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Oliver and Geoff

Oliver and Geoff
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Coopers Sparkling Ale
A full-bodied ale, fruity, with a hint of bananas. A fantastic beer with excellent carbonation, fine head and the Cooper's signature cloudiness, from the yeast sediment. In its native South Australia, many drinkers invert the bottle to mix in the sediment. Cloudiness varies when served on tap.
“Fresh, firm and fruity,” Geoff said. Oliver said it was full of fruit and malty, but with no overwhelming bitterness.
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Coopers Best Extra Stout
A dark, bitter, tasty and strong stout. Great. One of the classics.
Oliver: “An excellent stout with a good burnt taste. It holds a great head and has good hop bitterness.” Geoff thought its aroma was similar to a just-extinguished campfire.
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Tooheys Old Black Ale
One of Geoff's favorites: “It's one of the best commercially brewed beers in Australia.” Oliver is less enthusiastic: “Burnt flavor, but watery body is a negative and the Pride of Ringwood hops impart their signature taste, which I don't like.”
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Speight's Old Dark Malt Ale
A beautiful, malty ale with a ruby-brown color and subtle hop characteristics. Disappointing that this is only available in New Zealand.
Oliver: “Chocolate in a bottle.” Burnt toast with vegemite, Geoff thought.
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Pilsner Urquell
Geoff perhaps summed this up best when he said: “Arguably the best beer in the world; does it get any better? It's so fragrant and mellow.” And Oliver: “Maltiness and bitterness are perfectly balanced and the aroma is beautiful. The carbonation is spot-on. One of the classics.”
byOliver and Geoff, October 23, 2000
Victoria Bitter
A typical Australian lager, and one of the worst. We don't call it “Dirty Rotten Vic” for nothing.
We conducted our tasting from the stubbie, as we assume 99 per cent of packaged VB is consumed. It's overcarbonated, with tang rather than bitterness. We call it faux tang. We recommend drinking this as cold as possible, in the hope that the dirty, rotten taste is masked, even in some small way. Drink more than one stubbie to guarantee a killer hangover.
Geoff: “It's absolutely awful, isn't it? What's the difference between Vic, Carlton (Draught) and Foster's? I reckon it's just the amount of ammonia they add to give them bitterness and taste. I stand by that!”
The last word to Geoff's girlfriend, Lisa: “It makes you feel ugly, spastic and hung over all with one sip.”
byOliver and Geoff, October 18, 2000
Coopers Original Pale Ale
The little brother of Cooper's Sparkling Ale. Less alcohol and more refreshing. Used to be called Dinner Ale. Was absent from the range for several years and re-emerged as Pale Ale. Make sure to buy this when it is fresh or has been well stored, as we find, strangely for a bottle-conditioned ale, that it tends to produce off flavors easily.
“Holds its head well and can hold its head high,” says Oliver. Geoff suggested it was reminiscent of durian, a native Indonesian fruit.
byOliver and Geoff, January 12, 1999
Birell
Lovely and malty with a bitter finish. A fresh, clean-tasting malty lager. As a light beer it would receive five stars. Alas, we are awarding ratings based on it as a beer.

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