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Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Stockade Brewing Co

Stockade Brewing Co surprised me a bit as it seemed to have emerged out of nowhere.

Further research revealed that it evolved from the purchase of Australian Independent Brewers (AIB), which subsequently morphed into the contract craft beer brewing entity BrewPack, which then branched out into Macarthur Grange Brewery and eventually morphed into what is now known as Stockade Brew Co.

On my never-ending quest for quality brews, the striking artwork and the much fabled about limited special batches caught my attention straight away and upon having a chance to sample it, exceeded the expectations I had.

The merits of Stockade Brewing Co lie in their ability to channel the artisanal approach of a small brewery while pumping out quantities like a major player in the realm of beer retail.

With no shortage of public appreciation, Stockade’s accolade decorated portfolio includes four core beers: The excellent 8 Bit IPA, a Chop Shop pale ale, the Duel hoppy lager and the Hop Splicer XPA. The core range is complemented by experimental releases, the lion’s share of which I have yet to try myself and I cannot wait to get a hold of the Kentucky bourbon barrel-aged double IPA.

Not usually being the most vocal advocate of XPA, the Hop Splicer hits the spot with its subtle nuances of grapefruit that pervade the dangerously drinkable brew.

Things are taken up a notch via Mr Fruju, i.e. a New England IPA that puts a melange of hazy pineapple, pear and passionfruit flavours center stage and frames them with accentuated highlights of subdued bitterness.

My favourite of the range, however, is Stockade’s 8 Bit IPA, which has become go-to as a boilermaker constituent with its hop heavy melange of well calibrated bitterness, citrussy notes and elongated finish that leaves one lusting for more of the malty caramel flavours.

The fact that some of Stockade Brewing’s emissions are exclusive to their tap room or can only by obtained directly from them should be incentive enough to make a deliberate effort to track them down.

The roof of your mouth will thank you for it.

Yeezy and Kanye West

Yeezy Season 3 – 4 Zine

Thames & Hudson

The Yeezy phenomenon is one that ties in with the zeitgeist of artificially created hype and scarcity. Camping outside of store days ahead of a new limited drop has become a common occurrence with the reward being to be allowed to pay handsomely for a pair of sneakers, the value of which instantly doubles, triples or quadruples if resold to those less fortunate.

Kanye West’s Yeezy collections and on-going endeavours in the world of fashion have become his second most successful business endeavour apart from music.

At the end of the day, it is all about context, association, perception, brand building and combining all the into an idiosyncratic whole that make a simple shoe worth much more than what they are.

I have to admit that the shoe designs of the Yeezy collections have never really excited me, however, the aesthetic that has been built around the brand and its incarnations along with the curation and art direction, has intrigued me – especially since it has left its indelible mark on the wider fashion industry.

I also like that fact that behind the hubris that at times informs his persona, Kanye West appears to be acutely aware of the fact that it took his status as a popstar to enable him to get this far in fashion, which by some is perceived to be the highest form of art.

The fact that there is more going on around his sneakers, is the opulently illustrated and curated zine for his fashion creations.

YEEZY Season 3–4 Zine zeros in on the third and fourth collections of Kanye West’s YEEZY footwear, apparel and accessories line.

In essence, the at times gloomy and atmospheric photographs by Jackie Nickerson, a renowned conceptual photographer, are a feast for the eyes that make far more than a mere look book.

The way not only the garments and shoes are depicted, but also how the models and Kanye’s muses are set into scene suggests that there is more to the collections than what materializes on shelves at retailers.

The zine comes in an extravagantly oversized format, printed on rough, uncoated Kamiko paper with intensely black ink and is of course usually quickly sold out.

While this might not be considered an essential addition to the canon of books on luminaries of the fashion world, it is certainly testament to the unique lane the man has carved for himself and makes for a stylish adornment in my design section of my library, however, one that because of its monstrous size would demand a book shelf constructed by Maurits Cornelis Escher.

Water of Life - Hernö

One of the perks of roaming this earthround is that you get to try local spirits from the source. After a stint in Finland, a local juniper aficionado introduced me to Hernö Distillery for the first-time pre-ambling the experience by highlighting that it the first gin-only distillery in Sweden.

Since its inception in 2012, the small batch artisanal distillery has accumulated a range of accolades and become a staple in the world of gin lovers.

My first exposure to Hernö’s emissions was the Navy Strength Gin, which despite the higher alcohol content still had the local Swedish botanicals shine through, i.e. lingon berries and meadowsweet married with vanilla and coriander. Specifically, the fragrant meadowsweet radiates and perforates the floral flavour profile and textured mouthfeel, which is framed by juniper notes and citrussy aromas.

With a wheat-based spirit serving as the foundation and a single shot distillation method per batch, the artisanal production process is sealed off by hand-labelling, numbering and signing each bottle individually.

Being usually more of a whisk(e)y aficionado, I like the fact that Hernö’s smooth expressions can be easily sipped without the at time distracting addition of tonic water.

Painstaking attention to detail focused around emotive gins packed with layers of flavour.

Apart from the Navy Strength, the Hernö portfolio includes an Old Tom (extra heavy on the meadowsweet and with a smooth, silky texture), a Juniper Cask Aged Gin, which is matured for a month in juniper casks and benefits from the resulting woody, piney juniper notes and Blackcurrant Gin, all of which convince not only with their complex flavours but the attention to detail that went into their creation.

My personal favourite is Hernö’s Sloe Gin. Clocking in at a mere 30% ABV, it is based on London Dry Gin with sloe berries being macerated in the gin for three months before being gently sweetened. Needless to say that the result is a flavourful melange of tarty sweetness that is reminiscent of liquid jam.

Gin lovers should take note of Hernö and try to stock their shelves before constantly rising demand results in less artisanal production methods.

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Image from company website

Thus Let Es Drink Beer - Modus Operandi

My prayers for a great local, bold yet easily accessible IPA that ticks all the right boxes were answered with the fourth one in the core can range for Mona Vale’s master brewers Modus Operandi, who ever since their inception in 2012 have succeeded in their mission to put beer first with no shortcuts.

Opaque golden amber in colour and with an exuberant fluffy head, the intense aromas of the piney, fruity and borderline spicy hops of Sonic Prayer’s IPA fuses with toffee notes that tingle the nostrils.

What materializes on the palate is the natural extension with a dominant bitterness taking centre stage, flanked by fruity nuances.

The beauty of the Sonic Prayer IPA is that despite its relatively low alcohol content of 6% ABV, its complexity and body remind one of an IIPA with the goodness of a great West Coast IPA.

Things are taken up a notch in every aspect with the Modus Operandi Pangea IPA. With a slightly higher alcohol content and a character that is informed by six different hopping processes and a double dry hop, it serves as the link between the former and what has established itself to become a favourite of the Modus Operandi range, i.e. the Former Tenant Red IPA.

If you followed this series, it would not have gone unnoticed that I like a well-paired boilermaker and the Former Tenant Red IPA is always a delight when it makes its appearance.

The name being an open homage to the breweries former inhabitant who dabbled in growing whacky tobacky, its ruby red hues and intense fruity passionfruit aromas literally attack you once the can has been opened and it finds its near perfect calibration through the caramelly malt flavours and the elongated sweet finish.

I have tried many IPAs and only few reign supreme in their very own domains like the Former Tenant Red IPA does.

Thought We have peaked yet?

Wrong!

Modus Operandi Future Factory IIIPA 2019.

I have to admit that despite being excited since its announcement, I was slightly worried that it could be a novelty kind of brew having resulted from endeavours to take things over the top.

Stating that the Future Factory range is “hop forward” would be an understatement par excellence. Hitting you with a whopping 10% ABV, this limited expression is not nearly as brash as the triple factor would have you think: Not that this is not a bold and big brew, but underneath the surface lies a sophisticated melange of savoury and sweet elements that make the whole much bigger than the sum of its parts. Not unlike Modus Operandi’s other brews, it is dangerously easy to drink because of its comparably lean body.

I’d go as far as claiming that this is Modus Operandi’s masterpiece as everything that I love about their emissions is dialled up here:

Pine, an array of fruity flavours, a celebration of hops in all their glory, a subtle bitterness to calibrate it all and one lively brew to drink that demands that you make time for it.

If you just go by the name and the numbers as coordinates of the Future Factory series, you might think that such a beer would be hard to create without lacking balance – that is until you have been exposed to the masterful skills that inform Modus Operandi brewing processes.

Water of Life – Illegal Mezcal

God, I love a good sipping tequila. It does not have to be in the heat of summer to make this a thing of beauty along with a nice Mexican beer.

Mezcal is territory I ad so far not dabbled in and my first exposure was Ilegal Mezcal – a brand that was incepted in 2005 and one that has long intrigued me as the rustic labels and wax-sealed cork stoppers have always indicated that there is something to discover.

Turns out that the hand-numbered small emissions from the Oaxaca region of Mexico are not only based on the use of Agave Espadin, but also of a quality that rivals some of my favourite tequilas when it comes to flavour, depth and that beautiful oaky, eucalyptus wood it was matured in. Let alone the aroma derived from the agaves being cooked and roasted in earth pits before being crushed and fermented in oak vats.

Take the Ilegal Mezcal Reposado for example – one smooth drop that after maturation period of four to five months in new oak, offers a breadth of smoky nuances that are embedded in a buttery, vanilla-esque flavour profile. What some might perceived to be too amplified at both ends of the spectrum, i.e. savoury versus sweet, I find immensely well calibrated and appealing.

Things are taken to another dimension with Ilegal Mezcal’s Anejo, This drop has spent more than a full year encased by French and American oak and what results is the aforementioned Reposado variant on steroids in terms smoky- and sweetness. It brings out nuances that I value and cherish in good Islay whiskies, i.e. borderline decadent savoury flavours that are reminiscent of burnt bacon and dark chocolate. It is soft and buttery on the palate while not missing a beat when it comes to a well-rounded out, cognac-like intense flavour experience.

Despite having had an array of fantastic tequilas, this one is one of the better and more complex agave spirits I have had the pleasure of experiencing.

Given the fact that each expression to a mere thousand bottles, you might want to do a concerted effort to secure on of these truly artisanal and stylish vintage bottles, which combine not only the colours of the Mexican flag but also pay homage to the literally golden eras of the Aztecs and the Spain conquest.

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image from company website