Little Creatures Pale Ale Post Buy Out

[jc64]

LCPA from Geelong is tasting fine to me. SNPA is my other go to Pale Ale and I'll happily still go between both. Of course I still like to drink my own when I can.

 

[droid]

the beechworth has that dry hopped aroma and late hops in the mouth but the lcpa was bland with no aroma at all - it was still bitter but that is not the beer I fell in love with all those years ago back in WA, there is no way you could serve that to someone and say it is styled on an APA

the only other thing that might be worth trying is taking some over to WA next week when I go and compare to the local but who cares really

to me it seems the late hop additions and dry hop additions have been scaled back if not withdrawn altogether

RIP LCPA (at this household)

edit and the John Boston was a nice fresh tasting beer for a 4.2, more aroma than the lcpa and I would have it over coopers green

 

[manticle]

Given up on james squire (once enjoyed golden, porter, ipa) but still happily down a sixer of lc pale regularly. Hightail and lc are my two go to commercial sessionables after an evening of futsal, etc.

 

[droid]

there seems to be a common thing in the js line that I don't like but am not sure what it is, some sort of weird malt taste

 

[technobabble66]

Try the JS Hop Thief. A clear cut above their other offerings

 

[droid]

around the time alpha+ came out I got into the hop fwd style and enjoyed the js hop theif and the stories behind their beers in general. at some point there wa a js bar in Melbourne somewhere and I had the golden ale and (edit) over time their whole line up) and that's where I started tasting a flavour like a malt sort of flavour that didn't suit my palate. Maybe I gave up on hop thief at the time.

I see hop theif label States that it changes depending on seasonal availability of ingredients which is fair enough. I can understand what spiesy is saying in that sometimes Brewerie are stuck with what the seasons produce but could you call a beer the same with different flavour and aroma hops added? Maybe they could take a nod from AHB Brewers for example and call it their house apa

I dunno it's interesting that the lcpa has changed and for a solid year I bought a ctn a week, in my mind I feel the current offering is not the same

Going to email the company in geelong and freo to see what they have to say

Btw bought the furphy a while ago and it sat in my pantry - very ordinary tho the chick said (at LC's in geelong) it was their best seller, maybe lcpa has been toned down to be accepted by the masses

Just my opinion

 

[Spiesy]

Neal, any idea on the freshness of the LCPA that you drank? Where was it purchased from?

I think it had changed over the years, sure, but I also know my palette has changed a ****-tonne. I remember struggling to put down a bottle of LCPA years back as it was so bitter - although on tap it was more balanced. Obviously my hop tolerance and appreciation has changed quite a bit over the years.

 

[Bridges]

maybe lcpa has been toned down to be accepted by the masses

I find this ^^^ confusing and disappointing. It's not like they were struggling to move the stuff as it was, and if it's an economic decision to save money on hops surely they know they are shooting themselves in the foot. I don't buy it often but last time I did I really enjoyed it. Good excuse to buy some more I guess.

 

[droid]

I sent LC's a message today asking about all this so yeah, still gonna run some over the border to compare anywho

if you like it drink it eh

 

[TheWiggman]

I agree with Spiesy, when I was a VB and Cold fan back in the days of yore I really had no idea what a pale ale tasted like. Little Creatures was recommended and I splurged, and was completely blown away. Best beer I'd ever had. Through the years I've developed a bit of snobbery in my home brewing obsession/adventures and my tastes and tolerances have changed considerably. My tolerance for bitterness and hoppiness gets higher and higher and I've no doubt if I picked up the same glass I did 9 years ago, it would probably taste different.
Today I love stouts, 10 years ago I didn't. Stouts are still stouts. Tastes change and I think old stuff will always taste different to new stuff. Except VB, that still tastes the same to me. I think it's a challenge that brewers will always face, especially in the 'botique' market. Not saying people are wrong, maybe it has changed, but to me it's still a decent beer.

 

[neal32]

Neal, any idea on the freshness of the LCPA that you drank? Where was it purchased from?

I think it had changed over the years, sure, but I also know my palette has changed a ****-tonne. I remember struggling to put down a bottle of LCPA years back as it was so bitter - although on tap it was more balanced. Obviously my hop tolerance and appreciation has changed quite a bit over the years.

It was from the Geelong brewery, the date was best before Oct from memory and was purchased in the Gold Coast.

Valid points about tastes and tolerance changing, but the SNPA I drank doesn't taste that different, nor has it ever and to me that is true quality right there. These days it tastes less hoppy and I taste more caramel, but it's still a good beer, even after travelling half way across the world. LCPA had to travel 2 states and I wouldn't say the one I drank was a good beer, sadly not even an average one. In fact if one of my beers turned out like that, I would be disappointed to the point of ditching it......and I'm a tightarse. Just my 2c though.

EDIT: I used to be a massive fan of Little Creatures, the brewery in Freo is one of my favourite places and one of the best breweries I've been to in the world. I was the first to get a case of their single batches(They were never mind blowing, I just really liked the brewery and the beers), driving around to bottlo's around freo to get a case.

So not hating on Little Creatures, just disappointed.

 

[Spiesy]

Valid points about tastes and tolerance changing, but the SNPA I drank doesn't taste that different, nor has it ever and to me that is true quality right there.

That's interesting that you say that, because I won't buy SNPA in Australia - just not worth the extra money for me. To drink it in the USA, on tap in particular, is where it's at. Completely understand that not everybody can do that, it's just not possible most of the time, but for hop-forward beers I try to shop locally for fresh product... even my hoppy APA's change after a month or so in the keg, a lot of the aroma just disappears.

 

[buckerooni]

I give the SNPA cans a go but not the bottles.

LCPA is one of my go-to beers but with Thunder Road Brewery just down the tracks from me and it's support of the Merri Mashers brew club they might become my new go-to for fresh local beer.

 

[JB]

Sampled this last night objectively against a SNPA and 2 of my APA's. To say this beer has gone downhill is an understatement. Had zero aroma, clarity was non existent, the flavour was of rusted nails and slightly of offensive bitterness (Maybe PoR). It was absolutely ********* and not worth the price, any price.

Am I alone in my thinking? LCPA was the beer that got me into craft beer several years ago. I remember the floral aroma, impressive malt backbone and firm biterness. Literally a life changing beer. Now I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I'm sadly in the same boat Neal

 

[Mardoo]

LCPA was rich, hoppy, almost like barleyfruit juice. It's just not the same anymore. I'm someone who first had it with a well-established taste for craft beer, and it compared to many of the best commercial PA's I'd had. No more.

 

[pist]

LCPA was rich, hoppy, almost like barleyfruit juice. It's just not the same anymore. I'm someone who first had it with a well-established taste for craft beer, and it compared to many of the best commercial PA's I'd had. No more.

Have to agree with you mardoo. LCPA was ALOT more hoppy than it is now. Used to really enjoy it. Seems to have suffered the same fate as Fat Yak when CUB took over matildas bay (going cheap on ingredients)

 

[manticle]

Fat yak is like orange juice with a hop flower waved over it from a neighbouring country.

 

[droid]

Here is the response from LC's

I was a bit rude I spose so excuse me

Hi Jon

Thanks for your email.

I passed this onto our head brewer in Fremantle Russell Gosling and this is the response he has sent through;

LCPA has never been a dry hopped beer.

We use leaf/cone hops in our hopback to capture all those lovely aromatics. The hopback is situated post whirlpool pre paraflow: en route to FV then. In 2008 when we installed our new Brewhouse we also installed a new hopback (the old one is at the WR Brewery in Healesville), at this point the mass of leaf hops actually increased in order to match/achieve the desired hop character in the Beer!

The only change is the makeup of the hop grist – not the varieties per say – but the hemispheres. We originally only used US hops – way back in the day – but found that the leaf hops peaked after say 4 -5 months and then quickly deteriorated (oxidised). So we worked with HPA to introduce AUS/(TAS) Cascade into our mix – this meant that we reduced our exposure to deteriorating hops and benefited from twin peaks. We are presently targeting a 50:50 split of US/ANZ hops for this reason.

We still use Cascade and Chinook and have also introduced that lovely AUS hop Ella into the mix – we also purchase a “seasoning hop”, which we add to the Whirlpool (as T90s) and this is generally what we can get hold of at the time (which ain’t easy given the current demand for hops!); recent hops have been Vic Secret and Simcoe for example.

Most APAs on the market are dry-hopped – this means, on one hand, that they have bigger aroma yes, but on the other hand, they have a distinct harsh, green/pellety astringency (less refinement/finesse) – Brewing is a process of compromises and each Brewer determines where they are prepared to compromise. We at LC reckon we make the best Beer can by adhering to our 3 core beliefs: use of leaf hops (hopback instead of dry hopping), non-pasteurisation of our Beers and bottle conditioning. Well at least for our Pale Ale. Our IPA is most definitely dry hopped (with lots of Amarillo) – it also has a big hit of leaf hop in the hopback too.

Water – both Fremantle and Geelong use towns mains water that is then RO treated – salts (sulphate/chloride) added back into the process. This is matched.

So yes way, the Pale has the same amount of hops - I wonder however if the perception has altered due to greater exposure of hoppy beers?

I hope this answers your questions.

Cheers


Lorna Stephen
Brand Manager
0427 564 159



-----Original Message-----
From: Jon tew
Sent: Sunday, 19 April 2015 12:08 PM
To: Lion BSW Australia
Subject: Enquiry: General Enquiries

A new enquiry has been received:

Subject: General Enquiries
Name: Jon Tew
Email: **
Telephone: **
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hi there, always been a fan of lcpa but must say that it is not the same anymore. There is no way lcpa has the same amount of late and dry hops. I used to buy a ctn of lcpa a week ( in country vic) and then at some point maybe through all grain brewing myself I stopped as I'm making apa's on a constant basis

Is the beer the same back in Perth? I moved to vic 10 years ago from Guildford where quite often we had lcpa on tap before the hotel burned down. I was buying lcpa in vic before geelong opened and I'm wondering if the water Is different (which is harder I think in wa)

Or is it just a case of having to use different hops? If so does lcpa still have the same amount of late and dry-hopping? I can't pick up any aroma and very little late hop flavour

Hoping you don't mind if your response is posted on Aussie home brewer as there is a discussion going on about it now

Cheers yours however saddened

Jonny tew


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[Yob]

So *they're saying they should be the same.. Take him a bottle when you go over, do a side by side with him

*ed

 

[1974Alby]

or her.