Gage Rds London Best

[mikem108]

Picked up a sixer of Gage Rds London Best and although a well made beer seemed to be lacking a bit of Malt backbone for the style, did improve a bit on warming up but still theres something missing for fans of a good UK bitter

 

[Paul H]

Picked up a sixer of Gage Rds London Best and although a well made beer seemed to be lacking a bit of Malt backbone for the style, did improve a bit on warming up but still theres something missing for fans of a good UK bitter

Where did you pick it up from?

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Picked up a sixer of Gage Rds London Best and although a well made beer seemed to be lacking a bit of Malt backbone for the style, did improve a bit on warming up but still theres something missing for fans of a good UK bitter

I tried it on the week end.I feel the hops were good and to style but the rest of the beer lacked malty tones + thin and some of the expected esters of a "London Best".I dont know what style this is intended as , but I think it could be a hybrid.It gave me the impression of a lager with English hops on my first mouthfull.I will not be paying for any more.The name London Best leads you down a track and then doesnt deliver the expected.

 

[randyrob]

a friend and i came up with the opinion it is very simular to emu bitter.

 

[mikem108]

I got it from Liquor on Parade in Sydney

 

[sinkas]

It tastse to me like many other Aussie made "British Bitters", and lacks the biscuity, malty roundeness of the enlish made ones. I suspenct it may be the use of cheap aussie basemalt, Gage roads, must surely need some independant advice soon if they are to survive in the current market.

 

[randyrob]

It tastse to me like many other Aussie made "Bitters", and lacks the biscuity, malty roundeness of the enlish made ones. I suspenct it may be the use of cheap aussie basemalt, Gage roads, must surely need some independant advice soon if they are to survive in the current market.

good call kase, i think you hit the nail on the head. i though they had plenty of advisors tho they just call them accountants

 

[tangent]

jeez that's a bit harsh
i haven't tried the lastest brew but the others were pretty damn good and they seem to be distributed pretty widely.
i noticed our local fastapasta even has them

 

[Adamt]

The question is... better or worse than Boag's Wizard Smith? I'd hope better... I may have to pick up a couple of stubbies and compare.

 

[jayse]

Similar to emu bitter and other aussie bitters? you guys must have had your taste buds removed or ruined them with some big arse 400IBU 20 different malt beers. :blink:

This beer isn't anywhere near that far of the mark really for a bitter, as for yeast ester/character it has plenty, I picked it has somewhat similar to the character of wyeast 1968. Has some toffee like golden syrup type thing going on in the malt. Hops seemed quite similar to styrian goldings to me. In fact it is quite like a couple bitters I have made.

Did you guys drink it cold from the stubbie on your way home from a hard day at the coal mines?:lol:
I grabbed a six pack and let it warm a little and poured em into a nonic, pretty much on par with the wizard smith I think. But alot here didn't rate that as highly as I did either. It seems to me some people need it to be overloaded with hops or is crap, needs to be as bitter as snail pellets or its crap, has to be as fruity as a tropical fruit punch or its crap and has to be maltier than a doppelbock or its crap. Anything less and its just another aussie 'bitter' swill. :wacko:

At only 16-17 bucks a six pack i'd buy it again and enjoy it all over again. Not saying its the greatest beer under the sun just that its not as bad as all that. Some people said theres something missing and that would be reasonble to say and that doesn't mean its bad either.

Reasonbly well made beer and worth a try but as you can tell doesn't meet the high expectations of some brewers.

Jayse

 

[sinkas]

"Shelve your Western worries" Jayse,
I have edited my previouspost to make it a little clearer.
Point is , many "british bitters" being touted by the WA micro's tend to lack the same things as I mentioned in the previous post, its a brewing epidemic!

WizardSmith was a much better brew if you ask me. Despite the irritating "story behind the man behind the name"........ .. .....

 

[jayse]

No worries sinkas I was a bit over the top in my ranting at everyone there I think, just trying to make the point its not actually a bad beer. It has all the elements to a degree there so people shouldn't take it as meaning to steer clear when people say its missing a bit.

Lots of beers like this get quite a bit more bagging than they proberly deserve on AHB sometimes, I mean they are what they are. Sure they could be even better but when you compare to almost every other aussie thing on the bottlo shelves I think such beers are great.

Like everything/life/work people always post/talk about and remember the bad parts/things that happen I was just making a point to mention it also has some good things going on.

Looks like I'am just ranting again and not making much sense now


Jayse

 

[wee stu]

Willie Simpson gives it a write up in today's Age, along with Pepperjack and Wizard Smith.

Yet to taste it myself, but have to say the Cascade and Mount Hood hops don't seem terribly traditional for a London Best - EKG, yes.

FWIW, I've taken to storing my Wizard Smith out of the fridge and drinking at aroun 12c. Much better beer then, IMHO.

 

[roger mellie]

Curious - I saw this at my local bottlo - picked up 2 bottles - the silly bint behing the counter tried to charge me 58.80 per bottle - (the case price)
Anyway - I didnt thiink it was bad - Very toffee palate - maybe a bit to clean for a London Best Bitter - obvious EKG flavours on the nose and they hung on for a while. Didnt find the cascade at all.

A bit thin for mine but not bad - and importantly not overcarbed.

RM

PS - Randyrob - dunno where you got EB from? :icon_drunk: :icon_vomit:

 

[pbrosnan]

"Similar to emu bitter and other aussie bitters? you guys must have had your taste buds removed or ruined them with some big arse 400IBU 20 different malt beers."

Agree, nothing like EB. Not a bad beer, the hops dominate which makes it a little confronting but you get used to it.

 

[randyrob]

Hehe i'm starting to thing my mate pulled a swifty on me @ the bar, not unlike him at all
might just have to try this again on a clean palate.

Rob.

 

[wimbymoonshine]

This topic is somwhat dear to my heart as i used to live in perth and sail on a boat with one of the owners of gage roads.
Now that im in london and have tried real english bitters my thoughts are that it is perhaps the way you serve it. We aussies tend to serve all beers super chilled however english beers are served directly from the cask at whatever room temperature its at. They are also far less carbonated than some aussie bitters.


just my 2 cents

cheers

 

[Steve]

I tried this for the first time last night and was pleased I did. I thought it was a very nice beer - similar to a couple i have made with either Styrian or EK Goldings. It was a bit thin but hey they went down very well. $22 a six pack is a bit rich though. On the label it says its part of a world tour. What other beers/parts of the world are they planning on?
Cheers
Steve

 

[warrenlw63]

Hmmm... Methinks I'll seek this out. I really like the whole Gage Roads range. Not great but still good all the same. I still think their IPA is the best local attempt I've had yet at replicating a Burton water profile.

Warren -

 

[anc001]

I took a 6pack of this to a party, and tho I was drinking out of the bottle I rather enjoyed them, I loved the EKG.
They were not refridgerated at the party so warmed up significantly. I recall the body (if you can judge it from a bottle) being normal to thin.
Also loved the wizard smith's, this is the style (and hop choice) I typically brew to.

I'd not be shy about picking up a 6er ofeither in the future.
(don't get me started on the GR IPA, I'm crazy about that stuff)