Thus Let Us Drink Beer

Deeds Brewing and Ocean Reach

Having evolved from a distribution dedicated to importing beers and ciders from all corners of this earthround and establishing some of the brands firmly on the firmament of Australian bottle shops and bars, Pat Alé and Dave Milstein launched Quiet Deeds in 2012 with a core line-up of a pale ale, Kölsch and an IPA.

Following a rebranding exercise resulting in the incarnation of Deeds Brewing, which saw the duo confidently stride down more experimental avenues in 2019 with one of the foci not merely set on the creation of delicious hazy IPAs and modern hybrid styles that quickly became crowd favourites but bold limited edition and highly enjoyable one-off brews.  Given that craft breweries are mushrooming in Melbourne at a devil’s pace, there is something said for Deeds Brewing quickly carving out their idiosyncratic niche.

While Deed’s ridiculously creamy, hazy and low-carbonated Juice Train is a reliable go-to in the realm of the classic New England IPA style, I have been particularly fond of Deed’s recent collaboration with Merrie Mashers, i.e. Karl’s Big Day Out. 

The brew results in a brew that no lover of hoppy and resinous IPAs would want to miss:  Based on the triumvirate of Galaxy, Azacca and Magnum hops and clocking in at a punchy ABV of 7.3%, this little number proved to be a match par excellence for a dram of Ardbeg’s recently released Hypernova expression.

The name and artwork of the DDH IPA that is Any Given Day is not merely a thinly veiled homage to Oliver Stone’s epic flic, but it kicks goals with a hop variant I had never sampled before, i.e. NZ-102 hops, with stone fruity flavours dancing against a backdrop of tropical, tart and sweet kiwi fruits.

Sunken Dream is a red IPA homage to the thin, white Duke with its Ziggy Stardust inspired artwork, moderately toasty malt and dark caramel flavours, which are further accentuated by hoppy highlights and a well calibrated bitterness.

A Wellness Session in the truest sense is Deed’s West Coast styled IPA with its wonderfully balanced, dank and resinous bitterness derived from Simcoe, Amarillo, and Mosaic hops.

The double dry-hopped IPA Maximum Effort rounds things out with Strata and Mosaic hops, conjuring a brew that aroma-wise is reminiscent of freshly sliced rock melon, which is married with pineapple and passionfruit  flavours.

I cannot wait for Deeds Brewing to channel its alchemy in the creation of Double and Triple IPAs.

Let’s continue on within the confines of Victoria yet shift to where the famous Penguin Parade takes place, i.e. Phillip Island. 
While its coastal scenery along with the unique wildlife might not have one think immediately of craft beer, it did not discourage Ocean Reach founder Simon Bismire to open his brewery in one of Victoria’s most popular holiday locations six years ago.

Having honed his craft via homebrewing over the years and learning all facets of the trade,  Ocean Reach established a popular core range comprised of classic styles, which was eventually further flanked by limited releases that constitute deliberate detours in experimental territory.

After having been accolade decorated for the elaborate efforts that go into the design of the artwork for Ocean Reach’s cans, a dedicated Artist Series was launched.  Geared at providing a platform and canvas for letting different artists not merely interpret beers but adding an aesthetically pleasing visual facet, thereby orchestrating how it will be perceived and adding to the enjoyment..

I was lucky to score an early release sample of Ocean Reach’s most recent instalment of their Artist Series, i.e. the Peach Double Dry Hopped IPA.

While in many ways the acronym “DDH” has turned into a marketing term to instantaneously evoke Pavlovian responses from hazy IPA aficionados, Ocean Reach nailed it with this little number in the increased hop department: 

Almost devoid of bitterness, flavour hits of epic proportions courtesy of Amarillo, Citra and Cashmere hops take centre stage, set in scene by a dazzling display of peachy intensity. 

Clocking in at 6.8% ABV, an immensely sessionable beer for the upcoming warmer months. 

The fact that the can is adorned by art created by Jake Ross channelling his trademark soft colours meeting bold monochrome traditional dark lines style, does not hurt either.