My Everest Beer

Feral’s Watermelon Warhead, a German style sour wheat beer infused with local watermelon, was released for the 2012 Great Australasian Beer Spectapular. It took fourth place in The Critics Choice Top 100 that same year with editor Pete Mitcham describing it as:

Possibly the most insanely marvellous beer to hit the scene since the discovery of yeast, this is all that a good beer should be – and less. Full of flavour, complexity and thirst-quenching satisfaction, but with little more alcohol than a Seventh Day Adventist Church picnic. The beer to have when you’d like just one more.

The Critics Choice Australia’s Best Beers 2012

I did not get to try this beer in 2012. In March 2013 I was at The Sail & Anchor during their Feral tap takeover only to find Watermelon Warhead wasn’t being tapped until the following day. Later in the year I ordered Watermelon Warhead when visiting the brewery but the kegs were dry. 2013 passed by Watermelon Warhead-free.

Many of my friends have tried it and loved it, raved about it and flaunted their drinking of it on various social media platforms. Each check in on Untappd just added more salt to my sour beer wound.

This is how Watermelon Warhead became what I like to call my “Everest beer”, a beer that sounded so grand but had remained out of my reach*

*of course living 200km from Perth didn’t really help either

Then, one day, one very unexpected day, I found it.

Last weekend I walked into Clancy’s Fish Pub City Beach where we were having lunch with my partner’s family and saw this –

I ordered a pint with much delight. It arrived on the table and I almost went for a swim as I nose-dived into the glass for a big ol’ whiff.

It does what is says on the box/decal. Most certainly takes me back to primary school days and getting Warheads from the corner shop before netball practice, which incidentally isn’t the best way to prepare for any form of sport.

It’s the sourness that is tangy and fruity, not sharp and cold, that I really enjoyed. The watermelon flavour is hard to ignore and why would you? It’s soft and fresh and is well balanced against the sourness, throw in that crisp apple flavour and I’m sold!

It was a beer I had been waiting so long to try, had built up in my head (and palate) so much, and it made me a very happy girl. I loved the clean and refreshing flavours, the perfect balance of sour versus fruit, the low 2.9% ABV and I can’t wait to have it again.