Yarra Flats Brewery Reviews

Davros	2.2 Buckley's English Pale Ale Pours amber, creamy head. Nose shows herbal hops, non-descript malt, apple cider, solvent-like notes. Flavours include more apple cider notes, cardboard, earthy and spicy hops, soft bready malt. Watery body. Friday, July 7, 2017
Bootlegger007	3.6 Buckley's Dark Bock Rich roasted malts, I got aromas and flavours of chocolate, coffee and caramel, I really enjoyed this Bock. Monday, June 26, 2017
ShaneJ	3.5 Buckley's Special Bitter Bottle from APOD Liquor (December 2016). Murky copper-brown, soapy white head, malty, floral aromas, biscuity malt, a bit like a ginger snap, mild grassy/earthy bitterness, medium body. Nice enough. Friday, April 21, 2017
Dglanvil	2 Buckley's Pilsener Saturday, January 9, 2016
j12601	3.8 Buckley's Imperial Breakfast Stout Bottle at Max & Jess’s for an impromptu barbecue thing when I was down for Comic Con.. Pours a deep black with a thin tan head. Roast, a touch of green pepper, sweet caramel and roast. Long roast, sweet chocolate and cocoa, long caramel. Long roast and chocolate. Wednesday, December 16, 2015
mattyhennessy	3.8 Buckley's Dark Bock Bottle 330ml. Pours brown with red showing when held to the light. Moderate tan head that holds well. Sweet aromas of roasted caramel and toffee, with some almond and subtle espresso and chocolate. The flavour is sweeter than expected, but is not overdone and rounded out nicely with dark malt acidity and bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel and medium carbonation. I must say I wasn’t expecting much given the previous ratings, but i imagine the recipe for this beer has been greatly refined since 2007/2008, where most of the bad reviews seem to be. I would definitely have again. The surprise beer of the day at a local beer festival. Thursday, October 16, 2014
Danev76	3.9 Buckley's Pilsener Citrus fruit aroma. Slightly cloudy golden colour with excellent head. Fruity citrus flavours with a decent malt profile towards the finish. Medium body and carbonation. Friday, August 15, 2014
Danev76	4.4 Buckley's Dark Bock Beautiful coffee aroma. Dark black colour with poor head. Like drinking a mocha, very smooth finish. Medium to heavy body with medium carbonation and a creamy texture. Tuesday, August 12, 2014
vinhol	2.6 Buckley's Bitter Ale 330 mil bottle malty aroma dark amber sort of a malty beer its ok but would not buy again Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Davros	2.7 Buckley's Original Ale Pours dark amber with a quickly fading head. Nose shows DMS, soft sweet malt, cidery notes and faint nutty malt. Better flavours. More prominent nutty malt and some spicy hops. Still a faint cidery note though. Body feels a bit watery. Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Davros	2.5 Buckley's Pilsener Pours gold with a quickly fading head. Aroma of off-putting cooked vegetables (cabbage), spicy and grassy hops, ginger and some soft malt underneath. More spicy hops and ginger as flavours along with cardboard notes and grainy malt. Watery body. A good attempt but a couple of flaws (DMS, grainy malt). Friday, June 21, 2013
Davros	3.3 Buckley's Dark Bock Pours light tan with a large, lasting head. Nose shows bready, toasty malt, caramel, melanoidin hints and chocolate. Slightly sour flavours with chocolate and toasty malt. A little sweet malt underneath the sourness. Could use more carbonation. Thursday, June 20, 2013
Davros	2.3 Buckley's Bitter Ale Pours dark amber with a small off-white head. Nose shows spices, some nutty malt, subtle sweet malt and corn-like DMS notes. Pretty restrained. Restrained flavours too. Some bready malt and grainy notes alongside faint spicy hops. Body feels watery. Monday, June 3, 2013
PPronoun	3 Buckley's Original Ale Thursday, April 11, 2013
Jamesshaw	1.5 Buckley's Pilsener slight sourness and thin body. not a typical pilsner aroma, almost more like farmhouse. Saturday, January 19, 2013
vinhol	3.2 Buckley's Original Ale 330 ml bottle Nice golden colors good aroma can taste hoppy flavour although not overpowering ok not great Saturday, October 13, 2012
davidm	3.3 Buckley's Pilsener Bottle 330ml, present from my gf. Nicely hopped. Aroma is floral, caramel, and grain. Taste is sweet and bitter, with average length. Palate is oily, and medium bodied. Yellow, with a frothy head. Friday, September 28, 2012
davidm	3.7 Buckley's Bitter Ale Bottle 330ml, present from my gf. Interesting malty nose. Aroma is vinous, with nuts, and floral hints. Taste is sweet, with average length. Palate is oily, and medium bodied. Amber, with a frothy head. Friday, September 28, 2012
Lucamanman	2.6 Buckley's Pilsener Bottle from brewery. Did not seem like a traditional pils. Light golden colour. Citrus and floral taste. Very average beer overall. Interesting to try but not sure if I’d repeat. Monday, July 25, 2011
Lucamanman	3.3 Buckley's Dark Bock Bottle from brewery. Rich dark color. Minimal light brown head. Nice aroma. Very smooth, with tastes of coffee and chocolate. Overall decent beer, would try again. Saturday, July 23, 2011
Maris	3.3 Buckley's Original Ale From a 330ml bottle on 16/4/2011. Pours a murky golden orange colour, with lots of yeast sediment floating about. The aroma is fruity and yeasty. Goes down quite nicely, with citrus fruits combining with caramel malt. Has a pretty decent dash of hops at the end. A pretty good English pale. Saturday, April 16, 2011
Maris	3.5 Buckley's Pilsener From a 330ml bottle on 10/8/2010. I’m surprised this one has got such a bagging on here so far, as it’s actually pretty good (note mine says ’pils’ rather than ’pilz’). Not that it’s recognisable as a pilsener. It pours cours cloudy, has a distinct smell of apple and a bit of toffee, and also has a sweet/sour fruity flavour. Couldn’t be more different from Uncle Urquell, other than some decent hop kick at the back. But that’s fine, as it has its own character. A nice, weird beer. Tuesday, August 10, 2010
mkel07	3.6 Buckley's Bitter Ale 330ml bottle. Deep fluffy dirty white head that rises like bread in an oven. Ruby copper flecked cloudy beer that looks good. Biscuity caramel aroma that gets your attention. Full of flavour and fills the mouth and then leaves a lingering warmth on the palate. Yet another good effort from the boys at Yarra Flats. Friday, June 18, 2010
mkel07	3.5 Buckley's Pilsener 330ml bottle. A vibrant and bright gold colour with a crackling thick creamy head that levels out. Zesty aromas mixed in with some spice. Flavoursome with a medium level of bitterness but a long lasting effect on the palate. Yeasty sediments in the end pour. Sunday, June 13, 2010
mkel07	4 Buckley's Original Ale 330ml bottle. Big fluffy dirty san dcoloured head a top a hazy light copper base. Floral hop aromas and a big bang of flavour hits the mouth, hops again. Balance is spot on and the finish is how you want it. Sunday, May 2, 2010
davidm	3.1 Buckley's Original Ale Bottle 330ml. Not bad. Aroma is floral, with a hint of caramel. Sweet taste, with light bitterness. Oily palate, and thin-to-medium body. Yellow, with a frothy white head. Saturday, February 20, 2010
Maris	3.6 Buckley's Dark Bock From a 330ml bottle on 12/2/2010. I must say I’m rather confused by the poor reception this has received here so far, as this is definitely one of the most enjoyable dark beers I’ve tried to date. It has a lovely roasted caramel aroma, and flavour wise is bursting with pronounced malt chocolatey goodness. The sweetness is turned up rather high, but there is nice bitter kick which manages to keep it in line. One that I’d definitely be happy to go back to. Thursday, February 11, 2010
hawthorne00	2.9 Buckley's Dark Bock Bottle. Dark brown, 1cm of tight beige head. Laces pretty well. Aroma has sour cherries, caramel and sherry vinegar. Tastes sweet and sour - there’s chocolate and caramel and some sour cherry juice. Body is rich and creamy. Mildly astringent finish. Reminded me quite a bit of Mönchshof Kellar beer. Looking at others’ ratings, I either got a good bottle or this has been much improved upon by the brewer. Saturday, February 6, 2010
davidm	3.8 Buckley's Dark Bock Bottle. Nice, just a bit too sweet for me. Aroma has chocolate, and also apple. Flavour is very sweet, but it has some pleasant sourness. Silky in the palate, and thin body. Dark brown colour, with a fizzy white head. Friday, October 30, 2009
nate2g	1.9 Buckley's Pilsener Bottle. Pours clear golden with a small white head. I’m getting light citrusy notes with lemon and butter. The flavour is malt, citrus and lemon. Light bodied with low bitterness. A crappy pils. Saturday, August 22, 2009
MBison	3.1 Buckley's Dark Bock Bottle (330ml). I have to admit after the Buckley pilsner I was expecting very little from the bock, but I was pleasantly surprised. Poured a deep brown (virtually black) with a creamy light brown head which was mostly lasting. Aroma was pleasant and strong with roasted malts, dark chocolate, sweet caramelized dates, raisins and some prunes. Flavor was equally as good; with roasted malts, a mild bitterness, dark chocolate, raisins, sweet caramelized dates, tart blackberries and a smoky finish (mild). Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation, creamy mouthfeel and a good finish.. Sunday, March 30, 2008
MBison	1.7 Buckley's Pilsener Bottle (330ml). Poured a hazy golden orange with a rocky, white head which was fully diminishing. Aroma was of lemon juice, pineapple, lemon zest with some sweet malts hidden in the back of the mess. Flavor was confusing with lots of colliding flavors; a foul lemon acidity was the leading flavor, followed by an odd soapy bitterness with soda like carbonation and strong metallic notes in the finish. Light bodied with fizzy carbonation, quite watery texture and a short finish. This one was a absolute disgrace to the word pilsner, more of a radler. Sunday, March 30, 2008
enak	2.2 Buckley's Dark Bock Flat tasting beer. Very uninteresting and continued through the glass. A very odd balance of malts in this bier, wouldn’t try again. Thursday, October 11, 2007
jimmy01	1.3 Buckley's Dark Bock Very flat pour with minmal head. Sour unpleasant beer that did not improve with subsequent mouthfulls. As others have noted - tasted like infected homebrew. A terrible beer - so bad I could not finish it. Sunday, July 15, 2007
highlandlad	1.9 Buckley's Dark Bock You know those B-movies that are so bad they’re quite good? Welcome to Buckley’s Dark Bock. As others have noted, this Australian dunkler bock has a sourness that hints at infection, yet it’s peculiarly drinkable. The beer was a teak colour with a shallow film of suds. Sugary-sweet aroma of strong Cola, musty attic, ginger and choc cherries. Strange mouthfeel - quite creamy initially but giving way to a nagging spritz that is totally off-style and reinforces the Cola analogy. Dry cocoa powder is swiftly overwhelmed by sugars in the mid-palate. Faint chocolate notes lead into souring dark fruits and a dry finish. A poor bock but somehow more than the sum of its parts. (330ml bottle from Dan Murphys, Kingsford) Friday, July 6, 2007
highlandlad	0.9 Buckley's Pilsener The newly-launched ’Beer &Brewer Australia’ magazine faces a dilemma: to have editorial credibility, it has to critique the products of the very same brewers whose advertising it needs to be financially viable. Thus it has to walk a delicate line between being honest enough to retain readers and tactful enough to retain advertisers. The result in the first issue was that of "82 beers tasted", the overwhelming majority of the reviews were positive. If only that was a fair reflection of the current standard of Australian brewing. The only beers to cop a bucketing were a handful of CUB lagers (CUB is unlikely to advertise anyway - wrong market) and this Victorian "pils". Well, they got that right. If this is typical of their work, Buckleys have a place in the Oz Brewers Hall of Shame alongside Outback, Braidwood and Hopping Mad. This improbable pilsener poured a muddy bottle-conditioned orange with a spare covering of suds. The sour-apple aroma echoes Thorogoods Golden Malted, but not in a good way. Cider apples, lime pickle and fudge-like sugars fill the nose. The nose says "infected" and the flavour offers little dispute. However, from the rest of the ratings here, it doesn’t appear that the brewer agrees. This tastes like tart, watery apple juice full of acetic acid. It’s oddly refreshing, like homemade lemonade. Imperceptible bitterness. Strange salty finish. Undercarbonated. It takes a lot of chutzpah to describe this on the label as "a traditional pilsener". Er, no. This is the kind of stuff that gives micro-brewing a bad name. How the hell did they get Dan Murphy’s to stock this? (330ml bottle from Dan Murphy’s, Kingsford) Tuesday, June 5, 2007
bozoNZ	1.2 Buckley's Pilsener 330ml bottle - Spicey ginger & very caustic green apples aroma. Palate doesn’t get any better. I hope the happy couple have a better future than this... Friday, June 1, 2007
bridge	2 Buckley's Dark Bock Dark dark brown with a hard earned caramel coloured head that disappeared pretty quickly. Sour aroma with a touch of burnt toast and hints of bitter chocolate (the cheap stuff). More sour on tasting, like their Pilz, with some dry bitterness loitering. I got some cabbage on tasting too which was quite weird. Hard to believe this is out there on the shelves, because it just seems like someone’s homebrew. What are these guys doing? Monday, April 2, 2007
strings	1 Buckley's Bitter Ale Like the worst kind of home brew. Rancid in such a familiarly unsettling and seemingly unsterile way that as you grimace with displeasure, it makes you think "oh well, at least it’s free", and then you remember that amazingly it so isn’t. Wednesday, March 21, 2007
bridge	1.3 Buckley's Pilsener Whoa, a very sour apple aroma that has my glands wincing more than any lambic I’ve smelt. On tasting it proves to be sour, but not as destructive as its aroma. Rather shallow sourness, and no bitterness to speak of for a pils. Salty finish, which has me making some very strange head movements trying to clear my tongue. The label repeats the old adage, "Buckley’s... or none" - I know which one I should have chosen. Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Muggus69	2.4 Buckley's Dark Bock Chilled 330ml bottle. Slight roasted malt on the nose, not much else I can detect. Pours a pretty much headless hazy surupy looking dark brown body. Bit of caramel in there followed by a more dominant sharp mocha flavour bring bitter and sour notes, nothing too offensive but a bit one-dimensional. Not a good bock regardless. Monday, March 12, 2007
Muggus69	2 Buckley's Pilsener Chilled 330ml bottle. Acidic apple cider on the nose, some earthy English-style hops possibly. Hazy orange body with a minimal white collar. Body is a bit on the watery side. Has the resiny hop character one would expect in an IPA. Odd citrus rind sort of hop flavour in there, quite a bit of sourness like a really unripe apple with some cidery fermented heavily processed sugar in there too. Very drying and slightly bitter, but not in the right way. Homebrew-like indeed, a Pilsner? Surely not. Monday, March 12, 2007
madquacker	1.7 Buckley's Dark Bock A very strange brew. An astringent sourness overwhelms with a syrup mocha flavour on top. Pretty bad. Friday, January 26, 2007
madquacker	1.8 Buckley's Pilsener Bretty rank. Nothing outstanding here. Home brewish with alot of organics. Strange labelling too. Thursday, January 11, 2007
motelpogo	1.5 Buckley's Pilsener labelled nuptialz pilz, for some wedding or something but the same beer i imagine. tasted like a homebrewed pils brewed at 20 degrees. aroma of random rotting fruit. unsettling orange colour. not a lot of bitterness, mango chutney, whatever Thursday, October 26, 2006
Dredd	2.2 Buckley's Pilsener Tastes like Homebrew! Slight zesty aroma and the hoppiness is more IPA than Pilsener. There is some lemon flavours and thinness. Not the malt or appearence that is normally associated with Pilsener either. There was very little head retention on this one. Thursday, August 17, 2006
Gouldz01	3.2 Buckley's Original Ale My favourite of the buckleys variety, deep gold appearance with residual cloudyness present. Fruity ale displaying some tart in the finish. Decent. Friday, August 4, 2006
Gouldz01	2.5 Buckley's Dark Bock Poured a deep chocolate body and a head which retained slighly better than other buckleys beer. To be honest it was my first try of a dark bock and dont have much to back my judgement against but i say there would be better ones around. Mocha and roasted nuts for the nose, and similar tastes but a sourness in the aftertaste. Friday, August 4, 2006
Gouldz01	2.9 Buckley's Bitter Ale Bottled, Amber colouring throughout the body, fizzy light head. Bitterness strongly felt through the palate along with a slight nutty flavour reminiscent of a heavier beer variety (ie. Amber Ale). Decent locally grown beer, still slightly rough though. Friday, August 4, 2006
Dredd	2.6 Buckley's Dark Bock Nice dark brown colour, chocolate malt/mocha aroma and malts finshing off with some sweetness and bitterness just like a Bock should. Slight fault with some sourness in the beer though which detracts from the overall experience. Saturday, June 24, 2006