Thus Let Us Drink Beer
Blackman’s, Bucketty’s and Bells Beach Brewing
Now, that’s quite an alliteration that we got ourselves here today with three veritable heavyweights in the domain of Australian craft brewing:
Blackman’s Brewing is based out of Torquay, surrounds that are known for its surfing culture and not necessarily on the map when it comes to craft beer breweries – something that founders Renn Blackman and his wife Jess set out to rectify.
With Renn having honed his craft by not only studying the theoretical side of brewing but substantiating it with stints at a range or local breweries, Blackman Brewing as we know today incarnated eight years ago.
With the nomenclature being informed by the family name, the brewed emissions continued the tradition with names of the beers being derived from the Blackman family’s extended constituents, some of which I have been acquainted with recently – at least in liquid form.
Take for example Reginald the IPA, which being a West Coast India Pale Ale could not be better suited for Blackman’s Brewery and its surf culture inspired context. With an ABV of 6.2% we got an extremely sessionable IPA on our hands, which upon approach tickles the nostrils with its citrussy and stone fruity aromas, which rest on a well-calibrated foundation of maltiness and a bitterness that accentuates the piney highlights. Delicious.
Now, let’s dial things up a notch with Arthur, the Smoked Porter. I am usually not a big fan of dark beers, however, I do harbour a weak spot for Teutonic Rauchbiers, which is where Arthur excels with layers of smoke resting on a backbone of dark chocolate, nuttiness and orangey confectionary.
Given the smoke, it would make sense to amplify the merits of e.g. a peaty Islay whisky, but I instead paired it with a dram of Springbank and it complemented it perfectly.’
Continuing the examination of Blackman’s in a vertical manner, the next level is reached with – wait for it - a Gin Barrel Aged Choc Berry Dark Ale. Subdued in the alcohol department with a moderate 6%, this dark brew has been matured in barrels that previously held Pinot Noir followed by Navy Strength Gin, with the result being a tour de force in the dark and sour realms of beers interweaved with cherry, coconut and dark chocolatey nuances.
My favourite of Blackman’s range however is its Red IPA, which proved to be a veritable heavyweight, clocking in at 7.5% ABV. I love the triumvirate of hops comprised of Citra, Galaxy and Idaho 7, resulting in a passionfruity assault of cantaloupe and mango sitting against a backdrop of malty caramel.
Let’s move locations and head to wine country, i.e. the Hunter Valley to the picturesque Bucketty, where a brewery with the same name originally started its operations before its plan were shut down by the local council and they decided to relocate to the beaches North of Sydney, where they infused their brewery and taproom with the flavours and aesthetics derived from the location it emanated from to create a third place for people to connect.
Bucketty’s Lager is an integral component of their core line-up with head brewer Tony D’Astolfo channelling his alchemy in the creation of a German style pilsner, however, it would not be Bucketty’s if there was no idiosyncratic twist added. In this case, American hops play a dominant role, which adds a refreshingly citrussy facet to the earthy and medium malty flavours.
Not bad, not bad at all.
While I have not had opportunity to try Bucketty’s other brews, their West Coast IPA plays in a league of its own.
See, if you look at Bucketty’s at large, it is hard not to see the meticulous attention to detail – from the setup of their operations via the website to their exquisite range of merchandise.
With Bucketty’s head brewer having grown up on the West Coast of the US, mastering their WCIPA is obviously something close to his heart and it shows as in terms of dank and piney aromas, things are taken to the next level.
Yes, there are hints of citrus, tangerine and tropical fruits lingering in the background, however, the focus is firmly set on huge hop aromas with an understated malt character, culminating in a dry finish to again let the wonderful melange of Amarillo, Mosaic, Simco and Strata hops take centre stage.
I can only hope that one of Tony’s next projects will see him tackling a hopped out double IPA…
Let’s revisit Torquay again…
As elaborated on early on in this instalment, Torquay and its context are heavily inspired by surf culture and given the quality of breweries mushrooming in the area, it proves to be a quite a hotbed and fertile ground for luminaries in the realm of artisanal beer crafting to set up their operations.
With a background in car engineering, which saw the founders not only work but also experience the local brews in Bavaria and the US, Bells Beach Brewing emitted its first brew six years ago in form of a Saison, which instantaneously was graced with a craft beer award.
Not bad given that it took another two years until Bells Beach transitioned from gypsy brewing enterprise to setting up their own proper brewery, which eventually came to fruition in 2018.
Bells Beach’s core expression, i.e. Bird Rock, is a medium bodied brown ale and one that is situated on the deliciously sweet and syrupy end of the spectrum.
I would go as far as claiming that it would make a borderline perfect dessert beer as the melange of distinct caramel flavours are interweaved with espresso highlights and further substantiated by nutty and dark chocolatey flavours. A malty, slightly oaky bitterness sits against a backdrop of citrus tinged flavours and a subdued fruitiness.
Not a bad start at all.
However, the expression that won me over is Bells Beach’s Edge Wet Hop IPA as with a grain bill comprised of light crystal, Munich and Caramalt and a winning quartet in the hop department, i.e. Cascade, Chinook, Magnum and Centennial, it showcases expertly everything I love about a great IPA:
Waves of citrus and pine, set against a well-calibrated bitter bite, which culminates in a dangerously moreish caramel finish.
With a moderate ABV of 6.2% a wonderfully sessionable brew that delivers on all fronts and one that has me savouring every sip and sniff with its beautiful bounty in the aroma.
Looks like once travel restrictions are lifted, a visit to Bells Beach’s Torquay will be in order…
