Crafty Corner: Some beers are people too

Who really is Wayne Dubois? Is he a sparkling shiraz or a sour? Is he French or Aussie? Is he for beer drinkers, wine drinks or both?

I was excited to try this limited release from Stone and Wood, and I liked it.

Wayne is sour, with a strong, but sweet, berry flavour. It is refreshing and has a ruby/crimson colour.

The tartness is clipped by the other elements, allowing space for the aussie roughness to shine through at moments.

Wayne is everything he says he is. A Wine and a beer, French and Aussie, for both beer and wine drinkers.

At 0.3 per cent alcohol, Ramon is a low alcohol pilsner from Belgium brewery, Brouwerij Roman.

It was alright as drink. It was somewhat refreshing, crisp and has a little bit of flavour.

However, I wanted a bit more from Ramon. It had a fruity, and slightly citrus flavour which could have been a lot more.

There is little to no bitterness and is really easy drinking, which is enjoyable.

It has 40 per cent fewer calories than an average lager and being a low-alcohol option, I can see it being a go to for some people who want a beer, without really having a beer.

I was really disappointed in Amanda. Being labelled a mandarin IPA, I was excited, but Yulli's Brews only promised on one of those fronts.

It was a good IPA, one that I would be happy to drink again, if that's what it was supposed to be.

After the initial citrus aromas, there was no citrus or mandarin flavours coming through.

And through fruity, with some really good hops and a little bitterness that balances the IPA nicely, I wanted more.

I wanted Amanda to be what she said she was.

Ira is weird. He is halfway between an IPA and a red ale. He's not really cool for a unique beer style, but I like him.

This beer has the fruity hops that a good IPA has, but is balanced perfectly with nice toffee malts.

It is harder to drink than many other beers, but that allows you to savour and enjoy your time with Ira, before he goes home to his vintage spiderman collection.

Like any weird guys, Ira is layered. It has a toffee sweetness that hits immediately, but is then switched with a fruity flavour, before being smacked on the tongue by a bitterness, that lingers for a while after.

I really like Ira. He won't be everyone's cup of tee, but I will definitely hang out with him a few more visits before winter is over.

Kill Patrick was one of the more intriguing beers of late that I've tried.

Originally Black Hops' GABS festival beer entry in 2015, this beer is brewed with fresh unshucked oysters from the Tweed River and spiced with tamarind, clove, pepper & lemon zest.

At first the slight seafood smell got to me a bit, but quickly I realised that, as Black Hops say, Kill Patrick is "a stout first and foremost".

The seafood is not really evident outside of a small amount in the aroma.

It has good smoked malts and a nice nip of rye, and though it has a good spice, I would've wanted a bit more.

Kill Patrick would be better if it had a bigger body, with more full flavours.

I still really enjoyed this, but I do think it could do a bit more because it is a nice stout, but to have that extra spice and body would make it a great spice.

Rating System:

Ratings are determined by: taste, aroma, texture, appearance, and overall enjoyment.