Autumn has finally arrived and it’s a time when beer lovers have the best of both worlds. Mild, sunny days and cool nights mean a hoppy pale ale after work and a nice dark ale with dinner. Oh, the joy! With this is mind, I thought I’d let you all know about a particularly good porter that has just been released by new guys on the block, 40 Acres Brewing.
Based in Sandon, central Victoria 40 Acres is the passion project of Trev Mitchell and his wife Jo. They run a completely organic farm (40 acres) with some cows, pigs, organic hops and a little farm stay for any Melbournites keen to escape the rat race for a weekend. The Clear As Mud Porter is their second release, the first being a delicious session IPA, brewed for the recent Bendigo Craft Beer & Cider Festival so that they had more than one beer to talk about!
Clear As Mud Porter is true to style with no chocolate malt added. Even so, I found it to have a spicy, chocolate flavour with a dense, dark appearance with some slight sweetness and a delightful coffee coloured head which is dense and fluffy. I really liked it, but as always, I like to get the brewer’s insights as well. I had a chance to talk to Trev about the reactions he got from punters at the festival. “It was definitely polarising. Precisely half mentioned it was is too strong or dark for them while the other half rated it as the best beer they’ve ever had! One gentleman, a 72 year old, said it was the best dark beer he’d had in his life and his wife wanted to have my babies. I don’t think I’ll be taking him up on that though.” Ok, *ahem*…. wow.
Although I’m not quite ready to offer my better half to Trev just yet, I do agree the Clear As Mud Porter is good enough to make you at least consider it. Clear As Mud is available throughout central Victoria at good beer venues and bottle shops and in Melbourne at selected, lucky venues. Check out some home delivery options at: boozebud.com.au/beer
ABV: 4.8 %
Style: Porter
Serving Temp: 4-6 degrees (colder than usual)
Food Pairing: Steak / Chocolate Mud Cake
Origin: Bendigo, Victoria
Price (RRP): Takeaway $4 330ml, $75 carton
Check out: fortyacres.com.au