That's odd, I found in a blind 3 way taste test that MB and VB were drinkable, not my first choice by a long shot, but drinkable. But Carlton Draught has a flavour I would say is "mousey." Or more accurately, for anyone who had them as pets or in Science class at school, like the spent newspaper at the bottom of the cage - doused in mouse piss. It's a hugely unpleasant aroma and really sticks in my craw. If a pub has CD or Pure Blonde on tap, I'll take a soda water thanks. But like manticle says, I very much doubt that any Australian Mega-Brewer has hygiene issues. Perhaps it's just their yeast strain?
Anyway, although it's been said a million and one times over in this thread and others, why anyone would want to clone VB is beyond me. It's like burgers. You can make a great burger at home, eat a wonderful fish'n'chip burger or pub burger out, but if you want a McDonalds burger, you have to get it at McDonalds. They use large scale processes which can in no way be recreated in the home kitchen, and for the price they sell their burgers, why even bother trying? And, much like homebrew v. microbrew v. macroswill, I know which I would prefer to put in my mouth...
