Balmain Brewing Company

[Phoney]

Havent seen any previous threads on this...

Seems to be a new microbrewery that's popped up in the inner-west just recently. Here's their website:

http://www.balmainbrewingcompany.com.au/index.php

I was pleasantly surprised to see that my work's local is now serving Balmain Pale Ale on tap and decided to give it a go. Now im no connoisseur like some of you guys, so giving my best shot at describing this beer; Almost dark copper in colour, at the dark end of the spectrum for a pale ale. A strong malty bite, mild on flavour but definite aroma hit with a profound bitter aftertaste, almost bordering on an IPA so far as bitterness is concerned - In my opinion. I dont think it's so much of a session beer but very, very much suited as a cool weather quaffer.

8/10

A very promising start. I'll be looking forward to see what else comes out of this brewery. :icon_cheers:

 

[joshuahardie]

Yeah I tried it a few weeks ago at the Royal Oak hotel in Balmain. Nice drop. The chaps behind the bar seem to think that it was brewed in Wollongong, so assuming that is true, Id say it is being made under contract by our friends at 5IBC.

 

[sydneyhappyhour]

I had a schooner of their Pale Ale at the Clare Hotel near Central Station last night. Didn't think it was anything overly ground breaking but still it was one of the better beers they had on tap.

 

[///]

Yep, she's brewed down south for now.

Scotty

 

[mb83]

Had a schooner of this with a couple of mates at the royal oak the other night.
Very disappointed.
The beer is fairly cloudy and ORANGE. Not keen on the appearance of the beer at all.
Agree with above comments that it is not a session beer. Body was pretty full, but not a lot of residual malt flavour.
I REALLY did not like the hop profile. Sweaty tropical fruit (pawpaw and passionfruit) with quite a heavy, lingering bitterness. All three of us really had to work to finish our glasses.
None of us could contemplate having another one, and with Murray's Whale Ale on the next tap, why would we bother?
We had hoped we would encounter a pleasant, flavoursome (in a good way) session beer brewed by a local company.
But for $6.50, frankly I'd rather drink Fat Yak, JSGA or Murray's.

In fact, it tasted identical to the Happy Goblin Pale Ale I tipped down the sink a few weeks ago.

Hope they get their act together,

mb83

 

[mb83]

Decided to try the Balmain Pale Ale again last night.
Must say I was very pleasantly surprised.
I had a schooner at the Cat and Fiddle and noticed that a large amount of the unpleasant fruitiness was gone.
Most, not all. There was still something in the background that I could not put my finger on. A little mustiness?
Maybe their lines aren't as clean as they could be.

I then headed to the Royal Oak, where the beer tasted completely different.
The beer had a lighter body making it much more digestible and sessionable, where as two months ago it was hard work.
The hop profile was markedly different with cascade flavour and aroma shining through and the tropical fruitiness much more restrained and the bitterness was much smoother and cleaner, while staying reasonably firm.
I enjoyed the balance of bitterness and malt sweetness.
It may have just been the light, but the beer didn't look nearly as radio-active orange as last time.
Chatting with the bloke behind the bar he said that they turned over 2-3 freshly delivered kegs a week.
He also suggested that the brewers had been tweaking the recipe in response to industry feedback, in which case they are to be congratulated!

I'm glad I did try Balmain Pale Ale again. I think they have achieved the kind of hoppy, sessionable pale ale they set out to create for the locals to enjoy.
If I wasn't driving, I would have definitely ordered another one.

mb83

Had a schooner of this with a couple of mates at the royal oak the other night.
Very disappointed.
The beer is fairly cloudy and ORANGE. Not keen on the appearance of the beer at all.
Agree with above comments that it is not a session beer. Body was pretty full, but not a lot of residual malt flavour.
I REALLY did not like the hop profile. Sweaty tropical fruit (pawpaw and passionfruit) with quite a heavy, lingering bitterness. All three of us really had to work to finish our glasses.
None of us could contemplate having another one, and with Murray's Whale Ale on the next tap, why would we bother?
We had hoped we would encounter a pleasant, flavoursome (in a good way) session beer brewed by a local company.
But for $6.50, frankly I'd rather drink Fat Yak, JSGA or Murray's.

In fact, it tasted identical to the Happy Goblin Pale Ale I tipped down the sink a few weeks ago.

Hope they get their act together,

mb83