New Norcia Pax Abbey Ale

Brewed by Malt Shovel Brewery (Lion Nathan Co.)
Style: Abbey Tripel
Sydney, Australia

Bottle. Nice golden amber with dense white head. Aroma of banana, some pine resiny hopes and alcohol. Flavours show a little dark fruit, some hop bitterness and plenty of alcohol. OK beer but definately not true to style.

(bottle) Sweet bready aroma upon opening the bottle, I used a Belgian chalice to drink this from, which usually enhances this type of beer. From a standard beer glass it would probably not be noticeable. Poured a cloudy amber, and the carbonation was too low. The head was not there, definitely not two fingers, and it vanished quickly. Flavour had some interesting tones, but alcohol dominated. Mouthfeel was almost syrupy, although not especially sweet. There was a ’dirty’ hop flavour there that didn’t agree with the style. It’s two thirds of the way to being an Abbey beer, but there are plenty of better would-be Belgians out there.

Really, really fails at what it is setting out to do. Nose is subtle - but underpinned with the slightest hint of the disappointment to follow. Pours medium copper with a fluffy head. The flavour is - just for a sec - almost on the money, but then the badness begins. Cloying, astringent, the raisiny spice betrayed by alcohol bitterness, and the finish akin to a bad Czech lager. Seems to me this is one that Lion Nathan have basically brewed up to a recipe they’ve googled for abbey style beer but using plain wrap ingredients; then they’ve made a donation to some West Aussie monks for the privilege of storing it in their cellar to lend validity. Shame on them for this impious affront to monastic brewing.

Bottle (330ml). Poured clear golden orange with an averaged sized, frothy, off-white head which was mostly diminishing. Sweet aroma with lemon sorbet, bready malts, orange citrus, chives, white pepper and some hoppy notes. Flavor was of sweet bready malts with harsh rusty notes, dried apricots, orange citrus, moderate hop bitterness, light notes of coriander and steal in the aftertaste. Alcohol content is hidden quite well. Medium bodied with lively carbonation, a dry/rusty mouthfeel, somewhat watery texture and a decent finish. The sharp rust and steel notes really killed this brew (for me) and as Dredd pointed out its not bottle conditioned so did they cellar it!

The first thing that struck me about this beer is the fact that it is not bottle conditioned. Makes me wonder why they bothered with aging in the cellar! Putting that to one side, the aroma is a mix of spice, brown sugar and some slight citrus coming through. The appearence is a bit weak for this style, no big foamy head on this one, it pours quite flat with with a thin beige head and amber body. Flavour is a bit one dimensional, there is little in the upfront flavour, a touch of citrus and coriander, this goes through to a harsh acrid bitterness. I am saddened that Malt Shovel didn’t try to go out and bottle condition, I think this could age in to something a bit better.

Australia’s only ’abbey ale’ is a disappointment, IMO. Feels like the Malt Shovel gets it about 85% right but the end result is undermined by shortcuts. They use Belgian yeast and candy sugar but Australian malts. The brewing notes mention Styrian Goldings but it tastes like POR. Golden syrup in colour with a wash of creamy suds showing fair head retention. Quite a sharp, tart aroma of canned peaches and pears, mashed banana and hay-bales. Implies the beer will be very sweet and syrupy. Medium-bodied, with an oily body. Canned fruit again, some bubblegum - initially quite tasty - but then there’s a jarring astringency that I found pretty unpleasant. Whatever the hop, it doesn’t suit this style. Sweet and clumsily alcoholic. Hate to say it, but I’d rather drink a Leffe or one of the stronger Hoegaardens than this. (330ml bottle from Liquor on Parade, Kingsford. BB 29/1/09)

Firstly, what makes this an abbey beer?? The fact that its "cellared" beneath a monastery... Anyway, it pours a golden amber (too dark for the style) and has a crystal clear body. Head is loosely packed and rather fizzy, dissipates in no time. Aromas aren’t too bad, very confectionary like but I suppose they have the general traits about right. Big sherbet notes with quite a substantial amount of spice present, maybe due to the alcohol. (Although, its not that high, compared to genuine Belgians) As far as the palate goes, much of the same really. Some peach maybe pear notes present with a huge clove spice kick from the alcohol. (Rather uncontrolled) Some sweeter malt comes into play but is totally dominated, almost nullified by the alcohol. Its said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery but this just doesn’t do the style justice!