Hedgerow Autumn Ale

A couple of weeks ago we bottled our Hedgerow Autumn ale in preparation for its Autumn 2012 release. The reason we've bottled it so early is that many of the subtle fruit characters we're after only come though in the bottle conditioning process, or after being in the bottle for up to 6 months.

Last years release was dubbed as an Autumn Berry ale, something that a few people thought was a little misleading given is subtle fruit character. Whilst this was never meant to be a fruit beer, we've decided to call the 2012 release an "Autumn Ale", so not to confuse fruit beer fanatics. Again, the 2012 Hedgerow will have quite a subtle berry element to the beer, almost giving it a woody/earthy flavour.

This year we blended a portion of the beer that had been ageing in French Oak Pinot barrels, that even at this early stage, has defiantly come through into the beer as well as being slightly dry on the palate.

Release will be sometime in early Autumn 2012, but rest assured in the meantime the beer is happy sitting in the bottle waiting patiently to be enjoyed in a few months time.

We've still got a single barrel with beer in it that we'll monitor and taste over a yet to be decided time period, and decide what to do with it at a later date. Its honestly something that may sit there for up to another 12 months developing a personality.

Tas Micro Brew Fest 29th Oct

The Tasmanian Micro Brew Fest is only 10 days away, your best opportunity to sample and enjoy Tasmanias' best craft beer.

We Do Real Craft Beer

This is the poster that you'll hopefully see up in quite a few places over summer. We're trying to focus the end consumer (that's you) on the fact that we purely concentrate on producing great tasting craft beer for your enjoyment. We don't have any other distractions that can divert our attention away from this, and its something that we at Van Dieman are very conscious about maintaining. Its all about creating and delivering a craft beer that both we and you can be proud of and thoroughly enjoy to drink. Cheers.

Theoretical IBU's

Last night I managed to get my hands on a bottle of Mikkeller 1000 IBU IPA. It became famous upon its release in early 2010 as the most bitter beer ever made, supposedly it sports 1000 International Bittering Units, hence the name. Its unmistakably a very hoppy beer, initially leading in with some citrus and pineapple aromas and a subtle caramel malt flavour, this was followed by an almost oily texture punctured with bittering hops resulting in a long bittersweet finish that just kept expanding.

Whilst enjoying this beer, it got me thinking as the relativeness of IBU measurements in high alpha beers.

Hops play several roles in the production of beer, but in particular they are critical as a source of aroma, flavour and bitterness. More specifically the role of alpha acids associated with hop derived bitterness. These alpha acids, as they occur naturally, exhibit very poor solubility in water, which is why they must be boiled. This alpha acid component of the hop generally account for between 2% - 16% dry weight, with higher alpha hops being bred all the time. Thus, the greater the alpha acid content, the greater the amount of bitterness will add to the beer.

It is generally accepted that hop solubility in a given wort stops at around 100 – 120 IBU. As far as what we can taste, that is limited to 90 – 100 IBU. Therefore, theoretical IBU numbers are purely limited to how many hops a brewer can fit in their kettle.

A beer at 50 IBU’s with no malt depth to balance the hop bitterness might as well be poured down the sink as the acrid hop element will render the beer far to bitter. Alternatively, a 100 IBU IPA with a plethora of malt depth to the beer simply balances it out and adds a tremendous complexity, or balance.

In this current brewing world where one upmanship regularly raises its ugly head, IBU measurements are almost discountable. The responsibility of the brewer is to present the beer (including hop character) in its best possible form taking into account a variety of attributes, but most importantly drinkability and balance.

It must be balanced – period.

That’s why this Mikkeller 1000 IBU IPA succeeds, even if the name is slightly misleading.

Frankenstein creation

Is this what happens when we brew our Ragged Jack pale ale to the sounds of hats, gold chains, and untied sneakers of Run DMC and the lazy eyes and melancholic vibes of Radiohead. Lets hope not, because its a seriously ugly bottle.

Fuelled By Beer

They may not be of the Yellow variety (we ordered them before Cadel came through with the goods), but if you want to get your hands on a very limited Van Dieman Brewing cycling jersey, drop an email here Email Us . Available now in sizes XS through to 2XL, $120 inc GST and postage

*Guaranteed to make you go faster, look better and have less mechanicals.

*Some claims may be misleading and completely full of shit

Spring is Coming..

Spring is on its way judging by the bulbs that are starting to appear around the brewery at the moment. Within the next 3 - 4 weeks, a heap of daffodils will pop up an brighten the surrounding paddocks, bringing some much needed colour to the land

Rusty getting his pollen fix for the day