IBUs Just Went Up a Wee Bit in Steamrail Beers

[yankinoz]

Steamrail beers are those ones brewed under contract for Wesfarmers/Coles at a mystery location somewhere between Broome and Hobart, that get prime floor space at Liquorland and First Choice, that have cute names and labels that look like kinder decorations, that taste a little like craft beers, but only a little.

Coles print IBUs on the boxes, and just raised them, a little. Maybe they increased flavour too, a little. When I checked at a local outlet last month, IBUs were at or well below what the BJCP says is the range among a large sample. After the increase, Steamrail beers are at or a little below the lower end.

Table One and Only: Steamrail IBUs
Hops Dropper Pilsner, was and is 25, BJCP: Czech pilsner 25–45 IBUs, German pilsner 35–45
Ghost of Eyre Pale Ale was19, now 25, BJCP: English pale ale 25–35, APAs 30–45 (Coopers is about 25–28?)
Lucky Amber Amber Ale was 20, now 26, BJCP: American amber 25–40

Maybe they're getting a message and are grudgingly trying to get in step, but I wouldn't bet on it. For sure I don't see them breaking ground, taking chances and trying bold new beers, the way the real craft brewers and home brewers do.

Here's a tip that works for Australia, the US and UK: if the name of a beer and its packaging suggest a big marketing department has been at work, it probably has been. Look at what Woolies has done with Sail & Anchor.

 

[GalBrew]

Aren't they brewed at Asahi/Independent Distillers in Laverton?

 

[yankinoz]

Aren't they brewed at Asahi/Independent Distillers in Laverton?

Could be. In any event it's not done by monks or former home brewers.

 

[Bribie G]

Independent Distillers can do a fair knock off if they try. For example the Kingfisher Lager you get at Indian restaurants isn't too bad.
I expect they just dance to the tune that the current piper plays.

 

[NewtownClown]

Craft breweries/brewing companies in Australia are defined by the Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) as thus:
"We define an Australian craft brewer as being a brewer based in Australia producing less than 40 million litres of beer per annum."
It has nothing to do with ingredients, IBU's or an individual consumer's perception of flavour.

The only "message" that would facilitate changes in their products, that companies like these respond to, are ones from focus groups and tasting panels. Coles and Woolworths spend millions on this type of feedback.

Beer Judges Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines are just that; guidelines for the categorisation of styles to make judging easier - in competitions. They aren't labelling standards and you will find many beers brewed by Craft Breweries that blur the lines when it comes to the Style Guidelines.

Recently, after the Byron Pale Lager/CUB incident, the ACCC announced they will be pressuring breweries to be more transparent in the disclosure of a beer's provenance. This is an attempt to stop the Macros parading a brand as Craft - like Steam Rail does.
It appears craft drinkers are more concerned with the origin of a product than the product itself - and fair enough, if that is one way we choose one over another, there should be full dislosure.

 

[GalBrew]

Could be. In any event it's not done by monks or former home brewers.

True, but don't they brew all of Mountain Goat's packaged (excl rare breed) products? They obviously know how to brew. Makes for an interesting discussion on what equals 'craft beer' a term that I think is becoming more meaningless with each passing second.

 

[yankinoz]

Steamrail beers are not bad beers at all, unlike, say, Storm Pale Ale sold by Aldi. I don't doubt that brewers of Steamrail know how to make more flavourful beers, or that the Brewers at CUB could too; large scale is no obstacle. What intrigues me is that marketing departments at large interests seem to view hop bombs and malt bombs as suited only to niche markets, something to adopt in name but water down for mass markets. No, the BJCP guidelines are not meant to be binding, but they do reflect most of the commercial beers in a given style. So the question is why do mass marketers consistently aim for the low end of flavour?

Look at innovation. Giants like Annheuser Inbev, SABMiller, Heineken and Kirin come up with super light beers and lime beers. Then look at what the small brewers are coming up with: hopwenweizen, imperial pilsners, double IPAs, bourbon-barrel stout (invented by a home brewer and adopted by Goose Island in 1992), etc, etc.

Squires is an example of a small brewery taken over by a big company and marketed widely. Maybe it's me, but I could swear Squires beers with the obvious exception of Hop Thief do not pack as much flavour as they once did. Little Creatures seems to be intact.

 

[spog]

Have to agree with you saying Squires beers not packing as much flavour as they once did,they seem to be missing the flavour they once had and LCPA the same,or perhaps it's me...

 

[mwd]

Have to agree with you saying Squires beers not packing as much flavour as they once did,they seem to be missing the flavour they once had and LCPA the same,or perhaps it's me...

Yep cannot argue with that I also reckon both are very bland now and I used to enjoy Stowaway.

Ashai have also taken over Cricketers Arms. I have developed a taste for Captains IPA and Spearhead Pale.. Captain's aint no IPA but It does have flavour and very drinkable if you ignore the IPA label. Spearhead one you either like or hate. I like it as a great hop forward fruity beer and relatively cheap good session beer miles ahead of most of the more common usual suspects.

I see Paul Scott and Dermot O'Donnell are the men involved in Cricketers

 

[Blind Dog]

I thought JS was always Lion owned, starting in the late 90s from the old Hahn brewery that Lion had taken over 5 or so years earlier?

Don't disagree that it's no longer as good as it once was