Baron's Black Wattle Superior Wattle Seed Ale

I have noticed this ale at my local Publix supermarket, but at $11.00 a sixer, I was hesitant to try it. This past weekend, I made a trip to the Total Wine store, and found I could buy a single of it. The Wattle seed was what intrigued me, since I hadn't the slightest clue what a Wattle seed was. As it turns out a Wattle seed is from a native Australian tree, and the seeds have been used for flavoring for many years. The beer poured a chocolate brown color, and had some hints of chocolate in the flavor as well. The bottle described a "lasting creamy head" which turned out to be 1/4 inch tall, as you can see in the picture. This ale was slightly sweet, and had some caramel and vanilla-like flavors, which may or may not be from the Wattle seed. This was a good beer, but not an $11.00 a six-pack beer - at least in my opinion.

Cooper's Best Extra Stout - Australia

Cooper's Brewery is in Regency Park, South Australia. This is their "Best Extra Stout". An Extra Stout is in between a regular stout and an Imperial Stout when it comes to alcohol strength. The first Extra Stout was made by Guinness, but othe brewers followed. This is a roasty, chocolaty stout wilth a creamy texture. It looks nearly black in the glass, with a smallish tan head. I think this is a bit dryer than many of the stouts I've tried, and finishes dry as well. I'm a big fan of stouts and porters, and I highly recommend this one.

Foster's Lager at Outback

My family and I decided to do Sunday lunch at Outback, to try out some new menu items they were advertising. Since it also involved a $5.00 coupon, it made my decision to eat out easier. As luck would have it, they were in the middle of a 2 for 1 draft beer special too. Their beer choices went from mundane Coors, Bud Light and Miller all the way to the truly exotic - Foster's Lager (said with tongue firmly implanted in cheek). I've never been a huge fan of Foster's, but I felt like a beer, and I prefer draft when it's available. Well, I don't know if it was the food, or eating out, but the Foster's was a lot better than I remembered it. It was ice cold, which helped. It was very refreshing, and had a hoppier edge than I remembered. And their Bloomin' Burger was good too!