The Indian Cricketer from the Staircase Brewery.

Country: Australia
Beer: Indian Cricketer by the Staircase Brewery

Welcome to Day One of the Beer Olympics, where I will endeavour to drink and review a beer from a different country for each day of the Olympics. Yes I know that, technically, the Games started two days ago but I figured I’d start on the day of the opening ceremony. Because that’s what the organisers in London should have done. Having two days of competition before the opening ceremony is just stupid.
Here’s a few caveats for the sticklers – the beers do not have to come from countries competing in the Games. Also, any contract brewed beer will be treated as though it has come from the original country (which is very handy given that the Sapporo beer I got was brewed, not in Japan, but in Canada.
Also, it would be dumb of you to presume that I’ve chosen the best beer from each country. Take the Australian representative as an example. There are plenty of good craft beer here and yet I went and chose one from a little-known operator called Staircase Brewery. Where is that, you ask? Under my stairs at home.
Yep, it’s a homebrew. Why didn’t I pick a ‘‘real’’ beer? Because it’s my damn blog and I’ll do what I like, okay?
Anyway, so this beer is called Indian Cricketer because it was made from an Thomas Cooper IPA kit but brewed with lager yeast, making it an IPL. And sports lovers will know the IPL is the acronym of the Indian Premier League, the pro league for Twenty20 cricket in India.
Hence the name ‘‘Indian Cricketer’’. As well as the Coopers can I dryhopped with about 40g of Motueka hops and then hoiked in the lager yeast because it was winter and a little too cold to use ale yeast.
In the end it came in at about 4 per cent alcohol and offering some nice fruity aromas and flavours. If it was bought in a store people might not be too impressed but for what is my eighth homebrew, I reckon it’s all right.
Would I drink it again?: Yes. But given that I’ve got two crates of it to get through, it’s not like I have a lot of choice.