Tasting

What does a Western Australian Pale Ale taste like? Fruity, with citrus and peach on the nose, moderate bitterness, and a dry, clean finish. Little Creatures Pale Ale is the best-known example. Feral Hop Hog tastes bolder and more resinous, while Feral White carries notes of orange peel and coriander, with a soft yeast character.

Swan Draught offers the counterpoint: pale, cool, not heavily hopped. In Margaret River you'll find different styles again, such as Colonial or Eagle Bay, where brewers blend hospitality with the landscape. What's on tap changes quickly, so here's a tip for newcomers: start with the pale lager, move on to the Pale Ale, and finish with the heavily hopped beer — otherwise the bitterness will overwhelm anything more delicate.

In Western Australia, you order by glass, not by milliliters. The Middy holds about 285 milliliters, the Schooner around 425, and the Pint 570 (based on the English pint). In other states, the same glasses go by different names: visitors from Melbourne will ask for a "Pot" for the small glass and be met with puzzled looks.

Temperature is a matter of taste. In Australia, lager is often served very cold, while Pale Ale is served a touch warmer so the hop aroma can come through. At the brewpub, the tasting flight — known as the Paddle — is popular: a wooden board with four to six small glasses for sampling your way through the range.

A bottle is colloquially called a Stubby, a can a Tinnie, a cooler an Esky, and if you're buying a round, you're "shouting." The tap in the Tap Room, the serving area right at the brewery, is often just a few feet from the tank.