Kommenter Beer Barrel: Coopers

I wanted to do a Kommenter Beer Barrel post on Australian beers, but most of the good Aussie beers are not exported to the US, and posting about them wouldn’t make much sense. The best of Aussie craft brew doesn’t measure up to the best of American craft brew anyway. Lastly, if I posted about Foster’s, immigration would boot me out of here before I could hit “publish”.

However, all is not lost. One of the very best Australian beers is widely available in the US. That beer is Coopers, which is brewed right here in Adelaide. Coopers products probably wouldn’t be considered craft beers, but more like very good everyday beers. In that sense I’d compare them (favorably) to Sam Adams. Coopers beers are bottle-conditioned, which means there is a bit of cloudy yeasty goodness suspended in the bottle. You have to roll them across the counter before you open them.

Coopers makes a full line of beers, but the three that are available in the US are the three biggest sellers: Best Extra Stout, Original Pale Ale, and Sparkling Ale.

Best Extra Stout is what I call stout for people that don’t like stout. It’s not as creamy or as heavy as a lot of stouts; if I were blind tasting it I’d probably think it was a porter. So if you’re looking for a stout that won’t put you on the couch for the rest of the night, this is your beer.

Original Pale Ale is just as advertised. It’s robust for a light-drinking summertime beer, and the bottle conditioning lends it a mild yeasty, sourdough flavor that a lot of similar beers don’t have. It’s got character.

Sparkling Ale is my favorite. It’s got a highly carbonated, almost champagne-y feel, and drinks crisp and clean. It’s a bit higher in alcohol than the others, coming in at 5.8% ABV, and it tastes like it. The malt and hops are balanced, and it has a hint of citrus (stay away, PK!)

I checked my old liquor store, the Van Nuys BevMo, and all three are on sale for $10.99 for a six-pack. I think they’re available at most stores that have a good selection of imported beers. Just as an aside, Coopers in the US is actually cheaper than in Australia even though it’s imported. I pay about $17 a sixer! Alcohol taxes are out of control here; beer and liquor cost almost twice as much as they do in the US. If that’s not reason enough to go try some Coopers, I don’t know what is!