Brewboys, Adelaide

Editor’s Note: Our Adelaide contributor, Andy H visits micro brewery Brewboys and puts three hand-crafted beers to the taste test.

In an unassuming building in Adelaide’s Regency Road resides Brewboys, a micro brewery producing small batch hand-crafted beers, ales and stouts. I had heard that their beers were quite fine, so I picked up a mix of three of their beers for a quick tasting session. Of the range available, I selected three which I felt would run the amber gamut of beer varieties: Maiden Ale, Seeing Double and Ace of Spades.

Brewboys Maiden Ale

Brewboys Maiden Ale

I opened the cool beverage and wandered it beneath my nose in the hope I could pick up some aroma, and discover some hidden secrets within its bouquet. But my brain hummed for a moment and discerned that it definitely smelled like… beer. Pouring the Maiden Ale revealed a very deep amber colour. The head of the beer in this photo is an artifact of pouring very poorly, rather than a by-product of the beer itself. The taste revealed quite a strong flavour of hops and a wonderfully smooth finish. While the hops was quite strong, it was not overly strong to the point of domination. As a firm believer that the enjoyment of any drink depends on the weather, tasting this ale gave me the sense that I would best enjoy this beer on a warmer day, sitting outside while on holiday in a country Australian town.

Brewboys Seeing Double

Brewboys Seeing Double

The tartan motif on the label indicates that this is a Scotch-style ale. This beer boldly strides up to the distinct line in the sand marked “Stout” but retreats slightly at the last moment. As the name would imply, this is a stronger drink that is 8% alcohol, with the label discreetly mentioning that the bottle contained 2.1 standard drinks. Dark brown in colour, Seeing Double has heavy malt flavours that could be reminiscent of a stout but stops just menacingly short to stay in ale territory. Providing a sample of this beer to a friend, he took a sip, blinked a couple times before gently rocking back for a moment and remarking, “coffee”. In the aftermath of this tasting, the room gradually became a little foggy, and I took a moment to have a brief lie down.

Brewboys Ace of Spades

Brewboys Ace of Spades

Stout. Very dark stout. Pouring this into the glass reminded me of an evil spectre in some Hollywood scare-thriller, flowing and curling down some dimly lit corridor to malevolently torment some unsuspecting youth. Even the head (not pictured due to my pouring prowess) wasn’t immune to the dark influences of the stout, taking on a deep colour that I dare not describe for fear of making the stout seem untoward. Very strong malt flavours resided within the dark liquid. Ace of Spades would be better served during the winter, sitting inside a warm house, with the rain flecking pitifully against the windows.

From the very modest shop frontage of Brew Boys’ Regency Road to the no-nonsense labelling, there’s this sense of honesty. There’s a sincere lack of pretension, which is probably an odd thing to say about beer, but when you read the final paragraph of the label on the back of the Ace of Spades, it’s a superlative I’m willing to apply.