Hunter McWilliams Ale
Potters Hotel & Brewery (Hunter Beer Co)

Very difficult to classify this. It's a mildly-smoked ale blended with Hunter shiraz from McWilliams. As such, it's a strange brew. Tried at the Union Hotel for Good Beer Week for the Beermen.tv breakfast.

Pours quite a red-hue, or perhaps a pink-tinged amber is a better name for it. Fairly solid hazing and decent weight behind it. Head is a pale pink colour that forms a very fine solid ring, and leaves small bits of lace. Fine carbonation. Looks good, and interesting.

Nose has much to thank the wine for. Strong rosé character along with some wine oak characters. Minimal hops come through, but there's a grainy German malt character and a rather bready overtone to it. Hey-like aromas come through when you make your way through the wine. Interesting.

Light, clean front palate leads to more rosé characters, and a slightly bready fullness. Apparently this was partially smoked, but there's really no hint of it. Finish has a fair dollop of yeast, and an aromatic component like oxidised wine. Hmm. Feel is very light. It somewhat accentuates the acidity of the wine, but it's a bit of a stretch.

Drinkable enough, and it's an interesting experiment. To be honest, it didn't really work to its full potential, but it was worth trying.