Tipple talk

There's an old joke - and a funny T-shirt - that reads: "Beer: It's not just for breakfast anymore." Moon Dog brewery in Melbourne, which recently presented its beers at the Beijing International Beer Festival, gets the last laugh with Bloody Mary Red Ale, brewed with tomato puree, vegan Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and chilies. "This beer could be absolutely brilliant, or terrible," opine Aussie bloggers at 2hopheads.com, who join the "brilliant" camp after sampling its lively carbonation, spicy aroma, fugue of cider (from the cider yeast) and serious tomato flavor. "The tomato's acidity makes it interesting but hard to achieve," brewers Josh Uljans and Karl van Buuren tell us, admitting there was a lot of trial and error in the process. Because of that, they suspect there is no other beer like it on the market. Right now their experimental array of beers is not available in China, so we have to hope they'll be back for other festivals.