If like us, when you're not drinking wine you're drinking beer, then you're in the right place. Below we highlight six craft beers to try.
The popularity of craft beer has skyrocketed in recent years, it has a cult-like following in Australia and around the world. Craft beer is generally beer brewed by independently owned breweries, who usually produce smaller amounts of beer, there's a strong connection to community and the heart of the product is the craftsmanship.
Quality, flavour and innovation underpin these beers. Try Mountain Culture's Status Quo Pale Ale, back-to-back winner of the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer poll for the last two years, Banks' Good Times Hazy Pale Ale, a pale ale from Pirate Life, Molly Rose's Skylight IPA, the Cold XPA from Young Henrys, and the Cryotherapy Hazy IPA from Sunday Road.
Enjoyed at the taprooms, at a barbecue, alongside your favourite spicy dish, in the can or glass – get to know these six craft beers.
Banks Brewing Good Times Hazy Pale Ale
Tropical and juicy with a rounded mouthfeel and a crisp finish.H. Tell us about this beer.
BB. Good Times showcases everything we love about beer, it's a juicy pale ale with plenty of character and even more drinkability. Double dry hopped, with Citra, Nelson Sauvin and Talus, Good Times showcases big tropical character, solid body and a clean finish – it's a great session hazy pale.
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
BB. We love to have a Good Time – at work, with beer, the weekend, you name it. So naturally we chose to create a product that reflects our love of quality, full flavoured and easy drinking great beer. It’s juicy, refreshing and full of Good Times.
How to serve: We ain't too fancy, so drink it from the can or alternatively pour it into your finest CLEAN beer glass to admire the beautiful golden haze and fluffy white head.
Food pairing suggestion: Baja fish tacos.
RRP $6 (can) | $22 (four pack) | ABV 4.7% | Shop this beer
Molly Rose Brewing Co Skylight IPA
Bright citrus, tropical and juicy finishes clean and dry with a moorish bitterness. Pale, bright and crisp, this beer is an IPA that is meant to be drunk in the sun in a park, or on a beach directly from an esky and possibly from a stubby holder.H. Tell us about this beer.
MR. Skylight IPA is a classic Molly Rose IPA. It’s crisp, clean and dry while giving just the right amount of hop punch. A blend of US New World hops gives this beer some classic citrus aromas along with some beautiful peach and floral characters that are rounded out by a smooth bitterness.
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
MR. Skylight is the kind of IPA that walks the line between sessionable and refreshing and full-hop flavour, it’s a perfect beer for a few pints, out of the esky at the barbecue or paired with some spicy food. The name Skylight was inspired by owner Nic’s son. At the time Skylight was being devised, he was so completely happy and satisfied laying in a pram or cot below any skylight.
How to serve: Skylight is best enjoyed at our brewery on Wellington Street in Collingwood. We serve Skylight in our lovely schooner-stem glass, it's the perfect vessel to savour every sip. If you're enjoying it elsewhere, split the can between a nice stemmed glass and regular glass, you will see very clearly the impact that a glass has upon the flavour of a beer.
Food pairing suggestion: Skylight is ideally paired with our spicy stuffed chicken wing and some wok-fried noodles. If however, you can't make it to the brewery, pair it with your Southeast Asian dish filled with beautifully spicy flavours.
RRP $7.50 (can) | ABV 5.7% | Shop this beer
Mountain Culture Status Quo Pale Ale
An explosion of tropical and stone fruits.H. Tell us about this beer.
MC. Voted Australia’s number one beer in both 2022 and 2023 at the GABS Hottest 100, Status Quo is an easy drinking New England Pale Ale. It’s full flavoured and more tropical than the Hawaiian Ukulele Orchestra with a sessionable and well-rounded finish.
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
MC. This beer is the result of a brewpub trial series that we conducted when we first opened in 2019. It quickly became a cult favourite. It’s easy drinking nature and full-flavour profile makes the perfect refreshment after a long day in the sun or when getting comfy by the fire in winter.
How to serve: Best served cold, it can be enjoyed poured into your favourite glass or straight from the can if that's your style.
Food pairing suggestion: It’s a real goes-with-anything beer, but if we had to specify, we would recommend a spicy curry or some classic fried chicken wings.
RRP $70 (case) | $22 (four pack) | ABV 5.2% | Shop this beer
Pirate Life South Coast Pale Ale
Luminous yellow hue, stone fruit and citrus aromas, crisp and refreshing mouthfeel, and totally crushable.H. Tell us about this beer.
PL. South Coast Pale Ale is our flagship beer. It's a proud embodiment of the place we call home. It’s citrusy, crisp, and crushable with a gentle haze and cruisy 4.4% ABV. It first landed in 2020, and we now brew close to four million litres of it each year – it's a good indication that Pirate Life fans enjoy it as much as we do.
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
PL. We wanted to challenge ourselves by crafting a beer that mirrored our ever-evolving tastes, but one that also appeals to a variety of beer lovers. As a brand we value human connection immensely, and South Coast helps us do just that. It’s a highly approachable froth and tastes great in every setting.
How to serve: Honestly, however you like. It’s perfect from the tin or poured expertly from the tap. The latter will showcase its luminous yellow hue – and that’s always a win.
Food pairing suggestion: South Coast pairs brilliantly with a wide range of dishes, from steamed mussels and fragrant Thai curries to a barbecued snag. Given its moderate flavour profile and light to medium body, it doesn’t overpower food, rather helps to complement and accentuate flavours.
RRP $49 | ABV 4.4% | Shop this beer
Sunday Road Cryotherapy Hazy IPA
Aromas of mango, passionfruit and tropical fruit that combine with a luscious mouthfeel that perfectly complements its big hoppy flavours and low bitterness. Juicy, smooth, and pure hop heaven.H. Tell us about this beer.
SR. Cryogenic Lupulin powder from whole hop flowers delivers, mango, passionfruit and tropical fruit aromas that combine with a luscious mouthfeel that perfectly complements its big hoppy flavours and low bitterness. Think of it as cryotherapy for the soul. No wonder it took home the major trophy for best IPA at the Australian International Beer Awards – now that is something to drink to!
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
SR. The search for a hop driven beer that delivered on a pillowy mouthfeel that would be the perfect companion to the Australia climate. It was designed to complement the Australian lifestyle in a full flavoured way.
How to serve: Cold and in a wide mouth glass that allows the drinker to admire the brilliant colour and foamy white head. A glass allows the hop aroma to escape and become the star of the show.
Food pairing suggestion: A versatile beer for food pairing, one of our favourites is wood fired pizza with a crunchy crust, slathered with red marinara sauce and topped with equally crunchy vegetables.
RRP $27.99 (four pack) | $124.99 (case of 24) | ABV 6.1% | Shop this beer
Young Henrys Cold XPA
Bursting with notes of passionfruit and orange peel from Australian grown hops and a light golden body from cold fermentation, this XPA is deliciously drinkable. With a gentle bitterness and a crisp finish, it's the perfect beer for the Aussie summer.H. Tell us about this beer.
YH. It’s the driest of our beers but also one of the hoppiest. Leaning heavily into what our head brewer Searlzy describes as 'high citrus', Cold XPA cops massive flavours of orange peel, resin, and lemon rind. Your classic passionfruit and tropical notes are there but in a sharper form. The neutral malt body and dry finish really accentuates and elevates the hop character, making this beer severely drinkable.
H. What inspired this beer? And what makes it ideal for year-round enjoyment?
YH. Cold XPA is our unique, Australian nod to the Cold IPA beer style, which was born on the West Coast of the USA about five years ago. Compared to the richer malt body of a regular West Coast IPA, a Cold IPA has a much lighter and drier malt character that is aimed at letting the massive hop flavour and aroma shine. With XPAs lending themselves to plenty of summer beer-drinking occasions here in Aus, we brewed Cold XPA to be more sessionable than regular XPAs, while amplifying the tropical, citrus hop notes we’ve all come to love.
How to serve: Like most, it's best served ice cold, fresh from the esky or the fridge after a long day. If you're lucky enough to find it on tap at your local, then you've struck cold gold!
Food pairing suggestion: We reckon this beer is the perfect mate to all your favourite pub/picnic meals and summer snacks.
RRP $65 | ABV 4% | Shop this beer
