Hugin, Munin, and Jack by 3 Ravens Brewery
This week the blog takes a return trip to Melbourne. We go to a brewery that has thus far been criminally overlooked by the blog: 3 Ravens Brewery. The good people at 3 Ravens make a number of excellent beers and have a cool name based on Norse mythology. Further, 3 Ravens, is apparently the oldest craft brewery in Melbourne as well. I haven’t bother to fact check this, but I’m happy to take their word for it. So for this post, I’ll be concentrating on the three beers brewed specifically to celebrate 3 Ravens’ 18th Anniversary: Hugin, Munin, and Jack.
These three beers are only available in a special release 18th Anniversary pack (which you may still be able to get your hands on if you’re quick) and are named for each of the 3 Norse ravens from which the brewery takes its name. Furthering the intrigue is the fact the 3 Ravens offers zero description of what type of beer each one is on their website. You have to trust them and buy the beers to find out. And even then, the cans themselves only have the vaguest of hints (and I do mean vague).
I’m sure I could google it and find details in some corner of the internet. But instead I decided I’d go in blind, see what I though of each, and likely sacrifice some beer-nerd points with my attempted descriptions. So without further ado…
Hugin
The first beer I tried was Hugin. The only clue I had was the cryptic text from the can: ‘An homage to Hugin, the magician – known for his traditional perspective, looking to the past to draw inspiration’. So I wasn’t expecting any new fangled Cold IPA’s or anything with the word ‘milkshake’ in it or anything like that.
What I got was a rich amber coloured beer with a very fruity aroma. It turned out to be an abbey ale style beer (I’m pretty sure, and my ignorance could be exposed here, but that seems to be in line with the ‘traditional perspective’ bit from the can). Hugin has a big body, and strong undercurrent of tea flavour. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting but I don’t think it was this. That being said, it was a very pleasant and very drinkable surprise. I usually think of abbey ales as being quite boozy, but this on comes in at just 5%. Abbey ales aren’t always up my alley. But I really enjoyed this one and it was a great way to kick off the tasting of the three.
Munin
Next raven off the rank was Munin. The can clue for this one was ‘an homage to Munin, the explorer – known for her progressive perspective, looking forward to endless possibilities’. So this was the one where I was expecting something a bit more funky and out there.
What I got on this one was a very pale, clear, golden straw coloured beer with a hoppy aroma. After the first sip I wasn’t 100% sure what kind of beer this was. I still don’t think I am. It’s definitely hoppy, but beyond that, it had a strong sour bit to it as well. It wasn’t just the citrus flavour of some IPA’s. I’d go so far as to hazard a guess of a hoppy sour or sour IPA or some other such hybrid concoction. Whatever it is, it’s brilliant. Easily my favourite of the three. I’d definitely drink it regularly if it weren’t only around for a short time as part of a very limited release.
Jack
The last of the three was Jack, which sounded decidedly less Norse than his two compatriots, but I’m happy to go with it. The clue with Jack was ‘an homage to Jack, the Jester – known for their unorthodox perspective. Forward, but upside down’. And with that description I was totally clueless as to what to expect.
Turns out Jack is an extremely crisp, dry rye ale of some description. It doesn’t quite make it all the way to wheat beer status (which I appreciated). But it was definitely edging towards that end of the spectrum. It’s a mid-strength that had a really strong rye bite to it. There’s a hint of hops there, but it’s really the rye that gives Jack its kick. This probably isn’t one I’d drink every day (even if that was a possibility), but still a quality beer, especially if your tastes lie in the wheatier regions.
Overall, I’m extremely glad I splurged a bit on the 18th Anniversary pack from 3 Ravens. If I’m ranking the ravens, I think for me it’s pretty clear: Munin, Hugin, and then Jack. But they’re all worth trying. If this is how 3 Ravens celebrates the relatively arbitrary 18th anniversary, I’ve very much looking forward to what they churn out in a couple years’ time for one of their more significant milestones.