New Norcia Abbey Ale
Malt Shovel Brewery

New Norcia Abbey AleNew Norcia Abbey Ale
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From:
Malt Shovel Brewery
 
Australia
Style:
Belgian Pale Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.49 | pDev: 12.89%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
35
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 22, 2021
Added:
Jan 18, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by doktorhops:
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

3.17/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
This brew was recommended to me by a customer when I was working in a bottle shop not too long ago (best way to get cheap craft beers, many of which I reviewed here). He told me if I liked Belgian beers this was an awesome attempt by an Aussie brewer, with that in mind my comparison will be directed at some of my favourites (Duvel, Chimay, La Chouffe... et al).

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a chalice.

A: Body is a mildly cloudy golden colour with a almost no head to speak of (which I've noticed in a few dubbels).

S: Hints of bubblegum, cloves, and a sweetness from candi sugar are detectable, with an undertone of bread yeast throughout. Classic Belgian brew aromas at play here.

T: The first thought is one of how subdued the flavours are, which is not a good sign. Expected flavours from the aroma are there; bubblegum, cloves, candi sugar and yeast, but where most Belgian ales would be light on the aroma and amped up in taste this brew is quite relaxed (perhaps to accommodate our hot Australian climate). Its got the right flavour balance, it just needs to turn it up a notch.

M: Medium bodied with an excitable champagne fizz carbonation.

D: A decent enough stab at a Belgian dubbel, probably the best I've tried that has been brewed outside Belgium (though admittedly my experience is limited in this area). My biggest qualm is with the flavour being too subdued, however it is fairly easy to drink and sometimes this is what you want from a beer... though not at this price point.

Food match: Belgian fare; frikandel with chips, lettuce and mayonnaise or Kip met frieten en appelmoes.
Aug 05, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.9 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 22, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by kjkinsey from Texas

Jan 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Jan 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by magpieken from Australia

Oct 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by pin from Australia

May 21, 2013
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.9/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Bottle: nice 330mL brown bottle, not bad label. Looks like it's meant to be classic stylish Belgian.

Appearance: slightly hazy amber colouring. Reasonably thin yet creamy head, webbed lacing.

Aroma: some good-quality yeasts with biscuit malts and very ripe fruits. There are some champagne yeast flavours, and in fact a soft white wine underneath, somewhat like a viognier.

Taste: the flavours of the aroma come through good and strong, along with a touch of alcoholic warmth.

Aftertaste: pretty good follow-up, the flavours linger nicely. The alcoholic warmth brings a secondary wave of flavours. Very nice.

Mouth feel: light body with a moderate-to-high carbonation. Could have done with a backing off of the carbonation.

Overall: fairly decent Australian-made version of the Belgian Pale Ale. I still don't think it is worth AU$90 per case though (2012).
Jul 02, 2012
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

3.43/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Bottle from Dan Murphy's. From notes.

A - Poured bright with mild to medium carbonation. One finger of white fluffy head on a golden sorta body. Minute retention and no lace. Oddly not bottle conditioned.

S - Sugar, yeast, fruity, mild spice, pretty nice combo going on.

T - Yeast, bubblegum, candy, sugar, spice. Nothing really jumped out. Decent.

M - Good carbonation, medium to full body and a touch of spice in the finish with dryness.

O/D - Not bad. Not really authentic but enough flavour to get by. Good but not exactly what I imagine for the style. Not bad but sorta hard to take seriously for the style.
Jun 28, 2012
Photo of heygeebee
Reviewed by heygeebee from Australia

2.87/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a hazy straw colour. The head just dies. Half finger at best. No lace Looks like apple juice.

Aromas of yeast and mandarins.

Taste is better. Spritzy mandarin and citrus leap out of glass. Belgian yeast in the mix. Very tart finish.

Mouthfeel light, very well carbonated, so where is the head???? As beer goes down, sparkling mineral water effect takes over and kills overall taste. Not good.

Overall, not sure about this one. Quite refreshing but not too complex. Average. And in a crowded market.
Jun 22, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by mungus from Australia

Apr 05, 2012
Photo of dansmcd
Reviewed by dansmcd from Australia

3.65/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Light clear amber below a creamy head and good lacing.

S - Quite Belgian in character here with a prominent yeast aroma, along with sweet fruit bread, and white wine.

T - Follows the nose with the yeast and grape characteristics, with some brown sugar thrown in.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation.

O - Not bad at all, I would pick up another one.
Jan 10, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by jjkatter from Australia

Dec 28, 2011
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

2.86/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Pours a clear see through light golden copper hue which leaves a fast vanishing one finger head and no lacing i def remember this looking way better,the smell is bready malts,light herbal hops,a tinge of bourbon and brown sugar,the mouthfeel is lightbodied and different to before it really is and has boring tastes of bready malts,a touch of sticky date pudding,white grapes and finished with a touch of raisin bread and overall i think Malt Shovel have ruined this drop as i have memories of being way better and honestly if u want a nice Abbey Ale avoid this as its bordering on Macro crap wheres the love gone MSB cheers.
Sep 20, 2011
Photo of Kulrak
Reviewed by Kulrak from Australia

3.91/5  rDev +12%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a very light straw color with very little in the way of head, and what is there disappears pretty quickly. Smells fruity, orange and banana, and also a little yeasty. The taste is very light, but well balanced. There's banana and a little passionfruit, barely enough bitterness to finish clean. The mouthfeel is also light, without much carbonation. Not creamy, but not watery. Overall, it's very drinkable, kind of a light take on a belgian pale, but tasty anyway.
Aug 13, 2011
Photo of Stew41
Reviewed by Stew41 from Thailand

3.06/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Attractive beer; very clear dark golden body and some chunky lacing. Very sweet nose with simple tropical fruits and a chalky / minerally hint. Flavours are quite authentic - sugar malts, a little heavy and cooked, some spice, and aniseed to finish. Palate weight is just too light to be taken seriously.
Jul 31, 2011
Photo of eric5bellies
Reviewed by eric5bellies from Australia

3.83/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Drank from my St Bernardus chalice

A - Pours a nice clear Golden colour with a hint of Orange. White head that dies quite quickly.

S - Aromas are sweet and spicy, with a little malt.

T - Some biscuit up front, that ois followed by some balance spicy sweetness. A little syrupy though and detracts from the beer overall.

M - Light to medium body with full carbonation

D - I love to see Australian breweries having a crack at Belgian styles, and this represents a pretty good attempt.
Mar 12, 2011
Photo of philphilphil
Reviewed by philphilphil from Australia

3.97/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Underated beer.
Appearance is clear amberish colour, similar to leffe blonde but lacks the head.
Smell is good with smells vaguely reminiscent of wits and tripels.
Taste is similar to smell, good, it's not great but it shines in comparison to many australian beers.
Mouthfeel is medium-thickness.
Drinkability is decent for the price, hopefully this beer will take off so it will be a decent option when in resteraunt or bar situations where only macro's and such are served.
Feb 13, 2011
Photo of danieelol
Reviewed by danieelol from Australia

3.59/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1 | overall: 3
A: This is definitely not the right colour for a Belgian and lacks head, although the lacing is nice. 3.5

S: spices, coriander, sort of general fruity smell like a perfume, definite peach. Some red apple. This is nice actually. The nose has a genuinely rich and sophisticated bouquet. 4.5

T: Keeping with the theme we get peach, red apple and some alcohol. A bit of bitterness. 4

M: I find this highly undercarbed. If there was more carbonation it would be a lot better. If you're going to brew a beer similar to Duvel you need to emulate the carbonation too. 1

D: The lack of carbonation stops it competing with a real man's Belgian like Duvel :). Not a bad try from an Australian brewer though. 3
Jan 14, 2011
Photo of JohnW
Reviewed by JohnW from England

2.96/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Poured pale copper colour, with an initially lively head, which disappeared in about 30 seconds! Looked inviting, though the aroma is very subdued, more candy sweetness and malts, hint of dried fruits and light spicing.

Taste was initially sweet as you may expect from a Belgium Abbey style ale, with hints of dried fruits and spices, but little depth of character - the finish being 'spritzy' from the 7% alcohol and natural carbonation - but very thin and any flavours quickly disappeared leaving you feeling a bit let down. No hint of bitterness at all from any hops.

Initially tastes pleasant, but with little after taste or character makes it rather bland overall. The bottle labelling hints at Benedictine Monastic Ale - but presumably in style not origin! I suppose it's a decent Australian stab at a traditional Belgium Abbey Style Ale, but regret it falls far short of the real thing.

JohnW
B'ham UK Nov 2010
Nov 03, 2010
Photo of Finite
Reviewed by Finite from Australia

3.57/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A- Dark Golden colour. Small stream of carbonation is visible leading up to a quickly thining Head which leaves small remnants of lacing on the glass.

S- Banana and some underlying sweetness. Slight alcohol Phenols present but strangely for a malt driven beer this smells very much like a wit or Kristalweizen.

T- The taste, as in most cases reflects the aroma. Obvious sweetness and banana flavours, clove, fruity sweetness of orange peel and peach. A malt undertone becomes more obvious as the beer warms and the fruit flavour becomes equally more pronounced. Very little Hop flavour to speak of. Some lingering bitterness but its not huge.

M- Really improves the beer. Fine carbonation, spritz-like lingering of carbonation on the tongue. A smooth almost creamy body which I think really helps enhance the beers over all character.

D- Another very nice aspect. This beer, assisted by a terrific mouthfeel, goes down very easy despite its 7% ABV.

I was sceptical but a tasty beer overall. The beer develops much more character and body as it warms and this is how it should be experienced. I was impressed by its developing flavor and drinkable. For a 7% beverage this could easily be a session beer. A Hoegaaden-Duvel cross with a little less polish.
Nov 03, 2010
New Norcia Abbey Ale from Malt Shovel Brewery
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 35 ratings