SUNDAY ROAD BLACKWOODS
Suspect a mate might be floundering in the storms of life. Grab this sauce for the seafarers and head over to craft a conversation.
Origin – Kirrawee, NSW
ABV- 5.2%
Size- 375mL can
Style- Pale Ale
The lads down there in Cronulla have done it again. No, not started another riot! Though, that said, if The Shire continues the way it’s going with top-notch craft beers increasingly being released by Shark Island, Hairyman and now Sunday Road, the boys up in Sydney’s Inner West might take up arms, Anchorman style, and march south to start a turf war. If you think Brad Walker, the former IT worker and the man behind Sunday Road Brewing Co., isn't ready for a brawl, then you'd be underestimating him. Granted he’s no tattoo adorned, nipple pierced, flannel wearing bearded hipster (in fact he’s still got an IT tan to this day), but you don’t give up a well-paid job working on the Macquarie Bank trading floor to start brewing beer without having some serious fight in you.
And it’s this determination that has helped Brad transition from gypsy brewer to giving Sunday Road a home of its own in Kirrawee after five years of setbacks, including finding for a suitable site, the standard arm wrestles with the council and multiple liquor licence rejections. Despite working overtime to get the plans off the ground Brad and head brewer Mick O’Rance, formerly of Bentspoke and Goose Island, have still managed to find the time to perfect a range of cracking craft beers. In the working brewhouse combined with cosy tasting room, including an art gallery on the mezzanine level featuring local artist Rachelle Lawler, you’ll find five taps pouring some of the freshest, non-pasteurised, preservative-free ales you're ever likely to come across. The rotating range on tap is complemented by two package beers, including this 2019 AIBA gold medal-winning Blackwoods Pale Ale.
Blackwoods beach is one of Cronulla's smallest and unobtrusive stretches of sand, yet unlike its namesake, this American style pale ale is both big and bold. The use of American hops creates an aroma that is dominated by citrus and floral aromas, and while the mouth generally follows the nose, there’s the addition of flowery grapefruit flavours. Although being a hop forward full-bodied beer with a solid level of bitterness, let this one linger a little longer and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its nice sweet finish.
The only improvement would be to add a little Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries. Yep, it's made with bits of real panther so you know it's good!