Alastair.com.au

I’ve always assumed dry cleaners attack my suits with a steam gun or something similar to remove the stains and leave them fresh and crisp. [Un]fortunately it’s not as simple, or dry, as it sounds. This Gizmodo article has the truth behind how it works. The details take some of the mystery out of it and give you something to think about the next time you take your suits or shirts in.

Source: Gizmodo

Paulaner - Original Munchner Hell

Far from being some form of demonic food, it translates from German to be a “Munich Light” beer. You can tell that it is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer law. It has small hoppy-ness to it, but it isn’t overly malty like some are  to overcompensate for a lack of hops. Some of the pale ale’s I like are fuller in flavour but you can’t drink too much in one sitting. This, however, lowers the flavour in favour of drinkability.

Imagine: A hot, humid day with some German mates. Several of these would go down extremely quickly.

If this beer was an actor: Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others). Not particularly outstanding but very good and very German.

Rating: 6/10.

Holgate - Mt Macedon Ale

The Holgate Brewhouse Mt Macedon Ale is surprisingly good. Sometimes I’m suspicious of beers that stray away from the standard naming conventions: Pale Ale, Stout, Porter, IPA, Golden Ale, etc. How do you know what it will taste like? You have to risk buying something bland and unexciting. Thankfully this one doesn’t disappoint. Like other’s in the range (the Hopinator and Temptress are good examples) the Mt Macedon Ale is a good example of an american pale ale. Great hops and a honey flavour make this a good, easy drinker.

Imagine: Pre-dinner drinks with friends. It’s something they might not have heard of and will come as a bit of a surprise.. a good one too.

If this beer was an actor: Patton Oswalt. Not a regularly named one, but a good solid act and thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10

White Rabbit - Pale Ale

This was one of my first favourite local craft beers. Brewed in Healesville, Victoria, this is a great beer with a good amount of flavour. I’ve been to the brewery itself on a roundabout tour of the Yarra Valley, coming back through Healesville where the brewery is situated. Never having been to a brewery before I wasn’t sure what to expect. I assume it’s similar to most decent sized craft breweries. There were all the large fermentation tanks, as well as the displays of hops and grains used in the various beers produced as well as the bar and merchandise stands.

The White Rabbit Dark Ale, as opposed to it’s white ale cousin, has a lot of bulk and depth.

Imagine: An autumn day, not a wintery stout or a summery ale. You’re wanting a dark beer, but not a stout.

If this beer was an actor: Danny Glover. Sometimes esrious, sometimes fun. Well seasoned with lots of complexity.

Rating: 9/10

Matso's Ginger Beer

Wow.. that was the first word out of my mouth when I sipped this beautiful ginger beer. I’m quickly becoming a fan of the Matso’s range. Their Mango beer was sweet, fruity and refreshing. The ginger is crisp and slightly sweet with a massive ginger kick and citrus aftertaste. It has more of a bite than your supermarket Bundaberg ginger beer (which is nonetheless yum) but this is something else. It reminds me of the home-made ginger beer I used to make with my dad, but this one has an alcohol content. It would be quite easy to work through many of these in a single go, but as with the mango beer, it might ruin it in the long run.

Imagine: Hot summer’s day. It’s not necessarily dinner time but you want a refreshing drink. This is a beer that will be enjoyed by itself without any form of food to slow it down.

If this beer was an actor:  Emma Stone in.. anything. Light, gingery, refreshing.

Rating: 8/10

This particular 3 Raven’s  drop is a good example of the American Pale Ale. The 55 in the 55 American Pale ale refer to the 5 hops and 5 malts that go into the brew.

It has all the characteristics of a good APA, but maybe misses a little body in the mouth-feel.

Imagine: At a dinner party with friends. It’s the first beer of the evening and you want something drinkable with a bit of character.

If this beer was an actor: Amanda Seyfried. Light and pleasant. Promising with hints of complexity.

Rating: 7/10

I’m a big fan of the Kooinda beers, particularly their regular pale ale, so I thought I’d give their Black IPA a go.

It sounded like a strange mix, the dark, burnt flavours of a black beer, and the intense hops of an IPA, and they were both definitely there in the beer.

Imagine: middle of winter, you want something that’s dark like a stout or a porter but with a bit more personality.

If this beer was a actor: Kathy Bates in Misery. Dark and brooding, with an edge.

Rating: 6/10.

Okay.. just to get it out there, I had the beer in my backpack walking back from the Queen Vic Markets. I thought I’d given is sufficient rest, but apparently not and the result was a massive head on the beer.

I like pale ale’s and some IPAs, but a large number of them taste much like this one, fairly heavy and bitter.

Imagine: A bunch of lonely guys sitting around an English pub trying to drown their sorrows. As opposed to a bunch of mates downing a wet one after a hard day’s work. Maybe the English version of Billy Joel’s The Piano Man?

If this beer was an actor: Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. Not so much complex and deep. More slightly depressing and not something you want to visit too often.

Rating: 5/10

Popped down to the South Melbourne Markets the other day on a fruit and vegie run, and spotted the local Swords Select. As they had a good looking selection of local craft beers I decided to have a browse. One of the more out-of-the ordinary ones was a mango beer put out by Matso’s Broome Brewery located in Broome, Western Australia.

The guy behind the counter described it as more fragrant than flavoured as far as the mango went. This is fairly true. While the sensation of drinking feels very much like a Belgian blonde as the site says, but the effect is more like Monteith’s Summer Ale, with a mango sweetness rather than a slight gingery bite.

It could easily become a summer default, but too much would ruin the enjoyment. Might see about their mixed carton and try out a few others.

Imagine: a hot summery day. You want something to quench the thirst but without too much bitterness.

If this beer was an actor: Jayma Mays in Glee. Bright and fairly sweet.

Rating: 7/10.

At least they’re not hiding the fact they want to send people SPAM. The option isn’t selected by default, which is nice too.

I still don’t know if anyone would ever select it.