Swan Gold

Swan Gold is a pale looking beer with a small head and a quiet bitter aroma. Like its newer doppelganger, 1857 Bitter, Swan Gold is a mid-strength lager.  Around since 1978 Swan Gold has been around in the mid-strength market long before it was trendy.  The beer can be described as light on the palate with a refreshing crisp bitter flavour.  Like a lot of mid-strength beers Swan Gold has that familiar soda astringent finish.  I believe that this beer is not as malty as most mid-strength lagers and as such is very easy to drink with some loss to the varied flavour regime.

Touted as the beer with least calorie content, at 31 calories/100ml this is certainly a beer for the weight watchers.  To be fair we don't drink beer to lose weight and as such this beer should be looked on as a beer you would like to drink when you don't want a beer.  It is crisp, refreshing, bitter and easy on the palate as well as the waste.  This is another beer that you want to serve very chilled because if you let it warm up it will taste like beer cordial.

The Raffles Hotel, Perth, Western Australia - a last Swan Gold Bastion

In our recent trip to Western Australia, AustralianBeers.com asked some of the locals what they thought of Swan Gold. The strong feedback we received was that while it was very popular with the older male population, the general feeling was that Swan Gold wasn't as popular with the younger market as it could possibly be.  It may be that other, younger mid-strength beers, such as Calton Mid-Strength, are taking away market share once owned by this beer.  Indeed, we did see very strong directions to barmaids in some Perth pubs to serve customers Swan Gold if they asked for a mid-strength beer. This may or may not be indicative of the battle that is raging between the brands in Western Australia.  

Food For Thought:

This beer is a very quiet beer with a rich bitter soda astringent quality and as such is a quiet accompaniment for likewise meals.  Similar to a Chianti in wine terms this beer is well served at luncheon.  A beer that can be enjoyed during the day with a Caesar salad, fresh prawns or a selection of antipasto.  Like all mid-strengths it is well served with Asian dishes as it will not overpower the flavours and is better suited than white wine. It is a drink that is unobtrusive and can be a great beer to drink to quench your thirst on a warm Australian afternoon.  3.5%alc/vol

 

The Foundry Hotel, Western Australia, where it certainly gets warm

 

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