The Sip #72 Moon Dog Coughlin's Diet
Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis puts some of Australia's top drops to the test.
Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive
The Moon Dog operational team need to change their job titles.
Karl van Buuren and Jake and Josh Uljans are more than just brewers. They’re entertainers.
Sample one of their beers, say abracadabra and what is in your mouth is far from what you thought when the glass touched the lips.
Earlier this year Moon Dog delivered a Barley Wine called Bad Boy Bubbly that tasted like a weak champagne.
Then the Breakfast Of Champions convinced drinkers they were downing a Bloody Mary. An oyster or celery stick coming out of the bottle would not have surprised.
So now the beer makers who produce beer to taste like a non-beer have continued their chameleon-like campaign by blending another brew into a different surrounding.
The Sip has previously referred to Moon Dog as the Australian brewing market’s Heston Blumenthal. Similar to the celebrity chef, beer is Moon Dog’s vehicle to create something different.
And Coughlin’s Diet creates the illusion.
On their own the individual bottles in the two-pack are unappealing. The tasting lab tried 30ml of each in separate glasses before following the instructions and mixing the “sweet, orangey, bourbony part” one and the “the cherry-ish herbally part” two in a large glass.
It is wise to share this beer as the two 330ml loads of liquid – the Dark Ale aged on Bourbon-soaked oak and the English Cherry IPA – make a big blend.
That’s the point. On taste the beer should be cocktail, specifically an Old Fashioned.
Once again, if you tried Coughlin’s Diet with a blindfold you could be confused into thinking you were enjoying the drink made famous in high-class New York bars.
However, this is a beer and there are Magnum, Goldings, Fuggles and Northdown hops involved.
The name gives a fair indication of what is ahead for the consumer. Doug Coughlin was Bryan Brown’s character in the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. Each cheekily adorns one of Coughlin’s Diet labels.
Moon Dog’s approach isn’t for all and even The Sip has to concede it is difficult to have a lot of their brews in one sitting.
But like the crazy professor the Moon Dog team develop something interesting, a product that pushes the boundary. It is fun and that is what brewing should be.
And that is why a loyal band of Australian beer lovers are eagerly awaiting what the crew from Melbourne will come up with next.
The Sip Snip
Coughlin’s Diet
Brewer: Moon Dog
Style: Specialty Ale
Alcohol content: 7.6
Standard drinks: 4.0 (for two 330ml)
Bitterness: 45IBU
Bottles: 330ml x 2
Estimated calories: N/A
The Sip Tip (rating): Worthy of a special occasion.
Average prices: $18 for the two-pack.
