berries make a vibrant purple ice cream where as the air dried will make a much darker midnight blue coloured ice cream. You could also add the Pepper Berries to the custard mixture right at the end of the cooking process, before you chill it this would probably retain the vibrant colour as I found once the pepper berry powder had cooked in the milk mix it lost some of its vibrancy and took on a slightly grayish tinge.


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## Katherine (30/7/08)

yum


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## Mercs Own (30/7/08)

I just had another bottle of the PBA and it is not as good as off the keg - but then would you expect it to be! Beer off the keg is generally better. Out of the bottle it lacked the depth of flavour, the aroma and that fruity spiciness that the keg maintained albeit in limited quantities. It is still a nice beer leaving a nice tree like fruity clean finish on the palate. I would have it again but I do think it is a little bland in the bottle - blame pasteurization perhaps - do Malt shovel pastuerize their kegs?!?

Just a little inside info here - the brewer at Maltshovel did want to up the level of the pepperberry from the version now drinkning at the Docklands (which is more then the russel street brewery) but was voted down. Shame!

regarding pepperberry in a home brew I would be thinking around the 6 - 10 grams per 100 litre as a starting point. 6g think as bottled - 10g think what it could have been.


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## Batz (30/7/08)

The Sunshine Coast brewers had several bottles here Saturday night,I personally liked it.I think too much of the Pepper Berry flavor would have overpowered and spoiled it.

Batz


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## homekegger1 (31/7/08)

Well Now I have tried it both in the bottle and on tap. I must admit, I preferred it on tap. Was lucky enough to get a taste off the last keg at the Wheatsheaf. 

Cheers

HK


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## benny_bjc (25/10/09)

Hi,

Just discovered a few of these bottles lying around in the garage... woops!

Expiry date March 09....

Cracked one open... luckily has not gone bad... but of course has lost most of its flavour and body. Quite easy to drink though.


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