Mallee Bull Heavy
Mildura Theatre Brewery Pty Ltd

Mallee Bull HeavyMallee Bull Heavy
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From:
Mildura Theatre Brewery Pty Ltd
 
Australia
Style:
American Amber / Red Lager
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
69
Avg:
2.62 | pDev: 16.41%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
24
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 26, 2021
Added:
Oct 06, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by revdrjbob:
Photo of revdrjbob
Reviewed by revdrjbob from Australia

2.56/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
Was quite excited about sampling a few beers from the Mildura Brewery, had heard alot about it, knew the guy who set it up, etc. Got this and 2 others from their brewery from my mum and dad, and a 570ml glass. Sampled in the 40+ºC heat of New Years day Down Under.

Poured into the tall pilsner type glass, pale amber in colour, did start with a dense 1cm head, but now has about 5mm instead. Working well, bubbles rising like crazy.

Aroma: A faint whisp of hops, a bit of malt, possibly a German coloured variety. Not much really, maybe it's too cold. I'll wait and smell again.

Taste: Hello? Flavour? Where are you? A slight malt, a slight hint of caramel or crystal, and a slight lingering bitterness. A twang of yeastiness in the back palate? Biting carbonation, was that a hint of roastiness?

Drinks ok, for a lager. With the name like "Mallee Bull Heavy", I was expecting a malty, punchy Scottish ale. Not a ninny. I'm not really impressed, the bottle mentions "chocolate notes" and a "soft and delicate hop character", nothing there says "heavy" to me. Anyways, ok, but not a winner for me.
Jan 01, 2006
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by Daneve76 from Australia

May 26, 2021
 
Rated: 3 by SouthCrescent from Pennsylvania

Oct 14, 2013
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

2.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
Bottle: decent brown 330mL bottle, stylish label per the Mildura standard. A classy outfit.

Appearance: pours a heavy copper-amber colour. A beige head settles from a half-finger to a solid cap. Looks okay.

Aroma: the aroma is a bit weird - I'm glad to see from other reviews that I'm not alone on this. A lack of hops makes the sweet malts seem a little saccharin. Not brilliant.

Taste: not a brilliant flavour. Just those sweet malts by themselves again - reasonably heavy but without any hops or spices to back it up. Pretty boring.

Aftertaste: no aftertaste at all. Really nothing to this beer at all, which is a pity.

Mouth feel: a medium body with moderate carbonation. Flart and stale without any real body. I really expected a lot more from this so-called 'heavy'.

Overall: very little flavour behind this beer. Just an awkward sweet malt without any backing. Certainly not worth the AU$59 a case (2013).
Jul 21, 2013
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Reviewed by PolarBear3 from Australia

2.51/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75
A - Pours a dark coppery colour with a one finger white head that retains some lacing

S - Burnt caramel and almost metallic like aromas with a hint of sweet malt

T - Light caramel malt is there with some malt biscuit and mild tartness that leaves a bland finish on the palate.

M - Very watery and light to medium bodied

O - Fairly ordinary for a supposedly strong ale and lacks any sort of complexity. Watery with a very bland metallic like finish
Jul 05, 2013
Photo of soju6
Reviewed by soju6 from Missouri

3.3/5  rDev +26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: pours a dark amber color with a creamy head that fades to some lacing.

S: Aroma of malt sweetness, caramel with bit of fruit in the background.

T: Taste of roasted malt, caramel sweetness and bit of grain and herbs. Mild bitterness and a clean finish.

F: Fairly light body, smooth with a nice balance.

O: Enjoyable beer that goes down quite easy. good for a couple.
Jun 01, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by pin from Australia

May 22, 2013
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Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

2.29/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
With a name like Bull Heavy, and from what I've read about this, I'm hoping that this beer doesn't turn out to be bull-something [insert your imagination here]. That being said, as always, I will go into this review with as clear a mind as possible and disregard everything I've heard to decide for myself if this is crap [spoiler: it is].

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Presents a clear copper body with a white 2cm head that quickly drops down to a thin lacing.

S: Aroma is all kinds of wrong (like the one time I tried to homebrew) with a combination of skunk, bile and diacetyl with a malt grain base... maybe I got a bad one? No beer should smell this foul.

T: Sugar filled toffees upfront, malt base middle, and diacetyl butter flavour carries through and finishes with slight bitterness (which is the only evidence of hops in this sad brew). Not as bad as the aroma suggested but reminiscent of a "macro in craft beer clothing" type of brew.

M: Mid to light body, a little watery though, with a rough carbonation thrown in.

D: Pass on this one if there is a choice between this and anything half-decent. The jarring lack of hops and the excessive application of sugar and diacetyl flavour is the biggest drawback to this beer. Reminds me of the type of beer for which the role of ale-conner was invented in medieval England; The ale-conner was a type of early tax-man whose job it was to test the quality and strength of beer, not by quaffing, but by sitting in a puddle of it. They travelled from pub to pub clad in sturdy leather britches. Beer was poured on a wooden bench and the ale-conner sat in it. Depending on how sticky they felt it to be when they stood up, they were able to assess if sugar was applied excessively or not to the brew - I don't think this beer would fair too well if this test were applied today.

Food match: This is a tough one. Anything that would lessen the overbearing and clumsy use of sugar, like something bready, pizza... not a gourmet pizza, more like a Domino's one.
Nov 06, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by bpasquetti from California

Jun 19, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by mungus from Australia

Jun 18, 2012
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

2.8/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours dark amber with a large, fading head.
Nose shows nutty and toasty malt along with soft chocolate. Also some faint spicy hops.
Similar flavours with the addition of caramel and some grainy malt. Finishes with metallic and doughy notes.
Could use more carbonation.
Feb 04, 2012
Photo of aBeeraWeek
Reviewed by aBeeraWeek from Australia

2.4/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
A rich amber to copper colour. Nice coloured head but light and disappears quickly.

Overall not a strong smell. I got slight hints of raisin toast with some light floral scents.

Initial taste is very light and watery. Possibly I was expecting something else. There is some bitterness that comes through late.

Light bodied for the style that they seem to be going for. There is a small sense of carbonation early but this fades very fast.

Overall flavours are all a little confusing. For the alcohol content it is just too light in flavour and body. Possibly I was led astray by any preconceptions I had from the label and the name.
Sep 13, 2011
Photo of Macca
Reviewed by Macca from Australia

2.84/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This pours a dark amber colour with a centimetre of white head which looks like it wants to stick around.

Sweet malts and butter on the nose. Not promising.

A bit of biscuity maltiness on the palate but not a lot else going on. Maybe a little bit of hoppiness at the back.

Thankfully not as sweet as I was expecting from the aroma.

Definitely not the heavy beer I was expecting. Not horrible but a little disappointing.
Nov 02, 2010
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

2.46/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Note: the bottles states this is an amber ALE, not lager. The fruity taste would suggest this is correct.

Appearance - 3.0
Pours half a finger of white head that gradually reduced to a thin, patchy layer over a bright amber body with a hint of chill haze.

Smell - 2.0
Any malt or hops aroma is masked by a strong smell of apple cider. Fine for cider, not for an amber ale.

Taste - 2.5
Reminiscent of a few homebrews I've had. Not much malt backbone, just a little caramel. A little cidery with a strong green apple character. Slightly yeasty, moderately hopped with peppery alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel - 3.0
Moderately carbonated, coarse in the mouth, medium bodied.

Drinkability - 2.5
Not something I would drink again, very ordinary.

OVERALL - 2.55
Not awful by a long shot, but far from good. The fact that it reminds me of dump-n-stir homebrew says it all.
Jan 31, 2010
Photo of jbowers56
Reviewed by jbowers56 from Australia

2.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Described as an amber ale. Closer to a pale ale in colour. A kind of copper colour - very clear with a pretty good head to start and ok retention.

Smell is ok. Some caramel malts and biscuityness. Thats it though.

'powerful and full bodied'. Im going to mark this down simply for saying that. I kind of wonder if breweries like this have actually ever experienced what a good beer tastes like. There is a little malty sweetness - similar to the nose, but a little less strong. A bit metallic. Not good, but not terrible...

Pretty watery, but acceptable.

Since it tastes pretty shite, i wont be drinking heaps of these.
Jan 12, 2010
Photo of laituegonflable
Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

2.05/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Pours a gold colour - where's the redness, beer? Looks lagery. Slow bead and modest, because, weak, white head. Not great lacing. Looks standard and boring indeed.

Bit of sweetness on the nose, slight buttery smell. Honey a bit as well and a very, very slight bitterness. This is very weak though and too sweet.

Very diacetyl character with a lot of sweet notes, too much malt and virtually no hops. Doesn't grip me at all, because it's not very nice. Simple, poorly brewed, poorly balanced and with a very amateurish palate. I noticed a lot of the comments before me make mention of the fact that this is advertised as having distinct hoppiness and rightly so this should be pounced on.

This beer and its advertising label stink badly, either of marketing conmen or of beer neophytes with a poorly misguided attempt to brew an interesting beer. This is nothing like the good beer described, and nothing like a good beer. All I can say, Mildura, is scrap everything and try again.
Apr 16, 2009
Photo of willjansen
Reviewed by willjansen from Colorado

2.59/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Appearance - Pours an orangish-amber color with a low head that dissapears quite fast. Not a remarkably appetizing beer...

Smell - Difficult to get a strong scent, but vigorous swishing reveals malty caramel with a distinct alcoholic kick. Too noticeable for the ABV. Slight whiffs of floral hops, but certainly dominated by sweeter malts.

Taste - Biscuity malt and waves of caramel finishing off with out-of-place alcohol notes. Notes of honey mingling with the malt, and reminiscent of candi sugar addition at some stage in the process. Not terrible, but the ambient alcohol and lack of advertised hop presence takes away from an otherwise average brew...

Mouthfeel - A bit more watery and lighter-bodied than advertised. Slightly more flat than is preferable for the style.

Drinkability - A drinkable brew no doubt, but I suspect they've missed the mark on a few important points, which makes for a slightly distracting drinking experience. Won't be buying it again soon...
Sep 22, 2007
Photo of Kulrak
Reviewed by Kulrak from Australia

2.62/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep, dark, slightly orangish brown color with plenty of creamy light tan head that fades pretty quickly, but makes it's mark on the glass. I can't smell a thing on this beer. My wife says it smells like "very thoroughly washed out pub". Mildura doesn't seem to like using aroma hops, as the last beer I reviewed from them had the same problem. The taste is fairly malty, a little fruity, but mostly clean. There's no hop flavor to speak of, either. Finishes clean and dry, not what I expected from a 'heavy'. The mouthfeel is very heavy, maybe that's what they were talking about. Not a whole lot else there as far as mouthfeel. Low carbonation, no creaminess, just heavy. Overall, it's pretty drinkable, as there's nothing there to object to.
Aug 12, 2007
Photo of rizzo
Reviewed by rizzo from Australia

2.77/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4
The only thing heavy about this beer is the alcohol, and it's not that heavy. Not much in malt or hop character, quite thin. Amazingly drinkable - too easy for it's name. Don't really get the concept. Well made, but idea is poorly executed. Would like to see more hop and higher finishing gravity.
May 02, 2007
Photo of brendan13
Reviewed by brendan13 from Australia

2.85/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
I don't think this is as bad as what other people have said but it's certainly noting special.
A - Dark straw colour with a copper touch. A bit of head that follows the beer down the glass.
S - Biscuity, slight caramel maltiness is about all I get here.
T - Same biscuity, caramel taste. I really can't pick up the hop flavours they mention on the bottle.
M - This is a laugh. The label says "powerful and full bodied". It is quite watery and doesnt offer much bitterness at all.
D - I don't find this all that drinkable but I'm sure it is to some people.
One of those hard ones - To style vs personal taste. This style is quite widely open to interpretation but I prefer my beers either a lot hoppier or maltier or better yet, both!
I also get pissed off at breweries that have stuff written on their bottles that isn't true at all.
Apr 29, 2007
Mallee Bull Heavy from Mildura Theatre Brewery Pty Ltd
Beer rating: 69 out of 100 with 24 ratings