McLaren Vale Ale

It was a warm day on Saturday and walking along the SouthBank of the Yarra is thirsty work. The Missus and I made a pitstop into a 'cafe' style establishment and I ordered a beer blindly (ie I just asked for a beer, I didn't even look at the menu). What I received was a fairly sophisticated looking bottle which proclaimed itself to be McClaren Vale Ale. For the international reader McClaren Vale is a famous wine producing region - which seem to have divulged into beer. The beer itself is a bastardisation of the Australian Sparkling Ale style with a strong bready malt focus rather than a hop focus. Actually very little hop character comes through. Anyhow here is the blurb;

VALE ALE IS A SOPHISTICATED AND COMPLEX AUSTRALIAN ALE WITH GREAT STRUCTURE AND BALANCE. IT OPENS WITH BRIGHT AROMAS OF HOPS COMBINED WITH CITRUS NOTES. THE PALATE PRESENTS A BOUQUET OF PRONOUNCED FRUIT FLAVOURS WITH NUTTY MALT AND BITTER HOPS FOLLOWING ON THE MID PALATE. THE FINISH IS QUITE DRY FOR A PALE ALE, PERFECT TO QUENCH A SUMMER’S THIRST. IT IS BREWED FROM THE FINEST MALT AND HOPS AND FERMENTED WITH TRADITIONAL ALE YEAST. IT IS NOT FILTERED OR CARBONATED BUT ALLOWED TO FINISH OFF ITS FERMENTATION IN THE BOTTLE WHICH ACHIEVES A SUBTLE CARBONATION THAT COMPLEMENTS THE ALE STYLE. IT FINISHES LIGHT ON THE PALATE AND LEAVES A REFRESHING FINISH AND LIGHT EFFERVESCENCE.
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BITTERING HOP: BREWERS GOLD (NEW ZEALAND) AROMA HOPS: SAAZ (NEW ZEALAND), CASCADE (UNITED STATES) MALTS: PALE ALE MALT, WHEAT MALT, CRYSTAL MALT (ALL AUSTRALIAN) ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 4.5%

www.valeale.com.au