I approached this Australian smoked pale ale with trepidation. Examples of the style are as scarce as condoms in Bristol Palin’s house and I couldn’t see how a marriage between smoked malts and high-alpha American hops could work. Surely it stood about as much chance of success as Bristol and her ass-kicking fuckin’ redneck hockey husband-to-be? In the event, this turned out to be a qualified success. The hops and malt don’t exactly complement each other, so the style is likely to remain little more than a curiosity. That said, the beer looked great: muddy peach with a thick head that endured well beyond my patience. Exceptional head retention and washes of lacework. The aroma was as confused as the style mix suggests, with juicy tropical fruits warring with smoked malts. Pinoclean and tinned peaches stand out. There was also an off-putting band-aid note, although that might be the collision between malt and hop, rather than an infection. Overall, I’d say the aroma was intriguing rather than inviting. Quite a creamy mouthfeel. Soft carbonation. In the mouth, the usual running order is flipped: the hops strike first, offering lychee, pine resin and a minty mouthwash bite, before the smoked malt comes crashing over the top to offer a very dry, ashy finish. You’re left with a really smokey morning-after taste on your lips. For my money, the smoked malts are a little too dominant here. Overall, it’s a very strange brew indeed. A little goes a long way, which is unfortunate when it’s sold in 750ml bottles. Ah well, like Bristol Palin I’ll have to live with my mistake. (750ml bottle from the brewpub. No BB)

Bottle (750ml). I was very keen to try this one, can’t say I have ever heard of any other brewery taking on this style. Poured hazy, dark bronze with a large, frothy, off-white head which lasted very well. Aroma was similar to the standard Hunter pale ale with some smoked malts added; toffee malts with strong notes of dusty band aids, stone fruits, redberries, green olives, salty smoked ham and some piney hops hiding beneath. Again flavor was similar to the standard Hunter Pale ale but with some smokey characters: good hop bitterness (resiny) with very strong chalky band-aid notes which eventually die down into smoked meat (dusty ham, salty bacon), some toffee malts hiding beneath and sappy resin the finish. Almost overwhelming, took my quite some time to finish a glass. Full bodied with lively to medium carbonation, a dry chalky mouthfeel and a very long finish. Certainly not a beer for everyone, I could see this one ranging from 1.1 and 3.9’s personally I will be getting my hands on another ASAP for a re-inspection. RE-RATE: Tried another bottle a couple of months after the first, the chalky band aid notes seemed to have died down a little but where still quite prominent. Very odd beer indeed.