Cavalier Brewing

Brown Ale

5% US style Brown Ale

A brewery built on a shared love (of dogs) Cavalier Brewing has grown from strength to strength since first hitting the scene early in 2011. Dog walkers Heath Shirtcliffe and Steve Martin met and soon discovered a passion for good beer. Samples swapped while the canines frolicked were soon upscaled to commercial levels and just two years later a brewery of their own was built.

A unique brewery model, Cavalier now houses a veritable ‘family’ of smaller brewers, some of whom own their own stainless within the walls, all sharing milling, mashing and fermenting kit as well as bottling, kegging and labelling facilities.

And to the beer;

The Cavalier website says;

“Using a broad mix of chocolate and crystal malts, the Cavalier Brown delivers an initial burst of caramel sweetness, followed by a dry, crisp roasted note. The perfect mix of chocolate and toasty caramel flavours. With the added complexity of aromas from classic American hops, subtle citrus notes reveal something new in every sip.”

James Smith at The Crafty Pint says;

“You don’t get too many Brown Ales brewed in Oz, but this has been a Cavalier staple from day one. A blend of chocolate and crystal malts offers up plenty of caramel and chocolate flavours, with a dry roasty finish making for a highly drinkable take on this pretty rare style.”

Kirrily Waldhorn invokes memories of unexpected discoveries in the science lab;

“Supreme perfection and sublime elegance meets urban hipster and understated cool. Can one beer really be so many things? It’s a bit like the slightly geeky guy in high school who you reluctantly ended being paired up with in the science lab. Whilst there was always the upmost inner respect for his intelligence, it wasn’t until you dug a little deeper that you realised he was actually quite handsome in a quirky kind of way, and was wittier than any other guy in the room. It’s this ability of having the grace to be able to effortlessly flirt between the technical excellence and the freedom of the bohemian that makes the Brown Ale from Cavalier so damn amazing. This beer is worthy of the praise it receives; its silky smooth chocolate vein pumps through the subtle citrus hop-infusion, resting softly on a roasted single bed of goodness.”

Debuting in the third edition of The Critics’ Choice at #19 and moving two-spots-with-a-bullet higher a year later, Ian Kingham nails the divide between the two ‘Dark Beer’ camps;

“Dark beers can be scary for consumers and boring for connoisseurs. Cavalier Brown has been well made with biscuity, crystal and chocolate malts. Easy drinking with refreshment cues from American hops, not generally synonymous with brown ales. Cavalier Brown is a great beer, understated in packaging, style and name, a secret worth keeping for selfish reasons if you want to safeguard the samples you have in your fridge.”

This writer must have been listening to some Hanson or Taylor Swift when these words fell from the pen;

“Dark beers are often neglected when considering a ‘refreshing ale’ as they are often confused with heavier porters and stouts. Cavalier Brown Ale is that magic moment of realisation when you hear a song and like it, then remember it’s one of your teenager’s favourites.” [Pete Mitcham]

Fun Fact! Following on from their success with the Wheat at the March Microbreweries Showcase, the Brown Ale picked up the People’s choice winner for Best Dark Ale at the Fed Square Microbreweries showcase in October 2011. Not bad for a brewery that only just ‘existed’ a few hours before the Showcase opened. The Liquor Licence came through as the lads were packing the beer into the van.

www.craftypint.com.au

www.beer_style.com.au