Around this time each year Australia’s most extreme brewer, Murray’s Craft Brewing Co, produces less than 1,000 bottles of its distinctive Anniversary Ale to celebrate its birthday and the holiday season in style. And this year, Murray’s Anniversary Ale 4 is certain not to disappoint. Each year’s there’s a twist on the base recipe. For the first time, this year half the batch was transferred to American Oak casks for extended maturation. This ale was then blended with the second half and fermented, before being bottled and corked in champagne bottles. As with previous years Murray’s Anniversary Ale 4 is an intense mix of sweet, nutty caramel malt flavours and an aggressive hop bitterness and flavour from the New Zealand Cascade and Pacific Hallertau hops. The result is a very complex and intense flavour experience that will age nicely over at least the next 5-10 years.