Snow
Beer me up, Scotty!
- Joined
- 20/12/02
- Messages
- 2,349
- Reaction score
- 154
Had the fortune to have lunch at the refurbished Regatta Hotel in Brisbane yesterday. They have St Arnou as their contracted microbewery downstairs in the basement and have all their fine beers on tap. I tried their four current beers on offer and then fell asleep at my computer in the afternoon. Here's how they rated (in order of drinking)according to my simple palate:
St Arnou Pale Ale
Lovely deep golden colour with a nice tight head. Beautiful floral hop aroma (Cascade, I think) that's almost like perfume. Taste is very much in the Californian style with balanced bitterness and malt and that floral hop aftertaste lasting a good 10 seconds after each sip. A very nice beer that I would go back for.
Regatta Cream Ale
Very dark, which surprised me. As dark as a nut brown, maybe a porter. Beautiful creamy tight-foam head, similar to the top of a Guinness. Very little aroma - more malty than hoppy. Taste is like a flavour explosion in your mouth. Rich, full-bodied, chocolate and coffee flavours, with a smooth, silky mouthfeel and a pleasant lingering malty aftertaste. Definitely the pick of the bunch. After drinking it i walked downstairs to find the brewer and accost him for the recipe. Couldn't find him, so I think I'll write to him and keep writing until he gives it to me.
St Arnou Pilsner
Light golden colour with a medium head. Little hop aroma.
Nice and spritzy on the tongue with that zesty saaz taste/bitterness. Pretty indistinguishable from most other pilsners trying to copy Urquel. A good session drink but nothing to write home about. This has won quite a few awards, though, so it might just be my naive palate.
St Cloud
Belgian wit with a glorious pale yellow colour that is quite striking to look at. Usual creamy head you'd expect from a good wheat beer. The aroma was not what I expected - I thought it was a kind of off-yeast/fart smell. I've tried quite a few wits in the past and none of them smelled like this! Regardless, it tasted fine. A little light on for banana, cloves, nutmeg that I like in a wit, but had plenty of citrus notes. This too is a multiple award winner in Oz and NZ, but I reckon my wit is better B)
So there you have it. An enjoyable lunch, with good local beer. Enough to get me back again. I noticed St Arnou also had an outlet in Melbourne. Have any of you Victorians tried this before? What was your opinion?
Cheers - Snow.
St Arnou Pale Ale
Lovely deep golden colour with a nice tight head. Beautiful floral hop aroma (Cascade, I think) that's almost like perfume. Taste is very much in the Californian style with balanced bitterness and malt and that floral hop aftertaste lasting a good 10 seconds after each sip. A very nice beer that I would go back for.
Regatta Cream Ale
Very dark, which surprised me. As dark as a nut brown, maybe a porter. Beautiful creamy tight-foam head, similar to the top of a Guinness. Very little aroma - more malty than hoppy. Taste is like a flavour explosion in your mouth. Rich, full-bodied, chocolate and coffee flavours, with a smooth, silky mouthfeel and a pleasant lingering malty aftertaste. Definitely the pick of the bunch. After drinking it i walked downstairs to find the brewer and accost him for the recipe. Couldn't find him, so I think I'll write to him and keep writing until he gives it to me.
St Arnou Pilsner
Light golden colour with a medium head. Little hop aroma.
Nice and spritzy on the tongue with that zesty saaz taste/bitterness. Pretty indistinguishable from most other pilsners trying to copy Urquel. A good session drink but nothing to write home about. This has won quite a few awards, though, so it might just be my naive palate.
St Cloud
Belgian wit with a glorious pale yellow colour that is quite striking to look at. Usual creamy head you'd expect from a good wheat beer. The aroma was not what I expected - I thought it was a kind of off-yeast/fart smell. I've tried quite a few wits in the past and none of them smelled like this! Regardless, it tasted fine. A little light on for banana, cloves, nutmeg that I like in a wit, but had plenty of citrus notes. This too is a multiple award winner in Oz and NZ, but I reckon my wit is better B)
So there you have it. An enjoyable lunch, with good local beer. Enough to get me back again. I noticed St Arnou also had an outlet in Melbourne. Have any of you Victorians tried this before? What was your opinion?
Cheers - Snow.
