I found this one at my favorite supplier on sale for only $2.99 a six pack. It was displayed under a sign that gave it’s regular price of $8.49 per six. I asked the beer guy why it was discounted so much and he told me they were discontinuing that brand because of high shipping cost’s from Austrailia. So I figured (once again), how bad could it be for just three bucks?
First, a little history. Wattle are the edible seeds of some native Australian acacia shrubs and were a part of the Aborigines diet. They would dry them and mill them into a flour and make something called “Bush Bread.” Because of its high nutritional content, hardiness and availability, the fine folks at Barons tried them in an ale recipe and created a hit.
It pours a deep dark amber with a thin, off white head that hung around in my mug about half way down but had very little lacing. As soon as I popped off the cap, the aroma of bready malts seemed to jump out of the bottle and hit me right in the nose. It smelled like I was about to drink a sweet molasses/chocolate flavored beer. This is a full body brew with a thick sweet finish.
If you are looking for a hoppy beer, this is not it. This would be a good beer for a cold winter night. The only downfall, in my opinion, is that there is no hint of any winter time spices. Too bad it won’t be sold around here again any time soon, I would love to try it in the summer with a grilled brisket.
P-O-R-C-H Rating: C
I was only going to give this beer a “R”. But the originality of the brewer to use native ingredients (wattle seed) and the way the aroma jumped out of the bottle before I even began pouring it made it a more enjoyable brew. It is obvious to me that these guys love making beer, so I rewarded their passion with a higher rating. I will buy this beer any time I find it.
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Posted by Mr. Porch