Tried Matilda Bay's new "out there" offering this arvo - Crema. They didn't have much info on it at the bar except that it has coffee in it. Now, all the beers brewed with coffee I've tried to date have been dark beers - stouts and imperials. This beer, this is different.
It looks like a trad lager. It's light in colour, with a bit more then a lagerish head, prob some malted wheat. Aroma has the coffee there, with amber(?) malt behind it, no hop to speak of (well, that I could pick). Front of palate has a nice strong roasty coffee taste - but smooth like a flat white compared to an espresso. The malt is there, biscuity and balanced in step with the coffee, and it seems to rely on the bitterness of the coffee to carry the malt. Nice, medium bodied mouthfeel, but finishes crisp and dry like a trad lager.
I had several pints. Really well balanced between the malt and the coffee. If there was a brekky beer, this would be it for me. Brad has done a great job with this. I've got no idea what it is, but I'll have a punt on 70% pils malt, 20% malted wheat, 5% biscuit, low AAU noble hops (I couldn't pick em; they were unobtrusive) and some nice clean yeast. I'll be interested to read a proper review of this at some point soon...
An
It looks like a trad lager. It's light in colour, with a bit more then a lagerish head, prob some malted wheat. Aroma has the coffee there, with amber(?) malt behind it, no hop to speak of (well, that I could pick). Front of palate has a nice strong roasty coffee taste - but smooth like a flat white compared to an espresso. The malt is there, biscuity and balanced in step with the coffee, and it seems to rely on the bitterness of the coffee to carry the malt. Nice, medium bodied mouthfeel, but finishes crisp and dry like a trad lager.
I had several pints. Really well balanced between the malt and the coffee. If there was a brekky beer, this would be it for me. Brad has done a great job with this. I've got no idea what it is, but I'll have a punt on 70% pils malt, 20% malted wheat, 5% biscuit, low AAU noble hops (I couldn't pick em; they were unobtrusive) and some nice clean yeast. I'll be interested to read a proper review of this at some point soon...
An