Western Australia’s rapidly growing, and improving, cast of microbreweries welcomed a new member to the table last week, as the Indian Ocean Brewing Company swung open its doors.
Early reports are that the four launch beers are up there with the best the state’s other players – Gage Roads, Little Creatures and Mash Brewery – have to offer.
That’s some accolade.
At 4.5 per cent alcohol content, Indian Ocean’s wheat beer is the lightest of the bunch. The popularity of pilsner continues unabated with the brewer’s offering of a straw-coloured, lighter style beer with a crisp dry finish.
There is also a fairly robust English ale with all the malt and hops of traditional bitters. But the granddaddy of them all is the 6.2 per cent ghostly Belgian ale. A unique yeast strain has produced a spicy palate backed up with a gentle aroma of hops.
With the company’s slogan reading: ‘Beer is the juice of the good earth’, you can be sure the team at Indian Ocean Brewing is taking its craft fairly seriously; but they are also matching their brews with some pretty smart food as well.
Indian Ocean Brewing Company is located at the Mindarie Marina.
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Fremantle’s Old Bridge Cellars will be hosting Peel Estate winemaker Will Nairn on August 23 for a tasting from Peel Estate’s range plus the opportunity to have a chat with the man himself.
Peel Estate is one of the most successful wineries from the Baldivis region, and Mr Nairn has built a reputation for excellent quality wines, usually with a unique edge. On show will be current and reserve shiraz, the latest release zinfandel, and the most interesting of the lot – a wood-aged chenin blanc that has to be Peel’s signature.
