THERE are a growing number of winemakers in Australia who are turning their hand to also brewing beers and among them are the people from De Bortoli who have come up with their William Bull range.
Promoted as "hand crafted", the three beers in the range, pilsener, pale ale and premium lager, are all quality.
However it was the pilsener that caught my attention because of its interesting characteristics.
When it comes to pilseners, I tend to think of them as clean, crisp ales with a good degree of bitterness.
William's pilsener has all that and more.
It is straw gold in appearance, clean and clear with a moderate effervescent and a good tight white head, which lingers.
The initial nose is floral with a hint of spices but then you will detect a solid malt coming through, which, to me, was a pleasant surprise.
This also transfers across in the taste with the initial flavours generated from the hops containing a citrus, slightly fruity note.
This is full bodied, slightly creamy across the plate and offers up plenty to keep you interested.
The malts come through in a well-balanced way and there a slight bitterness in the after taste that will draw you back.
This is a very refreshing and appealing pilsener and the flavour qualities, particularly the malt component are not expected – if you are expecting a more of a traditional pilsener.
This is full-strength beer at 4.8 per cent and while it might be slightly heavier in the guts than many of the mainstream beers going around, it certainly has good sessionability.
It's definitely a beer to sit and relax to at the end of the day.
It would go well with a decent steak with a spicy sauce or even a spicy dish, perhaps a good curry as well.
William's pilsener has great balance in the flavours as have all the William's range and is well worth considering. For a wine maker, this is a pretty good brew.
MY TIP
With all decent craft beers, there's much to appreciate so serve this in the appropriate manner - tall glass, nice and cold. This is a premium beer which is widely so for $18 for a 330ml six pack, you are paying for quality.