The beer: Cherry Lambic. Yep, that’s its name.

Where did it come from?: The Illawarra Brewing Company brewhouse.

What’s it like?: It’s a nice balance of the sweetness from the cherries, which is upfront. Then there’s some lambic funk in the middle and some of that distinct ‘‘horseblanket’’ thing going on, before it all finishes on a dry note.

Why do you like it?: Okay, there is a bit of a novelty factor here because of it pouring crimson in the glass. Also, it’s a lambic and we don’t make too many of them here. But it’s also sharp, it’s tart, it’s refreshing.

Okay, now you can tell the story you think is funny/interesting?: Not long after I posted on Twitter that I was drinking this and it was lovely, I got a response from someone in Melbourne who was jealous.
Funny that, she lives in Melbourne – where you could quite literally find a new beer to drink for a whole year and still have shedloads left to try. She’s got all that beer on tap, and she’s jealous of the beer I’M drinking. I guess that’s the beer geek dilemma – we always want what we don’t have. And we also take for granted what we DO have.
That’s something that is directed at me as much as my Twitter friend. I can get an Illawarra Brewing Company beer any time I want, so I can sometimes forget they might be intensely desirable to someone in another part of the country.

Anything else?: Yep, the alcohol count. It’s 6.5 per cent but truly doesn’t taste anywhere near that strong. I’m sure that’s going to bite a few unwary souls in the bum.