Carwyn 2019 Canvent was from a simpler time, featuring some now-classics and probably too many Instagram filters! Take a look back on the 2019 line-up.
Carwyn Cellars Canvent 2019
|Hannah Baars
#1 • BANKS & RANGE (VIC & QLD) - KEEP THE CHANGE
🍺 Double Dry Hopped Citra IPA • 🥴 6.6% ABV
Citrus peel and tropical fruit take lead packing an outright luscious, round body for a beer under 7%, and it’s safe to say it is a magnificent start to the 24 days of CANVENT. It’s fresh, lively, well balanced and—most importantly—incredibly enjoyable.
#2 • MISMATCH (SA) - BOSTON SOUR
🍺 Whiskey Sour Berliner Weisse • 🥴 6.3% ABV
It’s citrus and lemony on the nose with some toasty oak and malo-ey suggestions of creaminess, while the palate really makes those dreams come true. The play between the citrus and the oak is reminiscent of a good whiskey sour, while a little texture on the palate echoes that frothy egg white silkiness. The refreshing is strong with this one.
#3 • DEEDS (VIC) - OPEN ON DECEMBER 3
🍺 Double IPA • 🥴 8.5% ABV
Suggestions of hazy without the hazy! Juicy and tropical aromas with hints of esters on the whiffer really keep you coming back to the glass for another sniff. The palate is smooth and round with all the vibe of hops and very little of the bitterness, while the beer is hiding a cheeky 8.5% ABV more discreetly than a loose-fitting coat hiding a goon bag. The haze may be absent, but the beer is a real ‘present.’
#4 • BAD SHEPHERD (VIC) - SMASH-ABLE
🍺 Single Malt/ Single Hop IPL • 🥴 5.6% ABV
Today’s beauty is a single malt (Voyager Atlas) single hop (Sabro) India Pale Lager packing lively fruit aromas of coconut, papaya and tangerine with a squeaky-clean malt profile and moderate hop bitterness. It’s dry on the finish with a light, cooling grassy mint note that really keeps you wanting more. Stupidly refreshing all around character on this one.
#5 • ROCKY RIDGE (WA) - BROWN BEAN BEAR
🍺 American Brown with Coffee • 🥴 7% ABV
This beer an incredibly well done amalgamation of classic American brown ale and the best qualities of cold brew coffee. Coffee takes the lead in the aromas, nearly tricking you as to what’s actually in your glass, but the palate shows its true character. Light toast and coffee flavours give way to a semi-dry finish that shows off the malt and hops with balancing bitterness.
#6 • FRENCHIES (NSW) - LOLA
🍺 Apricot Saison • 🥴 3.5% ABV
Highly drinkable, highly refreshing, and registers at the very clean end of the saison spectrum. Lightly grassy and herbaceous with a hint of classic saison spice, the nose also gives up fruity notes of apricot, coconut and a wee bit of malt grain. Light acidity, juicy fruit character with high carb and an overall delicate body all lend to a summery brew that will keep you nicely refreshed.
#7 • URAIDLA (SA) - PRIMEVAL SLAYER
🍺 Unfiltered Pale Ale • 🥴 5.7% ABV
Aromatic hops jump out the glass with orange zest, mango and a floral undertone, and carry through to the palate. The body is well rounded and full but still soft in mouthfeel, and the moderate bitterness is in perfect harmony with the juicy body that defines the beer.
#8 • OCHO (TAS) - COCOA MAUVE
🍺 Dark Chocolate Lavender Mild • 🥴 3.9% ABV
This beer is very aromatic—chocolate and lavender are up front, as you’d expect, but there’s something bright and fruity under that as well. The roasty malts add some texture and body to the palate, and there’s another whack of floral character that pairs up with the light hop bitterness to finish off.
#9 • MOLLY ROSE (VIC) - BAUBLES
🍺 Farmhouse Ale • 🥴 4.6% ABV
Bright saison esters and spice are ready to rock and roll faster than you can get the beer into a glass—a closer look gives up a little fruity pepper note from the addition of red and green peppercorns in the brew, which is an excellent match to the personality of saison yeast. There’s a faint turkish delight vibe as well, while the palate remains clean but still shows off a well balanced ester and malt profile. Low bitterness, decent carb, and a lingering spice note.
#10 • LITTLE BANG (SA) - FACE INVERTER
🍺 Citrus Super Sour • 🥴 5.0% ABV
It does what it says on the label. Intense aromas of lemon and lime give you an idea for what’s in the glass, but certainly doesn’t prepare you for the level of sour that follows. There’s a great deal of citrusy character that has the same general effect as venturing teeth-first into a lemon, which, as it turns out is a painful—yet strangely enjoyable experience.
#11 • VENOM (VIC) - HAZY CHRISTMAS SNAKEBITE
🍺 Hazy IPA with Raspberries • 🥴 6.0% ABV
A hazy IPA with the addition of raspberries. Heaps of real raspberry character stand out in the aromas with underlying citrusy hops, along with some almond/amaretto character that comes from the seeds. It’s an easy going ride on the palate—a very unobtrusive body for 6% that lets the raspberry continue to stand out. The finish holds back on the bitterness, yet allows just enough through to remind you that it is still a beer.
#12 • BLACK ARTS (VIC) - SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER
🍺 Wild / Saison Blend • 🥴 5.5% ABV
Bière de Coupage—which is essentially an old French phrase that refers to blending both young and aged beer, showcasing the complexity of the old brew and the pizazz of the young. Some Brettanomyces farmy notes linger in the aromas along with some deeper citrus, hay and sour pong under it. The palate is wonderfully balanced between body, sour, funk, and a tiny little boop of sweet to offset the sour—which gives way to a dry finish. It’s clean, complex and enjoyable.
#13 • TALLBOY & MOOSE (VIC) - OAT DEER
🍺 Blended Oat Stout • 🥴 7.4% ABV
Made with a blend of barrel aged and un-barrel aged oat stouts, there is heaps of vanilla on the nose with roasty marshmallowy pillowy goodness all over the place! There is substantial body to this brew, too, which is accompanied by a prominent bitterness from beginning to end with a refreshingly bright finish.
#14 • HELIOS (QLD) - FRENCH OAKED NEW WORLD PALE ALE
🍺 French Oaked New World Pale Ale • 🥴 4.5% ABV
The nose on this one is quite textural—there are soft cereal notes with malt and vanilla in a very even balance with the aromas of spicy hop character, and that makes a very accurate introduction to the palate. The mouthfeel is an intriguing experience—soft and malty and pillowy but all the while light, while flavours of grain, vanilla and oak recede into a satisfyingly bitter finish.
#15 • BEERFARM (WA) - SAVE THE HARVEST
🍺 Watermelon & Basil Sour • 🥴 5% ABV
Made with rescued produce that was no longer fit for sale, the watermelon comes through with a sour and juicy vibe while the basil chimes in with some dank! Eventually, some grainy malt aromas peek their head out, as well. There is a definite watermelon warhead sourness about the beer, which is wonderfully clean and refreshing without being over the top with acid. The basil, meanwhile, continues to add an extra dimension to the beer, never overstepping, just keeping its cool in the background.
#16 • HOP NATION (VIC) - SWEATER
🍺 Red IPA • 🥴 7.2% ABV
Lots of roast and caramel up front, with some floral and resiny hops along with it. Despite the malty prominence on the nose, the body is nicely tasty yet delightfully dry, allowing the hops shine through from beginning to end, while the floral hop character and accompanying bitterness of the beer really defines the finish.
#17 • EDGE (VIC) - BURNT TOAST
🍺 Dark Multigrain Lager • 🥴 4.4% ABV
Rich, complex, savoury smokey aromas let you know immediately that you’re in for more than just a dark lager. Subtle malts and lagery yeast characters hide in the shadows, while the palate is a bit more easy going than you might expect. Savoury smoke is a consistent theme, though it’s not overpowering, and sits in excellent balance with the modest body of the beer. The finish is dry-ish with light lingering smoke and malt texture.
#18 • BELLS BEACH BREWING (VIC) - G&T GOSE
🍺 Gin & Tonic Gose • 🥴 4.1% ABV
Citrus aromas with a little whiff of junipery bite lead off, introducing what is an incredibly drinkable beer—the citrus acidity stays with you throughout, while a little botanical complexity and effervescent carb set the undertone and a little salt to rounds out the sour finish.
#19 • BURNLEY BREWING (VIC) - CUCUMBER MINT LAGER
🍺 Lager with Cucumber & Mint • 🥴 5% ABV
There’s no uncertainty of the presence of juicy cucumber—the aromas are loaded with it! Under that, there is a suggestion of mint and some soft malt presence and a prickly effervescence. The cucumber is there for the whole experience, with a little grip from the cucumber skin and a grassiness from the mint supporting it. The finish is crisp with moderate hop bitterness.
#20 • SAILORS GRAVE (VIC) - HOW TO MAKE GRAVY
🍺 Beer Gravy Hybrid • 🥴 5.6% ABV
Malty caramel aromas and some savoury umami notes introduce the beer gently, while the palate takes it a little further. The prominent malt backbone carries through, while some new things start to happen—complex, rich and salty characters emerge, with a decent amount of carbonation to lighten the mouthfeel and some subtle acidity to bring in balance. The beer finishes with some more malt and a light lingering spice.
#21 • MODUS OPERANDI (VIC) - MARGIE
🍺 Lime Sour • 🥴 4.5% ABV
Lots of lime and lemon zest hit you in the nose, and it’s a very accurate introduction to the the beer as a whole. It’s is as bright as it is enjoyable, with moderate sourness to compliment the citrus forward character of the beer and a healthy carbonation to keep it sassy.
#22 • NEW ENGLAND BREWING (NSW) - IMPERIAL CHAI BROWN ALE
🍺 Imperial Chai Brown Ale • 🥴 7.7% ABV
This beer is spice forward on top of a tasty, full bodied malt profile, just as you might be expecting. Aromas of clove, cinnamon nutmeg hang out with a very light fruit character and a lovely roastiness to support it all. The spices and the malt meld very well on the palate, bringing a beer that is dark and toasty with a little sweetness and a delicious chai profile to ice the cake. The finish has all the traits of the beer itself, though a fleeting dollop of bitterness pokes through.
#23 • OTHERSIDE (WA) - TROPICAL IMPERIAL SOUR
🍺 Imperial Sour • 🥴 6.9% ABV
Punchy, bright tropical fruit aromas don’t hold back! Mango and pineapple seem to really take the lead, and on the palate, there is certainly no shortage of bright, juicy acidity to maintain the vibe! 6.9% gives it a pretty hefty body, and it suits the intensity of the sourness quite well—It’s spritzy and prickly and juicy, and the finish is nothing short of mouthwatering.
#24 • BOATROCKER (VIC) - B.A. HUMBUG
🍺 BA Spiced English Strong Ale • 🥴 9.2% ABV
Chock full of Christmas spice character reminiscent of iced biscuits. Abundant all-spice, clove, cinnamon compliment subtle esters and phenol spice from the yeast. The body is lush—rich, caramelly malt and more yeast character fill the palate, accompanied by lingering sweetness and hints of vanilla and whisky character. A peppery finish, persistent spice and long lasting texture bring it home.
