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Wednesday 27 June 2012

Be True to the Beer in Mornington


Be true to the beer and those who drink it.

That’s the motto of Mornington Peninsula Brewery and it couldn’t be more apt. Create great beer and in turn reward loyal drinkers. And boy, they sure are creating great beer!

Set in a fairly non-descript industrial street off the highway in Mornington goes to show how serious they are about creating great beer. Sure, the owners could have spent millions on a seaside block at the end of Mornington’s main street, but that would create a false impression that their main priority is to run some sort of fine dining tourist attraction. It’s not. Creating great beer is the number one priority.


That said the set up inside Mornington Brewery is excellent. Open in 2010, the brewery boasts a large courtyard outside, plenty of space in front of the bar, an additional (more relaxed) area upstairs with couches, and best of all, the operating brewery is set behind the bar for all to see. Ask nicely enough and you’ll get a walk around / short tour of the equipment. Beer geeks rejoice.

The only food on offer at the brewery is more than adequate – wood fire pizzas made to order. In fact they are great quality and go ridiculously well with their hop slapped beers. My wife and I loved them. There are even a few hops in the bases of the pizzas…another win!


As for the brews, Mornington Brewery has a real US craft beer feel to it. Lots of Pales and IPAs. As a fan of US craft beer, this is a damn good thing.

Here’s a run down of their beers. All simply named, no gimmicks or quirky names, just really good beer that grabs your attention. Just like the brewery’s medieval logo featured on all the labels…

  
Witbier (4.7%)
A Belgian style wheat beer, this version is refreshing and goes down pretty easily. It’s a bit more ‘citrus and spice’ than some wheat beers. I’m not a huge wheat beer fan, but I can acknowledge that when they are good they are really good, and I certainly enjoyed this one. 

Pale (4.7%)
An American style Pale Ale this one is a cracker. Not too hoppy it could almost be described as a ‘session beer’. That said the American hops and malts are easily recognisable. Those after a Pale where the hops kick you in the teeth may not rush to this one; however it is a very fine, easy drinking brew.

IPA (6.2%)
What to say about the IPA? Like the Pale it is an American style brew and one of their best. It’s a great step up from the Pale with more hops and fruity bitterness. It’s my favourite brew of their regulars, but just be warned if driving to the brewery and ‘having a few’. At 6.2% it won’t take too many to put you over 0.05. 

Brown (5%)
This one is actually an English style Brown rather than an American Brown. It’s full of English malts with a tasty toffee flavour. It’s a lot smoother than what you might expect making it a year round brew rather than one to keep aside for the cooler months. I’m loving Browns like this more and more.

Porter (6 %)
Another fine English style beer, the Porter is dark brown with a tan coloured head. It’s pretty easy to detect the chocolate and malty aroma and taste. The brewery describes the beer as ‘rich, silky smooth and moreish’. I concur! Especially during a long cold Melbourne winter.


Specials
The great thing about any good microbrewery is the ever changing specials, seasonal brews and one offs. Mornington is no exception. At the time of my recent visit two brilliant IPA based beers were available to taste.

Imperial IPA (8.5%)
At 8.5% this monster IPA is big. In every way. It’s fruity bitter with stacks of American hops, yet despite the bitterness the malts makes it rich and tasty. Pouring a dark, burnt orange in colour it’s one of the better attempts at an imperial / double IPA. There’s a lot going on in there, but there’s definitely a lot to like.

White IPA (6.3%)
A newcomer to the beer scene in Australia, a White IPA is pretty much what you get if an American style IPA got it on with a Belgian Witbier. Whilst the combo may seem strange it really does work. With the light citrus wheat flavours of the Witbier combined with the hops and bitter goodness of the IPA, it’s a match made in Euro-US heaven. Like Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, it somehow works.

That’s it folks. If you still aren’t sold, the brewery also has live music sessions on Sunday afternoons. Stop reading and go. Now. Or Sunday if you like. I might be there too.

Mornington Peninsula Brewery
72 Watt Road
Mornington VIC 3931
www.mpbrew.com.au


Till then,
Cheers!…Prost!...Salute!...Kampai!

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