The beers I have thus far reviewed have been bottled and exported for sale in Singapore. While there are some excellent exports, there is much better to be found at the numerous microbreweries that are scattered throughout the country. A couple of years back, I had the pleasure of touring Western Australia and sampling some of the region’s fine craft breweries. These include the Sail & Anchor in Fremantle, its sister pub in Perth the Brass Monkey and Margaret River’s Bootleg Brewery, whose slogan is "an oasis of beer in a desert of wine". All had impressive beers. The Brass Monkey Stout was quite tasty. However, the best micro in the region and the best Australian beer I’ve yet tasted was the India Pale Ale of Little Creatures in Fremantle. The brewery only makes three beers at any time. All are good, but the pale ale is its raision d’etre:

Little Creatures was born to make a pale ale, a specific style of pale ale, a style that we are absolutely passionate about and one that we believe displays great balance of flavor and refreshment, complex yet highly drinkable. The beer's character is driven by the use of fresh whole hop flowers. Hop flowers are carefully selected that are bursting with aroma and contain all the essential oils and acids that deliver a unique flavor experience. Drink a few pints of this beer and you'll soon become one of us?a certified "hophead" craving those crisp citrus flavors of grapefruit and passionfruit and maybe a bit of honey, all backed up with a good balance of bitterness.

The beer’s rich and fresh flavor partly arises from the brewery’s insistence in using whole hop flowers rather than the dried pellets that are usually used in most beers. While I can’t quite offer a review from memory, I remember it as by far the greatest Australian beer I had ever sampled. It was smooth and fresh with hints of citrus and pineapple... yum. I was so impressed I bought a 'slab' in Freo before we headed down south in the combie (actually a Winnebago). What that means is that I bought a slab of beer before heading down for a tour of one of Australia's best wine regions. Fresher reviews can be found here, here and here. That’s it for Australia week. Again, if any bloggers from the lucky country want to be contributor to A Good Beer Blog, please contact Alan.