Craig’s tasting

So Fat Yak is yet another beer with a cool name that is made in Australia in a style borrowed from another country. In this case the Matilda Bay Brewery have borrowed from the North Americans.

For those accustomed to enjoying  a pale ale of any variety I am sure many would agree that Fat Yak holds itself well amongst its peers. A pale ale by definition should be dominated by hops however in my opinion a very good pale ale should also demonstrate an ever so mild sweetness of fruity origins. It appears that Fat Yak meets this criteria and therefore I have found it easy to view this beer favourably.

Initially my first thoughts were to rate this beer higher than my favourite Pale Ale (the one and only Coopers Pale Ale). Upon reflection I have however changed my mind. One of the key elements of making a beer a favourite is its ability to draw your attention again and again. This is something Coopers Pale Ale has managed to do for me.

Despite my belief that this beer may have a superior taste to many other pale ales, it is yet to lodge itself in my subconscious. So great is this faliure that I have not yet found myself reaching for another one since the taste test. The good news however is that there is time for this to happen and perhaps as time goes by this beer may in fact reach into the upper levels of the beer kingdom.

For now at least it will remain a beer that has displayed a great deal of class and it is clearly head and shoulders above almost all of its rivals. Unfortunately it needs to take that next step and show us that it can take the title that matters. Until it does I have it on good authority that the brewers may actually re name the beer “Andy Murray Pale Ale”. In recognition of the greatest tennis player to ever emerge from Scotland. A tennis player who by pure coincidence is in exactly the same spot as this beer.

Danny’s tasting

Fat Yak is proudly advertised as “A blend of premium pale malted barley and a truck-load of hops”.

I might have to disagree with that as I thought it tasted closer to a shed-full of hops or perhaps even approaching a shit-load but not a truck-load.

Important to know that Fat Yak does not contain 0.8% unprocessed yak fat in every 345mil stubbie. I bet if it was made in Belgium they’d have considered putting it in given the weird stuff they ferment. Anyway I digress.

The aroma has a nice hint of honey but not overpowering like some beers can be e.g. James Squire Golden Ale. In fact you could just inhale the smell for hours if you were into that sort of thing and not concerned with getting drunk (I mean appreciate the wonderful blendings of malted grains and subtle infusion of hops in a drink)

I couldn’t drink a lot of Fat Yak in a session but I don’t necessarily think a beer should be rated on its ability to be consumed in copious quantities otherwise the blandest beers would be rated the best like a Boddingtons Pub Ale .

My esteemed colleague, Craig, rates this better than a Coopers Pale Ale but he is young and has much to learn. For the record I rate Coopers Pale Ale in my top 3 and a superior beer to Fat Yak but only by a length and a half (Becks hasn’t entered the straight at this point).

That all said it is easily one of the better beers we have reviewed and I’d give it an 8.

Fat Yak Pale Ale

In the words of the Matilida Bay brewery themselves they have “created this easy drinking craft beer in the traditional North American pale ale style that has proved so popular with discerning Australian and international beer drinkers”.

Origin: Dandenong, Australia

Alcohol/vol: 4.7%

Style: Pale Ale

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