Murray's Nirvana Pale Ale
Murray's Craft Brewing Co.

Murray's Nirvana Pale AleMurray's Nirvana Pale Ale
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From:
Murray's Craft Brewing Co.
 
Australia
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 15.65%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
28
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 21, 2021
Added:
Aug 03, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by pin:
Photo of pin
Rated by pin from Australia

1/5  rDev -73.5%

Aug 03, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.57 by Daneve76 from Australia

Jun 21, 2021
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Format: a 330mL brown bottle with a decent craft label.

Appearance: a light haze on a golden-orange body. A decent finger of off-white head drops to a solid half finger with reasonable lacing.

Aroma: passion fruit and citrus up front with a light spice behind. Quite nice.

Taste: again quite nice passion fruit and those lemon citrus from the nose. Some sweet biscuit malts and a touch of spices.

Aftertaste: some nice hop bitterness with the passionfruit flavour and biscuit malts lingering.

Mouth feel: light to medium in body with a spritely carbonation. Nice.

Overall: one of the better beers I have had from Murray's Craft Brewing, unfortunately no longer for sale which is a pity. Good, well-rounded flavours and a reasonable price (from memory).
Jan 05, 2015
Photo of Cozzatoad
Reviewed by Cozzatoad from Italy

3.91/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330ml bottle

A- Slightly cloudy amber colour. Huge, perfectly white head. Frothy with huge bubbles but still pretty nicely persistent, while also leaving good amounts of lacing on the sides of the glass

S- A delicate malt sweetness is backing up a nice refreshing feel from the hops, which bring some quite distinct though not really strong herbal and fruity notes

T- Very light in body and on the malts side, just a hint of caramel sweetness on the back of things. A refreshing herbal/flowery feel pervades the whole tasting experience, while notes of citrus, passion fruit, mango and similar exotic fruits make themselves heard pretty distinctly. Pacific hops are overall definitely dominant. Pretty hoppy beer, if you are looking for a beer with lots of hop flavours and not so high bitterness you should definitely check out this one

M- Light but not at all watery body, with a nice juicy feel that has those fruity flavours feeling even more distinct. Medium carbonation, beer is pretty smooth on the palate and pleasantly prickly on the tongue. Aftertaste is maybe a tad too much on the sweet side for the stlye

O- Highly enjoyable beer and definitely something to look for in the hot months. Pacific hops all over the place
May 19, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by DrNo from Australia

Jan 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by jjkatter from Australia

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

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - A slightly hazy orange amber topped by a finger of solid dense white head. Nice streaky lacing to follow up.

S - Passionfruity hops and spice. Very enticing.

T - All hops, citrus and floral. Tasty but a bit one dimensional.

M - Medium body, very easy drinking.

O - Another delicious beer with plenty of hoppy flavour without the full bitterness assault. Could use a touch more balance.
Nov 11, 2011
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

4.17/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
In anticipation of the beer I will be reviewing next (Chimay White) I thought I would give something decent a go; Murray's Nirvana Pale Ale. I've heard a lot of bold claims being made about this beer, "best APA in Australia", "better than Little Creatures Pale Ale", but there really is only one way to find out for myself - the taste test.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a tulip pint.

A: Big frothy white head is the first thing that grabs the attention. this then reduces down to a half centimeter layer of goodness. The body presents a pleasing cloudy sunset orange.

S: Damn! There are HUGE hop aromas wafting right into the pleasure centre of my brain and this is exactly what I've been missing from the last ten reviews. The hops are so powerful smelling that I'm not even detecting the malts. The aroma is a mixture of stone-fruit, pineapple and a hint of cannabis (or in the case of this beer "cannabliss"). Now my only concern is the taste wont deliver on this mighty and promising aroma.

T: Well my fears have been alleviated in one sense; this ale tastes damn good. It's a mixture between "S&W Pacific Ale" and "Mac's Hop Rocker Pilsener", which can be described as stone-fruit front palate flavours followed by toasted biscuit malts and a slight resin earthy herbaceous hop bitter finish.

M: Almost as rich and creamy as a Wiessbier - carbonation is to a tee with this brew. The resin like hops make it stick to the inside of your mouth like a peanut butter beer would (perhaps there were such a thing).

D: I can totally dig this beer... HOWEVER (and here's the "but") it is not quite as complex in flavour as the Little Creatures Pale Ale, and it's more expensive when I can get 2 pints of LCPA for $10 at my local. So my conclusion is that Murray's has done a damn fine job (as evidenced by me throwing the word "damn" so liberally throughout my review), and whilst I could easily drink this brew day-in day-out I could do so also with LCPA... at a cheaper price. Sorry Murray's, close to toppling my favourite APA but just a little bit shy. Still a definite in my top ten Aussie beers.

Food match: Suitably something bold would go with this, like a beef Vindaloo or a Rogan Josh. Also would go well with a Thai green curry and spicy Szechuan cuisine.
Sep 09, 2011
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Reviewed by jimiboi from Australia

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
pours a dark amber with 1 finger head, reducing down to a persistent thin film with speckled lacing on the glass.

smell is amazing! passionfruit all the way.

Taste is initial passionfruit, which finishes on grapefruit.

Mouthfeel is quite bitter, with nice carbonation.

Overall a very nice APA indeed - highly recommend anyone try this at least once.
Sep 02, 2011
Photo of Stew41
Reviewed by Stew41 from Thailand

3.86/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This could well be Australia’s best APA / Pale ale style (yep IMHO better than Little C). Darkish amber in colour with a persistent head, albeit it quite thin in texture. Classy hop treatment evident on the nose, and is underpinned with some nice malt sweetness. Hops again come to the fore to taste; herbal, vegetal, nettles, medium strength bitterness - all happening in a very well balanced and controlled fashion. I don’t pick up much malt character through the palate but the hop action just goes and goes on the finish. Good stuff.
Jul 29, 2011
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The brew pours a golden copper hue with decent carbonation that leaves behind a creamy two finger head that stays and leaves heaps of clingy lacing,the smell is citrus,boiled candy,marmalade and caramel,it has a medium bodied mouthfeel and has tastes of mandarins,passionfruit,boiled candy,toffee and is finished with a stonefruit bitterness and overall a pleasant enough quaffable brew.
Jul 07, 2011
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Reviewed by goom from Australia

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a tulip, big rocky two finger head, leaving great lacing. Beautiful dark bronze colour, cloudy. Overall a great looking beer.

Fruity hops on the nose, passionfruit, pineapple, sweet grapefruit. Picking up some nice malt sweetness as well.

I really love the malt flavour in this, sweet caramel. Hops take over, same as nose, but somewhat muted. A lingering bitterness carries through, maybe slightly too bitter to finish.

Medium bodied, plenty of carbonation, perhaps a touch high.

Overall, a fantastic beer, I love the big fruity smell, would have loved to have a bit more in the taste, I feel the bitterness takes over a little bit, sort of has an IPA bitterness to it.
Jun 12, 2011
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

3.36/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Very little hop aroma for an APA. Sulphur is predominant with a touch of malt. Not great.

Moderately clear, gold colour with a small, short lasting white head.

Moderate malt flavour with moderate bitterness and moderately-low hop character. It is lacking the punch of a good APA.

Medium-low body with moderately-high carbonation. Crisp and quenching.

Easy to drink? Yes. Nirvana? No. The beer lacks depth of character and hops. While it is crisp, that isn't the only thing that there needs to be in an APA.
May 28, 2010
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Reviewed by mulder1010 from Australia

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a SA Perfect Pint

A-- Poured a golden wheat color, a little bit of haze to this. Fairly carbonated in the pour. A good 1 finger off white head that kept its head for a good amount of time with a bit of lacing.

S-- Mostly grapefruit and citrus smell. Hops are soft and the malt and fruit are bigger. More acidic smelling than others.

T-- Large acidic taste. Grapefruit and lemon. Hops do not jump out and grab you like others. Much more malt driven but get a feel of the hops in the taste.

M-- Good lively carbonation. Closer to a EPA than an APA but has aspects of an APA. Nice mouthfeel and balanced well with the hops and malt. Very clean finishing and with a bit of a bite at the end. Could be a bigger hop taste to this though.

D-- Very drinkable. More sessionable than say LC is but LC has a bigger hop taste to this. A cross between an EPA and an APA. As an EPA this is exceptional, as an APA it is a little bit thin but that is OK. Easily drink 3-4 of these in a sitting and not feel a thing. Very worthy Australian beer and a good example of both the US and English styles in one beer.
Mar 23, 2010
Photo of juju7
Reviewed by juju7 from Australia

3.97/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A well balanced beer that delivers all the trademarks of a good APA. The cascade hops are quite evident but not dominant. Lots of grapefruity citrus notes. Malt backbone supports well. Won't wait so long next time between beers on this one. Good beer.
Feb 01, 2010
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

3.65/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance - 4.0
Pours a finger of dense, off-white head over a hazy orange-gold body.

Smell - 4.0
Fruity (grapefruit and lemon) with biscuity malt in the background. Very aromatic

Taste - 3.5
Typical APA; unbalanced in favour of hops but makes up for it with good flavour and complexity. Biscuity malt is there, but tastes mostly of citrus and yeasty fruitiness. Actually almost as tart as it is bitter, has a pleasant finish.

Mouthfeel - 3.5
Low to moderate carbonation, quite acidic and light.

Drinkability - 3.5
Relatively low alcohol is a plus, but I wouldn't want more than one of these at a time.

OVERALL - 3.7
I feel like I may be being a bit harsh here, but while this is a quality brew, I found it to be a little too unbalanced. Very perfumy as with most APAs, but there are more drinkable, more local APAs.
Apr 24, 2009
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Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Glorious amber-orange hue, slightly cloudy. Effervescent carbonation sustains an impressive inch high head.
Huge aroma, full of oranges, grass and peach blossom. Biscuity matiness is detectable behind the massive floral hoppy goodness. This really is magnificent.
Taste is dominated by green hoppy bitterness, with sweet malts and floral notes in the background.
Body is pretty decent (e.g., not watery like some common APA's), with the expected lively carbonation.
Damn, this is an excellent example of the style, a really great summer beer too.
Mar 09, 2009
Photo of koolk
Reviewed by koolk from Australia

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Dark amber in colour with a strong white head that persists. Good carbonation.

Interesting floral hop aromas bordering on roses and violets. A nice, albeit, slight grainy note in there as well make this a refreshingly interesting nose.

More fruit dominant than floral on the palate with a good malty savoury backbone with only a trace of sweetness. Bitterness is only medium at best. Aftertaste is more fruity hops, predominately pineapple.

The mouthfeel really lets down this beer. Thin and watery with no real creaminess and a somewhat overly carbonated bite turn this from a really great beer into a good beer.

Definitely one for summer and would probably be a lot better on tap. Just lacks body more than anything. (a re-taste in 2010 shows far better mouthfeel)
Aug 14, 2008
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Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Nice-looking redwood kind of colour with a brown tinge. Good yellow head of lightly dispersed bubbles with nice thick lacing. Slight evidence of carbonation.

Nose is very good if typically pale ale-y, although I realise I shouldn't say that as a negative thing. A lot of fruit and floral hop aromas abound; really an exemplary pale ale kind of aroma, light but complex and interesting.

Tastes "darker" than I would have expected. A fair amount of fruit and hops remain from the nose but there is a roasty character I didn't anticipate. Hops dominate the front a bit, but it might be the combination with roastedness that makes it taste more bitter. It's very nice drinking though, with a very pleasant character and a nice blend of light fruitiness and grounded bitters. Similar enough to Little Creatures to be considered very good, but also with a few surprises in store. Mouthfeel is malty and pleasant.

Very pleasant, very drinkable.
Apr 11, 2008
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Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a brilliant clear golden-orange colour, with a beautiful thick, solid crown of off-white foam. Dancing bubbles of carbonation stream at the perfect tempo from the base of the glass. This is truly a beautiful looking beer. Just absolutely what a pale ale should be.

Very fruity tropical nose, with notes of pineapple, passionfruit, melon and crushed leaves. Luscious and robust, but crisp and clean at the same time. It has plenty of oomph and character, but is also subdued. That's a good thing.

Clean, sharp front palate, accentuated with peppery hops, and a clean, rounded, earthy, vegetative flavour halfway though. Brusqe characters of grain husk and yeast on the back palate, but it's almost like this is the culmination of all the rest of the flavours. Mouthfeel is a tad heavier than I expected, but there's a nice fullness and roundness that comes with the extra body. Very tight, very robust, very drinkable.

Yes, this is a very nice beer all round. A great little Pale Ale which to my mind, may even knock LCPA off its mantle as Australian Pale Ale Supremo.

Top notch.
Apr 04, 2008
Murray's Nirvana Pale Ale from Murray's Craft Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 28 ratings