South Australian-based Vale Brewing has capped off a big year by releasing the newest member of its portfolio in bottle – Vale Golden Ale.

The beer was previously released in kegs in September this year, and the brewery felt the demand warranted its inclusion in the bottle line-up.

It has been a big year for the well-known brewery, with a change of ownership and a subsequent shakeup of its beer portfolio taking place in 2015.

Head brewer Jeff Wright has commented that 2015 was “a truly golden year of reinvigoration, innovation and success,” for the McLaren Vale-based brewing company. The beer portfolio changes have seen the now family-owned brewery release a broad spectrum of both experimental and more mainstream beers, leading to an influx of beer show awards.

“It was a landmark year on the awards front, with us being crowned Champion Large Brewer at the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards in mid-July and knocking off major players like Coopers and Lion Nathan in the process,” says Wright. “This was the first time since our 2008 establishment that we’ve won a Best Brewer award and fresh from this victory and a swag of gold and other medals, we went on to lead the SA charge at the Craft Beer Industry Association’s (CBIA) 2015 Craft Beer Awards in Sydney in late October, picking up three silver and four bronze medals.”

One of the beers that brought success on the awards front was the newly bottle golden ale, with Wright saying that the brew has “a clean lingering bitterness in the mouth,” and will leave drinkers with “a strong desire to have another glass”.

“The Vale Golden Ale we brewed for kegs turned out so well we’ve now taken this winning brew to bottles, to coincide with the summer holidays and celebrations of Christmas, New Year and Australia Day,” he says.

Described as golden in colour, the brew is 5.5% ABV and features a blend of pilsner, wheat and Vienna malts for a complex yet refined biscuit character.

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