James Squire Brewhouse Speculator

Brewed by James Squire Brewhouse
Style: American Pale Ale
Locations:Sydney,Melbourne., Australia

...weird, hopped out beer. The flavor is too much, and overpowering, but a couple are alright. Spicy hop start, and finish, slightly dry and malty. I would drink this interesting beer again.

Portland, Melbourne, Australia - Spring 2007 On tap Lots of flowers in the aroma A hint of caramel

Drink this if you want to know what Amarillo hops taste like. Big grapfruit like flavours and aromas. Great for a few but I struggle to get past the second pint - pallate fatigue.

I had this at James Squire in Melbourne as part of the "tasting paddle" of six beers. The other five -- Amber Ale, Golden Ale, India Pale Ale, Porter and The Criac -- were all very pleasant, but this one really stood out. So I followed the paddle with a pint. The fruitiness as it goes down is delicious and that beautiful hoppy aftertaste stays with you for ages afterwards. A really delightful beer.

Australia’s hoppiest beer? The current batch at the Melbourne Portland Hotel brewhouse may well be. The abv has dropped to 4.9%, but this packs plenty of punch. Why don’t they bottle this, rather than the insipid Hop Thief? This demonstrates that the brewers can produce something special when the suits let them. Better than Little Creatures? I think so, marginally. It has more guts and flavour. That said, a couple of pints was ample - this may be the first beer in Australia where "hop burn" might be a hazard after a session. Bravo! It’s a hazy bright orange-gold with a lacing head. The aroma is all grapefruit rind and pineapple juice. In the mouth, it’s tart and resinous - almost sticky in the finish. Thick Amarillo flavours of grapefruit and passionfruit. Not much in the way of malt that I could discern - this is all about the hops. Haven’t seen this at the Sydney brewhouse. Apparently it’s only occasionally available in Melbourne, which seems nuts. Thanks Mullet for introducing me to this tasty treat. (Draught at Portland Hotel brewhouse, Melbourne, with Mullet)

Brilliant fruity pale ale. great hoppy aromas and bitterness, the style is similar to most JS beers where the sweet front palate initial taste transfers to a rather hoppy aftertaste. The herbal/hoppy resinous aftertaste is most enjoyable in this one.

Light caramel, good lacing (again). Slightly cloudy. Citrusy nose with floral notes. Big hop driven palate in the Australian context. Aromatic, green herbal notes, finishes a touch hard in the nicest possible way. Good stuff from a generally over-rated producer.

A good Pale Ale. I was happy with this one. Nice hoppy aroma, which is good! Copper color with a nice lasting head. Some tart fruit, hopsy. Not overpowering. Just well balanced. Almost like SNPA!