For the last several years I have particularly enjoyed the taste of beer, ale, porter and stout and even began successfully brewing my own a few years ago. Now that Laurie and I are nomads, I am enjoying learning about and consuming the local beers of the countries we are visiting.
It is well known that Aussies like their beer. In Oz, alcoholic beverages are only available from licensed stores which have a staggering array of choices of both locally brewed beer and imports. Although most things are more expensive in Australia than in the U.S., beer is particularly pricey. Local beers cost AUS$18 per six pack and cases of 24 bottles start at about AUS$40. So, we’ve begun our exploration slowly.
Laurie picked out this one, Coopers Extra Special Stout, for me to try, and we both liked it a lot. It has a creamy body without being too heavy and the bitterness is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the malt.
Coopers is a very large Australian brewer and also is one of the primary manufacturers of malted barley for the home brew market worldwide. In fact, every supermarket we have visited in Oz has a large selection of Coopers products for those who brew their own beer.