Top 10 Australian Made Craft Beers and Ciders For Spring 2021
It’s time to get your beer fix with these Australian-made brews for spring 2021.
Australia truly is the land of the free when it comes to making alcohol. This is why we’re leading the world in quirky drops and brews that deviate from the standard classics. Just look at our wine market, for one! With Australian beer and cider, you can swing around on all sorts of flavours — from classic concoctions to flavoursome crafty brews.
And now that spring has sprung upon us, we think it’s the perfect time to shake off the cold and soak up some truly unique flavours. Think coconut and chocolate, yeasty peanut butter, and summery Sunny Boy sours. Whether you’re a classic lager dude, a craft beer enthusiast, or someone who loves being different, we think you’ll find a captivating Australian beer within this list.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best Australian made craft beers and ciders for spring 2021.
Image: Supplied
Upflow + Craft Zero Coconut Brown Ale
For anyone who’s had a lamington, it’s common knowledge that chocolate and coconut go together hand-in-hand. The guys at Craft Zero and Upflow Beer know this, which is why they’ve collaborated to launch a Coconut Brown Ale. It’s a decadent dark beer, brewed to a brown ale base, with a seriously complex malt bill, providing layers of chocolate toasted malts. Combine that with rich, sweet coconut and you’ve got a delicious mouthful of fun!
Image via Boozebud
Bad Shepherd Brewing Co Peanut Butter Porter
A few weeks ago, we shared a peanut butter whisky made in the USA. But now Australia’s hopped on the bandwagon, blending the tasty breakfast spread with a full-bodied beer. Bad Shepherd Brewing’s Peanut Butter Porter is brewed with chocolate malt, chocolate wheat and hazelnuts, featuring the distinct taste of peanut butter. It doesn’t contain peanuts, just hazelnuts, with lactose and peanut flavours, and it’s the greatest experiment gone right.
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Smithy's Premium Lager
Love classic beer but getting bored of all the longstanding popular ones? Well, you must try Smithy’s Premium Lager. Brewed with the finest ingredients, this beer is refreshing and nicely balanced with malt and hop aromas, featuring a crisp and slightly fruity finish. It’s an all-rounder beer, perfect for a casual night at home or a party with all your mates. Heck, we won’t judge if you match it with a classic pub-style dinner! Actually, that does sound good.
Image via Boozebud
Mismatch Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout
As well as sounding like a mouthful, the Mismatch Brewing Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout is sure to smash your tastebuds, Russian style! Made like your standard Imperial stout, this brew is then added to bourbon barrels to strengthen the taste. It’s heavy and smooth, featuring a slick texture that hugs the palate. Expect vanilla, aniseed and bourbon on the nose with layers of chocolate, roasted malt and chest-warming alcohol.
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Capital Brewing Co XPA
Made in the heart of the Australian Capital Territory, the Capital Brewing Co XPA is a perfect craft beer staple. Conjured up by Californian brewer Wade Hurley, who brings American home-brewing skills to Australian tastebuds, this beer is a full-strength, tropical number with a hint of citrus and very refreshing for springtime. Matched with a group of like-minded friends and plenty of party nibbles, and you’ve got the better part of an afternoon sorted.
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Hope Brewery Sunny Boy Sour
As anyone over the age of 25 would know, Sunny Boys were the perfect treat for hot summer days. And now you can reminisce on the good old days with the Sunny Boy Sour — brewed by Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Featuring Australian grown specialty wheat malt and orange juice extracts, this beer is soured during the brewing process to create a vibrant, cheek-pinching beer. The adult version of a nostalgic childhood treat.
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Small Acres Norfolk Still Cider
It may look like wine, but it’s technically not (it’s also technically not beer, but try telling that to all the bars that put it in their beer menus). This is a still cider, harvested and blended on the foothills of Mt Canobolas near Orange, New South Wales. The Small Acres Norfolk Still Cider showcases fresh red apple flavours and a crisp finish, all without the bubbles that can sometimes distract us from the bountiful flavours. Cider is a fun way to shake up your regular drink list.
Image via Beer Cartel
Wildflower Hive Post Brood Wild Ale
Wild Ale is a beer style fermented with wild or natural yeast — a bit like a levain starter for sourdough. At Wildflower Brewing and Blending, their focus is on fermenting beer with “a mixed house culture of brewers yeast mixed with wild yeast and bacteria foraged from New South Wales.” If you’re a fan of funk-filled flavours like truffle and blue cheese, you’ll love this. The Wildflower Hive Post Brood Wild Ale is re-fermented with a naturally-formed Warré post-brewed honeycomb.
Image via Beer Cartel
Quiet Deeds Juice Train
New England IPAs are intensely fruit-driven, with plenty of hoppiness and flavour — just like the Deeds Juice Train which tastes exactly as it sounds. And when we say it’s juicy, we mean it. Expect a smooth, silky mouthfeel, dripping with haze thanks to the use of oats. The bitterness is low and it’s teeming with hops that were added during fermentation to balance out the juiciness. A wonderful accompaniment to a sunny spring afternoon. Just remember: it is beer, not bubbly juice.
Image via Beer Cartel
Big Shed Viscosiraptor Barley Wine
Barley wine is technically a beer and is only called “wine” because of how similar its ABV is to standard wine. And this one’s a big boy with a 10.6% ABV. Of course, the reason it’s still beer is that they use grain in the fermentation process, rather than fruit. Expect an explosion of maltiness, balanced nicely with bitter hops and pine resin. Matched with a film screening of dinosaur parks making bad mistakes, and you’ve got a roaring night at home!
Looking for other new alcohol releases for springtime? For wine lovers why not check out this list of the Top 10 Australian Made Wines for Spring 2021. Or if you prefer gin and vodka, you can’t go wrong with these Top 10 Australian Botanical-Infused Spirits.
