Mornington Lager
Mornington Peninsula Brewery

Good mornington Viet... Australia! After reviewing like 10 billion (fact!) Dark Ales/Stouts/Porters I felt that I needed to have at least one lighter coloured brew, so here we have Mornington Lager - done in what I believe to be a Munich Helles (German for bright) Lager style. Although Mornington and I have been quite chummy of late with their Tinnage releases, getting a Lager done right... perhaps “right” is the wrong word “well” that’s the one... getting a Lager done well is a tall order in my books (at least with so many brewers stuff it up it must be a challenging thing to brew). What will I be looking for? Sweet/crisp malts, touch of bread, hint of hops and a decent (not weak!) body - that is a Helles to a tee.

Poured from a 330ml can into a stein.

A: Hazed goldenrod body with a 1 centimetre white sea foam head that quickly dissipates to a spotty lace blanket. Now I love a cloudy beer, but stylistically a Helles or Lagers in general should not be hazed or cloudy, sorry Mornington. 5/10.

S: Cider apples, bread yeast and a hint of honey round out a classic Helles aroma - top notch stuff. The fact that I can smell this beer at all coming off the back of a cold is pretty compelling to me - I can’t stand watery bland Lagers and this one has the boldness of a true Munich brewed Helles, looking forward to the ‘T’. 8/10.

T: Hits the palate with a slight medicinal hop bitterness which helps cut through those cider apples, bread yeast and honey, before finishing with a cut grass hop character. Balance is there, maybe a little bit too much hop bitterness for novice beer drinkers, but to me the balance between sweet/bitter is spot on. Aftertaste is slightly grainy, and the crisp finish helps cut down on it a little. 7/10.

M: Mid to light bodied with medium carbonation and a bit of creaminess in the texture - as a good Helles should have. 7/10.

D: Decent effort from Mornington - this is a Lager that simply works as a Lager should: Refreshing, crisp, hints of complexity, with a general lackadaisical sensibility about itself. Mornington Lager looks at you, smiles and adds “You’ve had a hard slog today, put your feet up and suck down on a cold one”. You take the can, nod, kick off your work boots, swing the footrest up on your Lazy-boy and knock back a Mornington Lager, guzzling like you’re on a mission from Bacchus (God of wine... and other fermented beverages: The Romans weren’t fond of beer). End scene. 7/10.

Food match: Bianco pizza with pumpkin, goat’s cheese, onion and balsamic.

I tried the Mornington Lager at the Pink Moon Saloon in Adelaide. I didn't have time to write a review on the spot. From whate I remember it was decent. Not far from most lagers. Solid and easy to drink.